• Question: can steroids be good

    Asked by anon-181561 on 11 Jun 2018.
    • Photo: Joanne Sharpe

      Joanne Sharpe answered on 11 Jun 2018:

      Yes! Steroids are routinely prescribed by Doctors, for example in the brown inhaler that asthmatics use. In general, they reduce inflammation so steroidal creams are often used to treat eczema and other allergic reactions. These are different to anabolic streroids used by bodybuilders.

    • Photo: Camille Parsons

      Camille Parsons answered on 11 Jun 2018:

      I agree with Joanne, steroids tend to be used to help people but we are just very used to hearing about steroids being associated with sports and cheating.

    • Photo: Ashley Akbari

      Ashley Akbari answered on 11 Jun 2018:

      Steroids can be very useful in medicine to reduce inflammation and treat reactions for allergies, as Joanne and Camille have mentioned these are different to the performance enhancing drugs that you are very prominent in the media

    • Photo: Alex Haragan

      Alex Haragan answered on 11 Jun 2018:

      There are several different types of steroids.
      The human body naturally produces several different types –
      > corticosteroids (that consists of mineralocorticoids and glucocorticoids),
      > sex steroids (so called because of their regulatory actions in relation to sexual organs – testosterone is higher in men, oestrogen higher in women, for example, but everyone produces both)
      > a handful of other groups.
      >
      All of these are made naturally by the body and are needed for a person to be healthy – and all of these are used in various medical conditions where, for example, the body cannot naturally produce enough, or as a means of treating a specific condition.
      >
      “anabolic steroids” are, as has been said, the ones people talk about when they are referring to body-builders. However this just refers to the function of the steroid – and normally means the sex hormones (testosterone being the obvious example).
      Anabolic steroids are not a different class of steroids, nor are they always bad. They are normally produced by the body, have an “anabolic” role (ie helps to build organs) and have medical uses.
      >
      The danger is in the over-use of these in the amounts that people might do for building muscle – this results in all sorts of side effects (many of which are shared by any long-term use of high dose steroids).
      So, as with most drugs – you should only take them if a doctor is telling you to!

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