Organic Steroids
I prescribed steroids for a patient the other day. They weren’t anabolics, but he is going to be able to run faster on them.
Physicians use steroids on a daily basis. They are actually one of our most useful tools in fighting disease and disability. We use them for arthritis, asthma, acne, allergies, autoimmune diseases…well, you get the idea.
Steroids are frequently “ good for what ails you “. Steroids are also completely natural, holistic, and organic. They are based on totally natural hormones produced by our own adrenal glands. (These are small glands that sit over each kidney. They produce many types of hormones to help us live better and healthier lives. )
It is by using these hormones that nature has given us that physicians can so powerfully and effectively treat disease. The holistic all-natural method that steroids have of healing us comes from their anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressing properties. Steroids are the premier anti-inflammatory substance of all time. Physicians tend to divide anti-inflammatory medication into two general categories: steroids, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS. The NSAIDS include almost every drug we now use for occasional illnesses and injury. The most famous of these is aspirin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug originally isolated from willow bark. The NSAIDS also include Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Naproxen.
Part of the reason anti-inflammatory's (both steroidal and non-steroidal) are so helpful is because they help to suppress our bodies own immune system. At first glance this might seem to be harmful, but very often it is actually of huge benefit. Through evolution of our bodies have become so incredibly complex that many of our most common medical conditions are actually results of our bodies getting confused and attacking themselves.
It seems to be a general law of nature that the more complicated be system gets the more likely it is to make mistakes that are harmful to itself. If you have trouble visualizing this, just think of large scale government or the last computer crash you had. Steroids are nothing more than a giant volume control, which turns down the volume on whatever the body is attacking within itself.
This is why they are so amazingly useful. They are some of the most powerful and safe drugs used for everything from the misery of psoriasis to terminal cancers. Of course such powerful medication could not possibly exist without some side effects. What is perhaps most surprising about steroids is how safe they are, especially for short term use. Even huge doses can be used for up to three weeks without significant long-term complications. (This of course assumes they are used properly by a competent physician.)
A significant problem to watch for with short term burst therapy like this is a change in mental attitude. Steroids can cause agitation , euphoria, or even delusions and hallucinations and someone who is susceptible. “Steroids psychosis” is the term for somebody who goes a bit crazy when given high dose steroids. The majority of problems with steroid side effects come with longer term use. Much of their benefits come from suppression of our wonky immune systems. However this suppression can make us more prone to infections, can delay healing, or can mask the symptoms of an infection.
Steroids can also raise blood sugar, cause weight gain, create cataracts, raise blood pressure, and cause skin changes such as stretch marks and fragile skin. Patients on long term steroid therapy develop changes in fat distribution - the develop a “buffalo hump” in their upper back, and chubby cheeks that give a “moon face” appearance.
Steroids are frequently used in children, and particular care is required here. Steroids have the ability to decrease growth velocity in growing children, which can lead to a children being smaller than they would otherwise be. This is usually only a problem for children on long-term high dose steroids, such as children with cancers or severe asthma.
For most of us adults the main side effect to watch for his osteoporosis. This is a profound softening of the bones which occurs naturally with aging, but which can be hastened by steroids. People with severe osteoporosis frequently have backbones that slowly crumple on them over time. The best way to avoid osteoporosis is regular weight bearing exercise. Calcium, vitamin D, and certain specialized drugs can also be of huge benefit.
A good doctor-patient relationship is also needed because the use of steroids requires knowledge, commitment, and long-term attention to efficacy and side effects. This can only be done when the doctor and patient have a good cooperative relationship. My patient with the steroids is doing better. They brought his asthma under good control. He no longer gets asthma attacks with exercise. He is able to run much faster than before!
Dr. Patrick Nesbitt
Physicians use steroids on a daily basis. They are actually one of our most useful tools in fighting disease and disability. We use them for arthritis, asthma, acne, allergies, autoimmune diseases…well, you get the idea.
Steroids are frequently “ good for what ails you “. Steroids are also completely natural, holistic, and organic. They are based on totally natural hormones produced by our own adrenal glands. (These are small glands that sit over each kidney. They produce many types of hormones to help us live better and healthier lives. )
It is by using these hormones that nature has given us that physicians can so powerfully and effectively treat disease. The holistic all-natural method that steroids have of healing us comes from their anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressing properties. Steroids are the premier anti-inflammatory substance of all time. Physicians tend to divide anti-inflammatory medication into two general categories: steroids, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS. The NSAIDS include almost every drug we now use for occasional illnesses and injury. The most famous of these is aspirin, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug originally isolated from willow bark. The NSAIDS also include Tylenol, Ibuprofen, and Naproxen.
Part of the reason anti-inflammatory's (both steroidal and non-steroidal) are so helpful is because they help to suppress our bodies own immune system. At first glance this might seem to be harmful, but very often it is actually of huge benefit. Through evolution of our bodies have become so incredibly complex that many of our most common medical conditions are actually results of our bodies getting confused and attacking themselves.
It seems to be a general law of nature that the more complicated be system gets the more likely it is to make mistakes that are harmful to itself. If you have trouble visualizing this, just think of large scale government or the last computer crash you had. Steroids are nothing more than a giant volume control, which turns down the volume on whatever the body is attacking within itself.
This is why they are so amazingly useful. They are some of the most powerful and safe drugs used for everything from the misery of psoriasis to terminal cancers. Of course such powerful medication could not possibly exist without some side effects. What is perhaps most surprising about steroids is how safe they are, especially for short term use. Even huge doses can be used for up to three weeks without significant long-term complications. (This of course assumes they are used properly by a competent physician.)
A significant problem to watch for with short term burst therapy like this is a change in mental attitude. Steroids can cause agitation , euphoria, or even delusions and hallucinations and someone who is susceptible. “Steroids psychosis” is the term for somebody who goes a bit crazy when given high dose steroids. The majority of problems with steroid side effects come with longer term use. Much of their benefits come from suppression of our wonky immune systems. However this suppression can make us more prone to infections, can delay healing, or can mask the symptoms of an infection.
Steroids can also raise blood sugar, cause weight gain, create cataracts, raise blood pressure, and cause skin changes such as stretch marks and fragile skin. Patients on long term steroid therapy develop changes in fat distribution - the develop a “buffalo hump” in their upper back, and chubby cheeks that give a “moon face” appearance.
Steroids are frequently used in children, and particular care is required here. Steroids have the ability to decrease growth velocity in growing children, which can lead to a children being smaller than they would otherwise be. This is usually only a problem for children on long-term high dose steroids, such as children with cancers or severe asthma.
For most of us adults the main side effect to watch for his osteoporosis. This is a profound softening of the bones which occurs naturally with aging, but which can be hastened by steroids. People with severe osteoporosis frequently have backbones that slowly crumple on them over time. The best way to avoid osteoporosis is regular weight bearing exercise. Calcium, vitamin D, and certain specialized drugs can also be of huge benefit.
A good doctor-patient relationship is also needed because the use of steroids requires knowledge, commitment, and long-term attention to efficacy and side effects. This can only be done when the doctor and patient have a good cooperative relationship. My patient with the steroids is doing better. They brought his asthma under good control. He no longer gets asthma attacks with exercise. He is able to run much faster than before!
Dr. Patrick Nesbitt