The Gospel According To Mark
January 22, 2010
With all the ansgt leading up to the special election in Massachusetts and all the hoopla after Scott Brown’s amazing victory, this nearly slipped through the cracks. But I just couldn’t let it pass, without comment.
Last week, former Home Run King Mark McGwire finally admitted to using steroids during the 1998 season, when he broke Roger Marris’ home run record (#61) and went on to set a new record. He retired in 2001, with a lifetime 583 homers.
Well…for most of us, this announcement wasn’t really news.
Judging from Mr. McGwire’s rather evasive answers to the Congressional Committee investigation of PED (Performance Enhancing Drugs), in professional baseball, it was pretty clear to all that he probably did use them. But he was looking to avoid self-incrimination before Congress. And, really, under those circumstances, how can you blame him?
In any case, his recent public confession has removed all doubt. His defenders point out that he hit plenty of home runs before he ever took PED’s. And McGwire himself said that he “had a gift” for hitting homers, and he always did. He also said that he only used the steroids and growth hormone shots to help him heal faster after injuries, which is actually a pretty good argument in his defense.
Detractors, however, consider this revelation grounds for keeping him out of the Hall of Fame, maybe forever. Mark says, with some justice, that he had plenty of muscle without the steroids. And that they do not add anything to the hand-eye coordination necessary to hitting home runs.
He’s right about that, too. I agree with his argument, but I suspect that, just maybe, he was looking for a little edge, too. I DO remember the big fuss about his use of creatine, at that time, a supplement that promotes muscle growth and strength (though not to the same extent as anabolic steroids and hGH).
Well, I’ll leave the moral quandry of the Hall of Fame to those much better qualified to address it (and those who care–which I really don’t). But this is as good an opportunity as I can recall to discuss WHY steroids are illegal in sports.
First, there’s the argument that it gives the athlete an unfair, “unnatural” advantage. Just to be contrary, I could point out that if everyone used them, it wouldn’t be an unfair advantage for anyone. But that facetious argument brings up the very real health consequences, which are dangerous.
First, you need to understand what we mean by “steroids.” This term, in this context, refers to artificial anabolic hormones that mimic the effects of testosterone, the male sex hormone. They can be administered orally, or by injection, and they DO stimulate rapid muscle growth, but they have also been associated with liver failure and tumors.
The other PED used by athletes is hGH, Human Growth Hormone. Normally secreted and released from our pituitary glands, this “master hormone” is known to enhance muscle growth and strength, speed up the healing of injuries, relieve joint pain (and is reputed to have anti-aging properties, that may increase life span, as well). When taken in excessive, non-physiological doses, the risk of cancer growth is enhanced.
For these reasons, anabolic steroids and hGH have been banned in sports and are also illegal, absent a legitimate medical use (such as the small boy who has insufficient hGH for normal growth).
And yet, because these hormones are markedly reduced as we age, restoring their benefits seems a reasonable goal, with the object of reversing the effects of aging. The idea is to return the blood levels of these hormones to those of our late teens or early twenties, by stimulating their natural release.
This is much different concept than injecting excessive, non-physiological amounts of the hormones. This is instead a stimulation of the body to produce and/or release more of its own, natural supplies. The theory is that by restoring youthful levels of endogenous (ie., your body’s own) growth hormone, you will restore your body to a more youthful state. Better strength, speed, flexibility, better skin tone, better sleep, enhanced immunity, and better intimacy are among the myriad benefits attributed to increased hGH blood levels.
One way to do this is to take a dose of the amino acid, arginine, which is known to cause release of your own stores of hGH. This is so predictable a response that it is used as a test for proper functioning of the pituitary gland.
But imagine if you could stimulate your own growth hormone release with just a cream, that you rub on your skin a few times a day. That would be pretty amazing, right?
Well, there IS such a cream. It’s called Trans-D Tropin http://www.drbillsclinic.com/trans_d_tropin.html and I take it myself, especially now that I need to heal rapidly, after my recent hernia repair. This is NOT growth hormone, itself. Instead, it’s a secret botanical analog of growth hormone RELEASING hormone–that means that it stimulates your body to release its OWN hGH.
It helps you restore your growth hormone levels to those you enjoyed as a young man, or woman. And because it’s natural, your levels are always within safe, physiological parameters, with NO increased risk of cancer, according to the doctor who formulated it(whom I know, personally).
If you exercise, whether it be with free weights, or the special healing exercises I teach in my popular and effective PAIN-FREE PROGRAM & DVD http://www.drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html when you apply this cream to your forearms and rub it in, just before you exercise, you will supercharge your workouts and burn fat and build muscle faster than you believed possible. And you’ll feel better, too.
Naturally, I get some compensation for directing you to this great product. Why shouldn’t I? Lots of people would love me to endorse their products, but I have a professional reputation to uphold and my standards are pretty rigorous. That’s why I don’t recommend many products that aren’t my own. But I not only recommend this, I USE it, myself. That’s the best recommendation there is. So take my advice, try some Trans-D Tropin today: http://www.drbillsclinic.com/trans_d_tropin.html
And for a super boost to your immune system, combine it with my POWERHOUSE OMEGA FORMULA http://www.favoriteformulas.com an ultra pure, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, with an enteric coating to prevent fish burps, or fishy aftertaste.
So, the new revelations of the “Gospel According to Mark,” notwithstanding, boosting your OWN growth hormone levels, safely and effectively, is one of the best things you can do for your health and longevity. Try it today and see for yourself. Til next time, my friend, be well. And have a great weekened. Talk to you soon.
Yours for a pain-free tomorrow and optimal health,
Dr. Bill
“The Wellness Warrior” TM
(And if you haven’t done so yet, go sign up for my FREE Podcasts at http://thewellnesswarrior.mypodcastworld.com/. I’d welcome your comments and suggestions.)
P.S. For DR. BILL’S LITTLE GREEN BOOK ON ELIMINATING KNEE PAIN, a concise, but complete handbook on the root causes and the various options for treating knee pain, go to http://drbillsclinic.com/eliminate_knee_pain.html
P.P.S. For DR. BILL’S PAIN-FREE PROGRAM: EXERCISES TO PREVENT OR ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN, please go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/exercise_eliminate.html
P.P.P.S. For conventional and alternative treatments and exercises to relieve knee pain without surgery click on http://drbillsclinic.com/avoid_knee_surgery.html
P.P.P.P.S. For the giant, comprehensive ADVANCED MASTERS’ COURSE: HOW TO ELIMINATE KNEE PAIN–ONCE & FOR ALL!, everything you need to know on causes and solutions for knee pain and the complete exercise program, too, go to
http://drbillsclinic.com/advanced_masters.html
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Copyright, 2010 by William Thomas Stillwell, MD, FACS
All rights reserved
Tags: anabolic steroids, anti-aging, enhanced healing, GH, hGH, Human Growth Hormone, Mark McGwire, muscle building, PED, Performance Enhancing Drugs, pharmaceutical grade fish oil, Trans-D Tropin