Anabolic Steroids: Uses and Abuses

I have just had the misfortune of reading several articles that discuss the taking of 'steroids'. There are few areas in which half truths and outright misinformation is so commonly presented as factual information. This is a very complex subject. Normally, I would shy from writing a brief essay to cover a topic of such complexity, but I feel a need to provide at least some information that is accurate. So, in unfortunately abbreviated form, here it is.

Medically, the word 'steroid' refers to two completely different classes of substances. Cortico-steroids, those substances, and their relatives produced by the adrenal cortex have complex effects on the human body. Although they are chemicals that are normally produced in the body, they are sometimes introduced exogenously (orally, parentally, or locally) for various medical purposes. A major effect is to reduce inflammatory responses of the soft tissue and they are, therefore, useful in treating various disorders that produce inflammation and pain, such as arthritis. There are uses in many other disorders, but in general, they are more palliative (reducing symptoms) than curative.