I must be honest, it took me a while to write this about Rich Piana’s death
……as it was close to my interests and err, well, I was still shocked! Whilst I have not and never intend to take steroids, I always appreciated the honesty of this guy and that I cannot fault…. R.I.P Mr Piana, you will be sadly missed by a huge audience and following am sure!
The Former Mr. California, who collapsed in his home at age 46, had before spoken about how his steroid use was in order rather than harming his body.
Rich Piana’s death shocked his supporters when he collapsed in his home on August 10 and was put in a medically induced coma quickly after boosting questions about whether it’s possible to apply anabolic steroids in a “healthy” way….
The original Mr. California had always spoken openly about his 27-calendar year heritage of steroid use, stating in a 2016 YouTube video recording, and where he got my respect for honesty, bearing in mind the following he had along with the people this would upset, he said…..
“If you wish to be considered a professional bodybuilder, guess what-you’re likely to have to f- -’ do ’em,”
Piana’s reason behind death is not publicly released. A police survey obtained said that 20 bottles of testosterone were found at his home at the time of his collapse. According to TMZ, Piana’s girlfriend also informed police that he had previously been diagnosed with an enlarged heart and that he had “battled opiate addiction in the past but she believed he was clean.”
Inside a YouTube video tutorial from 2014, Piana said that he used but didn’t abuse-steroids. He directed to the actual fact that he previously “a complete head of hair,” “no acne scarring,” and “a set waist” as research that he was using the drugs properly, and had not been destroying his body.
“We want to be doing this in our 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s,” he said. “I’ll be doing this for the rest of my life. … It’s important for me to live a long life.” He added that he would “never in a million years risk ruining my health or ruining my future due to bodybuilding.”
What shocked the most about rich Pianas death was his boasting that he had no hair thinning, adult acne, weight gain can be signs of steroid mistreatment which he failed to show on the surface. But even without those obvious symptoms, experts say long-term steroid use can still wreak havoc over many areas of a person’s health and can put her or him in serious danger.
“With any kind of drug that utilizes something synthetic, there is definitely cumulative effects on the body—some of which are easier to detect than others,” says Tom Hildebrandt, PsyD, associate professor of psychiatry at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
“In the case of steroids and synthetic androgen, the main risks are to the heart and the brain, and it may take 20-plus years before those manifest and become real.”
(Hildebrandt never treated Piana, but he has published several papers on the physical and psychiatric consequences of anabolic-steroid and other performance enhancing–drug use.)
“The heart is a muscle, and one of the most important parts of the health of that muscle is flexibility and its ability to pump enough blood to deliver oxygen to the entire body,” explains Hildebrandt. “But like other muscles, the heart also has androgen receptors—so over time with steroid use, it’s getting bigger and thicker, and it becomes less flexible and less efficient at pushing blood throughout the body. That puts you at greater risk for a whole host of heart-related defects, including heart failure.”
A recent research adds to the proof that anabolic steroid use makes it harder for the heart to function properly. About 70% of steroid users in a study experienced low heart-pumping capacities; they were also more likely to have elevated blood pressure, clogged arteries, and high cholesterol.
As for brain-related dangers, some of the greater well-known side effects of taking steroids include depression, mood swings, and so-called ’roid rage. But Hildebrandt says long-term use also appears to speed up the age-related cognitive decline.
“At least in some percentage of chronic users, it leads to a greater deterioration in brain function for otherwise-healthy, ageing men,” he says.
Steroid use has been linked to other health risks as well. Research presented last year at the annual conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Munich found that steroid abuse among weight lifters is associated with insulin resistance, a disorder that can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Experts believe Rich Piana’s death was highly likely due to steroid abuse because, in men, long-term steroid use has also been linked to shrinking testicles, an increased risk of prostate cancer, decreased sperm count, and the development of breasts. In women, it can cause the development of undesired facial hair, a deepened speech, and menstrual-cycle changes.
In October 2016, the Food and Drug Standards Agency issued a notice that testosterone supplements and related anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) can cause mood disorders, personality changes, and infertility. “Abuse of testosterone, usually at doses higher than those typically prescribed and usually in conjunction with other AAS, is associated with serious safety risks affecting the heart, brain, liver, mental health, and endocrine system,” the agency said in a statement.
Despite warnings about the medical side effects and health threats of steroid pills and shots, around 2.9 million to 4 million People in the USA still utilize them. About 1 million are reliant on them.
Hildebrandt highlights that a large proportion of folks who use anabolic steroids won’t experience health issues right away-or will come to a decision that the huge benefits (like more lean body mass, an improved entire body, and increased energy) outweigh any short-term area effects that occur. For many individuals, he affirms, the cognitive and cardiovascular threats might not exactly be evident for a long time or even generations.
“Anyone who’s thinking about using these drugs or has been using them for any significant period of time needs to question whether this really has to be a lifestyle for them,” says Hildebrandt. “Because the longer they continue, the more likely they are to experience side effects and risks later in life.”
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