Words: Dr. Bob Goldman Talks Straight about Drugs in Sports

Dr. Bob Goldman's honors and credentials prove his expertise: three-time winner of the JFK Physical Fitness Award, Chief Physician and Surgeon of the International Federation of Bodybuilders, author of two highly regarded books on the results of the use of steroids and other drugs in athletics, and a former record-holder in the Guinness World Book of Records.

Goldman, a doctor of osteopathy, was in Lewisburg [WV] recently to start the Fifteenth Annual West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine 10,000 Meter Classic Race on May 1. That afternoon, he spoke to an audience at the WVSOM auditorium about the dangers of drug use in athletics.

Goldman's Story: A View of Fitness

Interested in bodybuilding since he was in his teens, Goldman became a world champion strength athlete. He weighed in at as much as 230 pounds, but now weighs about 180. "It's hard to carry all that muscle mass when you're traveling," he said in an interview after his speech. Exercise of "30 to 40 minutes, three times a week" would keep any average person fit, Goldman noted.

Goldman suggests that people set realistic goals and try to enjoy the process. "You don't want to overtrain," he said. "You want to train to the point where you [reach] the goals you set."

He doesn't credit items such as the Abdominizer and the Thigh Master as being at all beneficial. During his speech, Goldman chided that the Abdominizer -- a bowl-shaped cradle with handles intended to help in doing sit-ups -- would make a better snack tray. He added, though, that "there are a lot of good pieces of exercise equipment."

A native of a rough neighborhood in New York City, Goldman earned his doctor of Osteopathy (DO) degree at the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Regardless of the public's level of recognition of DOs, a "pretty large percentage of doctors in sports medicine are osteopaths," Goldman said. He believes athletes find an advantage to osteopathy because of the extensive training that DOs receive regarding hands-on care for the human body.

Goldman wrote two books about drug use and sports that received wide acclaim: Death in the Locker Room/Drugs and Sports and the updated Death in the Locker Room II. In the books, he explained how he became obsessed with the ills of drug use in sports.

Goldman lost a friend and personal hero to steroid use in the 1970s, a man he described in his book as a clean-living individual with hardly a vice. The friend's biggest vice -- steroid use -- cost him his life. The man was diagnosed as having a rare kidney tumor.

Goldman wrote of his friend, John, who was active in youth athletics: "I judged it a supreme irony that John told me he had heard that smoking marijuana might prevent the terrible nausea that accompanied his chemotherapy, but that he didn't want to do it because it might get back to the kids, and he didn't want to set a bad example."

Goldman's books are not about exploitative street dealers or confused "druggies," they are about the temptation of athletes to beat the competition through the use of drugs, which may prematurely leave the athletes with no hope of winning a later competition. The books are about the dealings of national athletic interests to win at any cost, and delve deeply into the gruesome results of drug use in sports.

Eager to grow ever larger in size, some bodybuilders overtrain, he explained. "Some guys train too much and they can't hold the muscle mass. They're in a constant state of breakdown -- their muscles are constantly being broken down -- they need more rest."

Concerning prescribed drugs, Goldman notes in his book, "Doctors are human, too." Goldman wrote that they can get caught up in the desire for their individual athlete or team to win as much as any other fan. As a result, some doctors may prescribe drugs they would otherwise not prescribe.

Not only are drugs that are available through medical channels used to improve performance, but well-known illegal drugs are used as well. The consuming of anabolic steroids can lead to the use of cocaine and other illegal substances. Goldman said that an athlete, for example, might "not be into his workout today, so he takes a little cocaine as a stimulant to get into a workout."

Len Bias is among the most recognized victims of illegal drug use in the sports world. Bias, who died as a result of cocaine-induced heart failure on a basketball court in the 1980s, may have never used cocaine before that day and simply had a high sensitivity to the drug. He died only days after being drafted by the NBA's Boston Celtics.

A more recent victim, Lyle Alzedo, suffered with a brain tumor brought on by his using steroids to bulk up for his position on the L.A. Raiders football team. He died after spending his last days speaking out against drug use in sports.

Male athletes are affected by steroids in positive ways for a time, but are affected negatively through continued use. Testosterone, a naturally occuring steroid, is converted into estrogen if too much is in one's blood, as often happens with athletes who artificially increase their testosterone level. Over time, this causes males to develop gynecomastia, or female breasts. What's more, body tendon structure is in danger. A graphic example of the dangers to the muscles, mentioned in Death in the Locker Room II, is the complete separation of tendons from bone caused by the excessive use of testosterone in building muscle mass.

Men and women are negatively affected internally by the drugs, as shown in the Alzedo tragedy. Cancer in the endocrine system -- namely the liver and kidneys -- is most common, but other types of cancers can result. Reproductive systems are affected as well.

For women, they can develop a more masculine physique, but that is not where the changes end. Use of some drugs enlarge female genitals in addition to their muscles. There is also a clear risk to the female reproductive system, as there is with males."We're very concerned that it may disrupt their ability to have children in the future," Goldman said.

There are safer ways to build muscle mass and keep in shape besides using drugs. The proper diet and workout schedule is necessary, but some safer ingestible items may encourage faster muscle development. One example, chromium picolinate, is a food supplement that researchers say may help in the development of muscle mass. Goldman said the supplement is a food stuff that will not really hurt anybody.

Goldman, who never used steroids, said he avoids most drugs, adding, "I don't even drink coffee."

Still, he handles telling his message like a friend who will tell you "I told you so" after all goes awry. He isn't going to twist anyone's arm to get them to stop using steroids, but he will make the risks clear. When confronted with someone training with steroids, Goldman said, "I just give them the information; everybody has to make their own decisions. … 'These are rules' -- it's very unemotional."

As for the risks faced by using drugs in athletic training, Goldman said, plainly, "Hey, if you want to play, you've got to pay."

as well as edited; for The Mountain Messenger, Lewisburg, WV. Appeared in the May 18, 1993 edition. Shown here only as an example of writing by Jon.

by Jon Osterholm