The federal government is unhappy with Dr. Jesse Haggard’s selection of defense counsel in the Applied Pharmacy steroid case. The United States Attorney Office filed a motion with the court to disqualify David York and Chris Coumanis of Coumanis & York based on an alleged potential conflict of interest.

David York brings considerable trial experience to the legal defense of Dr. Jesse Haggard. York was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama for five years; he returned to private practice in 2006.

York was also the former boss for Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna Dobbins, the government’s lead attorney in the Applied Pharmacy Services case. The government argues that the unhappiness with Haggard’s legal team is not the consequence of a personal political rivalry but an issue of ethics.

The government claims that David York, as the former U.S. Attorney, represented the United States at the inception of the Applied Pharmacy investigation and received regular updates on the steroid investigation from Assistant U.S. Attorney Dobbins before going into private practice in 2006. The government wants York disqualified based on potential conflict of interest.

In addition, the government also seeks to remove Chris Coumanis from Haggard’s legal counsel. Since Coumanis was a member of the law firm Briskman & Binion that represented co-defendant Dr. Pamela Pyle in the Applied Pharmacy case, the government seeks disqualification based on the potential conflict of interest; Coumanis maintains he avoided contact with the Pyle case. The government anticipates that Dr. Pyle could be called as a witness for the prosecution.

The government does not feel that the Sixth Amendment, federal law and state law protect Dr. Haggard’s choice of counsel:

While the Sixth Amendment guarantees a defendant the right to counsel, that right does not allow a defendant to insist on a counsel who has a prior ongoing relationship with an apposing (sic) party, even where the opposing party is the Government.

[...]

Section 207 (a)(1) of Title 18 bars former Government officials from appearing before a court in regard to a matter in which the United States is a party if the matter involves a “specific party or parties” and if the former official participated in the matter “personally and substantially.”

[...]

Rule 1.9 of those Rules bars a lawyer who formerly represented a client in a matter from thereafter representing another person in the same or substantially related matter where the interests of the parties are materially adverse.

The filing for the government’s motion to disqualify counsel for Dr. Jesse Haggard comes on the same day that Chief United States District Judge affirmed the continued detention of Haggard pending trial:

The court agrees with the Magistrate Judge’s assessment during the detention hearing that the evidence requires that the defendant be detained pending trial because there is a serious risk that the defendant will flee. He has spent the last year and a half living outside this country, knowing that he was under investigation and, later, under indictment. Although he came to the decision to return to this country and made arrangements to turn himself in, the evidence is clear that he could just as easily reverse that decision and again absent himself from the court.

Jesse Haggard pleaded not guilty at his arraignment.

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Dr. Jesse Haggard is quickly becoming a martyr to the cause of medical steroids. There is no better example of the excesses of the modern day steroid witch-hunt than the federal government’s prosecution of the Arizona naturopathic physician.

Dr. Haggard is being prosecuted by the federal government for allegedly prescribing anabolic steroids “outside the usual course of professional practice” and “not for legitimate medical purposes”. Yet Dr. Haggard not only met the standard of care but often established the medical standard of care with off-label prescribing of anabolic steroids supported by scientific and clinical evidence.

In a recent communication, Dr. Haggard warned healthcare practitioners that evidence-based prescribing of anabolic steroids can not be advised in the present-day climate of steroid hysteria. Haggard advocates steroid law reform as the solution that will allow medical practitioners to prescribe anabolic steroids more freely, and without restraint, in appropriate medical conditions (”Steroid Phobia,” October 11).

I am writing this text from inside an Orange County jail cell. I am sharing a room no larger than 400 square feet and one in-room toilet with seven other men. I have been here for 9 long days and have no clear idea when I will be able to leave and begin court proceedings in another county.

I want to believe that “truth will prevail” and that science will reveal steroids as a valuable and safe treatment option for patients. That potential has been more difficult for me to visualize each day I reside in this setting. Although this dream’s clarity has previously waxed and waned over the course of one and a half years, it has reached a low point for me.

I have painstakingly documented the thousands of beneficial patient results utilizing steroids in my book, “Demystifying Steroids“. I have proven to myself beyond doubt that steroids can be a powerful and wonderful tool in medicine. I tried to communicate it to others as well, but did I fail?

If by some miracle I was vindicated and allowed to practice medicine again, I ask myself, “Would I prescribe steroids again in the same manner?” When I answer this question, the longing desire to see my family burns inside me and is a powerful incentive to answer, “No!” Despite knowing the facts of steroids benefits and safety with pervasive confidence, I cannot at this point condone its future use by practitioners in current context.

So if I, as a leading proponent of medical steroid therapies, am unwilling to accept the risk of prescribing steroids in the future absent steroid law reform, how can I honestly expect my healthcare provider colleagues to consider prescribing steroids more often and possibly more appropriately in a largely hypogonadal patient population?

My conclusion is medical research is clearly not enough to eliminate the fear of healthcare providers when it comes to prescribing steroids. I believe a legislative change in medicine is appropriate based on recent research and necessary in order to expect healthcare practitioners to alter their prescribing habits and reduce the risk of legal consequences associated with steroids. In the light of recent and dramatic changes in the medical paradigm (compared to the last 70 years) regarding steroids, it is not unreasonable to me to expect complimentary and simultaneous legislative changes. Steroid legislation and legal status have had no change in 20 years despite landmark steroid findings released during the last decade in the medical literature. How can we work together to bring about this needed change?

-written by Dr. Jesse Haggard, October 11, 2009

Dr. Haggard’s prosecution reflects the devastating impact that hysteria related to steroids in sports has had on the prescribing of anabolic steroids for legitimate medical purposes. Congressional attacks on anabolic steroids and misguided DEA steroid law enforcement policy have created an environment where medical healthcare providers are afraid to prescribe steroids and explore the amazing therapeutic potentials this class of drugs may hold for the overall health and well-being of their patients. This fear is only reinforced with the prosecutions of doctors like Dr. Haggard.

The DEA has inexplicably inserted itself into the medical steroid debate by making determinations as to what constitutes appropriate medicine. Law enforcement has asserted their superior “qualifications” to practice medicine over trained medical practitioners who want to provide anabolic therapies for their patients when appropriate. The moral crusade demonizing steroids in sports has regrettably trumped the medical evidence supporting the off-label use of anabolic steroids.

Will the Dr. Haggard case represent the turning point in the government’s steroid witch-hunt? Will the public oppose existing steroid legislation that limits their freedoms in healthcare and access to innovative anabolic steroid therapies?

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United States Magistrate Judge David Baker refused to release Dr. Jesse Haggard at a detention hearing at the U.S. Courthouse in Orlando. Dr. Haggard has been detained without bail as a flight risk pending his transfer to Mobile, Alabama sometime in the next 10-14 days. Federal prosecutors argued that Haggard knew he was under federal investigation at the time he moved to Costa Rica and that Haggard knew he should have surrendered based on postings on his personal blog and legal documents he signed before he left. Magistrate Judge Baker was not influenced by defense arguments that Haggard voluntarily surrendered and therefore was not a flight risk.

The blockbuster revelation during court proceedings on Wednesday was that local news media to actively assisted the federal government in their investigation of Dr. Jesse Haggard and Revolution Medical Center. A source with knowledge of the court proceedings indicated that the government worked with television crews in Phoenix to conduct an undercover investigation to gather evidence against Haggard.

The television news station was not identified. Suggestions that the federal government has paid news organizations to conduct their steroid witch-hunt are highly disturbing.

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Dr. Jesse Haggard will appear today before United States Magistrate Judge David Baker in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in his first court appearance since voluntarily surrendering to federal authorities on Friday. Haggard will be represented by federal public defender Clarence W. Counts, Jr.

Dr. Haggard had been living in Costa Rica for over a year preparing a scientific defense to support the therapeutic use of anabolic steroids during the course of his medical practice. The naturopathic physician moved to Costa Rica with his family to escape the hysteria perpetuated by the local media. Haggard was harrassed and practically stalked by ABC15 “investigative journalist” Josh Bernstein in a sensationalistic tabloid-style witch-hunt. Haggard wrote and published the book “Demystifying Steroids“, a patient and practictioner guide to anabolic steroid therapy, while in Costa Rica.

Although Haggard has been called a fugitive by federal prosecutors, this may not be entirely accurate. Haggard had travelled and resided in Costa Rica for approximately eight months prior to being indicted on federal steroid charges. Furthermore, Dr. Haggard or Timothy Holt (Haggard’s legal representation at the time) were never served or shown a warrant for his arrest. Apparently, the government only shared the warrant with ABC15’s Josh Bernstein.

The legal designation as a fugitive may be significant in determining whether Haggard is released on bond pending trial. Haggard clearly did not flee prosecution having lived in Costa Rica for several months prior to being indicted. Haggard may be considered an American living abroad at the time of his indictment who has voluntarily surrendered to federal authorities. He was not compelled to do so given the quite favorable Costa Rican extradition laws. As such, he may less likely to be considered a flight risk. In addition, his father has informed the court that he would assume full responsibility should the court decide to release Haggard into his custody in Phoenix pending a court date.

MESO-Rx has reported extensively on the steroid hysteria in the Phoenix area and specifically on Dr. Haggard’s case over the past year. Dr. Jesse Haggard contacted MESO-Rx last month prior to surrendering to ensure that coverage of his surrender would be fairly reported; he hoped that our coverage could pre-empt the hysterical, tabloid-style journalism that he had experienced in Phoenix.

MESO-Rx announced Dr. Haggard’s surrender on September 28, 2009 on our blog. MESO-Rx solicited the assistance of Aaron Singerman and Carl Lanore to help report the truth about Haggard’s case. We arranged an interview on the popular internet-based radio show OFF TOPIC for Jesse Haggard on September 30th. Carl Lanore has subsequently discussed Haggard’s case on Superhuman Radio on October 5th. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuting defendants in the Applied Pharmacy Services  steroid investigation purportedly listened live and heard Dr. Haggard passionately defend the therapeutic use of anabolic steroids on OFF TOPIC and/or Superhuman Radio. 

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Dr. Jesse Haggard, the former clinical director of Revolution Medical Centers, will voluntarily surrender to federal agents in Florida on Friday, October 2, 2009. Haggard will be taken into custody at the Orlando International Airport and transported to Alabama where he faces steroid distribution charges.

Dr. Haggard was indicted as part of the Applied Pharmacy Services criminal investigation announced in January 2009. The government has accused Haggard of prescribing anabolic steroids “outside the usual course of professional practice” and “not for legitimate medical purposes”. However, unlike other doctors similarly prosecuted, Haggard had an indisputable doctor-patient relationship with all of his patients that included comprehensive laboratory testing; Haggard never prescribed anabolic steroids over the internet or to any patients not evaluated during an in-person medical examination.

The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) had classified Dr. Haggard as a fugitive after it was suspected that he had left the country. Haggard had, in fact, travelled to Costa Rica, where he has since resided, in an effort to buy time for the preparation of a thorough and meticulous defense of his medical practice (”Turning Point,” September 17).

I left the US in order to have time, resources (like a computer and internet access) and limited distractions (such as media, law officials or medical board officials) to build a very organized case that justified my previous actions, of prescribing steroids to patients, beyond doubt to everyone. This was intended to be temporary.”

Also, since the DEA took more than 3 years to produce these charges based on prescriptions from 2005, Haggard did not think the situation had great urgency.

In a recent email, Dr. Haggard explained the additional burden of proving his case in a climate of hysteria.

“I knew I needed to prove beyond doubt, in a context of steroid hysteria, that I had legitimate medical purpose and that the therapies were safe. I feel the evidence and logic promoting steroids is a landslide when viewing all of the evidence, especially when coupled with clinical observation.”

Dr. Haggard had previously condemned the government’s witch-hunt against him in his book “Demystifying Steroids“. The well-documented book provided an impassioned defense of the therapeutic use of anabolic steroids in his medical practice. While in Costa Rica, Haggard explained his motivations for writing the book in his blog:

I had written and published what I considered to be ironclad support for the appropriate medical use of steroids, eight months ago. I predicted the book would change the minds, hearts and practice of the general public, patients, health care practitioners, policy makers and law enforcement officials. I wrote the book to serve as a manual for the public to learn about the possible benefits of steroids and to aid patients that identified similarities with their own health and the cases I presented in the book to intelligently approach their practitioners about steroids. Furthermore, I wrote the second half of the book for practitioners to see the research and help them feel comfortable about prescribing steroids when appropriate.

Haggard has been an outspoken critic of the sensationalistic media, specifically the “investigative reporting” team at the local ABC affiliate. Dr. Haggard’s ability to practice medicine and subsequently defend himself against legal accusations was considerably hampered by the irresponsible reporting of ABC15’s Josh Bernstein. Bernstein blatantly promoted propaganda and hysteria (”Please Avoid the Media,” September 17).

[T]he media has done a great job at misrepresenting the truth and reality of specific events, especially Josh Bernstein from ABC 15 news in Phoenix, Arizona. He wanted to interview me in the past, but he would not agree to a live interview. He self proclaims to have a reputation for getting results, but in my experience is he has a reputation for glamorizing inaccurately negative and meaningless results. Every story he reports on seems to focus and result in destroying other people. [...]

Josh Bernstein has missed the more meaningful story of this entire situation. The story that has the potential to positively impact millions of people’s lives is that anabolic steroids do not have near the adverse effect risks that they were originally thought that to have and that anabolic steroids have amazing healing potential.

Dr. Jesse Haggard has made considerable progress in the preparation of his legal defense medical rationale. Now that this has been largely accomplished, Haggard has decided to abandon his temporary status as a fugitive and surrender himself to U.S. authorities. His desire on the eve of his surrender is to spread the following simple message to general public, health care providers, law enforcement officers and policymakers:

“Medical research clearly shows steroids are not as dangerous as they were originally thought to be and steroids have impressive potential for improving health and preventing disease. Thus, medical practitioners should consider prescribing them more freely and without as much restraint.”

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Public Health Advisory (PHA) warning consumers to avoid using bodybuilding supplements claiming to contain “steroids”, “steroid-like substances”, “steroid alternatives” and “hormone products”. The FDA warning failed to give guidance on the specific product ingredients that were problematic. The extremely broad language cast suspicion upon all “body building supplements” marketed for performance enhancement because they might contain synthetic steroids (”FDA recommends that consumers should not use body building products marketed as containing steroids or steroid-like substances,” July 28). 

“marketed as containing steroids or steroid-like substances”

“marketed for body building and increasing muscle mass”

“marketed as alternatives to anabolic steroids for increasing muscle mass and strength”

“promoted to athletes to improve sports performance and to aid in recovery from training and sporting events”

The target was ostensibly illegal synthetic steroids that are not compliant with the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). However, the FDA news releases and statements appears to demonize ALL steroid products including those that are legally sold and marketed as dietary supplements under DSHEA.

FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg misled the public in an FDA news release by suggesting that ALL steroids sold as dietary supplements are illegal. This is not true.

“Products marketed for body building and claiming to contain steroids or steroid-like substances are illegal and potentially quite dangerous,” said Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “The FDA is taking enforcement action today to protect the public.” 

William Llewellyn, author of the authoritative anabolic steroid reference manual “Anabolics“, provides a more accurate clarification of the conditions under which natural steroid ingredients that can be legally sold over the counter (”War on Steroids in the Supplement Industry,” March 19).

If a steroid is found in the food supply naturally, and not regulated as a controlled substance, it may be legal to sell as a dietary supplement. The Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act (DSHEA) is intended to protect ingredients that are natural and already consumed by the public

The FDA warning only identified products manufactured by American Cellular Labs (ACL) including “Tren Xtreme” and “Mass Xtreme“. ACL was the target of an FDA raid led by Special Agent Jeff Novitzky on July 23, 2009. In the search warrant affidavit, Agent Novitzky made the assertion that “tren” aka “4-estra” and “Madol” aka “DMT” could be legally classified as a controlled substance (anabolic steroid).

Supplement legal expert Michael DiMaggio of Collins McDonald and Gann strongly disputed FDA Agent Novitzky’s assertion that the supplements are controlled substances (anabolic steroids) (”Supplements for Athletes Draw Alert From F.D.A.,” July 28).

But a law firm that represents sports nutrition companies said the F.D.A.’s action left consumers and manufacturers in the dark as to what specific products the agency considered to be problematic. Moreover, the agency seems to be taking action against some steroid ingredients that the Drug Enforcement Agency, which has jurisdiction over controlled substances, has not yet declared to be illegal unless prescribed by a physician, said Michael J. DiMaggio, a lawyer in Mineola, N.Y.

“The F.D.A. kind of kicked the door in and said ‘we believe they are illegal now,’ ” Mr. DiMaggio said. “This is going to come as a shock to many companies and big distributors.”

The FDA stopped short of legally identifying any bodybuilding supplements as “anabolic steroids” in their July 28, 2009 public health advisory and July 27, 2009 warning letter to American Cellular Labs and VMG Global.  The agency only suggested that the products were illegal, “misbranded” and “unapproved new drugs”.

Unfortunately, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has failed miserably at regulating the dietary supplement industry. Unscrupulous supplement companies have marketed synthetic steroids illegally as dietary supplements. These products are not compliant with DSHEA.

The FDA campaign against steroids in supplements is more reflective of a public relations campaign to divert attention from their failure at regulating the supplement industry under DSHEA. Hopefully, the FDA will start enforcing DSHEA consistently rather than continue to demonize the entire sports nutrition market.

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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is requiring the manufacturers of the topical testosterone gels AndroGel and Testim to include a “black box warning” on its labels in order to “protect children” from the potentially adverse effects of this particular anabolic steroid. The “black box warning” is the FDA’s most serious warning short of recalling a product. The action is based on eight recent reports of children who were accidentally exposed to the testosterone gel through incidental contact with a parent and/or caregiver who had use either Androgel or Testim. The FDA also felt it necessary to warn children that use of this product would increase the size of their penis which probably is NOT the best way to deter children from using it (”Testosterone Gel Safety Concerns Prompt FDA to Require Label Changes, Medication Guide,” May 7).

“These drugs are approved for an important medical need, but can have serious, unintended side effects if not used properly,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “We must ensure that the adults using them are well-informed about the precautions needed to protect children from secondary exposure.” [...]

Of the fully reviewed cases, adverse events reported in these children included inappropriate enlargement of the genitalia (penis or clitoris), premature development of pubic hair, advanced bone age, increased libido, and aggressive behavior. 

In most cases, the signs and symptoms regressed when the child no longer was exposed to the product. However, in a few cases, enlarged genitalia did not fully return to age-appropriate size and bone age remained modestly greater than the child’s chronological age.

The concern about children being accidentally exposed to Androgel is nothing new. The risk of exposing children to transdermally absorbed steroids seems to be an obvious and common-sensical concern for people applying the testosterone gel on their body. Researchers have known about the risks of secondary exposure from Androgel for over a decade. “Given the widespread availability of [testosterone gels] in our society, we suspect that this is not an isolated event,” according to researchers from the University of North Carolina in 1999.

But why is the FDA making an issue out of it all of a sudden? Is it appropriate for the FDA to issue a black box warning for a drug that is deemed safe when used as indicated?

Should black box warnings be used just because patients are careless with their medications allowing exposure to others either by contact exposure with children or leaving the gel within reach of their children?

Is the FDA action just another example of steroid hysteria in the United States?

Does a government warning telling children that use of this product will increase the size of your penis really help?

Are the risks of such extreme virilization in children from incidental contact accurate or overblown?

Is it really possible that occasional exposure to a parent/caregiver using Androgel can cause such virilization? Or is such extreme virilization the result of parents leaving Androgel within the reach of their children who use it as a lotion?

The FDA action appears to be the first time that a drug has been given the “black box warning” due to the risks of secondary exposure associated with its use. Boxed warnings are usually required on medications that have the potential for harmful or serious adverse side effects occurring in the person for which the drug was prescribed. For example, the category of antidepressants that included Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, and Lexapro were required to have a black box warning because of the alleged increased risk of suicide in patients who were prescribed these drugs.

The FDA black box warning for testosterone gels, unlike similar warnings for other drugs, does not mean that the use of testosterone itself poses any serious risk to the patient for which the drug was intended. Other forms of pharmaceutical testosterone, such as the injectable FDA-approved testosterone enanthate and testosterone cypionate, do not have a black box warning. The delivery method (i.e. transdermal topical), not the active ingredient itself, used by Androgel and Testim is the culprit behind the increased secondary risk to children.

Thanks to @rehanjalali and @daveschwab on Twitter for comments/input.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) recently funded and designed a study evaluating the effect of a 30-month cycle of injectable testosterone undecanoate as a male contraceptive in over 1,000 Chinese men. Results from the June 2009 issue of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism were published online ahead of print. Monthly injections of 500mg of testosterone undecanoate were shown to be a “safe, effective, reversible and reliable contraception in a high proportion of [participants]“. Interestingly, the same side effects have been considered dangerous and deadly when they involve the non-medical use of steroids for performance enhancement (”Multicenter Contraceptive Efficacy Trial of Injectable Testosterone Undecanoate in Chinese Men,” March 17).

 [The] present study results show that monthly 500 mg TU injections can provide effective, reversible, acceptable and readily delivered contraception for most healthy Chinese men without serious short-term adverse effects. While further regimen optimization to achieve uniform azoospermia and long-term safety studies are still required, these promising findings provide encouragement that male hormonal contraceptive regimens may offer a novel and workable alternative to existing family planning options for couples who can not or prefer not to use only female-oriented contraception throughout their reproductive years.

The study participants experienced the usual side effects most commonly associated with anabolic steroid use. Anti-steroid crusaders typically use these adverse reactions as the basis for the overstated and exaggerated steroid scare tactic campaigns. But scientists dispassionately researching the therapeutic applications of steroids consider the short-term use of steroids relatively safe.

Some of the reported steroid-related side effects in the study included “tenderness or discomfort at the injection sites “, “acne“, “severe coughing lasting minutes after injection“, “changes in mood or behavior” , “facial swelling or skin rash“, and mostly increases in libido.

Testosterone levels increased significantly above normal. The HPT axis was also disrupted.

As expected, mean serum T increased by 34% and serum LH and FSH were suppressed by 97% and 94% respectively at the end of the treatment.

Participants gained body weight and their testicles atrophied.

Body weight increases (0.4–1.6 kg) and total testis volume decreases (1.3–5.6 ml as 4–16% of testis volume) were significant during the exposure period.

There hemoglobin/hematocrit increased.  And blood lipids were adversely affected.

The mean hemoglobin increased by 7%, mean total cholesterol decrease by 21%, HDL cholesterol by 23% and LDL cholesterol by 29% at the end of the efficacy phase. 

Most of the adverse effects were completely reversible within a 12-month recovery period after the discontinuation of the 30-month cycle of testosterone. NO post cycle therapy utilized.

Body weight returned to pre-entry baseline value after recovery but testis volume recovery was incomplete for some men at the end of the recovery period. The mean total testis volume at the end of the recovery phase was decreased approximately 4%, compared to the baseline values; 28% of the participants demonstrated smaller total testis volume at the end of the recovery period, versus pre-entry baseline value.

Treatment protocols designed to normalize the HPTA axis after anabolic steroid cessation, such as those designed by Dr. Michael Scally, clearly would have enhanced and expedited recovery. The use of post-cycle therapy (PCT) by athletes and bodybuilders would have minimized the period of anabolic steroid-induced hypogonadism (ASIH).

The study concludes that side effects from the medical use of steroids are relatively minor; however apparently when the same side effects result from the non-medical use of steroids, they are potentially life-threatening.

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Teenage bodybuilder Matthew Dear died on April 20, 2009 reportedly from an overdose of anabolic steroids. The parents of Matthew Dear were the first to attribute their son’s death to anabolic steroids.  The news of Matthew Dear’s “steroid death” was initially reported by “The Daily Mirror”, a British tabloid but was soon picked up and legitimized by mainstream UK media outlets such as BBC News, the Daily Mail, and the Sunday Times. Could the steroid-attributed death of Matt Dear spread steroid hysteria throughout the United Kingdom much like the death of Taylor Hooton affected the steroid discussion in the United States?

The assertions that anabolic steroids were responsible for causing enlarged pupils, blindness, intoxication, severe abdominal pains, convulsions, brain swelling and kidney failure are pretty outrageous. These side effects are not medically substantiated adverse effects of anabolic steroids. Matthew Dear’s doctor even told the parents that he never witness any such reaction to anabolic steroids. The parents of Matthew Dear nonethless felt compelled to blame anabolic steroids.

Chris and Tina Dear unbelievably solicited the “anabolic steroids are responsible for killing my son” story along with a picture of their son on his death bead to the British tabloid “The Daily Mirror” prior to the death of their son. Journalists should recognize that the grieving parents of a dying child are rarely reliable sources for the medical causes of a suspicious death. The parents are not medical experts and would not have more insight that the attending physician. While we sympathize with the family of Matthew Dear and recognize that individuals deal with unexpected loss and grief in different ways, we can not condone the unsubstantiated allegations that anabolic steroids caused the unusual death of Matthew Dear (”Parents’ warning over steroid death of marine cadet teen Matt Death,” April 21).

Mum Tina, 41, said: “He was my baby. and I can’t believe this has happened. We just hope that by sharing our pain over his tragic death we can help save someone else’s life and make them think twice about taking steroids.”

Dad Chris, 43, added sadly: “He was such a good kid – pure gold. He lived for joining the armed forces. But our healthy, strong son fell to pieces before our eyes because he took steroids.” 

Chris and Tina Dear and the British press have exploited the death of Matthew Dear in an almost deliberate attempt to manufacture steroid hysteria in the United Kingdom. The message heard around the world was “anabolic steroids caused Matthew Dear to die.” But a few days later, father Chris Dear backed away from that assertion by acknowledging that it may not have been the anabolic steroids themselves responsible for his son’s death, but perhaps a “rogue batch” presumably contaminated with some toxic substance (”Parents of steroid death teen fear he was killed by ‘rogue batch’,” April 22).

 “The doctors told us they have never seen anyone react like that to steroids. We believe they were a rogue batch.”

Chris Dear still desperately wants to blame anabolic steroids and appears prepared to crusade for their further criminalization under UK law as Class B substances like amphetamines; anabolic steroids are currently categorized as Class C drugs in the United Kingdom. Chris Dear’s legislative qualifications and medical expertise on anabolic steroids are based on suffering the death of a son. In other words, his expertise can not be questioned (”Matthew Dear’s dad wants steroids reclassified as class B drugs,” April 22).

“These people don’t realise how many lives they wreck. I don’t think anyone can understand the loss of a child, unless they’ve lost one themselves.”

Chris Dear is convinced anabolic steroids are dangerous. He is convinced that anabolic steroids killed his son.

It doesn’t matter that a contaminant may ultimately be the cause of Matt Dear’s tragic death. When milk products were contaminated with melamine, no one proposed banning and/or criminalizing the sale or use of milk. When spinach was contaminated with salmonella, no one proposed banning and/or criminalizing the sale or consumption of spinach. The irrationality of contemporary steroid hysteria is apparent when possible contaminated batches of anabolic steroids justify the call for criminalizing steroid use.

Rather than demonize anabolic steroids, it would be much more productive to campaign against the risks inherent in the underground markets created by the criminalization of steroids. William Llewellyn, steroid expert and author of Anabolics 9th Edition, explains the risk of obtaining anabolic steroids from the black market in a recent position statement posted on the Body of Science website (”Position: Underground Steroids,” April 27).

The VAST MAJORITY of bulk steroids coming from China are produced in chemical companies. Imagine if you will a company that makes pesticides, synthetic dyes, or other manufacturing-level chemicals, and one day said, “You know what, we can make steroids in here if we want”. These chemical companies are not licensed to produce drugs, and do not have to comply with even the minimal of GMP guidelines. They are not inspected. Rarely do they have the capacity to produce very pure products. Still, they very often do produce drugs. In fact, it is estimated that HALF of all drugs sold in China come from this illegal chemical market. This number is significantly higher with anabolic steroids.  [...]

So, in short, it is my opinion now, as it as been for a very long time, that consumers:

SHOULD NOT KNOWINGLY USE UNDERGROUND ANABOLIC STEROIDS

The real story is that it is not necessarily the anabolic steroids themselves that are dangerous but the unregulated nature of the black market that results from their criminalization. By desperately trying to blame steroids for the death of Matt Dear, the most important and likely indicators are often overlooked.

Steroid scare tactics that try to convince people that anabolic steroids will cause blindness, intoxication, abdominal pains, convulsions and brain swelling will be no more effective than the masturbation scare tactics attributing hairy palms, insanity, epilepsy, heart murmurs and asthma to sexual self-stimulation. An honest approach to education is usually more effective.

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The death of Mexican wrestler Andrés Palomeque, better known as the “Abismo Negro”, has been linked to anabolic steroids by the local coroner. Physician Jesús Enrique Castro López examined the body of the 37-year old Palomeque and concluded that his death was precipitated by an anxiety attack possibly resulting from the consumption of anabolic steroids. Castro made the conclusion solely based on the prevalence of steroid use in sports; the medical examiner’s “opinion” was not based on toxicology tests that determined if any drugs were present in Palomeque’s system (”Extraña muerte de luchador Mexicano “Abismo Negro,” March 25).

Las investigaciones realizadas por autoridades locales indican que el deportista solicitó al chofer de la unidad Elite le permitiera bajar, con una actitud nerviosa y sufriendo de crisis de ansiedad, debido a posible consumo de anabólicos muy comunes dentro de la sociedad deportista, según Jesús Enrique Castro López, medico legista.

Andres Alejandro González Palomeque was found dead near a river in El Rosario, Mexico early Saturday morning on March 21, 2009. There was no medical evidence to support anabolic steroid-induced anxiety attack as the cause of death. An  autopsy was not conducted. Furthermore, the circumstance surrounding the death of Andrés Palomeque were suspicious with speculation that foul play could have been involved.  

Andres Palomeque aka Abismo Negro was en route to Mexico City after appearing in a show with other wrestlers in Mazatlan on the Elite public bus line when he purportedly displayed irrational behavior apparently suffering from an anxiety attack. He allegedly forced the driver to leave him near the city of El Rosario.

The bus driver alerted local authorities. Police officers in El Rosario and Escuinapa conducted a search operation. Palomeque had contacted his wife via SMS text message to report that he was lost in the hills near the river. His wife informed Mazatlan wrestling promoter Vincente Martinez and his party joined the police search for the Abismo Negro.

Quetzalcoatl Piña Ibarra, agent of the Public Ministry, reported that the corpse of Abismo Negro was discovered in the mud below highway Mexico-15 bridge near the Juices Citifrut factory in El Rosario.

PW News Now reports rumors that “Gonzalez’s past that finally caught up to him and led to his death.” Pro Wrestling Insider also reports unsubstantiated rumors of foul play.

Televisa broke the news nationally last night and AAA soon followed on their website but neither had any more details. There are tons of rumors going around on whether the death was natural or foul play being involved which considering Gonzalez’s past is definitely an option.

The funeral for Andrés Palomeque was held on March 24, 2009 at the Casa Pedregal de la Casa Funeraria in Mexico City and attended by several Mexican pro wrestlers.

Palomeque worked for various pro wrestling federations including AAA & CMLL/EMLL, TNA (Team Mexico) and the WWE. The Abismo Negro appeared in WWE Raw and the Royal Rumble in 1997. He also wrestled in Japan.

Post from: MESO-Rx Blog

Written by: Millard Baker | Twitter | FriendFeed | Facebook | E-mail