The intent of this essay is to demonstrate that steroids have many negative effects and that steroids and other natural supplements should be carefully studied by the FDA. This essay will also support the claim that the professional sports industry must eliminate steroid use and set a good example for younger athletes. Over a million Americans seek shortcuts to bigger muscles and greater endurance with anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs. Steroids are drugs that act like chemicals in the body. Most steroids are transformed into testosterone when they enter the body. Testosterone is a male growth hormone. Although users may get short-term results, they are seriously compromising their health (Kalawalski 13-15). Some of the adverse effects of drugs are kidney and liver damage. A person can also alter the balance of natural hormones. This can cause harmful effects on the body. The effects of the imbalance of natural hormones can last several years after stopping the drugs. Some male users form breasts due to steroid use. Due to the increase in testosterone, steroids can cause serious acne problems. If used by adolescents it can cause stunted growth. Other side effects include genital changes, fluid retention, yellow eyes, coronary heart disease, ligament injuries, high blood pressure, changes in cholesterol levels, infertility, and liver disease. The list goes on and on. Women who use steroids run the risk of male pattern baldness. Some effects of steroids are even worse. Some people fall into a coma after injecting the drugs, some may even die from the injections (Kalawalski 13-15). Although steroids have many negative effects, they serve many necessary medical purposes. Androgens have many legitimate medical uses, such as being used to treat hypogonadal men to compensate for the lack of endogenous production. Anabolic steroids are also useful for treating some adolescent diseases, some types of anemia, and a relatively rare form of edema. Other clinical uses focus on tissue building and anti-catabolic effects, such as in the treatment of burn victims, AIDS or HIV-positive patients, or patients malnourished due to disease or old age (Bellino 1). Probably one of the best known different ways to use steroids besides building muscle for competitions is for the rapid healing results of inflamed or swollen joints after just a few days of use.