The Other Side of the Coin

Dr Robert M. Goldman MD, PhD, DO, FAASP is something of a moder day Renaissance Man. Among his accomplishments and credentials, he is:

*A physician and surgeon who holds a doctorate in steroid biochemistry.

*The President of the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the cofounder and Chairman of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M) , which has more than six thousand members in more than 48 countries throughout the world.

*An accomplished athlete (he was All-College in four sports, a three time winner of the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Physical Fitness Award, and was inducted into the World Hall of Fame of Physical Fitness and world champion athlete with over 20 world strength records)

*A martial artist who holds a black belt in karate and is a Chinese weapons expert

*An inventor (he was awarded the "Gold Medal for Science" (1993), the "Grand Prize for Medicine" (1994), the "Humanitarian Award" (1995), and the "Business Development Award" (1996) from the International Invention New Products Exposition competing against hundreds of inventors from around the world)

*And a prolific writer who has authored and co-authored more than two dozen books.

Among Dr. Goldman’s books are - Death in the Locker Room: Steroids and Sports, published in 1984, Death in the Locker Room: Steroids, Cocaine and Sports, published in 1987, and Death in the Locker Room II: Drugs and Sports, released in 1992. As the titles indicate, the ‘Steroid Trilogy’ exposed and demonized the use of steroids and other drugs in sports. Which brings us to an interesting point. Today, Dr. Goldman is, as noted previously, actively involved in the Anti-Aging Medicine field, which includes the use of testosterone and human growth hormone, among other modalities. Which raises an obvious question in some people’s minds: does this indicate a change in stance on steroids and other drugs? A conflict of interest?

In our opinion, the answer is no on both counts.

Consider just some of the performance enhancing drugs in use today: anabolic steroids, human growth hormone and insulin. Each has medical and therapeutic uses. Insulin, of course, is essential for diabetics.

Anabolic steroids are used to treat osteoporosis, anemia and muscle tissue wasting due to disease or injury. Testosterone is used for hormone replacement therapy in men and to combat certain signs and symptoms of aging.

Human growth hormone is also being used for hormone replacement therapy, but in both men and women. Medical uses for adults include combating bone density loss, treating muscle wasting, and in AIDS patients.

Our stance is clear: we are not opposed to the proper, medically prescribed and supervised use of the pharmaceuticals used as performance enhancers. What we are opposed to is the use of such drugs by young, healthy people for the sole purpose of gaining an edge on their competition.

Arley Vest