This essay was composed in October 2007 and uses MLA documentation.

FIFTEEN YEARS OF TAKING HUMAN growth hormone has made me the person I am today: one hundred and thirty pounds of solid HGH. I was born with Growth Hormone Deficiency, which causes various physical and psychological problems. In my case, the deficiency stunted my growth. Human growth hormone is a replacement hormone that simulates the pituitary gland (Lindsey). The pituitary gland produces and releases many key hormones in human development. Injecting HGH into my body helped me grow to five feet ten inches. HGH replaces certain hormones that help people grow and develop.

Over time, human growth hormone has been discovered to be useful for other purposes. Many believe that some of these purposes must be more ethical and legitimate. HGH has been classified as a performance-enhancing steroid and was banned from most professional sports beginning in 1991 with the NFL (Myers 1). However, is using HGH in professional sports such a bad thing? The legalization of HGH could give professional athletes many benefits. Human growth hormone would help injured athletes recover faster, prevent initial injuries, boost the excitement of the game, and act as another step in advancing medical possibilities.

Childs Walker states in a Baltimore Sun article, “Sports fans and commentators speak of HGH as a magical substance that offers the same benefits as anabolic steroids…so when a player is linked to HGH…many presume that the player was desperate to bulk up and power baseballs into the stands” (Walker 1). This misconception has been the main reason why so much controversy has surrounded this replacement hormone. However, HGH is not an anabolic steroid. Anabolic steroids are those that “promote tissue growth by creating protein and other substances” (“Basics” 1). An example of an anabolic steroid is testosterone. Human Growth Hormone is a hormone replacement drug without scientific proof of promoting tissue growth and strength.

Many people who take HGH do experience a growth in muscle mass. International scientists did research on fifteen men and fifteen women who did not have Growth Hormone Deficiency and concluded that there is a growth in muscle mass due to water retention (Berggren et al. 5). The results from this research indicate that human growth hormone used in low or high doses does not make one stronger, but the muscles do retain water.

One player with controversy surrounding him is Cleveland pitcher Paul Byrd, who played in the 2007 baseball playoffs. The pitcher said that he “took HGH under a doctor’s care and supervision” (“Indians’ Byrd Says” 1). Paul Byrd says he had a pituitary problem where his body was not producing enough growth hormone. Although the average person stops growing in their early twenties, the body still produces growth hormone to regulate the body. Byrd goes into detail on how his life seemed different while he was taking HGH: “My life changed during that time, and I was able to work out more, experience less fatigue and recover quicker from pitching” (“Indians’ Byrd Says”). Thanks to HGH, Paul Byrd’s body could recover from physical exertion quickly. If human growth hormone can help injured athletes and other athletes heal faster, then they should be given the right and opportunity to have a prescribed amount to get over their fatigue and injury.

As a child, I broke my leg during an assembly at school. I had a giant cast on for three months and a boot cast for another two months. At this time, I had been taking human growth hormone for several years and had seen the benefits of the hormone in my growth. It is common knowledge to say that a leg in a cast is bound to lose muscle mass and depleted strength. After removing the cast, my leg looked withered, but my muscles were toned enough that I regained strength quickly. This also occurred when I dislocated my patella and had surgery that caused me to walk with crutches for several months. The normal operation recovery time was about two months, and I recovered in one month. My muscles were able to get back to their normal strength one month earlier than expected. HGH kept my muscles toned while I recovered, and therefore, I was able to get back to normal activities quickly.

Dr. Teresa Denney, who specialized in osteopathy, believes that HGH should not have been restricted by league officials because “it is not an anabolic steroid, and it will help to mend the athletes that have been injured and help them keep their muscle tone and their muscle mass” (Myers 2). Depending on the severity of the sports injury, most recoveries take time. During that time, athletes are limited in how they work out and what they can do. It is obvious that athletes who do not have a constant workout program lose their muscle mass; it may require several months to regain the muscle that they had. HGH would allow players to keep their muscles toned to reduce recovery time.

Take David Beckham, for example. In an attempt to make soccer a more popular and respected sport in the United States, Beckham was acquired by the L.A. Galaxy. However, he came to the US injured. It seemed like several months before he played in a game, and then he could only play the last fifteen minutes of that game. Beckham continued to nurse his injury, which seemed to take forever to heal. If he had human growth hormone to help him recover, he could have been on the field more quickly. Beckham’s problem was a pulled muscle that was having difficulty healing. HGH could have kept his muscles toned and tight during his recovery. His muscles could have been better prepared to deal with the impact from the defender’s leg that injured Beckham’s ankle shortly after he stopped playing. He played in three or four games before he got injured again and could not play the rest of that season. HGH could have helped him recover faster and may have helped prevent the other injuries he sustained.

Rick Ankiel (a baseball player) and Rodney Harrison (a football player) both said they received HGH while recovering from elbow, knee, and shoulder surgery (“Details of Ankiel Meeting” 2). Both stated that they received the hormone as a prescription from a licensed doctor. However, both have been shrouded in controversy for taking human growth hormone. As the research has shown, HGH does not build muscle strength, and it does not give an edge during the game; however, it does help athletes recover. We should look at human growth hormone as more of a therapy than a controversial substance that fans and the media believe makes a player a cheater in their respective sport.

Many injuries athletes receive are due to high-contact sports that demand the most from their bodies. HGH would help eliminate some of the possible injuries to many players: “[Growth Hormone] therapy has been shown to be effective in… improving muscle mass and bone mineralization” (Schwenk 2). Stronger bones make it less likely for an athlete to sustain a broken bone or a torn ligament. This would significantly affect the number of injuries seen weekly when basketball, football, soccer, and baseball players play such a high-contact sport. Even the most common injuries could be avoided by legalizing HGH in physically demanding sports. Several top players must sit out a couple of games or even entire seasons to recover from pulled, strained, or tired muscles. If professional athletes were allowed to take prescribed doses of HGH, their muscles would be toned enough (not stronger) to endure the physical demands of their respective sport. HGH makes bones thicker (Worsnop 4) and muscles more toned. If an athlete were to take HGH, their bones and muscles would be conditioned to recover from their injuries, and in some cases, this would prevent the injuries altogether. This quick recovery would allow sports enthusiasts (like myself) to get the most out of their money when they see the best players perform to the best of their ability.

Spectators don’t pay hundreds of dollars to watch a third-string quarterback play for the injured superstar. (Of course, there is the exception of being a Chicago Bears fan, where the only superstar is your defense, and your third-string-like starting quarterback is Rex Grossman.) In part, legalizing HGH would mean players like Donovan McNabb and Priest Holmes wouldn’t need to sit out for more than half a season to recover and regain their muscle tone. It would have been unnecessary for Dwayne Wade to spend so much time trying to regain his muscle mass after dislocating his shoulder. Overall, allowing athletes to take HGH would make the game more exciting and interesting because you’d be watching the best players in the world on the court, not looking nice in their suits while they sit on the bench.

Many believe that records broken by players taking a performance-enhancing drug should not count and should not be recognized by league officials. I agree. When Barry Bonds hit his 756th homerun, no one wanted to hold up a sign with an asterisk more than I did. Barry Bonds took anabolic steroids, not human growth hormone. I want to reiterate that anabolic steroids bulk a person up, while HGH does not. Dr. Norman Fost, professor of Pediatrics and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, shared this statement: “With or without steroids, any claim that records are comparable is naive in the extreme. The fences are shorter, the pitching mound is lower, the seasons are longer, and the ball is said to be livelier” (qtd. in Jost 2). The games are different. Things change over time. Records set fifty years ago can’t be compared to those specified in our day. The games are too different.

Allowing players to take HGH would be another step in the progression of making sports safer and keeping a player healthier. Bud Selig (the baseball commissioner) said he wants to keep the players safe and healthy. That’s why steroids are banned. Dr. Fost countered that reason when he said, “The commissioner said that he is concerned about the health and safety of the athletes. Then why doesn’t he propose a lifetime ban for anyone using alcohol or tobacco?” (qtd. in Jost). The health issues related to HGH use in adults can be mostly avoided if taken in low doses. If HGH is used correctly, the benefits of having healthier athletes and faster recovery periods would be worth it to the world of sports by allowing the spectators to witness the best players in every respective sport.

Human growth hormone has been used since the 1950s, and the effects of it are being researched daily (“Human Growth Hormone” 197). The U.S. Olympic Committee states that human growth hormone can cause hardening of the skin and internal organs (Worsnop 4). They also suggest that in extreme cases of abuse, HGH causes diabetes and heart disease. However, the U.S. Olympic Committee has never provided where they received that information. Although there may be side effects to taking HGH, these side effects do not arise unless the substance is abused (Lindsay).

Some athletes need HGH to recover. An injured athlete can’t do much except lift the Gatorade to dump on the coach. Human growth hormone does not make an individual stronger or more accurate with their performance. HGH does not give the athlete an advantage over any other athletes, so why is this substance banned when it can help athletes recover and do what they love? HGH should not be considered anything but a hormone that helps the body heal itself. Athletes deserve the best treatment to heal their injuries, just like many people have the best treatment. HGH is one of the best medical treatments and therapies athletes can get.

As stated above, human growth hormone can have adverse side effects if the hormone is abused. A way to ensure athletes stay healthy and use HGH correctly would be to make it a prescription drug administered by a licensed doctor. To receive a prescription, one would need to have an initial medical examination by a competent physician. This would be done to ensure no underlying problems, such as heart conditions or possible hormone problems. The process could be similar to the process one needs to go through to get a driver’s license. The state of Utah requires that each potential driver must complete a Driver Education Course and pass a written exam (“Drivers”). Athletes would also be required to take a growth hormone class discussing the possible side effects of abusing the hormone and pass a written exam on what was covered during the class. This would allow the players to understand the risks and how to take the hormone while recovering.

Taking a growth hormone shot daily was not one of my favorite things. Poking myself in the arms, legs, and a couple times in the stomach was not what I expected to do for fifteen years. However, it was worth it. The benefits that came along with taking HGH changed my life dramatically. My life would have been extremely different if I was not benefitted from the miracles that HGH can do for the body. As long as human growth hormone is taken correctly, the advantages greatly outnumber the disadvantages. HGH is a safe and logical treatment to help people in several aspects of life.

Works Cited

“The Basics of Anabolics.” New York Times, 21 Nov. 1988, p. 13. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=n5h&AN=31003138&site=ehost-live.

Berggren, Annika, et al. “Short-Term Administration of Supraphysiological Recombinant Human Growth Hormone (GH) Does Not Increase Maximum Endurance Exercise Capacity in Healthy, Active Young Men and Women with Normal GH-Insulin-like Growth Factor I Axes.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, vol. 90, no. 6, June 2005, pp. 3268–73. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.1210/jc.2004-1209.

“Drivers Education: Utah Driving Requirements.” DriversEd.com, DriversEd.com, 2007, http://driversed.com/drivers-ed-license/Utah-driver-ed.aspx. Accessed 31 Oct. 2007.

“Details of Ankiel Meeting Might be Sent to Mitchell Probe.” ESPN, ESPN Enterprises, 14 Sept. 2007, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3018998.

“Indians’ Byrd Says He Took HGH Under ‘Doctor’s Care and Supervision.’” ESPN, ESPN Enterprises, Oct. 21 2007, http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2007/news/story?id=3072845.

Jost, Kenneth. “Sports and Drugs.” CQ Researcher, 23 July 2004, pp. 613-36, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2004072300.

Lindsey, Dr. Rob. Personal phone interview. 19 Oct. 2007.

Myers, Gary. “Goodell: HGH Not NFL Issue.” New York Daily News, 7 Sep. 2006. Accessed 3 Oct. 2007.

Schwenk, W. Frederick. “Growth Hormone Therapy—Established Uses in Short Children.” Acta Paediatrica. Supplement, vol. 95, no. s452, July 2006, pp. 6–8. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.dist.lib.usu.edu/10.1080/08035320600649390.

 “Human Growth Hormone: Basic and Clinical Research/a Publication for Physicians Prepared in Conjunction with an Exhibit on Human Growth Hormone.” U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases.

Walker, Childs. “Effects of HGH a Cloudy Issue, Experts Say: No Lab Evidence Showing Substance Helps Strengthen Athletes.” The Sun, Tribune Publishing, 11 Sep. 2007, https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2007-09-11-0709110107-story.html. Accessed 2 Oct. 2007.

Worsnop, Richard L. “Athletes and Drugs.” CQ Researcher, 26 July 1991, pp. 513-36, library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre1991072600.