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As we human beings have changed and evolved over our thousands of years of recorded history so have our attitudes and expressions of all things sexual. The only thing that hasn’t changed much is society’s desire to exercise a certain amount of control over an individual’s sexual behavior. Whether it be through church or state, educational institutions or popular media of the time, there have been rules and regulations, views and taboos about what we should do sexually, how we should do it, who we should do it with and even how we should think about doing it. BODY PARTS A particular area of interest, naturally, has been the body and specifically those parts that are obviously connected with sex. We’ve alternately hidden and displayed, worshipped and derided male and female genitalia. In most non-Christian cultures there were gods and goddesses of power and fertility with exaggerated genitals. Some cultures liked penis gods so much they had several, for instance the ancient Greeks honored Priapus, Dionysus and Hermes. The Egyptians exalted Osiris, Bacchus was the Roman version, and Shiva reigned in India. Penis and, less commonly, vulva worship, were practiced and this was reflected in objects connected with daily living. Vases in classical Greece were decorated with phalluses. In the ruins of Pompeii penis symbols were found just about everywhere, on bowls, lamps and figurines. Pitchers with enormous penis spouts were a unique specialty of the Mochica culture of Peru. The exteriors of medieval Irish churches were adorned with sculptures of Shelah-na-Gig, a vulva icon. In Egypt enormous symbols of penis power – the obelisk – were erected all over the landscape. Smaller penis symbols in the form of amulets and bracelets were worn as magical protection against evil in ancient Rome. In fact, the English word ‘fascinate’ is derived from ‘fascinum’ the Latin word for these magic penis images. Words describing body parts vary from culture to culture and often reflect the attitudes we have about them. In India and China the penis and vagina were approached with respect and awe. Terms like Jade Flute, Arrow of Love, Ambassador, Warrior for the penis and Valley of Joy, Ripe Peach, Lotus Blossom, Enchanted Garden for vagina were used. In the English language however, words are much more likely to be discourteous: dick, tool, meat, dong and pussy, crack, slit. Cock and prick are two of the longest-standing terms for penis in English. Prick was actually a pet name up until the seventeenth century when times became much more prudish and prick gradually became ostracized. Now it’s used not as a term of endearment but of scorn. Cock, another penis word, comes from the name for the male barnyard fowl but in the late seventeenth century uptight early Americans were so offended by this that they began calling the bird rooster. Other common objects also had their names changed to make them more seemly: haycock turned into haystack, weathercock into weathervane, and apricock into apricot. Yiddish slang words for penis include schlong, putz and schmuck. Believe it or not in 1962 comedian Lenny Bruce was arrested because he used the terms schmuck and putz in his act! When it comes to penises, many cultures have considered bigger to be better. But in classical Greece delicate and small penises were the best. Big sex organs were thought to be ‘coarse and ugly’. During this time young athletes worked out in the nude. As protection for his private parts a man pulled his foreskin over the head of his penis, tied it with a ribbon and then fastened the ribbon ends to the base of the shaft. This precursor to the modern jock strap was known as a dog knot. Other means of protecting and, in most cases, emphasizing the penis include codpieces, sheaths and even paper sculptures. Codpieces, which are brightly colored and gaily ornamented pouches for penis and testicles, were worn by Europeans over tight breeches and under short jackets during the fourteenth through sixteenth centuries. Protective and decorative penis sheaths were common among primitive societies. Made out of everything from leather and vegetable fibers to bamboo, gourds and shells these sheaths were the mainstay of a man’s wardrobe. From the ninth to the twelfth centuries Japanese men packaged their penises inside an animal shaped paper sculpture. This practice was designed to increase sexual pleasure: the penis would take on the qualities of the animal it was packed inside and the lovers would then act out fantasies stirred up by the animal package. LOOK BUT DON’T TOUCH Although we’ve been fascinated by and have focused on our genitals since time began, in many cultures there has paradoxically been a policy of look but don’t touch, at least not your own. Self-pleasuring, or masturbation, has been vilified for a number of reasons. For instance the Taoists in China condemned male masturbation to the point of ejaculation as wasteful because too much ‘yin’ or masculine energy would be lost with the expelled semen. The Christian church raised masturbation to a level of damnable sin. Penitential books published by the church during the eighth century, which outlined proscribed sexual practices and their accompanying penalties, emphasized masturbation over any other sexual offence. From the eighteenth century onward doctors and scientists joined in the battle against self-pleasuring. Leader of the pack was Swiss physician Simon Andre Tissot who in 1758 preached that masturbation would stimulate an increase in blood pressure in the head thereby damaging the nervous system and causing insanity. Other doctors quickly joined the battle, blaming masturbation for such ills as: acne, backache, blindness, constipation, epilepsy, gout, infertility, nymphomania and vomiting. These were not the opinions of a few quacks but commonly held beliefs throughout western society. From the 1850s until the 1930s thirty-three patents were issued in the U.S. to inventors of anti-masturbation devices. These painful and humiliating gadgets included such items as: spermatorrhea bandages, which bound the penis so tightly to the body that erection was not possible; a spike-lined ring which drove sharp metal points into a penis that was becoming erect; sexual armour, clothing with metal crotches which had holes through which urine could escape but which had to be unlocked at the back for defecation; the “Stephenson Spermatic Truss”, a pouch which tied the penis back and down between the legs; and a harness which would ring an alarm and give an electric shock when a penis attempted to enlarge! It wasn’t until Alfred Kinsey, in his ground-breaking research about sex that began in the 1930s, proclaimed that over 90 percent of men admitted to masturbating at least once that attitudes began to relax. SEXUAL RELATIONS Most likely because from the Neolithic period (10,000 – 4,000 BC) up until the late 17th century it was believed that men alone were responsible for producing children through the magic of their semen, women ranked second in just about everything including sex. Women were viewed as childbearers and as objects for male sexual satisfaction. Often it was not the same woman who filled both roles. In almost all cultures from ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, Indian, Asian and on, women belonged to their fathers when they were young and then to their husbands when they reached marriageable age. Their behavior, particularly sexual, was most often highly restricted. The ancient Hebrews stoned women to death for adultery. Early Romans could kill their wandering women as well. Later they were simply obliged to divorce them as were husbands in classical Greece. Europeans kept their women from straying through the use of chastity belts which first appeared there during the 12th century and became quite popular during the 1400s and 1500s. Many chastity belts were secured by padlocks, some had rigid metal bands which could be tightened or loosened depending on the mood of the husband. Ironically, it was female members of the so-called ‘oldest profession’, prostitution, who in many societies had a certain amount of freedom and even influence. In Sumerian times (2,000 B.C.) prostitutes were respectable members of the temple. Through sex with a sacred prostitute Sumerian worshippers paid homage to their gods. Part of the prostitutes’ value was that their earnings contributed substantially to the temples’ income. Temple prostitutes were common in Greece and Rome, India, and even early Christian Europe. In Avignon, France there was a church brothel where the women divided their time between servicing clients and carrying out religious duties. Top-level courtesans enjoyed a more liberated status than other women during many eras, ancient Greece, Confucian China, 15th century Rome, Louis’ France, and a few were able to become very successful women in a man’s world. They often received better education, had more social freedom and wielded influence in politics. BIRTH CONTROL For as long as people have been engaging in sex they’ve been inventing unique means of preventing it’s frequent result: pregnancy. The most commonly used form of birth control over thousands of years has been good old fashioned ‘coitus interruptus’ or pulling out before the explosion, but there have been many other most interesting approaches. The precursors of modern birth control emerged in Egypt about 300 B.C. There they used mechanical and chemical methods that foreshadow modern diaphragms, cervical caps and spermicides. Their versions included lint pads soaked in honey and acacia tips, and crocodile dung compacted with auyt-gum, both to be inserted into the vagina as a barrier to semen. Some Romans of the 4th century decided that the best way to prevent unwanted pregnancy was to diminish a wife’s desire for sexual intercourse. Specific methods included: mouse dung liniment; swallowing pigeon droppings mixed with oil and wine; or rubbing her loins with the blood of ticks off a wild black bull. Condoms began to come into their own during the eighteenth century. They were usually made of sheep gut, or sometimes fish skin and were originally introduced not for prevention of pregnancy but as a protection against syphilis. Finally, here are a few interesting tidbits of sexual history. • In the 1600s Christians who lived in Turkey had to pay a tax. Tax collectors often required people to show their circumcision in order to determine who was taxable. • John Harvey Kellogg invented corn flakes in 1898 as part of his diet for decreasing sexual desire and masturbation. • The first electrical dildo was sold in 1911. • The term homosexuality is derived not from the Latin homo, “man,” but from the Greek homos, meaning “the same”. • During the 1920s many homosexuals were given electric shock therapy to heal what was then considered a disease. It wasn’t until 1973 that homosexuality was officially removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental disorders. • Alfred Wolfram set the world kissing record in 1990 by kissing 8,001 women in 8 hours, that’s one kiss every six seconds! • Wilt (the Stilt) Chamberlain is credited with the most famous and well-used penis in sports history. He boasted of having sex with over 20,000 women. • Some male members of Australian tribes still shake each other’s penis as a ritual greeting. • More than 8,000 adult videos are produced every year. That’s almost 22 per day! • In 1999 over $4 billion was spent on phone sex, but more than 50 percent of callers didn’t pay their 900 number bill. pnis enlargement video buy penile enlargment pills penis enlargement pill review home penis enargement top rated penis enlargment pills penis enlarement device penis enlagement penile enlargement excercises
As you begin to get older, many men begin to wonder about their prostate health. Prostate health is all over the news and media, and you may even know someone that has been diagnosed with prostate cancer over the past few years. If you are worried about your prostate health, or want to find out ways to help protect it, you have come to the right place. We will go over what this important gland does, and discuss the different options that you have in protecting your prostate health. First, you must understand what the prostate actually is. It is a sexual gland, about the size of a walnut that is located around the base of the bladder and urethra. It essentially, hugs the tube that carries urine out of your body. This partially muscular, partially glandular organ produces a slightly alkaline substance that is present in semen. It is important to understand that there are many problems with prostate health that aren’t life threatening. So if you feel that you may have a problem with your prostate, usually shown by a difficulty to urinate, it is important that you seek medical advice. Prostate disease is a condition that can vary from individual to individual. Some simply have an infection that can be treated with medication; others have an inflammation of the prostate tissue, while others simply have an enlargement of the prostate gland. While all of these many indicate cancer at a latter point, they don’t necessarily mean cancer right off the bat. Getting a diagnosis is the first step to improving your prostate health. Your doctor may perform one or more of the following tests to access the situation. Most of them are painless or may only be uncomfortable. Discuss your options with your doctor if you have a low threshold for pain. • DRE (digital rectal examination). The physician will fell the prostate manually to look for enlargements and problems. • PSA (prostate-specific antigen) testing. Your doctor will do a simple blood test to determine your level of PSA. Small amounts are normal, but large amounts could indicate a problem. • TRUS (transrectal ultrasound). This test uses wave echoes to create an image of the prostate. • Cystoscopy- where the doctor looks through the urethra with a thin, lighted tube. • Biopsy- a small tissue sample is collected from the area and studied. The key to preserving your prostate health is go get proper treatment early on. Many men are ashamed to seek treatment, which can ultimately lead to further complications. Prostate disease and cancer are easily treated as long as you get diagnosed early on. At the first sign of pain or discomfort contact your doctor immediately. Men over the age of 50 should get their prostate checked out at least once a year. Find a doctor that you are comfortable with, and make sure to ask questions. Many patients choose to do research online before they visit a doctor, which will help you ask the right questions during your visit. natural pennis enlargement technique penis enlarement device penile enlargment patch penis elargement herb vimax penis enlargement excersizes vimax penis enlargement device does pennis enlargement work pro fitness health solution penile enlargement procedure
Herpes is a sexually transmitted viral disease caused by the Herpes Simplex Virus. Two strains of this virus have been identified – HSV I and HSV2. The HSV-I virus is known to cause oral herpes. Oral herpes is a disease that affects the mouth. Cold sores appear on the lips and on and in the mouth. It is a communicable disease that is prevalent among children, though it is not uncommon among adults as well. The outbreak of the disease results in painful sores, swollen and bleeding gums and sometimes a white coating on the tongue. The symptoms of herpes are not easily identifiable .The result is that most people don’t even realize they are suffering from the disease and unintentionally spread it to non-infected persons through physical contact. It is easier to prevent Herpes than it is to cure it. It is important that infected parents do not kiss their children, for this could spread the virus. Also, it is better not to send the infected children to school till the attack subsides. It is also essential to keep the utensils of the patient separate from those of the other family members. Once the disease sets in, people should take antiviral drugs such as acyclovir. Genital Herpes is a sexually transmitted disease usually caused by the HSV-2 virus. The blisters appear on the genital area, vaginal area, penis, anal opening, and on the buttocks or thighs. The symptoms of genital herpes include a feeling of itching or burning in the genital area, pain in the legs or buttocks. In case of women, there is a fluid discharge from the vagina. The first attack of the HSV-1 and HSV-2 virus is called the primary episode. The symptoms set in within two to ten days of the infection and last for about two to three weeks. After the attack, the virus remains dormant for some time in the nerve cells and then gets reactivated, and another attack results. The frequency and severity of the attacks diminish with the passage of time. penis enlagement before and after picture penis enargement tool penis enlargment herb penis enargement picture cheap penis enlargment magna rx free penis elargement pills homemade penile enlargment penile enlargement procedure
Liver cancer Liver is an important organ that performs a number of different functions like maintaining fluid balance in the body, handling toxic substances etc. It also produces bile that is instrumental in breaking down fat. Occurrence of cancer in the liver is termed as liver cancer. Types of Liver cancer On a broad basis, we can classify liver cancer as primary liver cancer and secondary cancer. When cancer originates in the liver itself, it is called as primary liver cancer. Liver cancer is known as secondary liver cancer when it originates in some other part of the body and then spreads to liver (e.g. due to proximity of liver to the place where cancer originated in the body). Hepatoma and bile duct cancer are the two main types of liver cancer. Causes of Liver cancer The two main causes of Liver cancer are: Excessive consumption of alcoholic drinks and occurrence of infections like Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. It’s unfortunate to note that though a number of people know that alcohol can increase the risk of Liver cancer, they still don’t cut down on alcohol. Symptoms of Liver cancer Liver cancer can lead to enlargement of Liver which can result in discomfort e.g. pain in the upper abdomen or pain in the right shoulder. There are some other common symptoms of Liver cancer (none of them are too conclusive though) like nausea, weakness, loss of weight etc. Other symptoms of liver cancer include jaundice and fluid disbalance in the body (e.g. building up of fluid in the abdomen). However, these too are just mildly indicative of liver cancer and are in no way conclusive symptoms. Diagnosis of Liver cancer Recognizing the symptoms and seeking professional help (from qualified doctors) can help early diagnosis of liver cancer. So, consult your doctor and let him/her know all the symptoms that you have been experiencing. The doctor might do a physical examination and prescribe certain tests as the need may be. The physical examination is basically to check the enlargement of liver. Other tests include liver ultrasound scan, abdominal CT scan, liver biopsy etc. Treatment of liver cancer Based on the type of liver cancer, the stage of liver cancer and your general health etc, the doctor might prescribe one or more liver cancer treatment techniques. Surgical procedure to remove the affected part of liver is one of the treatments for liver cancer (especially if it has not spread elsewhere). Besides surgery there are other techniques that use laser and other procedure for removal or destruction of tumor/ liver cancer. Chemotherapy is also one of the liver cancer treatments. penis enhancement product herbal penis enlargement pills home penile enlargement vig rx review penis enhancement result best penis enargement top rated penis enlargment pills natural penis enlarement penile enlargement procedure
Excerpt from The Steroid Deceit Having abused steroids for three and a half years, I was always afraid of being found out. I took pains to keep my steroid use hidden from my parents. They thought my newfound muscles were the result of all the time I spent at the gym, as well as the various supplements and powders that I always seemed to be taking. Little did they realize that some of those pills I called “vitamins” were actually oral steroids. The façade to my life of deceit began to crack, when I received a panicked phone call from my mother. She had evidently found one of my syringes. I rushed home. Since using steroids, I had become a much better liar than I ever could have imagined, and naturally I was ready to give her an Academy Award winning performance. My mother was waiting for me at the front door, and started in on me as I made my way up the pathway. “Are you using heroin?" “Mom,” I told her, offering her a big smile. “You’ve got it all wrong.” She waved the syringe in her hand as if to say, “How could this be wrong?” I didn’t stop smiling, even though inwardly I was cursing myself for having been careless with my needles. I had slipped up. Until that mistake I had always cleaned up after my usage and secreted everything away. While my mother brandished the syringe, I was doing some waving of my own, showing her a prescription form. By this time we were in the house. “I am not a junkie, Mom,” I told her. “I was given a prescription from a doctor.” “What for?” she asked. “For steroids,” I said, “only steroids.” She still looked doubtful, so I said, “I’ll go show you.” I went up to my room and returned with a vial. “See,” I said, showing her the vial, and then repeated, “It’s only steroids.” It’s only steroids. As a parent I can tell you that if I heard those words from one of my two boys I would be as concerned as if my child had announced, “Don’t worry, it’s only heroin.” I made a big show of throwing out the syringe and vial in front of my mother, My mother appeared pacified. Luckily, she didn’t know anything about steroids, and what I was saying must have sounded reasonable. Besides, my tossing out the vial and syringe clearly demonstrated that I didn’t have a problem. What she didn’t know was that I had a secret stash in my closet with dozens more vials and needles. It was also a good thing she didn’t look closely at the prescription, or she might have wondered why a vet was prescribing a drug to a human. In my hunt for bigger and better steroids I had found a veterinarian willing to write me a scrip for equipoise, a steroid prescribed for horses. As if that wasn’t bad enough, I had made copies of the prescription. I didn’t even have horse sense. I was a drug abuser with an illegal prescription covering up his habit by lying. I wish my mother hadn’t trusted me. I wish she had challenged me. I wish she had taken note of all the warning signs my body and behavior were giving off, and had pulled me up short. According to the U.S. Center of Disease Control, up to 6% of high school students have tried, or are using, steroids. Even if that figure is wildly exaggerated – even if it’s only half of that number – we are still talking about an incredible number of young people using steroids. Teens typically use steroids to get buff, or try and get an athletic edge. What they don’t take into account is the potential hazards that come with the drugs. Some of the side effects include: Psychological addiction; Depression and mood swings; Insomnia; Severe acne; Hair loss; Infertility; Liver disease; Testicular atrophy; Arteriosclerosis; Heart disease; Permanent stunting of growth; Feminization of males including breast swelling (gynecomastia – also known by steroid users as “bitch tits”); Stretch marks; Water retention; High blood pressure; Tendon and ligament damage Specific side effects of females are: Virilization (becoming more masculine) of females, with such symptoms as excessive face and body hair, deepening of the voice which is irreversible; suppression of menses; decreased breast size; and enlargement of the clitoris; It is hard to believe that given all the health risks associated with steroids that they continue to grow in popularity. I am afraid that either the message of their dangers isn’t getting out, or maybe it’s just that the other “message” is so much more prevalent that it’s hard to refute. When people look at the hard, muscled bodies presented by smiling, oversized human beings, they see a tempting portrait. Users and potential users are seduced by this picture of health and vitality. The picture doesn’t show the strain on the arteries, the wear and tear on the heart, or the pinball effect on the psyche. Because society has not yet raised enough red flags over steroid use, the burden for this scrutiny has to fall on parents and loved ones. At the time I abused steroids they were an “under the radar” drug; my parents didn’t even know what they were. Public awareness about steroids has grown, but judging from their increased popularity, teens and adults have not yet come to the realization that using them means playing Russian roulette. To protect their children from the dangers of steroids, parents need to be vigilant. For their own good, no child should be able to get away with what I did. It was wrong of me to pretend indifference about my drug habit and proclaim, “It’s only steroids.” Steroid use is the hidden epidemic. Somehow the war on drugs has missed this target. Parents can’t afford to turn a blind eye, though. Among the warning signs parents should be looking for in a child who might be using steroids is: A rapid increase in the musculature of your child; Your child’s preoccupation or obsession with “getting big”; An outbreak of acne (predominately on chest and back) far and above the usual; Pronounced mood swings;The presence of muscle magazines (look for the usual smiling steroid figures on the cover). There’s an old axiom: if it’s too good to be true, beware. Those bodies are too good to be true; Vials and pills and syringes – it is up to you to read the labels. I told my parents that the oral steroids I was taking were vitamins. Watch out for the following pills: Anadrol; Dianabol; Winstrol; tamoxifen; clenbuterol; clomifen citrate; masterolone Anything in a vial is suspect (if it is in a vial, it is usually vile). The brand names are many and varied, but look for the following substances: stanazalol; nandrolone decanoate; nandrolone phenilpropionate; dromastolone dipropionate; and testosterone. Despite all those misleading advertisements which claim you can lose 10 pounds of fat and put on 10 pounds of muscle in just a few days, it doesn’t happen that way. The human body doesn’t change overnight. When not using steroids, professional athletes are hard-pressed to put on 10 pounds of muscle in a year, even with rigorous workouts. If your child suddenly sprouts muscles, it is your job to be suspicious. Don’t be surprised if your teen credits those muscles to his or her pumping iron, and taking protein shakes and supplements. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that those pills and shakes are all but worthless. Invariably, the spokesperson for those kinds of products is a steroid abuser. The fact is that those supplements will not pack on the pounds and muscles as the manufacturers claim. Steroids will do that. They might also cause you to die or go crazy getting those muscles, but that’s not something you are ever likely to hear coming out of the mouth of Mr. Big Biceps. What should a parent do if they discover that their child is using steroids? One of the first priorities is opening up a dialogue with your child and start discussing this risky behavior. One of my favorite sayings is, “There is nothing uglier than truth when it is not on your side.” Truth is a great antidote to combating steroid usage. From the onset I would impress upon the child that what they are doing is both illegal and harmful. If you take a steroid, in the eyes of the law it’s the same thing as popping an amphetamine or Quaalude. Possession of steroids is a federal offense, and can result in jail time of up to one year in prison along with a fine up to a thousand dollars. If you manufacture or distribute steroids, the penalties are much more severe. It is common for many steroid users to sell or distribute their drugs. Doing a “favor” for another user can now result in a jail sentence. Expect your child to be defensive. When you start explaining about health risks associated with steroids, you are sure to hear, “I don’t know anybody who has had those kinds of problems.” It is entirely possible they’ll be telling the truth. You will have to explain that sometimes the effects are not immediate, and sometimes they can’t be seen. Tell them that steroids are like cigarettes; often they debilitate over time. You also have to try and impress upon them what I think of as “the X Factor.” Every day more evidence comes forward showing the detrimental effects of steroids. It’s only recently that steroids have been linked with depression, just as there have only been preliminary studies on steroids being a possible “gateway” drug. Before the mid-nineties, though, no one was talking about ‘roid rage. And before that no one had any idea about the potential for kidney damage and arteriosclerosis due to steroid usage. Your child will tell you that steroids work, and he’ll be right. They do work, but it’s one of those cases of their working too well. Your child might not want to hear about heart disease or liver tumors or hardening of the arteries. You will hear about the strength gains, and the “incredible” workouts. Your response should be, “At what cost?” The human body is designed for certain maximum levels. Those who abuse steroids can, and do, spend more time at the gym or on the playing field, and are able to push themselves harder and longer. Sooner, usually than later, though, the human body rebels; joints tear and ligaments rip. It isn’t surprising that sports medicine has seen an epidemic of career ending injuries in the past decade. Steroids have given athletes a false platform upon which to perform; when that platform collapses, too often it is game, set, and match. This trend of serious injuries extends from high schools to the professional levels. Sports doctors say they are seeing a huge increase in tendon and muscle ruptures. That isn’t a coincidence. When bodies get pushed too hard, they snap even harder. Student athletes are under enormous pressure to perform and that makes steroids tempting. Non-athletes feel their own pressures; everyone wants to look “buff” and fit. Parents should also tell their children that steroids are cheating. In simple terms of right and wrong, they are wrong, and you don’t want your child to be a cheater. If your son or daughter is looking for an athletic advantage, tell them that you don’t believe in winning at all costs and neither should they. Stress to them that the muscles they think they are getting are artificial and temporary, and if they want the real thing then they are going to have to work for it. Talk to your child and make sure his or her self-esteem is not dependent on body image. This will probably be another case where your child thinks you are old-fashioned and out of it; when your child grows up he will see how wise you were (but don’t expect to get thanked any time soon). It is possible your child has body dysmorphia, with a resulting skewed view on what his/her body really looks like. Harrison Pope established a formula to calculate what he called the “fat-free mass index” (FFMI). Based on those calculations, the upper limits of musculature and build can be defined by their scoring system. The researchers found that a drug-free individual could be muscular, but in a proportional and natural way. Unfortunately, these days we see so many images of bodies accomplished through steroids that we don’t realize them for what they are – fakes. Teens need to have a realistic idea of what is normal body image, and what is abnormal. When confronting a child’s usage of steroids, the natural reaction for any concerned parent is to ban steroids from the household. That prohibition won’t work, though, unless your child realizes it is in his own best interest to quit. Going off steroids is something that can be fraught with problems; consult with a doctor. Going “cold turkey” can have tragic consequences. If you get steroids out of your house, be aware that your child might seek out steroids through friends and find a way to try and hide further usage from you. Don’t be afraid of looking like the “bad guy.” Your child might not understand the serious consequences involved with steroid usage. If you suspect continued use of steroids, take your son or daughter to a physician and have them tested. I would also strongly encourage you to get your child into counseling. Most males will resist this, and will no doubt insist that it’s unnecessary. These are the same males who might suffer severe depression in silence, not doing anything about it. Unfortunately their ultimate solution might be suicide. Without being overly dramatic, parents need to be on a “suicide watch” for a child that is using steroids, or has recently stopped. Coming “down” from steroids can be a perilous time, especially for young people. They need to understand what is happening to them. Because they have tinkered with their body chemistry, stopping steroid usage might result in considerable physical and mental shocks to the system. When young men act rambunctious, people often roll their eyes and say, “Too much testosterone.” Imagine, then, too much testosterone for months and years at a time. Your child needs to know that’s what they wreaked upon their system, and that sometimes body and mind take time to find their way back to normal. Take it from me; it will be one of the most important journeys they ever undertake.