Steroid Gynecomastia Corrective Surgery for Guillermo Eiland. Did you know that use of steroids can lead to “manbreasts”? This is the case for 1990s rapper Guillermo Eiland, of the rap group Bone Thugs n Harmony, who was recently featured on the E! television show, Botched, about patients who have to undergo corrective procedures for their previous botched surgeries.

According to the show, Eiland began to develop breasts after years of steroid use. He underwent surgery to reduce the size of his chest but his original surgeon was not up to the task as the procedure left him with a lot of loose skin and sagging breast tissues. Fortunately for Guillermo, he was able to participate in the Botched reality show where Dr. Terry Dubrow managed to rectify the rapper’s condition.

Here’s a pic of the procedure courtesy of E!

Continue reading Steroid Gynecomastia: Corrective Surgery for Guillermo Eiland – Before and After →

Is generic Copaxone as good as brand name Copaxone? The answer is a big fat yes according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

Health care professionals and patients can be assured that FDA-approved generic drugs have met the same rigorous standards of quality as the brand-name drug. Before approving this generic product, given its complexity, we reviewed additional information to make sure that the generic product is as safe and effective as the brand name product. — Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research

Ms. Woodcock issued the above statement following her agency’s approval of the first generic version of Copaxone (glatiramer acetate injection) which is used to treat patients with multiple sclerosis.

The generic version is expected to sell at a significantly lower price than the branded version. According to the Wall Street Journal, quoting a drug executive, “the list price for the older version of Copaxone is about $72,000 per patient a year”.

Continue reading Generic Copaxone Side Effects: Weight Gain, Painful Urination, Double Vision →

In 2004 then U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson launched a crackdown against companies selling bodybuilding products containing androstenedione or “andro” because of the health risks these products pose to its users.

Back then the ex-HHS Secretary had this to say about the dangers of andro: “Young people, athletes and other consumers should steer clear of andro because there are serious, substantial concern about its safety. Young people should understand that there are no short cuts to a stronger body and that the best way to get faster and stronger is through good diet, nutrition and exercise.”

Other government officials weighed-in on the bad negative effects of andro. Here’s John Walters, then Director of National Drug Control Policy: “Athletics benefit young people’s health and give them a lesson in the value of hard work. Androstenedione and other performance-enhancing drugs undercut these benefits by endangering our children’s healthy development and teaching them that cheating is an acceptable component of pursuing excellence.”

And here’s then Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Mark McClelan’s take on the issue: “While andro products may seem to have short-term benefits, the science shows that these same properties create real and significant health risks. While the products are advertised to athletes, they have the potential to get into the hands of our impressionable youth who may believe these products will help their development.

Continue reading Andro Side Effects: Cancer, Body Hair, Stunted Growth →