Enhancement Drugs - Friend or Foe?

Running head: ENHANCEMENT DRUGS - FRIEND OR FOE?

Enhancement Drugs - Friend or Foe?

Enhancement Drugs - Friend or Foe?

It is not unusual now a day to open the newspaper to the sports section and read about athletes using performance-enhancing drugs to excel in their competitions. The pressure of excelling in competitions and finding short cuts to training hard has caused many athletes to taking performance-enhancing drugs even if they risk their health and athletic careers. Yet, there are memory-enhancing drugs that help the aging population with their memory loss. Performance-enhancing drugs when used properly are very beneficial, but abusing these drugs can be very dangerous. In the following paragraphs, I will give an example of performance-enhancing drug as well as memory-enhancing drug and of its dangers and benefits.

There are different types of performance-enhancing drugs, athletes use anabolic (male sex hormone) steroids because it increases the strength in muscle and bones, increases the delivery of oxygen to exercising tissues, mask pain, and stimulates the body allowing the athlete to train harder and longer. Some of the side effects to males taking such drugs are: baldness, infertility, breast development, heart problems. In females, some of the side effects are: interference with menstrual cycles and stimulation of hair growth on the face and body.

Memory-enhancing drugs and "drugs designed for psychotherapy can also be used to enhance certain regular mental functions" (Michael S. Gazzaniga, 2005). "Ritalin can improve the academic performance of hyperactive children" (Michael S. Gazzaniga, 2005). These drugs can "boost SAT scores" (Michael S. Gazzaniga, 2005). Drugs used by Alzheimer's patients to slow down the memory loss, "improves the memory of the normal population" (Michael S. Gazzaniga, 2005) by helping them remember, learn tasks longer and improves quality of life for both the Alzheimer's patients and caregivers. It may even delay placement in a nursing home for the