Clinical Terms

Task 9, Memorize the expressions to the article from Newsweek and get ready to discuss it using these ex­pressions:

the controversy centered around суперечність зво­дилася до...

to enhance aggressiveness збільшувати агресивність a competitive edge завзяття в змаганні to do considerable harm завдавати значної шкоди a few legitimate uses кілька допустимих у медичній практиці випадків вживання, передбачених законом to provide an extra boost for healing надавати до­даткову підтримку організму для видужування to cause acne спричиняти появу вугрів nitrogen storage peters out запаси азоту вичерпуються a diminished count of smth. зменшена кількість чогось to be linked to smth. бути пов’язаним із чимось to cause enlargement of prostate gland спричиняти збільшення простати (передміхурової залози)

The dangers of steroids

Most of the controversy at the just concluded Pan Ameri­can Games centered around anabolic steroids — drugs that supposedly build up muscle, restore energy after a workout and enhance aggressiveness. In fact, steroids probably do very little to give athletes a competitive edge — and actu­ally may do considerable harm.

The drugs, which are sold under such trade names as Anavar, Durabolin and Winstrol, have been available for many years. They are synthetic variations of the male hormone, testosterone.

I .ike the natural hormone, the drugs are intended to help the body store nitrogen, which comes from meats and other protein foods, and manufacture muscle tissue. In medical practice, the st eroids have only a few legitimate uses. They may be given to a debilitated patient following surgery to provide an extra boost for healing. The drugs may be useful in certain forms of anemia because they increase the production of red blood cells. And sometimes, they are prescribed to elderly women suffering from osteoporosis, a thinning out of bone that occurs with age.

For a woman athlete, taking the anabolic steroids could lead to increased muscle development. At the same time, the drugs would very likely cause acne and the growth of facial hair. But there is no evidence, says Dr. Melvin Horwith, an endocrinologist at New York Hospital — Cornell Medical Center, that the drugs do anything for a normal male weight- lifter or shot-putter. Their bodies are already storing nitro­gen avidly,” he notes. “Look at their muscles. The drugs aren’t going to provide any considerable amount of buildup beyond that”. In addition, Horwith notes, the effects of ste­roids in nitrogen storage are only temporary. “After as little as a month”, he says, “nitrogen storage peters out.”

Sperm Count. The risk of taking anabolic steroids far outweights any benefit. By raising the level of male hor­mone in the blood, the drugs can cause the pituitary gland to stop stimulating the natural production of testosterone by I he testicles. The result could be atrophy of the testicles as well as a diminished sperm count. Steroids are metabolized by the liver and have been linked to the development of liver tumors, or hepatomas. Testosterone, moreover, will cause enlargement of the prostate gland and stimulate the growth of prostate cancer if a tumor is already present. Finally, the steroids may be converted by the body’s chemistry into com­pounds similar to the female hormone, estrogen. In a male, this could lead to the growth of breast tissue.

Task 10. Answer the questions to the text. Choose the answers below:

1. What do steroids supposedly do and what do they really do? (Take into account the statement from the article).

2. What are synthetic variations of the male hormone inten­ded to? 3. What are the legitimate uses of the steroids in medical practice? 4. Why does the article state that “the risk ... far outweighs any benefit”?

(a) to help the body store nitrogen; b) build up muscle, store and restore energy; c) because steroids cause atrophy of the testicles and diminished sperm count, hepatomas, growth of breast tissue in a male; d) to provide an extra boost for healing anemia and osteoporosis)

Task 11. Read the article from the Times and com­ment upon it using the expressions studied before and given below:

hormone replacement застосування замінників природних гормонів

oestrogen therapy лікування естрогенними препаратами to relieve the symptoms of the menopause зменшити прояви менопаузи to alleviate osteoporosis сповільнити процес остеопорозу