LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Steroids: Bodies
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Steroids are absorbed at different rates from different parts of the body. A steroid that works on the face may not work on the palm. But a potent steroid may cause side effects on the face. For example:
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Steroids decrease inflammation and reduce the activity of the immune system. Inflammation is a process by which the body's white blood cells and chemicals protect the body against infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses.
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Steroids can cause serious health problems. Many changes take place inside the body and may not be noticed until it is too late. Some of the effects will go away when steroid use stops, but some may not.
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While steroids have many different actions on the body, their mechanism of action is similar in all instances. The receptors for steroids are inside cells (unlike those for many other substances, which are on the cell membrane). The complex formed by combination of the steroid with its specific receptor enters the nucleus and switches on or off the appropriate genes, which then gives rise to the characteristic effect. Their actions are not therefore immediate as with, for example, neurotransmitters, nor are they as rapid as those of the peptide hormones; several hours elapse before the effect appears. To give one example, the receptors for aldosterone are located in the end part of the kidney tubules. Here genes are switched on which lead to the synthesis of the molecules that actually handle the reabsorption of sodium ions from the urine back into the blood.
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Most steroids used illegally are obtained through the black market from underground laboratories and foreign sources. The quality and purity of such drugs are questionable at best. Furthermore, while steroids may build muscle, their intended effect -- increased strength -- may be offset by the fact that the strength of tendons and ligaments doesn't increase with muscle strength. This imbalance may result in injuries that take a long time to heal. Little research has been done to assess the long-term effects of steroid use; nor is there much clinical evidence of the effects on women and adolescents. Young people whose bodies are still developing are particularly vulnerable, as are women, because they have less of the natural hormone.
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There are three primary methods to take steroids. Orals are swallowed in pill form, and while the easiest to use, produce the most side effects because of their chemical modifications. Injectables are trickier to use, as a needle is required, but are considered much safer. The newest delivery method is by a transdermal patch whereby the drug seeps through the skin and into the body. This form of steroid use hasn’t really caught on with bodybuilders.
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