Erythropoietin Is It Worth It - 1542 Words

Erythropoietin: Is it worth it? Carriella Starnes Emory Henry College Over a century ago Eugene Goldwasser and Takaji Miyake worked together in Chicago to synthesize the human hormone erythropoietin, better known as EPO. It took over 10 years for EPO to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration to be used solely for patients with anemia. EPO is naturally produced by the kidneys and is sensitive to the oxygen levels in the blood. When oxygen levels are too low, EPO is released and stimulates the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. Often times a low oxygen level in the blood can indicate that a person has anemia, which is a â€Å"condition in which the blood is deficient in red blood cells†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Genius as it was, the system soon caught up and cheating the test became harder (Hopkins, 2000). In the 2004 Olympic games they solely used urine samples to test for synthetic EPO (or rhEPO) in the system, which proved to be a much more accurate way to get results (â€Å"EPO detection†, 2015). Now there are more ways than one to obtain higher levels of EPO. More recently the use of hyperbaric chambers has increased in use by athletes. Hyperbaric chambers increase our oxygen intake from 25% to around 50% by forcing pure oxygen into the lungs which increases oxygen delivery, and thus recovery time is shortened (â€Å"Hyperbaric oxygen therapy for athletes†, 2015). Many professional athletes have used these chambers to assist in injury recovery and recuperation after performances. These aren’t just used for athletes, though; hyperbaric chambers work very well to aid in the management of diseases like chronic fatigue syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, and rehabilitation after surgeries (Howell, n.d.). A tool that may be a little more common is an elevation training mask; these masks are designed to simulate training in higher altitudes by restricting the amount of air one can breathe in. When the amount of oxygen someone breathes in is reduced hemoglobin is produced a t a higher rate, which then transports more oxygen and creates a higher amount ofShow MoreRelatedShould Blood Doping Be Illegal or Legal in Sports?1499 Words   |  6 Pagesthem to keep training at high level because they don’t have to sacrifice their own blood. Since nobody wants to receive the negative effects of doing blood doping, whether it is hemoglobin or autoglobin, they found another way such as using the Erythropoietin (EPO). It is a hormone within the body that stimulates production of red blood cells in the body. Over the years, they were able to reproduce it using recombinant DNA technology. It was originally reproduce to help people who suffered from kidneyRead MoreThe Drug Of Red Blood Cells1568 Words   |  7 Pages Erythropoietin is a hormone that is produced by the kidneys in response to a decrease in the oxygen-carrying capacity of red blood cells in circulation (2). From the kidneys, erythropoietin (EPO) enters the blood stream and enters the bone marrow where it stimulates an increase in the production of red blood cells (1, 2). This mechanism functions as a negative feedback loop since the signaling of an increase in the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood due to an increased number of red blood cellsRead MoreBlood D oping, Human Growth Hormones, Steroid, Beta 2 Agonists1526 Words   |  7 PagesErythropoietin (EPO), blood doping, human growth hormones, steroid, beta-2 agonists. These are a few substances that come into mind when discussing the topic performance enhancing drug also known as doping. Doping is defined as the use of drugs to enhance performance and gain advantage over the other competitors, and it has been an ongoing problem in the sport community since the early centuries, with an increasing trend showing today. Envision yourself competing against an opponent who has beenRead MoreCompetitive Sport And Its Effect On Sports724 Words   |  3 Pageschilling rates. The 2014 Super Bowl alone generated nearly $4 billion in illegal bets. Many experts and government officials are calling for a crackdown on the illegal gambling syndicates that are laundering and hiding filthy amounts of illegal profits worth up to hundreds of millions of dollars. This problem is due nearly solely to te levised sports and the grubby, grimy gambling culture surrounding it. It is just so blatantly obvious that we as a society would be better off without this lowlife industryRead MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs. . Performance-Enhancing Drugs1580 Words   |  7 PagesDrugs Performance-enhancing drugs (PED s) have been an issue for many decades now for the medical and sports field. Olympic and professional athletes have been using them to gain an upper hand on the competition, but some may ask if it s really worth it? Studies show that performance-enhancing drugs have been proven to negatively affect the health of athletes who take them. Simply put, performance-enhancing drugs could either improve athletic performance or can be extremely dangerous, in certainRead More Steroids In Sport Essay695 Words   |  3 Pagesnecessary to use so they can perform better. Some users also experience depression during parts of the cycles when taking the drug.Anabolic steroids are illegal and are sold over the black market and there are different kinds. To name some there are Erythropoietin, stimulants, clenbuterol and other drugs that are marketed as steroid alternatives. Without a prescription steroids are illegally sold. Besides steroids there are other performance enhancers that can be bought over the counter. They are androstenedioneRead MorePro Doping in Sports Debate825 Words   |  4 PagesHealth Risk If each of us ought to be free to assume risks that we think are worth taking, shouldnt athletes have the same freedom as anyone else? In particular, if athletes prefer the gains in performance allegedly provided by the use of steroids, along with the increased risk of harm to the alternative of less risk and worse performance, what gives anyone the right to interfere with their choice? After all, if we should not forbid smokers from risking their health by smoking, why should we prohibitRead MoreShould Blood Doping Be Legal?1836 Words   |  8 Pagesinjections of erythropoietin (EPO), and injections of synthetic oxygen carriers (Eichner). Blood transfusions come in two types: autologous transfusions and homologous transfusions. Autologous transfusions require the athlete to store some of their own blood prior to their competition and have it put back into them before the competition. Homologous transfusions differ in that the athlete has another individual s blood with the same blood type put into them. Injections of erythropoietin (EPO) involveRead MoreThe Use of Performance Drugs in Sports Essay1024 Words   |  5 Pagesrisks. â€Å"Take the time to learn about the potential benefits, the health risks and the many unknowns regarding so-called performance drugs such as anabolic steroids, androstenedione, human growth hormone, erythropoietin, diuretics, creating and stimulants you also may decide that the benefits arent worth the risks.†(Mayo Clinic) Like once some people choose to use drugs to help their performance, other athletes have their freedom of choice infringed upon: if they want to succeed they have to take drugsRead MoreEssay on Performance Enhancing Drugs 1810 Words   |  8 Pagessomebody’s PED problems. Although there are many reasons for athletes to choose to use these drugs, the cost of such use, both to the athlete and to society can be extraordinarily high. The question that many people must answer to themselves is â€Å"is it worth the risk†. Therefore, it is important to understand why performance-enhancing drugs are used, the consequences of their use, and then apply that knowledge to how they are represented in the media. The first thing that we have to look at is why many