The disturbing nature of this segment dictated that it stand alone, apart from The Straight Dope. Assuming you were to read just one segment offered by this this site, the staff at Getting Down would be pleased to know that Steroids and Hormones was - at the very least - in contention at the head of the stretch. If only one horse in the world could speak, and it was a horse currently being used for gambling purposes, what follows might be a condensed statement prepared for a gathering of reporters minutes before the speaker, a once brilliant stallion that now was but a shadow of its former self, was to be shipped off to a slaughter house.
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The indiscriminate use of steroids and hormones destabilize those internal glands - the endocrine system - which control and regulate cellular activity throughout the body, thus interfering with the vital harmony necessary for the maintenance of life.
Endocrine glands have the ability to produce and secrete highly active substances, called hormones, directly into the blood system where they are then transported to target issues in order to accelerate or decelerate the body's functions. A horse's endocrine system actually produces a rather large number of substances that comply with the definition of hormone. However, there exists only about a dozen major endocrine glands that are defined as producing the "classical" endocrine hormones.
The thyroid gland, for example, produces the hormone thyroxin that is then sent out into the body, via the blood stream, for the specific purpose of regulating cellular metabolism. When the thyroid gland fails to produce sufficient levels of thyroxin, the metabolic rate of almost every cell in the body slows proportionately and, if not corrected, can cause an individual to become overweight or lethargic. If the thyroid becomes overly active, the opposite occurs, causing weight loss. Interestingly, the very substance required to activate the thyroid gland is also a hormone that is produced by the pituitary gland and located at the base of the brain.
Almost everyone has heard of insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that serves to increase the movement of blood-sugar (glucose) into cells for metabolic demand. When insulin secretion decreases to dangerous levels, glucose increases dramatically in the blood and urine, resulting in diabetes mellitus. These and other metabolic and reproductive hormones are produced by endocrine glands located throughout the body, providing an incredibly complex arrangement that is yet to be totally understood.
Of special interest to gambling fans, however, are those substances produced by the two adrenal glands, each of which is composed of the medulla (inner) and cortex (outer) portion. The adrenal glands produce several steroid hormones, commonly referred to as adrenal corticosteroids, and play a critical role in bodily functions.
In addition to dramatically influencing the qualitative performance of the cardiovascular and central nervous system (CNS), a number of these corticosteroids possess properties which are capable of significantly reducing the type of pain and inflammation usually associated with stress-related injuries.
When an injury occurs somewhere in the body, vital bodily fluids immediately rush to the area to begin repairing damaged cells, resulting in inflammation. If the injury causes too much pain, corticosteroids are also sent to the injured area to reduce pain to tolerable levels. As the corticosteroids begin flooding the area of injury, in order to reduce pain, the rehabilitative bodily fluids attempting to gain entry to the injury are proportionately restricted. Though this rehabilitative process is often timely, depending on the injury, it is the body's way of balancing pain and recovery.
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It should be remembered that pain-reducing substances produced by the adrenal glands are never delivered to an injured area in such quantity that a horse is unable to detect an injury, hence maintaining sufficient awareness to disallow additional damage.
The pituitary gland regulates the production of adrenal corticosteroids via the adrenal cortex. When the call is received from somewhere in the body for a particular type of corticosteroid, the pituitary gland secretes into the blood stream a substance (adreno-corticotropic hormone) which then stimulates the adrenal cortex into production. Once sufficient amounts of a given corticosteroid have been delivered to a target area, the system shuts down by way of the same profoundly complex manner that signaled its start. Due to such complexities, it's easy to understand how the introduction of artificially produced corticosteroids or adreno-corticotropic hormone (ACTH) can severely disrupt the delicate balance of a life-regulating system which, thanks to Mother Nature, is already well designed to provide adequate rehabilitation and pain management.
Like humans, the range and intensity of physical activity performed by a horse depend entirely on the body's reaction to stress, in turn predicated on conditioning and natural ability. Your body always lets you know when you are doing something you shouldn't. It's the same way with horses. In the case of man, however, immediate rest and rehabilitation is the order of the day when physical problems occur, thus avoiding additional injury - and rarely is steroid (cortisone) treatment used because of the potential for serious side-effects.
Many of the horses used for gambling purposes, unfortunately, don't qualify for this consideration.
It's one thing to restore a deficient endocrine gland to its normal level of function by introducing carefully controlled exogenous (produced outside the body) substances, but a different matter entirely, however, when a horse's system is flooded with artificially produced hormones and steroids, thus interfering with its ability to detect - and respond accordingly - to an injury. It would appear as though there is no limit to what the shed-row gang, in order to make money, will do to keep an injured horse running. A favorite trick is to evacuate vital lubricating fluids from the bursa (pouch) of a damaged joint and refill it with a concoction of artificial corticosteroids.
Regarding the inhumane use of these substances, James T. O'Conner, Jr., V.M.D., in a report issued in the Journal of the American Veterinary Association, made these observations: "Symptomatic relief occurs rapidly after the intra-articular (in the joint) injection of steroids. Before the use of steroids for joint lameness, it was necessary to stop working a horse to allow him time to repair his injury and recover from his lameness. This required time. Because, as the saying goes, 'time is money,' rather than stop working the horse, this troubled joint is treated by injections, and he is kept at work. Now, slow but insidious and painlessly destructive forces take over within the joint. The horse - relieved of pain - fails to protect the part and subjects the joint to a damaging level of performance that progressively disorganizes the insensitive joint surface. Osteoporosis and spontaneous compression fractures, not to overlook fragmentary chipping, all follow in due time, with repeated injections, until the radiographic architecture is not recognizable. Joint lesions, subsequent to steroid injections, are on the increase in racehorses today. While at the track, these animals are intensively medicated daily. When their usefulness is ended, the majority of them have only salvage value, and usually end their career in pet food establishments."
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While certain interests may define gross conduct of this nature as legitimate integrity, the practice nevertheless remains obscene by any objective interpretation. But there exist other dangers. For instance, if steroids are administered for an extended period, the production of ACTH by the pituitary gland will decrease. In turn, the adrenal cortex gland will atrophy (shrink and decrease in function) due to the decrease in natural stimulation by the ACTH, subsequently causing corticosteroid production by the adrenals to decrease or stop. When this happens, the endocrine system becomes thoroughly disrupted by artificially produced substances, resulting in a form of artificial dependency. Unfavorable reactions include susceptibility to infections, lymphocytopenia (reduction in the number of lymphocytes in the blood), hypercoagulability of the blood (dangerous thickening), osteoporosis (weakening of bones), hyperglycemia (excessive glucose in blood,) and glycosuria (abnormally high sugar content in urine).
If the invasion of artificial steroids is suddenly stopped after prolonged use, which is most often the case when a horse is removed from a Gambling Track (GT), the endocrine system is simply not prepared to resume function on such short notice. Until such time as an adjustment is made, adrenocortical deficiency will produce signs of severe myalgia (muscular pain), diarrhea, hemoconcentration (increase in the proportion of formed elements in the blood), electrolyte imbalance, arthraglia (joint pain), and severe depression combined with muscular atrophy.
"If cortisones are given for a long period of time," according to Professor Albert A. Gabel, D.V.M., "the animal will come to depend on them and since the ACTH has decreased, the adrenal glands will become small and shrunken and will function very poorly. The severe depression of the adrenal glands result in what is commonly called the turning out syndrome. It is most commonly seen in horses that are turned out after a racing season during which large doses of cortisone are given over a long period of time. They become unthrifty and have dull, lifeless hair coats. They will sometimes be irritable and show depression. The mucous membranes are often pale and they often have anemia."
Considered throughout the world as a leading equine pathologist, James R. Rooney, D.V.M., In his book The Lame Horse: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment, states, "Simply put, steroiding a joint is equivalent to nerving (surgically cutting the nerve) a joint. Steroids slow down or stop the process of inflammation thereby relieving pain. The horse does not know he hurts and keeps trying for you. Continued working of the damaged joint increases the damage until he becomes a hopeless cripple. While steroids have their place, they must be used judiciously. The damage I see in the knee at autopsy (time) today as compared to ten years ago is quite astonishing, and a lot of the astonishment is due to improper and continued use of steroids."
The shocking practice of flooding a horse's system with artificial steroids and hormones, for the purpose of prolonging its career, represents a growing problem. The game's Bureau of Propaganda actually refers to people who engage in the insidious practice as trainers. It's a matter of professional courtesy. Likewise, so-called (SC) trainers refer to the game's High Priest's of Propaganda as racetrack officials. This back slapping charade is designed to convince unsuspecting gambling fans that every individual associated with SC horse racing is genuinely dedicated to the welfare of horses, possessing a level of integrity beyond reproach, and always in pursuit of the highest professional standards.
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The abusive use of artificial corticosteroids is not limited to the skeletal system. It is rather common for these substances to be administered as a result of soft-tissue injuries. Professor Gabel had this to say: "One of the methods of treating severe tendon injuries is with a local injection of cortisone. However, in order to be as effective as possible and safely produce complete healing, this should be done with a long period of rest - since a few weeks after the injection of cortisone, the tendons may look good and there is a great temptation to race the horse again. Many times when attempts are made to race these horses (without sufficient rehabilitation) - they will breakdown again."
Even some SC racing officials, alarmed over the insidious results of indiscriminate steroiding, have tried, with limited results, to get SC trainers to switch over to Butazolidin, presuming it to be the lesser of two evils.
In man Butazolidin can produce serious hematological side-effects, perhaps the most serious being agranulocytosis, a condition in which bone marrow is converted to fat and no blood cells are produced. In 1975, for example, a young jockey developed this disease and later died despite a bone-marrow transplant from his brother. It was later discovered the jockey was self-administering a veterinary preparation of Butazolidin to help overcome a pain-related problem. There is also evidence to suggest this drug can predispose a human to acute leukemia.
According to the textbook Equine Medicine and Surgery, considered the standard for the equine industry, "Giving phynelbutazone (Butazolidin) will alleviate the clinical signs temporarily, as will local injections of corticosteroid. The horse should not be trained (or raced) while being given anti-inflammatory drugs because it will not protect the leg as it would if pain were experienced normally."
It is easy to see how the abuse of painkilling drugs and excessive steroiding can cause severe damage to a horse's endocrine and musculo-skeletal systems, thus turning a vibrant creature into a "candidate for the local pet-food establishment."
Anybody who's been around the gambling game very long has witnessed some of the spectacular breakdowns, that heart-rending moment when injured horses crash to the ground. It's somewhat difficult to feel sorry for the jockeys, given the fact they know well the dangers at hand. At least the jockey has a choice - an option not afforded the horse.
The alarming statistics which reflect the dramatic increase in breakdowns - since the introduction of SC pre-race medication (painkilling drugs) – fail to address the extent of the problem. Perhaps more alarming is the even greater number of horses that are able to walk back to the shed-row area without the aid of an ambulance, only to become a cripple, or to return to being a cripple, once the influence of these substances has subsided. It amounts to a shameful tragedy. Predictably, the game’s Propaganda Machine is armed and ready with a hodgepodge of contrived statistics to hopefully minimize this serious problem, always to the tune of the national anthem.
The average horse spends approximately 90 percent of its life on its legs, actually sleeping while in a standing position.
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By way of comparison, if a human is temporarily disabled due to a leg injury, there often remains any number of ways in which normal duties can be carried out. It's not so simple when a horse experiences the type of serious joint/bone/tissue problems that force its early retirement from a GT. There are no wheelchairs available. No comfortable cars in which to sit while driving to and from its favorite drinking place. Because of their immense weight they cannot stand on three legs for very long before laminitis, inner-hoof degeneration, destroys one or more of the remaining hooves due to disproportionate weight distribution. About the only alternative remaining is lying down, a position that can only be maintained for a short time before muscular atrophy and respiratory problems develop, eventually leading to depression and death.
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In spite of the devastating results steroids/hormones/painkilling drugs can cause when abused, the industry's leaders are calling for the legalization of even more powerful substances.
