Don't Do It, Fellows!

A Warning About Tissue Building Drugs

By Peary Rader

YES, there are new drugs on the market that will give startlingly fast results in the building of muscle tissue. Not exactly new, for we have known about them for some years, but new to the general public.

In February of 1960, a doctor friend of ours, who is also a barbell man of some years experience, wrote us about two new drugs that had come on the market recommended for tissue building. He reported that he had tried these two drugs personally with rapid gains in bodyweight and muscle size. Now it probably would seem that we would jump at the chance to publicize any such apparent sensational breakthrough in the realm of bodybuilding. First, we do not approve of the use of drugs for any phase of health or bodybuilding and, second, these drugs hadn't been proven and still haven't been proven safe from bad side effects. There is some possibility that they may have some cancer causing reactions. Because of this we felt that they should be kept unpublicized until they were at least proven safe.

It has now become apparent that we can no longer refrain from some remarks about these drugs, for we find that many of the top bodybuilders of the country are using them. We are not publicizing them here to make it possible for you to use them, but rather to warn you about the dangers of their use. While it is true that they will give rapid gains-perhaps more so than any other thing you can use, and with less effort in workouts (in fact you can make some gains without workouts) why should you take a chance on disaster by taking these questionable drugs. Your gains with exercise and good foods and food supplements may be a little slower but it is safe and sure.

These drugs are classified as therapeutic agents providing nitrogen retention and protein anabolism. They are supposed to reduce excretion and loss of nutritional nitrogen, effect protein anabolism, increase the appetite and improve the sense of well-being.

Clinical experiments have indicated many side effects, especially in cases where some liver and prostate disease is present. Other body conditions have indicated danger from the drug's use. The drugs were developed for use on patients who were ill and debilitated. Being drugs they, of course, require a prescription but this is apparently not too difficult to obtain, as many men are now taking one or the other of these drugs.

We know of two of these drugs and there are probably others available by now. One is called Dianabol and is probably the most widely used and is distributed by the CIBA Pharmaceutical Products Inc., Summit, New Jersey. The other is called Nilevar and is put out by G. D. Searle & Co. of Chicago.

We do not believe it wise to publicize the names of men who are using or have used these drugs, for while it has produced results that have been unusual, we don't know what unfavorable results may come from its use. It has been recommended that the use of these drugs should be confined to a period of not over three months because of possible dangers and even then they should not be taken over a month at a time, with a rest of a week or so between periods, according to recommendations of the drug companies who manufacture and sell these drugs.

We can only warn you not to use these drugs; for there are legitimate, safe and sure methods of musclebuilding, but, if you are going to take them in spite of our warning, then be sure you do so under the full supervision and observation of a very competent physician.

In all fairness to this situation we must report that a number of high school and college coaches seem to be using these drugs, especially Dianabol (which is the cheaper of the two, tho I understand they are identical otherwise). Remarkable weight gains have been made on football players who were a little underweight. The chief side effect seems to be a nose bleed if they take too much. Usually two tablets are given but when this is cut to one, the nose bleed usually stops. It is used a great deal apparently in hospitals on patients badly in need of added bodyweight, as well as on new born babies, we have been told. It is available in various forms besides tablets.

We have discussed these products with a druggist who says that they sell quite a quantity of these drugs. The apparent widespread use of them has convinced us that we might as well bring it into the open and tell our readers about it. We must warn them that there are dangers connected with taking drugs that stimulate what we consider to be an unnatural tissue growth. We know this probably will not keep a lot of people from using it, but until more is known about the long term side effects we feel it best to follow proven natural methods of muscle building.

As some of you may be aware, the livestock industry is seemingly far ahead of us humans when it comes to research in tissue building. Millions of dollars are being spent to find new methods for adding pounds of muscle to a steer almost overnight, and because of this research they can practically double the weight gain of cattle and other livestock over what it was only a very few years ago. Since I live in one of the greatest livestock areas in the world, I'm exposed to much of this work and take a great interest in what is going on and find it most enlightening to listen in on discussions of cattlemen as they talk of the methods they use to stimulate greater growth in their cattle. I have never met a group of men who know more about proteins, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, as well as all the known drugs used for stimulating tissue growth. Stilbestrol is one of the drugs widely used for this purpose and some amazing things were accomplished with it. Recently our government has forbidden its use in many instances--especially in chickens, because of the dangers to humans who eat the meat it is used on. Still, it is being used in many areas, even on chickens, in spite of this government order, we are told.

We note that many cattlemen have turned from the use of this drug to special feeds. We reach a point in livestock feeding now, where it is a little difficult to say whether they are using food supplements or drugs. At least the elements most effective are mixed in the feeds. They could be classified as chemical compounds in many instances but since they do not require a prescription we probably would not call them drugs and to date they have not been found to cause disease in humans or any unfavorable reaction in those eating the meat. As you know, we do not approve either the many chemicals used on livestock or those used in the preservation and preparation of foods, for while it may have been found that small amounts do not cause trouble, the accumulated quantities over a period of years that the body may contain may cause trouble. Many of our research organizations are greatly concerned with this possible problem in human health.

Aside from the chemicals in livestock feeding, I'm sure that we could learn much about better human feeding by turning to some of the research results of the livestock industry. You would be surprised at the research done by these cattlemen and ranchers under almost laboratory conditions-in fact some of them do maintain simple to elaborate laboratories and work in cooperation with state and national agencies. Thus we find many thousands of experiments being carried on in the science of muscle building of the cow as compared to a very few crude attempts at research in muscle building of a man.

Before closing we might mention that a few years ago Irvin Johnson conducted work of a nutritional nature far advanced of anything done by others, in which he was able to work what seemed miracles in muscle building without exercise but with nutrition alone.

Yes, we can put two pounds or so a day of muscle on a cow but it often takes a month or two months to put that much on a man and while the cow does nothing but stand around and eat, the man will work himself almost to exhaustion. I have watched ranchers and cattle feeders sit down to a meal of anything their appetite demands, usually the most atrocious food, that has been processed to death, filled with deadly chemicals and cooked until most of the food elements are destroyed, and eat this junk and think nothing of it. Yet they will keep their cattle in a pen so they can control their feed to the exact pound, the exact kind with a certain specified amount of vitamins, protein, minerals prepared in a certain manner under controlled conditions. Yes, they use the most scientific feeding possible, developed over a period of years and at an expense of millions of dollars of tax money, then they sit down to their own food with no thought whatever of correct nutrition. Isn't it a strange world?

PHOTO CAPTIONS

- John McWilliams shows his wide, powerfully developed back. Most people will not believe that 6'1" John McWilliams weighs only 186 in this photo and that he has a 52 inch chest and 19 inch arms. John's legs are rather slender due to an injury suffered while in the service. At a bodyweight of 245 his arms measured around 22.

- George Eiferman, Mr. America and winner of many other titles, shows a recent photo of his famous physique. George has traveled for many years giving lectures to high school assemblies. George and John McWilliams did not require tissue building drugs to attain their championship physiques. They found natural methods safe and effective. George is 38 and weighs 190.