I was going to post this in the dumber question thread, but I thought it merited it's own thread. Everyone knows that HGH/steroids are banned from baseball, but for me personally, I have no idea what HGH is really used for and why it is banned from baseball. I know that at times, doctors will prescribe a certain dosage of steroids to help people recover from an ailment and cortisone shots are legal. Why do some guys get large and others show no signs of growth (Bonds and Palmerio)?

I'm gonna try HGH myself to see if it will slow down this aging thing. We will see if it affects my strength and size too.

I've posted this in the other thread, but I'll post it here as well.

ANABOLIC Steroids are banned. Not all steroids. A steroid is a class of compounds with a specific molecular structure. Cholesterol is a steroid!

Corticosteroids like cortisone and predisone have are used in medicine for their anti-inflammatory properties. They control protein and carbohydrate metabolism, and prevent release of phospholipids associated with inflammation. They do not promote muscle growth. They are related to compounds naturally produced by the adrenal cortex.

ANABOLIC steroids are related to testosterone, but the steroids used by athletes are synthetic analogs that are NOT naturally produced by the body. The are ANABOLIC compounds. Anabolic processes are those that build larger molecules from smaller ones. The anabolic steroids promote muscle growth. They do not have anti-inflammatory processes.

Are there non-banned substances that inherently promote muscle growth (like maybe creatine), but maybe on a smaller scale? Are there non-banned substances (like maybe amphetamines) which indirectly promote muscle growth by allowing for longer more frequent weight training? Is there a way to use anabolic steroids or HGH to heal from injuries quicker which is equivalent to the use of cortisone shots (although operating in different ways) and not the equivalent of cheating?