The Pharmacist is in: Defending Brian Cushing

            Ok, so I’m not actually a pharmacist.  I am a senior at Oklahoma State University majoring in physiology with emphasis in endocrinology, so hormones are somewhat of a specialty for me.  I’m here to talk to you guys about Brian Cushing and to arm you with the knowledge necessary to defend him and your club from the recent slander, and I’m sorry I couldn’t do this sooner.

            Cushing was caught using a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG.  Many athletes who use steroids incorporate hCG to prevent some nasty side effects like testicular atrophy (shrinkage) during the steroid cycle and muscle atrophy (loss of strength) after a steroid cycle.  When used in this capacity it is taken in high doses.  From the reports I’ve seen Cushing was found with only low levels of hCG so I don’t believe he used this hormone for this purpose.  Also since he was tested frequently after this incident and was found to be “clean” during that time and due to the fact his production continued to increase after this incident (people who were on steroids and come off them tend to lose their extra muscle mass very quickly) leads me to believe he was never on anabolic steroids to begin with.

            Another use for hCG is many athletes believe that hCG can help reduce subcutaneous fat.  It has been proven time and again that this doesn’t work but many athletes and trainers still believe that it helps.  When used in this capacity the hormone is taken in low doses and usually taken orally instead of an injection.  Once again, due to the low level of this found in his urine I believe this is what he was taking it for because linebackers can’t usually be fat and still do their job well.

            Since hCG is normally produced by pregnant women, it can have side effects on males that increase feminine appearances like breast tissue growth when taken in high doses.  Because of this, hCG is usually used with an anti-estrogen agent which wasn’t found in Cushing’s urine analysis either.

            I don’t believe this boosted his performance in any way.  The evidence seems to point out that the performance seen on the field last year was all Brian Cushing, thus making him deserving of the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.  He’s just a really good player who will continue to get better assuming he doesn’t get hurt.

            Texan fans, I hope I’ve armed you with the knowledge to defend Brian Cushing and take anyone down in an argument about him “illegally enhancing his performance”.  Did he technically cheat; yes he did because he took a banned substance, but the evidence I’ve presented to you indicates that all his talent is natural.

Writers Note: If you already couldn’t tell by my avatar, I am indeed a Colts fan, but I still feel like Brian Cushing should be defended.  Thank you and if anyone has any further questions about this substance or other banned substances, feel free to ask and I’ll answer as soon as I can.