By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It seems that every week or two there is a report of an athlete who has been using one performance enhancing drug or another to help them achieve greater success in their sport or stay energized over the course of a long season.

There was a time when sports fans and the general public were outraged, but over time many people have almost had the outrage pummeled out of them by repetitive cheating and the shock value has almost disappeared. Some sportscasters are actually justifying the use of steroids or speed, but the reality is there are medical reasons behind the tight control over many of these drugs.

Far beyond home runs or the ability to run tremendous times at a combine is the damage to the health of the people abusing the drugs. This can’t and should not be ignored.