The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #149257   Message #3472605
Posted By: JohnInKansas
28-Jan-13 - 03:38 PM
Thread Name: BS: Different Gun Control Problem in Germany
Subject: RE: BS: Different Gun Control Problem in Germany
A particular "movement" often may be seen performed by a single marching team, so what the group in question does is unlikely to conform to any "drill manual." Quite a few competitive drill teams (with or without rifles) have odd "signature moves" and some even claim theirs are "copyrighted."

Asymetrical body development is quite common, so it's not surprising that an unusual development is more pronounced on one side or the other. There's little (public) medical information on effects of this kind, but in a group selected for "matched physical features" as would be expected for an "elite" team it seems sort of expected that an effect might be "matched" to a fairly pronounced degree if it appears in several of the participants.

Gynecomastia, the common medical term for male breast enlargement is probably more common than most may realize, with "emerging adolescent" boys fairly frequently experiencing slight swelling and tenderness at about the same age as when breast development begins in young females. This "normal" process generally aborts without significant progress, but I've known a few young boys who've had "breast reduction surgery" (and for a couple, hormonal treatment) because the "moobs" became an embarassment. Similar treatments probably have been applied to more than are openly known, since one doesn't brag about things that are likely to result in "social rejection(?)."

Among young male subjects who may have reduction treatments, it's difficult to tell which are actual gynecomastia and which are just obesity, but public discussion seems unnecessary for individual cases.

Cases of later life gynecomastia are well enough known, but nothing found in readily accessible medical literature implicates "mechanical abuse" as a cause. Physical stimulation of the appropriate areas can induce lactation, where the appropriate "equipment development" is already in place, but the hormones most generally stimulated oppose those normally though to cause breast development. Adoptive mothers sometimes are encouraged to induce lactation by this and other means, although few are able to produce sufficiently for complete support of an infant if they've not been still productive from a recent other delivery. The same hormones stimulated by "manipulations" are believed to also facilitate "bonding," so some authorities recommend the attempt even if production is even minimal, and nearly complete supplemental feeding of the infant is needed.

Since a "team" of the kind cited here likely eats together, an unusual element in their diet might increase the likelihood that higher than usual percentages of the group might experience similar effects. With a team "selected for physical similarities" it might also be the case that several of them took the same drugs (steroids?) to achieve the gorgious development that won them their place on the team. (Maybe they took estrogen so they wouldn't have to shave so often? - anything for the team!!!)

The occurance may be real (but it is just a "news" report); but I'm reluctant to accept the "explanation" at face value.

John