Hello y'all! I came across a very interesting topic in the New York Times (well interesting for me). It's about how scientist are able to help short people grow! For those (of us) who understand how it is to bee below the national average height, 5 foot 9 inches for men and 5 foot 4 inches for women, this sounds like great news! This new therapy is specifically for children with low, very, very low, hormone levels that actually stunt a child's physical growth. It's also recommended for children with certain genetic disorders, such as Turner syndrome, where the disorder itself makes a child's body out of proportion. What scientist are actually doing is biologically synthesizing a stimulant that kicks your hormones into gear and, essentially, helping you get growth spurts just like any pubescent teen =). I should make it clear that hormonally normal children who are just genetically short are able to receive this treatment also.
Due to it's newness, a lot of long term effects aren't known. it is also really expensive (most insurances don't cover it) and the hormone therapy isn't a for sure deal either. However, there have been many successful cases.
Kinda gives you hope for the future! =)
At 6'7" I wonder if they have something that could shrink my height a bit! :)
ReplyDeleteThis could get very dangerous due the fact they do not know the long term effects. It could possibly even change the size of these children's future children, then in fifty years we will start seeing an significant increase in the worlds average height. Being taller is not always a good idea my grandpa is 6'8", a friend of mine is 6'10" and my mom is 6'3" all have complaints of foot or back problems.
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