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It is natural that parents are always worried when their child looks significantly shorter than other children of the same age. In such cases, many parents can choose to decide to treat their children's height increasing drugs with growth hormone therapy. Others are constantly wondering "should children take medicine to increase height" or not?
1. Growth hormones affect a child's height
This is considered a long-term treatment with a growth-promoting role in children with specific hormone deficiencies or health conditions that prevent normal growth.
The essence of hormones are chemical substances produced by several organs of the body, mainly the endocrine glands and the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland produces hormones that promote the growth of body tissues. Growth hormone (GH) is one of the important hormones that undertake such a function.
Growth hormone stimulates growth by raising levels of glucose, free fatty acids and IGF-1 (a protein central to infant development). It is these factors that promote the proliferation, growth and division of new cells, which in turn will help organ tissues regenerate and build important body structures such as muscles and bones. Other hormones produced by the pituitary gland that contribute to normal growth and development include thyroid-stimulating hormone, adrenocortical hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone.
Accordingly, the official indication for the use of growth hormone GH is to treat children who are short for their age due to chronic kidney disease, chromosomal abnormalities such as Prader-Willi syndrome, Turner syndrome, Noonan syndrome. However, the indications for drug use are always subject to approval, monitoring and appropriate dose adjustment by pediatric endocrinologists.
However, the growth hormones that affect the height of children are sometimes also ingredients that are freely sold on the market in the form of height increasing drugs. Although sometimes these drugs will be an option when parents find that their child is less developed than other children of the same age, parents can also bring with them many fears of "should you give your child height-enhancing drugs" or not?
2. What to consider when thinking about giving your child a height increase pill?
If you are considering GH supplement therapy for your child, it is important to know the benefits and limitations of this treatment.
Long-term adherence therapy
Growth hormone is given daily by injection, although for some conditions as little as three shots per week may be needed. Most of the time, treatment is prescribed for several years and can continue as long as the child is still capable of growth.
In addition to growth hormone, children may need to receive other hormones to keep their overall hormone levels balanced.
Expensive
The cost of growth hormone therapy is often very expensive. In the US, this can range from $10,000 to $40,000 per year and is rarely covered by health insurance — unless it's needed as part of treatment for a serious medical condition. . Even then, it can take a lot of patience to get your child's insurance company approved for long-term GH treatment.
Sometimes it's hard to make a big physical change
If a parent is considering growth hormones for their child, it's important to discuss your expectations with your doctor, including the height to which the child can grow. Make sure the child is also aware of the actual growth potential. On average, growth hormone therapy can add 2 to 8 centimeters as a child approaches adulthood.
Growth hormone therapy will make your child taller than he or she should be, but accept that he can still be shorter than average. It's important to be open and honest about any negative feelings about a child's short stature in the family and in comparison to those around them, because no amount of growth hormone can change these feelings. height perception.
3. Are there any factors that can affect a child's height?
“Should you give your child a height increase pill” when besides the benefits, growth hormone also has many potential risks. It is associated with muscle soreness, increased insulin resistance, and progression to diabetes and long-term risk of malignancies. Accordingly, instead of completely choosing to treat children with drugs to increase height as a sole measure, parents need to understand that the height of children is fundamentally determined by genetics and each child's development. with different speeds. Some children start the growth spurt early, while others later.
Although a child's development is on track, when parents may wish how to increase their child's height, especially if their child seems to be stunted or stunted, and look to Pediatricians, parents need to know that there are other factors that affect a child's height.
Sleep
In the short term, lack of sleep will not affect the development of children. However, because human growth hormone is secreted during sleep, long-term sleep deprivation will affect a child's development. Therefore, when children sleep more can help children grow faster.
Exercise
Everyone agrees that the human skeleton adapts to load or stress by becoming stronger and more resilient and exercise is one of the most effective ways to boost hormones human growth. Therefore, exercise is very important to help children grow taller.
Nutrition
There is no denying that improving nutrition is one of the ways parents can help their children grow taller.
According to the recommendations of nutritionists, foods that provide protein, calcium, iron and vitamins are very important for the development of children, always present a lot in the main food groups, such as meat, fish , eggs, milk, cereals, green vegetables and fruits.
4. Ways to help children grow taller
If you are really worried about "should you give your child height growth pills", parents should focus on other factors that affect a child's height as well as ways to help children grow taller properly. safe.
Create a quality sleep routine
When the child goes to bed at the same time every day, the child's biological clock will work to ensure that the child feels sleepy at that time, so that the child can ensure the time and quality amount of sleep per day.
This ensures that the baby will benefit from the human growth hormone secreted during sleep.
Eat more eggs
Although there are many other nutrients that are also necessary for growth in young children, studies have shown that protein, especially from eggs, helps children develop a healthy height.
Lucky out a lot of kids love to eat eggs. Eggs can be prepared for children in many different ways and are delicious whether steamed, sautéed, fried or dropped in soups.
Give your child regular nutritious meals
How can parents help their child grow taller from the diet if the child tends to crave junk food? Instead of trying to get your child to eat more at each meal, try to focus less on quantity and more on the frequency and quality of each meal so that your child achieves a better nutritional level.
Exercise
Studies have shown that exercise has an impact on how tall a child can grow.
Exercises to increase height for children are defined as exercises that move both feet off the ground at the same time and some exercises that children can join with friends such as high jumps, jumps, jogging, jumping rope and swimming.
In summary, although parents are always concerned about their child's height for various reasons, it is important to allow the child's growth and development to take place in a natural process . Therefore, it is advisable to stop worrying about “should you give your child a height increase pill” and focus on whether the child growing up happy and healthy will make more sense for the child in the long run.
To help children develop the best height, especially at the "golden stage", parents should supplement their children with supporting products containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, B vitamins help meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, help children eat well, and develop comprehensively.
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