Hello, this is Dr. Hyocheong Chae from Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic, a place where kind hearts reside, pursuing evidence-based and integrative medicine.
Listen to the detailed story about growth herbal medicine featured in May’s Monthly Sunyujae. You must be very interested in your children’s height growth these days, right? Height growth is what mothers care about most during their children’s growth period!
I’ll tell you about height growth from a Korean medicine approach, raising children without worrying about the side effects of hormone injections. Safely promoting children’s height growth with Korean medicine.
“We find your child’s hidden height through proper treatment during their growth period.”
A child’s growth critically impacts their health and future. Height growth treatment aims not only to increase height but also to improve the child’s overall health, creating an optimal growth environment. To achieve this, it’s essential to carefully examine the child’s diet, sleep, and health status, resolve factors hindering growth, and supplement any nutritional deficiencies to build a strong foundation for growth.
Timing for Growth Treatment
“If you hesitate about your child’s growth treatment, you might miss the optimal treatment period.”
Considering the growth curve, puberty, the second rapid growth phase, accounts for about 15% of height growth. Therefore, if you try to increase height during this period, you would have already missed 85% of the height growth opportunity. If you want to increase height, it’s crucial to start treatment before puberty. Especially, continuously managing the child’s health and environment from the first rapid growth phase (from birth to 3 years old) through the second rapid growth phase (puberty) is key.
Beyond Genetic Factors
“Height growth treatment is important beyond genetic factors.”
Through Korean medicine treatment, we manage to help children grow taller than their genetic potential, considering various factors that hinder height growth such as poor appetite, allergic diseases, and obesity. Poor appetite is the main cause in about 60% of children with growth delays. Insufficient intake of nutrients and energy can negatively affect growth.
Therefore, it is necessary to identify the cause of poor appetite and implement appropriate measures. A two-track strategy involving treatment, diet, exercise, and lifestyle improvements is needed. Lifestyle improvement is crucial; excessive consumption of carbonated drinks or caffeinated beverages should be avoided as they can lead to calcium loss and nutritional imbalance. Additionally, we recommend a balanced intake of nutrients and at least 60 minutes of aerobic exercise daily.
The goal of growth treatment is to enhance the child’s overall health and build a strong foundation for height growth through a comprehensive approach.
Which children need growth treatment? 1. Digestive disorders including poor appetite. If a child who originally ate little refuses or avoids food for several months or longer, it can cause them to fall behind their peers in growth. Additionally, frequent stomachaches or changes in bowel habits are also targets for treatment.
2. Precocious puberty. For children with precocious puberty, delaying puberty can help with height growth. Puberty delay treatment requires continuous treatment to align with the normal pubertal period of their peers.
3. Childhood obesity. A rapid increase in weight can cause growth to stop prematurely. In cases of childhood obesity, weight management according to age is absolutely necessary.
4. Night crying and sleep disorders. Night crying occurs during the first rapid growth phase (under 3 years old), so in severe cases, prompt treatment is necessary. During the first rapid growth phase, growth hormone secretion is vigorous during sleep. Since this is a critical period for lifelong growth, prompt treatment is needed if there are any factors disrupting sleep.
Hormone Injections vs. Korean Medicine Clinic Treatment: Effects and Side Effects of Growth Hormone Injections. When injections are administered to children with growth hormone deficiency or insufficient growth hormone, a clear effect can be expected. However, in most cases, if hormone levels are normal, research reports indicate little significant benefit to final adult height.
Furthermore, indiscriminate growth hormone treatment can cause hormonal imbalance and carries risks of side effects such as elevated blood sugar, increased intracranial pressure, thyroid dysfunction, headaches, joint pain, and allergies, requiring caution. Effects of Growth Treatment at a Korean Medicine Clinic. As can be seen from research results on several herbs frequently used in growth herbal medicine, studies show that Gastrodia elata and deer antler velvet can aid growth and development without affecting growth hormone secretion.
There is research showing that Yukmijihwang-tang, often used as a base prescription in growth herbal medicine, resulted in above-average growth in the treated group. Studies also indicate that it increases blood antibody production, thereby boosting immunity, which supports the positive role of herbal medicine in healthy growth. However, it is important to note that simply consuming herbs for growth is not enough.
The essence of proper growth treatment is to support healthy growth through individualized diagnosis, balancing the five viscera and six bowels, and subsequent treatment and management. “It must be conducted under individual consultation and expert guidance, and it is important to consider various factors affecting growth.” Curious stories about growth treatment in Korean medicine.
Q. I am receiving growth hormone treatment at a university hospital. Can I take herbal medicine concurrently? It is possible to combine herbal medicine treatment even when receiving growth hormone treatment.
In fact, when herbal medicine and growth hormone were administered concurrently, higher growth effects were observed compared to single treatments. A study on Korean medicine treatment for idiopathic short stature evaluated growth velocity over one year, reporting an average growth of 2.31cm for herbal medicine alone, 4.84cm for growth hormone treatment alone, and 6.57cm when herbal medicine and growth hormone were administered simultaneously, proving the effectiveness of combined treatment.
Q. When should I give it to my child? There’s a golden time for growth.
From after 3 years of age until the onset of secondary sexual characteristics is the slow growth phase. During this period, it is crucial to maximize the child’s growth each year. Research has reported that the smaller the initial weight percentile, the younger the age at the first visit, and when herbal medicine treatment was received for more than 15 months, the height growth effect was significantly greater.
Q. Can I continue to give it until my child reaches their target height? Herbal medicine is not harmful even with long-term use and, in fact, is very beneficial for improving physical strength.
The best approach is to continue taking it until growth is complete. However, whether to continue taking it or to take it quarterly is decided based on the child’s current height. Height is measured every three months, and a new prescription is given, taking the child’s health status into account. Especially, if bone age is advanced, starting herbal medicine treatment early can be effective.
This is because various herbal ingredients can positively influence growth activities and hormone secretion.
We’ve discussed growth treatment in Korean medicine. There are friends who have benefited from height growth at Sunyujae’s Growth Clinic. Acquaintances who heard about our growth herbal medicine are visiting Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic.
Height growth during childhood is most crucial in determining a child’s lifelong height. Safely promoting your child’s height growth! Feel free to contact Sunyujae anytime. Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic pursues evidence-based and integrative medicine.
This post was written directly by the medical staff of Sunyujae Korean Medicine Clinic to provide medical information, in compliance with Article 56(2) and Article 57(3) of the Medical Service Act. The duration and outcome of treatment may vary from person to person, so please consult a qualified practitioner before beginning treatment.
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