Director, Emergency Services, Bikur Cholim Hospital
Are you short? Many of our gedolim were not tall. The
Chofetz Chaim and Reb Moshe Feinstein were just over five
feet tall. This is proof that for our community, height is
not a determinant of greatness. But still, that is sometimes
no consolation for short people.
Height for the most part is genetic, although nutritional
factors play a role. This is why the previous generation in
Europe did not grow tall. On average women are shorter than
men.
Shortness can be the result of medical problems. The most
common cause is lack of growth hormone, a hormone secreted by
the pituitary, which is located in the brain. Other causes
include factors which occur before birth such as poor
maternal nutrition, or use of alcohol or smoking during
pregnancy. The first cause is the most common cause of
dwarfism, or midgets.
What should your proper height be? Clearly, someone with
short parents who is much taller than they must be
investigated for diseases such as Marfan's syndrome, a
disease that causes tall people with blood vessel and eye
problems.
A person's height should be close to the following. Take the
heights of both parents. Add them together and then divide by
two. This is the average height of both parents. For boys add
6.5 cm which is 2.5 inches and for girls subtract the
same.
The interesting thing is that giving growth hormone can
increase height 3 to 6 cm even in children who have no true
growth hormone deficiency. The problem is that old
preparations were taken from animal brains and there was a
danger of the spread of brain viruses. This is no longer a
problem as the hormone is now made in the laboratory using
recombinant DNA technology but it is very expensive. It is,
however, safe.
Let me make some things clear. Stretching exercises will not
affect height. The gender hormones fuse the bones. The safest
way is to avoid this, and build up your child's confidence.
The source for this article was the 15 June edition of this
year's New England Journal of Medicine.
Asthma. I recommend steroids by inhalation, and they take
time to work. Take inhalations of Ventolin on an as-needed
basis only. I believe in machines that freshen the air, as
dog hair, mites and other microscopic materials can be
inhaled and can cause attacks. Write me in care of the
Yated.
