Parents Treating Shortness In Their Kids As A Disease

[MrsSpringsteen]

I saw this last night on CNN and it made me have many questions. Some parents are injecting their kids with HGH because they are "too short" (almost exclusively boys apparently) and they are concerned with the consequences for them later on-in the business world and in relationships.

Sure seems like a slippery slope to me-and what about emphasizing other qualities? Is shortness really that much of a "handicap" for men, or is this all just reinforcing stereotypes? What about the possible long term effects of HGH, all of which might not even be known? What are parents going to do about their kids' other "shortcomings"?

Here's the transcript

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Is Dustin Hoffman sick? Does Martin Scorsese have an illness? And is something ailing Robert Reich, President Clinton's secretary of labor?


COHEN: Well, shortness is now being treated as a disease -- tens of thousands of parents injecting their children every day, in the hope that they can make their kids taller. It often costs hundreds of thousands of dollars for one child.

(on camera): How old is Michael here?

JENNIFER REDA, SON TOOK GROWTH HORMONE: I think he was 3 there.

COHEN: And the little boy next to him?

J. REDA: Same exact age.

COHEN: What did kids say to you?

MICHAEL REDA, TOOK GROWTH HORMONE: They -- they told -- they called me small fry, shrimp, anything they could think of. And I -- I just hated that.

COHEN (voice-over): Michael's preschool teacher called him petite.

J. REDA: I was a little insulted. You know, it's a word you just don't want associated with your son.

COHEN (on camera): Why did you want to take something that would help?

M. REDA: Just to get taller, and, so, everyone would be nice to me, and all the bad stuff would go away.

COHEN (voice-over): When Michael Reda was 7, his parents started him on human growth hormone.

(on camera): So, you got a shot with that needle?

M. REDA: One once a day, yes.

COHEN: Once a day. Wow. Did it hurt?

M. REDA: I got used to it.

J. REDA: I thought he would be more challenged in the business world and even maybe in searching for a spouse.

COHEN: You think short men have a harder time?

J. REDA: I do. I just think we want to think of men as being a little bit larger and capable.

COHEN: So, when Michael first came to see you, he wasn't even on the chart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is right.

COHEN (voice-over): Dr. Fawad Ziay (ph) predicted Michael would grow up to be around 5'5''. After taking growth hormone for two-and- a-half years, Michael grew an extra three inches. Now, instead of being 5'5'' when he grows up, he will be around 5'8''.

(on camera): Did you grow as much as you hoped?

M. REDA: I grew -- I grew more than I hoped.

COHEN (voice-over): But bioethicists like Lori Andrews worry, is it right to use a drug to make your children look a certain way?

LORI ANDREWS, BIOETHICIST: This is part of a slippery slope of parents trying to design their children. And we're starting to see it even as very early stages.

COHEN: After all, Michael wasn't sick. He was just short.

ANDREWS: Nowhere else in medicine do we take healthy children and give them an injection of something that might cause them harm.

COHEN: The vast majority of children do just fine on growth hormone, but some do suffer scoliosis, muscle pains, and headaches.

J. REDA: We entered into it very cautiously. There was a lot of thought process and decision-making prior to giving it to him.

COHEN: Growth hormone isn't cheap. How expensive is it? One inch Of growth costs more than $50,000. Want your child to grow four inches? That will be $200,000, please. And the results are not guaranteed. Insurance paid for Michael's growth hormone. And the Redas couldn't be more pleased with the results.

(on camera): What do you think those three inches have done for him?

J. REDA: I know they have made him a lot happier.

ANDREWS: If the idea is to give your child self-esteem, you should be doing that through parenting, not through drugs.

COHEN (voice-over): That's nonsense, according to Steve Horowitz. At 5'3'', he says he suffers every day because of his height.

STEVE HOROWITZ, FINANCIAL ADVISER: I'm a financial adviser. I see people for a living. People judge you by your -- your height. I would still give anything to put on a couple inches, even at this stage of the game. I would have done anything, and I would still do anything.

COHEN: This drug wasn't around when Steve was a kid, but he did put his son Ira (ph) on it. Ten years of daily injections, and now Ira is 5'9'', and Steve is thrilled his son doesn't have to go through life a very short man.

HOROWITZ: It is an extra hurdle to overcome. And why overcome that hurdle, if you don't have to, if you can have it removed?

COHEN: Elizabeth Cohen, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROBERTS: And one more thing: Worldwide sales of human growth hormone are now close to $2 billion a year. But doctors warn, some human growth hormone is being used for anti-aging treatments, without government approval.

 

[melon]

COHEN (voice-over): That's nonsense, according to Steve Horowitz. At 5'3'', he says he suffers every day because of his height.

STEVE HOROWITZ, FINANCIAL ADVISER: I'm a financial adviser. I see people for a living. People judge you by your -- your height. I would still give anything to put on a couple inches, even at this stage of the game. I would have done anything, and I would still do anything.

Like it or not, this statement is quite true.

Melon

 

[Ellay]

When I was about seven or eight years old, I was offerered the chance to be one of the first people in the world to trial growth hormones.

Twice daily injections for my entire childhood would have left me about two or three inches taller than the height I am now..

In the end, after a lot of tests, my parents decided not to give me the hormones..

A few years later, many of the children who took part in the trials developed the fatal CJD disease from contaminated hormones.

As an adult I'm short. Ok it would be nice to be taller, but I don't lose any sleep over it. - I am who I am.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

But people also judge you by so many other physical factors-the main ethical question being, should parents be using medical intervention ( including drugs) in order to prevent or change any or all of those physical factors? Where does it end?

What about developing other important qualities as a human being? Especially in men, why do we reduce their stature and masculinity and self worth to height? What about the other factors in self esteem and what parents are supposed to do to develop those? I'm certainly not denying that the physical factors play a large role in society, especially for kids. But there will still be many issues for these kids even when their height is no longer an issue. Are they going to be able to take injections for those?

When I was a kid I was made fun of for being tall and skinny-should my parents have tried to stunt my growth and make me gain weight?

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

When I was about seven or eight years old, I was offerered the chance to be one of the first people in the world to trial growth hormones.

Twice daily injections for my entire childhood would have left me about two or three inches taller than the height I am now..

In the end, after a lot of tests, my parents decided not to give me the hormones..

A few years later, many of the children who took part in the trials developed the fatal CJD disease from contaminated hormones.

As an adult I'm short. Ok it would be nice to be taller, but I don't lose any sleep over it. - I am who I am.

That's interesting, thanks for sharing

What's the CJD disease?

 

[Ellay]

That's interesting, thanks for sharing

What's the CJD disease?

CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease)

It's a disease which attacks the brain, and it's fatal.

There are four different types - sporadic (developed in old age) / variant (made popularly known by the BSE beef scare) Genetic (self explanatory) and latrogenic (the disease is sparked by something - ie growth hormones)

 

[80sU2isBest]

I'm 39 years old, and 5 ft. 4. I stopped being judged for my height when I was in high school. It has had no bearing on my life since then, except maybe lost me a few potential dates, but I don't even know that; it's just conjecture.

 

[U2democrat]

I'm 5'2" and get teased about my size a lot, sometimes it bugs me sometimes it doesn't, depends on the context.


Actually now when I think about it it gets on my nerves when people associate being short with being weak. I hate it when people think I'm weak, because I know I'm not.

 

[Ellay]

The average Roman was 5 foot 3 and they managed to conquer most of Europe and North Africa.

(admittedly their entire empire collapsed, but hey ho, that's history for you)

 

[Sherry Darling]

I am 5 feet tall with my heals on and, at least since that awkward middle school/high school state, I have always loved it, as a lot of men think its cute. I do think it's much easier on women than men, though. One of the many ways that patriarchy harms men, interestingly.

I have been aware of being "judged" by my height in contexts like job interviews but I think learning to project competence and confidence is a much better way to handle that than meds.

I feel terrible for the kids here. These interventions seem to be a lot more about the insecurities of the parents than inadequcies of the kids.

 

[verte76]

Scott Hamilton is 5'3" and he won the Olympic gold medal. He's been successful in everything he's done. It shouldn't be treated as a disease because it's not.

 

[Ellay]

Scott Hamilton is 5'3" and he won the Olympic gold medal. He's been successful in everything he's done. It shouldn't be treated as a disease because it's not.

The problem is that the disease is psychological rather than physical, and that the psychological problem rests with society rather than the individual.

I have no problem being short, but without doubt people judge me because I am..

Some parents would rather not have their children face this psychological barrier, and I can understand why they'd choose an option where they won't have to.

 

[yolland]

^^ Well that's pretty much what I was just thinking...

JENNIFER REDA, SON TOOK GROWTH HORMONE: I thought he would be more challenged in the business world and even maybe in searching for a spouse...I just think we want to think of men as being a little bit larger and capable.

STEVE HOROWITZ, FINANCIAL ADVISER: I'm a financial adviser. I see people for a living. People judge you by your -- your height.

So...are these folks simply displaying (or I guess in the mother's case, projecting) their own insecurities here, and imagining obstacles that don't meaningfully exist? Or is it really true that in the case of some careers (and in the case of attracting some women--or perhaps some men too?) taller men just are more likely to be perceived as appealingly "capable"? Clearly, equating capability with tallness goes beyond mere ideas of what's physically attractive--you're treating a purely physical quality as a proxy for an abstract aptitude, which really makes no sense (though I suppose a sociobiologist might beg to differ).

 

[BVS]

I was offered growth hormones as a kid by my doctor but my parents said no.

My "best friend" in 5th grade told everyone I had the same disease as Gary Coleman, so that was the rumor for quite awhile.

I finally hit a growth spurt like my junior year in high school and I would say I'm close to average maybe a little shy of that, but my family is very tall.

 

[Ellay]

^^ Well that's pretty much what I was just thinking...

So...are these folks simply displaying (or I guess in the mother's case, projecting) their own insecurities here, and imagining obstacles that don't meaningfully exist? Or is it really true that in the case of some careers (and in the case of attracting some women--or perhaps some men too?) taller men just are more likely to be perceived as appealingly "capable"? Clearly, equating capability with tallness goes beyond mere ideas of what's physically attractive--you're treating a purely physical quality as a proxy for an abstract aptitude, which really makes no sense (though I suppose a sociobiologist might beg to differ).

Agreed, it makes no sense at all, but the obstacle certainly exists because society has created it.

So it's not really parents dealing with imagined insecurities, it's parents dealing with a fact of life. - whether that's morally correct or not is another matter.

Different societies create different perceptions.

A big nose in Western Culture would be generally regarded as unattractive, but in japanese / far eastern culture (so Im led to believe) one would be regarded as a status symbol.

 

[U2democrat]

I am 5 feet tall with my heals on and, at least since that awkward middle school/high school state, I have always loved it, as a lot of men think its cute.

So true! I've found that men find my small size somewhat endearing

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Agreed, it makes no sense at all, but the obstacle certainly exists because society has created it.

Yes, but society creates so many obstacles. People face obstacles because of their looks -should parents thus get plastic surgery for their kids? I never got a large chest and thus am not considered as attractive by many men and some women-should my parents have gotten breast implants for me? My teenage years were very difficult because of that and the insecurities it created. It can still be difficult.

You can become a stronger and better person by dealing with obstacles and overcoming them. So where is the balance for parents? What crosses the line? Is it a parent's job to do anything and everything to eliminate all obstacles for their kids, or does doing so ultimately make life worse for them somehow? Height is not really that much of a handicap in relative terms, certainly not as much as a physical disability. So much of that is wrapped up in our stereotypes about men and women.

 

[anitram]

I'm not sure how good of an opinion I can give because I'm a pretty good height for a woman (5'8) and all the men in my family are tall (my brother is 6'4). So I can't relate to the sense of judgment that really short people get in their daily lives.

I am not sure I'd opt for this because any time you are shooting yourself up with hormones, it's not just fun and games. The truth is you don't know what the long-longterm effects of it are on your health. It reminds me of healthy bone marrow donors who instead of donating their bone marrow, got shots of G-CSF to promote the number of stem cells in their peripheral blood and then their blood was taken rather than the more involved drilling into bone to get the marrow. Well, now more and more people are refusing to donate marrow this way because there are reported cases of leukemias and so on down the road. Frankly, this should have been obvious, but it goes to show that you can't take these procedures lightly.

 

[Muggsy]

I have a friend who is like 1. 5 mts and she's one of the most secure of independent girls i've ever met, she has had lots of boyfriends and she's smart and atractive. I'm 15 cms taller than her and I'm depressive and lonely. Success doesn't have anything to do with if you are tall or not , and it seems to me that many parents rather to give hormones to their kids instead of teaching them how to feel secures and happy with themselves.

 

[phillyfan26]

I saw a story about that two years ago on CNN. The kid was my age, and he was taller than me before he took the HGH! I was insulted that they called it short.

I personally have been the shortest kid in my school for most of my school career. Only recently have a I surpassed some of the shorter girls in my school.

 

[vaz02]

im 5,6 , i wish i was taller but it aint gonna happen so im just gonna get over it.

Not end of the world.

 

[yolland]

I'm still not sure the analogy of height to "physical attractiveness" really works--at least not if we're to accept the conviction of some people in the article, as well as some posters in this thread, that stereotypes about height--for men, anyhow--entail notions of capability and competence...qualities that are needed for career success, not just relationship success. I've been trying to think of something in the long litany of physical-appearance expectations commonly leveled at women that analogizes well to this, and I'm not sure I can think of one, at least not one that would apply to a broad array of fields. Obviously, height isn't equally relevant to all jobs a man might do either--I'm inclined to say it matters little in academia, for example--but I think in quite a few fields it is the case that men who are taller get an automatic leg-up on perceived competence, authority, "potency," whatever you want to call it. And like Ellay said, if it's a question of how other people--like, for example, your boss or your clients--are going to perceive your competence (as opposed to how physically attractive you are), then you can do all the self-esteem exercises, "projecting confidence" drills, etc. you want, but it's not likely to make much difference, because sadly the solution lies in changing their minds, not in adapting yours ("Ah well, so what if some people are narrow and petty, I don't need their approval anyhow"). I guess perhaps the closest analogy to women's challenges here would be the idea that women, period, can't convey authority and competence as well as a man--but that's discrimination of an altogether different magnitude; height isn't covered by civil rights laws for a reason.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

But couldn't you possibly say that physical attractiveness leads to self esteem issues which ultimately affect all aspects of a person's life, including career success? Poor self esteem can be crippling in so many ways.

Women are still judged on their looks even in the workplace (and more so than men are), and who really knows how that affects hiring, evaluation of performance, promotions, etc? After all, look at someone like Katie Couric who is having her photo altered by her own employer.

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

if i was 3 inches taller i would've went to school for free

stupid parents and their non HGH favoring morals :shakesangryfist:


insane sports parents have been doing this for quite a while... even with kids who aren't neccesarily short, just to get that edge... the possiblity of a scholarship, or more. we do live in a world where parents have kids purposely undergo tommy john surgery when they're 12-13 years old to increase elbow strength when they're in high school, thus increasing chances at a scholarship. messed up

 

[BVS]

But couldn't you possibly say that physical attractiveness leads to self esteem issues which ultimately affect all aspects of a person's life, including career success? Poor self esteem can be crippling in so many ways.

I'd agree. Of course it's not universal, for most things aren't.

But overall, people who are found attractive in the conventional view are often more successful than those who aren't.

Back to the height thing, one can use Bono as a great example of one who may be compensating for his height, not only with platform shoes but with his ego.

 

[yolland]

Well sure, you could feel insecure about your slight beer belly, or your flat chest, or your pockmarked skin or whatever, and yes that definitely could affect your job performance because it affects your confidence, but these are different from the height issue (again, assuming height really does influence perceptions in the ways the article suggests) because, in most job situations anyway, you're not likely to be perceived as less capable on the basis of them. Obviously there are limits to this--if you're extremely far from the "conventionally attractive" norm in some way, then yes, sadly that might well lead to discriminatory presumptions about (e.g.) your social skills, intelligence, etc. (And I think, particularly in the case of women, this can extend to being exceptionally conventionally attractive--sometimes that can lead to problems with being taken seriously, or to petty jealousies, etc.) But these cases, while certainly angering and stupid, are not the norm.

I agree that one way or another physical appearance, as well as things like accent and tone of voice, posture, etc. enter into probably most any interview situation, performance review, whatever, but at that point you're getting into such murky and impossible-to-quantify territory (Am I wrongly branding this employee sullen because her smile is small? Am I overly impressed with this guy's presence because his shoulders are broad? etc.) that it's kind of a lost cause, I think. Perhaps I'm naive about how corporate office environments work--my job experiences are limited to four years of managing a chain bookstore and six years of college teaching--but in all sincerity, so far as these environments go at least, I don't believe it's the case that women who fall broadly within the "normal" appearance range (whatever that means, right?...lol) commonly suffer reduced opportunities based on appearance alone in any readily quantifiable way. And the same for men of course.

Couric isn't really a very representative example; she's a major national TV personality, and it's generally part of that job description to look good--not movie-star good, but fit, even-complexioned, impeccably dressed, etc. (So far as I can tell, the photo-altering thing is being explained as one employee's bad call, not a reflection of overall network policy about how female anchorwomen should be presented in print photos.) We don't own a TV so I'm not too up on my male anchormen, but from what I see of CNN, etc. when over at friends' houses, I notice the male anchors also usually have on face powder, hair groomed just so, fashionable clothing, etc.; and I do get the impression that overall, they too are generally selected with more of an eye to "nice" looks nowadays (again, not movie-star handsomeness of course) than they used to be. And Bono's not the best example either--he's a rock star, and rock stars are allowed to get away with "compensatory" behavior that might in real life be viewed as obnoxious and unbecoming (I think it's relevant here that shortness in men isn't generally seen as "cute" or "endearing," as Sherry and U2dem put it).

 

[Kieran McConville]

How often I see threads like this crop up. If it's not about height it's about something or other that (some) parents wanna force their kids to have so they can 'fit in' or some shit.

Well, well, well... i'm at a loss for words. That it might or might not help the kid 'fit in' is a pretty depressing verdict on the capacity for societal change, isn't it.

Where, pray tell, do we draw the line? I grew up far away from this world, and to this day I am of unimpressive height and build, have crooked teeth, and smoke too much. Do I love these things... mmm no, but try to change me and I'll rip you a new one.

As for the Romans, everyone was short back then, it's just one of the many quirks of history. They conquered much of what we now call the West, and lo and behold, apart from a few legal conventions, their influence is entirely gone with the wind. So much for them, and so much for us, in time. WE DO NOT MATTER EXCEPT TO OURSELVES, AND WE WILL BE DUST SOON ENOUGH.

 

[Greenlight]

I heard a comment on the radio yesterday about a study showing that taller children had been proved to be more intelligent than shorter ones and found this interesting article http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20051130/ai_n15870424

Children who grow taller, grow smarter and scientists now believe they know why. Researchers at the University of Bristol have shown that there is a link between a child's IQ and the level of growth hormone circulating in their blood, which determines the speed at which they arrive at their final adult height .This could explain why some shorter children do worse at school. Taller children often have higher IQs and short children treated with growth hormone have seen their IQs improve.

The study involved 547 children who completed an intelligence test at the age of eight. The researchers then measured the level of insulin growth factor (IGF) in their blood. Higher levels of IGF matched higher IQs.

Professor David Gunnell, who led the study, said: 'Poor foetal and post- natal growth are associated with impaired neurodevelopment. Low birthweight babies experience delays in reaching motor milestones and on average have slightly lower IQs than babies of normal weight.'

IGF plays a key role in physical growth and organ development during childhood. The level of IGF in the blood is influenced by diet. Children who drink more milk and eat more dairy produce in early childhood have higher levels

The study only tested a relatively small number of children but I'm not aware of any others which disprove it. It seems the answer is to make sure you give your child enough dairy food as a child -too late for many of us!
From my own experience my younger child who is only 7 is the tallest in his year and has the height of an average 9 year old but I would say he only has average intelligence. As far as I'm concerned his height carries certain disadvanatages at the moment as people who don't know him often presume he's immature as he acts his age rather than how he looks. I also worry that he will end up being extremely tall as an adult which may cause him problems.

 

[80sU2isBest]

I heard a comment on the radio yesterday about a study showing that taller children had been proved to be more intelligent than shorter ones and found this interesting article http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20051130/ai_n15870424



The study only tested a relatively small number of children but I'm not aware of any others which disprove it.

I have never noticed this correlation in real life. I've always been short. I am now a 5 ft. 4 in. 39 year old male and last time I checked my IQ, it was 126, and I never was a dummy. I know several short people that are intelligent.

 

[BVS]

I know several short people that are intelligent.

Yoda