Children who are self-conscious about their height now have areason to look up according to supporters of growth hormonetreatments.
The Federal Drug Administration recently approved theprescription of artificial hormone treatments for healthy childrenwho happen to be below average in height.
Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly produces Humatrope a syntheticprotein similar to what is produced in the human pituitary gland.For almost 20 years unhealthy children not producing enough of thehormone naturally have been using an artificial one.
The FDA’s recent authorization is just a formality.Doctors have been prescribing the injected drug “off thelabel,” for years. This practice is legal, yet unsanctionedby the administration. Humatrope’s initial results arepositive with most users growing three to four inches in theirfirst year of use.
The issue is that predominately healthy adolescent males areusing this drug so they can increase their self-esteem. Beingshorter than the other guys in school has become detrimental to themale youth population psyche. To make up for a self-conceivedinadequacies fueled by society, teenage males are spending yearsinjecting Humatrope into their abdomen before they go to sleep.Studies show that growth occurs more at night during the adolescentyears.
However, male teenagers are not the sole users of this $20, 000a year drug. Athletes wanting to increase muscle mass and olderadults are also turning in these prescriptions at their localpharmacy. How different is this from steroids or plastic surgery?Then why are some insurance providers funding this drug?
Most providers don’t pay for plastic surgery and usingHumatrope has the same body altering affect.
If the hormone is being used to enhance one’s image ratherthan health purposes, it is being abused. Society’s push formales to be taller than females is another contributing factor.
Parents promoting this genetic change only increase the issue.Everyone has some attribute that they don’t like. Parentsshould not feel they failed their children through naturalgenetics. Self-esteem comes from within, and parents need toencourage their children to be happy with themselves. Will parentslook for a hormone to stunt the growth of daughters they think aretoo tall? Irregularities in appearance are what make us human. Ourrace is composed of wide ranging ethnicities with varyingappearances.
Society must embrace each individual’s uniqueness and notalter it.
