Saturday 10 November 2018

Can regular exercise help your child grow taller in height?




Childhood Growth is a very complex process that depends on many factors. There are many good habits and lifestyle practices that can help parents promote childhood growth. Exercise is one of them . It helps growth by a variety of means.


Exercise promotes bone health


Among other things like genetics, nutrition, and general health, bone health is very important for childhood growth. Bones are the framework of the body . It is the size of a child's bones that determines how tall and strong a child is going to be. 

The bones of a growing child are metabolically very active living structures. There are many physical and chemical processes happening in the bone all the time. Most of the processes are related to the balance between two types of active bone cells; 

1. Bone forming cells known as osteoblasts 
         These cells create new bone almost all the time

2. Bone dissolving cells known as osteoclasts
     These cells remove the old bone almost all the time



As a result, the child’s bones are constantly self-renewing themselves. If the activity of bone-forming cells is more then the bone-dissolving cells, then the body grows in size and the child becomes taller and stronger. An easy way to understand this is as follows;
    Think of the bone structure as a  bank account (bone bank account😊😊). As in a bank, multiple activities are happening all the time, similarly in the bone, some bone is constantly being "deposited' in the bone bank and some bone is constantly being 'withdrawn' all the time. If the total deposit is more than the withdrawal, the bank account has more money. So in the case of bone bank account, it means more bone mass!! A stronger and a longer bone!! 

       Scientific studies over the years have proved that if the mechanical load (pressure) on the growth plate of the growing bone increases,  it leads to increased activity of the bone forming cells and hence it promotes bone growth. Also such bones are stronger as compared to the bones on which the mechanical load is less. Routine physical exercise in children provides this much needed mechanical load to the bones.  Hence repeated activity in childhood lead to stronger healthier and longer bones. Although all exercises are beneficial to some extent, the best ones are those that put weight on the bones like running, brisk walking, jumping, skipping, swimming and games like soccer, badminton basketball and tennis. 

Exercise promotes Growth Hormone Secretion in Children


Exercise has also been shown to increase the levels of growth hormone in the body. This appears to be a response by nature to the different energy needs of the body during exercise and to repair the tissues after exercise. Some studies also point out to an increase in the active form of growth hormone during and after exercise.
     Growth hormone is the central hormone needed for children to grow. Hence the benefits of regular exercise on growth.

Exercise Improves Metabolism & Appetite 


Exercise and physical routine physical activity improve the body’s metabolism. Improve metabolism means that the routine chemical and physical processes happening inside the body happen with greater efficiency and better results. Exercise improves appetite and if given the right kind of food helps in healthy growth. Exercise improves insulin balance in the body so children who exercise regularly do not have as much craving for harmful high-carbohydrate foods as much as sedentary children have.

Exercise improves Quality of sleep



Exercise has also been shown to improve the quality of sleep. It has been shown in research that sleep quality impacts growth in children. that in turn contributes to the better growth and general health.





So we see here that among the many benefits of exercise, growth is an important one. Regular physical activity should be a part of the child's routine and the entire family should support the children in this regard. It is not necessary to go to a gym or participate in organized games or classes, what is necessary is that children should play as much as possible and wherever its possible and safe to play. Just avoid sitting for long periods and indulging in sedentary habits. 

    HAPPY GROWING...😊


Dr. Uppal is a Pediatric Endocrinologist and Director at ENDOKIDZ Centre for Growth, Diabetes, and Hormones for children, Jalandhar Punjab. 

Saturday 11 August 2018

"Doctor, how is my child's diabetes different from my Father-in-law's diabetes?" Type 1 vs Type 2 Diabetes








Not all "Sugar problems" are the same. Unfortunately for Children with Diabetes, their families and surrounding people often confuse their problem with the problems grown-ups with diabetes have. Whereas this is factually not correct, it also leads to several problems for these children and also unnecessary trauma to these families.

Saturday 28 July 2018

Why cant Childhood Diabetes be treated with oral pills.

Giving injection to your own child can be one of the most traumatic experiences a parent can have.





Children's with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or childhood diabetes( Type-1 Diabetes)require regular insulin injections. More commonly they need to be injected insulin four times a day and understandably this aspect of diabetes is the most painful one for the child as well as the parents. Add to it regular blood sugar testing that we have to do to estimate the dose requirement and blood glucose control and in this makes for a terrible number of pricks a child is getting day in and day out. No wonder every parent wants their child to be freed from these injections and daily pain.

Saturday 21 July 2018

Doctor, why did my child get diabetes?



The foremost question of parent asks is, " why....."



The diagnosis of childhood diabetes is a big shock to the family. Along with the huge mountain of sadness comes a big responsibility, and with it comes a question ”Doctor, why did it happen to my child”??........


What are the Signs and Symptoms of Childhood Diabetes...?



Usually, childhood diabetes has a dramatic presentation



 A seemingly healthy child starts passing urine very often, starts drinking a lot of water especially waking up in the night and asking for water. The large volume and frequency of urine is because of the increased blood glucose(sugar) load on the kidneys and the sugar draws out a lot of water from the body as urine. Because of the losses , he/she starts losing weight and the clothes start becoming loose. This despite the fact that the appetite and thirst are very much increased. The child may be really irritable and tired all the time. Often a subtle clue may be that ants are crawling around the place where the child urinates in the toilet or the courtyard.

Thursday 19 July 2018

What Is Childhood Diabetes?

What is diabetes


Childhood diabetes (also known as Type 1 Diabetes) is a medical condition in which the body cannot produce insulin. Insulin is needed by the body to convert sugar glucose) into energy for body cells. Without energy body cells cannot work. Hence without insulin our body starves to death. 

It is important to note that everyone is insulin dependent. No one can survive without insulin. People without diabetes make insulin in their pancreas.Children with diabetes need to inject insulin inside their body.

Why does the body stop producing insulin??


Thursday 8 December 2016

Is your Child REALLY Underweight ?

Weight gain is a universal concern. All parents want their kids to be healthy and an appropriate weight is very reassuring to most parents because  this means that their kid is growing & developing in a healthy way. However there are many misconceptions in the society regarding weight of infants and toddlers .  Concerns about childhood weight gain are a very common cause of consultation in my Growth Clinic. 

Are You Worried?

If you are worried that there is something abnormal and your child is not gaining weight, stop thinking and  first evaluate whether  in reality the weight is less or not.


                       Normal weight at different ages for Indian Children

BOYS
GIRLS
6 months
6.5-10 kg
6-9 kg
1 year
8-12 kg
7-11 kg
18 months
9-13 kg
8-13 kg
2 years
10-15 kg
9-15 kg

In further doubtful cases , for a thorough evaluation only weight doesn’t give the complete picture and other parameters like weight for height have to be plotted on a Growth Chart and assessed that can be done by a
 Growth Specialist


So is your Child REALLY underweight?

If your child actually falls in the underweight category, evaluation is needed. In a child who is otherwise not having any medical problems and doesn’t need medications very often, the underweight situation is usually due to a lack of adequate calorie intake. Ensuring adequate food intake is the first step and often the only step needed to bring your child in the normal weight bracket for his/her age.


I shall discuss the common issues in young child feeding and the common problems parents face while feeding tiny tots in subsequent blog posts. So watch this space .


In case you have any specific worries and queries, please feel free to write in the comments section. We ll try to address them. 


Happy Growing 😊..

Dr Uppal, Saurabh
Childhood Growth & Hormone Specialist







Dr. Uppal is a Pediatric Endocrinologist and Director at ENDOKIDZ Centre for Growth, Diabetes, and Hormones for Children at Jalandhar, Punjab India.

If you have any concerns about your height, Consult your family doctor or your Child's pediatrician and request them to assess the child height and plot the child's height on a GROWTH CHART. If the height is less than what is expected at that age, your doctor may refer the child to a Pediatric Endocrinologist.