please tell me if this is safe!!!!

myym

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 11:02 am

I am a nurse with an inclination toward natural, but I would not give my child an herbal remedy unless an m.d says its ok. As a matter of fact I am surprised that the endo wants to give him growth hormone shots already at such a young age. I imagine there is more to the clinical picture.
Also if you are inclined to give the drops bec it wont hurt like a shot, please look at the bigger picture.

myym

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 11:18 am

I would be very concerned about the side effects of natural remedies. I have used natural remedies for myself but its much riskier for children. I have a book at home with all the details..Atleast with the growth hormone we know many many kids who have used it successfully without advers effects..
Why is the endo in such a hurry to give the growth hormone at such a young age? Usually they wait to see.

FranticFrummie

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 12:16 pm

OP, maybe "support" was the wrong word. I meant, you'll be able to discuss this with people who are more familiar with natural remedies, and won't make you feel bad for looking into them.

You can easily Google each one of the ingredients listed, and read about what it is traditionally used for, and what the precautions are. Personally, I am more familiar with Western herbology, and this formula sounds more Chinese. I wish I was qualified to give you more info.

IMHO, 6 months is not what I would consider "a long time" to take something like ginseng. If you are having doubts, you really need to go back to the doctor who suggested the drops, and ask for each ingredient to be explained to you, potential side effects, etc.

amother

Aqua

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 12:32 pm

So I googled each ingredient. There were little warnings and some minor side effects. However they weren't studied much especially in children.
But then I googled growth hormone shots. And whoa the list was loooong. It included things like cancer.

amother

Seafoam

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 12:52 pm

Please make sure you do as much research as possible.

I have a family member who pushed off hormone shots for their son. He is now 5 and tiny, in school, he is the size of a 2 year old. He is now getting the shots.

Also, they found an underlying gastro issue that was causing the issue as well - it took a while to actually pinpoint it for sure. Please follow up with a second pediatric endo opinion - make sure it is the best. And a pediatric gastro dr.

amother

Aqua

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 1:09 pm

I really don't want him to be the size of a two year old at 5.
His MRI showed an underdeveloped pituitary gland.
I will be going for a second opinion.
But first I'll try those drops. My son's pediatrician says they're probably ok.

amother

Burgundy

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 5:54 pm

amother wrote:

Is it really worse to be a shorter-than-average child vs getting treatment that MAY be effective? A five-year old who is smaller than average still has a five-year old intelligence - it should be obvious to any person who interacts with such a child that they are five, not two. Smaller-than-average children often catch up in height, albeit later than their peers without intervention. I don't think that this is the best place to get advice though I do appreciate that you are just trying to do the best for your child.

I personally have a shorter-than-average child and would never give them GH or the drops you mention. My child says "I am smaller than average, so what" and to me, this is the best attitude. It highlights that it is other people rather than the child who has a problem with the short stature.

Hatzlacha whatever you decide.

amother

Bisque

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 6:19 pm

My homeopathic physician says that homeopathic remedies are like the password to your computer. If you type in the wrong password, you won't get it, but you can't do any harm.

The only side effects I've seen (taking many different remedies) is that some designed to help fatigue and low energy can make me so energetic I have trouble sleeping.

But in general homeopathy is designed to stimulate the body's own wisdom to help itself.

I don't know about herbs but if these are herbs in homeopathic doses they really can't do any harm.

And I would definitely try them before trying hormones with many risky side effects. Particularly in a situation where there's no danger in waiting before you try the medical approach.

Yes, move this to Natural Parenting please!

FranticFrummie

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 7:04 pm

If the drops are not outright harmful, why not give them a try for 6 months, and keep the shots as your second line of action? It doesn't have to be either/or. He's young, and you have a good bit of time to figure things out. Keep working with the endo, but don't let them make you feel like you're being rushed into something you're not sure about. Push until they give you all the answers you need.

My DD is small for her age, and in 3rd grade she was sick of people saying to her "Are you excited to be starting kindergarten next year?" Kids really do notice when they are different. We have to try the least harmful approach first, before we start pulling out the big guns of medicine.

DD's growth caught up, and while she's still petite, she's well within the range for her age group, so we didn't do any intervention. She's not the smallest kid in class anymore, and that helps her a lot.

amother

Burgundy

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 7:13 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

My DD is small for her age, and in 3rd grade she was sick of people saying to her "Are you excited to be starting kindergarten next year?" Kids really do notice when they are different. We have to try the least harmful approach first, before we start pulling out the big guns of medicine.

IMHO, the "least harmful approach" is to help other people have better middos and learn that people come in all shapes and sizes. Hashem made some people smaller-than-average and IMHO people need to learn that first. I find it tragic that we seem to be on a path to teach our kids that being small is so bad we need to give them nightly injections or CVS they will be small.... I've lost track of the amount of people who told me I "must" give my child GH injections. FranticFrummie, happy to hear that you were able to go intervention free. I definitely think a wait-and-see attitude is healthier than homeopathy or GH.

Miri7

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 7:15 pm

I fully support your exploring all of your options regarding your child's health care, but I don't think that imamother is the right place to ask if a certain medical treatment is safe. If someone says yes, can you really rely on that? No. If someone says "X treatment is totally unsafe," you may decide not to do the treatment based on that, but it could be that you're passing up on a good safe treatment option. Either way, you're not going to get any answer to your question that you can rely on, because you don't know who here is qualified to answer the question.

Here you could ask if people have experience with the treatment, and what it was like. Or if someone can recommend a specialist, or has heard of other options that are worth exploring and asking your medical professionals about.

I don't mean to be rude or harsh, just want to point out that you're not going to get any answers here that you will be able to rely upon. Maybe ask a different question.

amother

Burgundy

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 7:18 pm

Miri7 wrote:

Here you could ask if people have experience with the treatment, and what it was like.

I agree with this totally. But also, even if someone has experienced the exact same treatment, even then you might not get the same result with your child.

amother

Burgundy

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 7:22 pm

amother wrote:

But then I googled growth hormone shots. And whoa the list was loooong. It included things like cancer.

Yup. I have been criticised for my decision to not give my child GH. However, I would rather they grow up short and healthy vs tall and cancerous (and with the memory of daily painful shots given by mom) so I stand by my decision.

amother

Aqua

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 7:57 pm

Op here
I just spoke to the person who makes this stuff. I have to say she really put my mind at ease.
So apparently she has a pharmaceutical degree from a German university. She says that these herbs and roots weren't studied much in the american school of Medicine but were extensively researched in Europe. Including human trials and trials on children.
Now I do know her so she isn't some random scammer.
Maybe I'll contact some Russian people I know just to be sure.

Stars

Wed, Jun 08 2016, 8:18 pm

amother wrote:

Agree with you a thousand percent.

amother

Chocolate

Sun, Feb 11 2024, 8:38 pm

My husband was always the shortest in his class.
So is my son. He is a confident popular kid who jokes about his height in a healthy way. Middle school now. Never gave him treatments and don't plan to.

Moonlight

Sun, Feb 11 2024, 9:09 pm

amother Chocolate wrote:

You bumped up a thread 8 yrs old....