Scams & Myths to Increase Height – Debunked in Minutes

Height increasing scams seek to take advantage of insecurities and exploit people suffering from height dysphoria. To ensure the best approach is taken, it is imperative to inspect myths by separating fallacy from fact. 

It’s vital to keep in mind, what works to facilitate children’s growth doesn’t always apply to adults. Make sure you’re not fooled and learn more about the most common scams, tactics, and unproven methods on the market. 

Stretches Will NOT Make Someone Taller

Regular stretching can help mobility and posture and some stretches even loosen the spine, neck, and shoulders. Stretches like child’s pose and cat-cow, help to correct posture and make people stand taller. However, even as many scams and workout programs guarantee it, no viable studies correlate stretching with increased height in adults. 

Does Exercise Have An Effect on Adult’s Height?

Right after exercise, people may look taller due to the decompression of spinal discs from exercises like pull-up variations, deadlifts, or specific mobility drills. Still, this effect only lasts a few hours.[1] Toning muscles can improve aesthetics and functionality yet does not influence height in adults.

The belief that exercise increases height may be rooted in the aesthetic value of correct posture. With poor posture, the thoracic spine will often bend forward, followed by rounded shoulders, and finally, the cervical portion of the spine. This posture can lead to conditions such as Kyphosis (Dowager’s Hump). 

Strengthening muscle groups like the core and back muscles can lead to a more erect posture, creating the illusion of tallness.[2] 

Human Growth Hormone & Exercise

Children with growth deficiencies may go on human growth hormone (HGH) therapy, which can increase stature.[3] Or, they may exercise and try other holistic methods to increase HGH naturally. This hormone is partly responsible for growth in humans until post-puberty, which shows that exercise may have some positive benefits on children’s development, but doesn’t improve adults’ stature. 

Websites like GrowTaller4Idiots preach stretching and exercises as their key to hacking science.[4] They claim that by stretching and completing the exercises, a person can increase their HGH and promote growth. They guarantee to increase height by 6-8 inches, which, as we’ve already established, is impossible for adults without surgery. 

They fool people by offering fake discounts, false promises, and impractical advice for adults. Sure, some of their techniques can help kids to become taller since their growth plates aren’t fused, but that’s not necessarily the demographic targeted. Growth plates will generally close naturally around 18 years old and afterwards, no amount of exercise or HGH will make a person taller. 

The fallacy that stretching and exercises cause growth (as opposed to accentuating it) can lead to deceptive advertising on behalf of certain height increasing scams who capitalize on this misunderstanding.

Why Does HGH Therapy Not Work for Adults?

Suggesting that HGH supplementation will lead to growth in fully matured adults is an outright lie. The cartilaginous growth plates in the bone are no longer present.[6] These soft tissue areas at the ends of long bones form additional layers of bone when stimulated by HGH in children, but they harden and stop growing by the time people reach adulthood.

Become familiar with sites like www.ayurvedicurea.com, and compare them with sites such as www.pureformulas.com, so it’s easier to spot red flags. Unprofessional sites with no pictures, scientific details, or ingredient labels regarding the product are deceptive at best. Look for scientifically proven products with ingredient labels, not a “one pill solves all” product range.

Consult a doctor before taking any supplements instead of trusting what a company says on the internet. Even websites with a dedicated “scam list” can be guilty themselves. 

What are the Risks of HGH?

This study details a correlation between HGH therapy in young, healthy, but short children and a twice increased risk of strokes in adulthood.[5] Prescribed HGH can also cause an increased risk of heart disease and a six times higher incidence of type 2 diabetes.

Psychologically, administering HGH therapy reinforces to the patient that there is, in fact, something inherently wrong with them and that being short is an affliction to be treated instead of the genetic lottery that it is. This realization can cause lifelong height dysphoria even in previously confident children.

No matter what, though, if someone suspects their child is unusually short for their age, they should consult a pediatrician to determine the best course of action.

Height Increasing Supplements Do NOT Work For Adults

Nutrition is a fundamental requirement of growth, especially in children and adolescents; proper nutrition is necessary to reach a person’s complete genetic height. 20% of height is dependent on external factors like nutrition, sleep, and exercise.

However, no amount of vitamins or minerals will increase the height of an adult. 

Heightmaximizer and 4GrowTaller are two websites that encourage the use of supplementation to increase height. These supplements claim to either be scientific miracles or made of pure organic ingredients with unfamiliar names. At best, supplements like these can provide nutrients to round out a person’s diet and give minor benefits to their general health but vitamins should be taken with care to ensure daily values (the recommended amounts) are not exceeded. 

Acupuncture Is Unlikely To Increases Height

Acupuncture is a holistic method of treatment used to treat headaches, nausea, back pain, and other uncomfortable aches and pains.[7] Accounts of its effectiveness vary from person to person. One of the more contentious claims made on behalf of acupuncture, though, is that it can increase growth hormone levels.  

There is no reliable study to solely confirm the effectiveness of acupuncture in increasing height, nor of Asian foot massages, which scientists regard as more pseudoscientific.  

Studies that compare the effectiveness of East Asian traditional medicines are rare, leaving its comparative effectiveness when it comes to increasing height unclear.[8] Laser acupuncture, however, has stimulated elongation of bone and greater release of IGF-1 in rats, but therapies like this are still in the development stage and yet to be medically proven in the case of humans.[9] 

Binaural Beats Will NOT Increase Stature

Binaural beats are commonly associated with having tangible benefits in a meditative state. Personal accounts attribute a sense of relaxation, euphoria, and ecstasy to them. Countries like the UAE have gone to great lengths to keep this “digital drug” out of their states. 

While binaural beats can help relax the mind, there is no conclusive evidence that binaural beats release HGH or affect physical traits. Instead, they can be convenient for: 

1. Reduced anxiety and stress. 
2. Increased attention span. 
3. Pain management. 
4. Creativity.[10] 

Key Points to Avoid Height Scams

Scams about getting taller are allowed to thrive due to the lack of knowledge or readily available information surrounding the issue. The most important things to remember to avoid falling for more intelligent scams in the future include:  

1. Growth plates do not come back after puberty 
2. HGH is helpful for children with deficiencies. It will not stimulate growth in height as an adult 
3. Holistic methods like acupuncture and binaural can aid relaxation and have small benefits, but nothing conclusive in regards to stature
4. Exaggerated claims guaranteeing to increase height are red flags
5. Exercise and supplements can facilitate increased height in children, but there’s no natural way to increase height as a grown adult

Methods such as heel lifts and elevator shoes offer a proven alternative to pseudoscience and make people look taller when they go out. 

Then What Can Make You Taller?

If you need a more permanent, scientifically backed solution that works, leg-lengthening surgery is the only medically proven method of gaining height as an adult. The process can take anywhere from 15 to 18 months and can increase height by 2 to 6.3 inches (5-16cm). Though this surgery is overwhelmingly successful, consult a doctor before taking any permanent steps and remember to always prioritize safety above all else. 

References

[1] Measuring height: To stretch or not to stretch? – proquest. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.proquest.com/docview/199057099. 

[2] https://youtu.be/g-7ZWPCWv0U

[3] A;, H. R. L. A. K. M. B. J. R. (n.d.). Effect of growth hormone treatment on adult height of children with idiopathic short stature. Genentech collaborative group. The New England journal of medicine. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10021470/. 

[4] https://youtu.be/hJRdcp770XQ  

[5] Poidvin, A., Touzé, E., Ecosse, E., Landier, F., Béjot, Y., Giroud, M., Rothwell, P. M., Carel, J.-C., & Coste, J. (2014, August 26). Growth hormone treatment for childhood short stature and risk of stroke in early adulthood. Neurology. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://n.neurology.org/content/83/9/780. 

[6] Shim, K. S. (2015, March). Pubertal growth and epiphyseal fusion. Annals of pediatric endocrinology & metabolism. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4397276/. 

[7] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Acupuncture: In depth. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/acupuncture-in-depth. 

[8] Lee, B., Kwon, C. Y., & Jang, S. (2020). Comparative effectiveness of East Asian traditional medicine for treatment of idiopathic short stature in children: A protocol for systematic review and network meta-analysis. Medicine, 99(43), e22856. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7581126/ 

[9] Yeom, M., Kim, S. H., Lee, B., Zhang, X., Lee, H., Hahm, D. H., Sohn, Y., & Lee, H. (2013). Effects of laser acupuncture on longitudinal bone growth in adolescent rats. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2013, 424587. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3748745/ 

[10] Cafasso, J. (2018, September 18). Binaural beats: Sleep, therapy, and meditation. Healthline. Retrieved September 28, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/binaural-beats#potential-benefits.