[김형석원장의 건강민국] Stress in our children can cause problems with growth, so be careful

Photo = Kim Hyung-seok, CEO of Yulah Oriental Clinic

It is often surprising to see children treated at oriental clinics. This is because there are quite a few cases where children as young as 5 or 6 years old have a significant reaction to stress when examined such as pulsatile or tongue diaphragm. Children often say, ‘Eat well, sleep well, and sleep well,’ but in reality, this is not the case.

It is said that stress is the root of all diseases. In fact, stress causes physical problems as well as mental problems, and this applies to children as well as adults.

Rather, it can be said that stress has a greater effect on children than on adults. Children are at the height of their growth, and their ability to cope with stress is weak. For example, there are quite a few children who develop stress-related pediatric hair loss.

The effects of stress on children are diverse, and in particular, attention is required as there are parts that lead to adverse effects on children’s ‘growth’.

When our body is under stress, a hormone called cortisol is secreted by an organ called the ‘adrenal gland’. When excessive stress continues for a long period of time, excessive secretion of cortisol occurs. Cortisol breaks down protein and causes a decrease in muscle mass and weakness, and increases fat accumulation, leading to obesity. Studies on obesity and height growth show that obese children appear to be taller than standard-weight children, but in terms of bone maturation, the bone maturation of obese children progresses rapidly, and their final height may eventually decrease.

Stress results in a decrease in the secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland in children, and conversely, it may result in an increase in the secretion of sex hormone. Precocious puberty is a condition in which the secretion of sex hormones begins too early than normal and premature secondary sexual characteristics appear in children under the age of 8 to 9 years. On average, secondary sexual characteristics appear between the ages of 10 to 13 in girls and 12 to 14 in boys. If a girl has breast lumps or pubic hair and menarche at an earlier age, and a boy begins the metamorphosis and pubic hair appears, it is diagnosed as precocious puberty. In the early stage of precocious puberty, the growth rate seems to be faster than that of peers, but the final height becomes smaller because the growth plate closes early.

Stress is also a major factor that causes a decrease in immunity. When cortisol is excessive, the immune response is suppressed and the differentiation of white blood cells is also suppressed, thereby weakening the immunity against external bacteria and viruses. It is not easy for children to manage their own hygiene, so it is essential to manage immunity as infection can easily occur in places where many people gather, such as daycare centers, kindergartens, and schools. If your immune system is weakened by stress, you will often get infectious diseases, and you may be wasting an important period for growth.

In order for children to grow well, they need to eat well. However, stress causes a decrease in gastrointestinal function. Anorexia occurs due to stress, or abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation are common, often in the form of irritable bowel syndrome. In case of gastrointestinal problems due to stress, the digestion and absorption of nutrients may not be done smoothly, and a lack of essential elements necessary for growth may occur.

So, what causes children to be stressed?

One that comes to mind easily is ‘study stress’. In the past, the stress of the years before university entrance exams was the main focus, but the competition for education is fierce in the fortress from elementary school and kindergarten. In the process, the amount of time to run and play to your heart’s content is drastically reduced, and the pressure on your studies and academic performance from a young age inevitably leads to a series of psychological tensions. Exposure to unfamiliar friends, teachers, and situations in which you have to adapt to an unfamiliar environment, called ‘New Semester Syndrome’, is also a stress factor.

On the other hand, stress on friendships is a representative example. Children often become overly engrossed in friendships and often have fears of being excluded or excluded from socializing with their peers.

Relationships with mom and dad are also important factors. In some cases, they suffer from the stress of lack of affection as they are neglected in parental indifference or discord, and on the contrary, they induce stress by repeating overprotection or unnecessary intervention in every case.

Fortress, evaluation of ‘appearance’ is considered important, and such a trend has a lot of influence on children. Even at a young age, there are many cases where they judge each other’s appearance, and there are a lot of children who are stressed because of it.

These stresses eventually act as factors that hinder the growth of the child’s height.

So, what can we do to relieve stress in children? We need to look at it from the child’s point of view and meet the eye level, so that we can identify the cause of our child’s current stress and find a solution.

The best way to relieve stress is to be physically active. In particular, exercise such as jumping rope, running, or soccer helps to relieve stress and stimulates growth plates. If you don’t know what kind of exercise to do, it’s good to start with your child having fun and do it consistently.

It is also a good way to create an environment where you can experience new and enjoyable things. Traveling, camping, and weekend farm experiences also help relieve stress in children.

There is a way to relieve stress through active activities like this, but on the other hand, it is also necessary to create an environment where you can relax your mind comfortably. That is the ‘warm home environment’. The child they depend on the most is their parents, and the place they are most comfortable with is their home. It is important to create a space called a home where parents can be at peace with each other, have comfortable and pleasant conversations with their children, and relax.

If stress continues to cause problems in growth despite these improvements in life, medical approaches such as herbal medicine treatment, acupuncture, exercise and psychological treatment will be absolutely necessary depending on the symptoms and condition. But always the most important thing is the attention and love of parents. Let’s pay a little more attention so that our children can grow up safely and loved by their mothers and fathers.

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