Of all of the possible techniques and strategies that can lead us as a species to find a way to increase our size, the advent of stem cells is one of the most promising ideas. In this post, I wanted to give a very general and brief introduction to our journey into the subject of stem cells to search for a solution to our height increase endeavor. This first post will definitely won’t be the last post on this subject since there is so much research currently being done in this subject to look for solutions to some of our biggest medical and cosmetic problems we face in our modern era.

If we remember from our high school or college biology classes, we might remember that we all came from the zygotic formation brought by the male gamete the sperm coming into fusion with the female gamete the egg. From this initial single organism zygote we are slowly developed into something resembling a human baby in our mother’s uterus. The curous person would be asking the question “Just how exactly does the zygote figure out how to grow and develop into the product of a human baby? That comes from the instructions in the cell called DNA. DNA stand for deoxyribonucleic acid, which is a double helix structure which has at its most basic level only 4 types of nucleotides bases being repeated and sorted in a certain order. From the way the nucleotide bases are set up, we get our codons, which organize themselves to form genes. the genes are really just segments of biological instruction ,or information. The information is what really tells the cells what to do. That is where almost all of genetics and the study of stem cells begins.

The stem cell is a type of cell which can differentiate itself and transform into another type of cell which has a specialized function as well as self generate more of itself. The ability of the stem cell to turn into so many different types of cells allows its application into the medical sciences to be nearly endless. If we can get certain stem cells to regrow into the tyep fo tissues and even organs that we wnat, we can essentially treat our body like a car, where if a specific part is damaged or not functioning, we can go into out body and replace the damaged tissue from the stem cell derived results.

If we look at the diagram to our left we can see just what types of diseases and pathologies stem cells therapy can potentially treat. Some of the possibilities can seem to come from science fiction.

Stroke, Baldness, Blindness, Learning Defects, Deafness Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Missing Teeth, Teeth cavitations, Wond healing, Brain Injuries, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Myocardial Infarction, Muscular Dystrophy, Diabetes, Bone marrow transplantation, Spinal cord injury, Multiple types of cancer, Osteoarthiritis, Crohn’s Disease.

It would seem from this list that our desire to use stem cells to increase our height seems almost insignificant when we consider what other applications stem cell therapies can be used for. It is a real shame the the US government and scientific community has been slow or even against the research of stem cell therapy. What often has to happen is that if a person suffering from a specific pathology wanted to use stem cell therapy as treatment, they have to leave the US and get it somewhere else.
I don’t have a Ph. D so I don’t feel like I am qualified to explain to you all the most important aspects of stem cells so I will leave most of the instructioning to Wikiepdia.

From the Wikipedia Article on Stem Cells found HERE, I wanted to post a few of the main points about the unique cells.

Stem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that can divide (through mitosis) and differentiate into diverse specialized cell types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells. In mammals, there are two broad types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells, which are isolated from the inner cell mass ofblastocysts, and adult stem cells, which are found in various tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing adult tissues. In a developing embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all the specialized cells (these are called pluripotent cells), but also maintain the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin, or intestinal tissues.

There are three accessible sources of autologous adult stem cells in humans:

1. Bone marrow, which requires extraction by harvesting, that is, drilling into bone (typically the femur or iliac crest),
2. Adipose tissue (lipid cells), which requires extraction by liposuction, and
3. Blood, which requires extraction through pheresis, wherein blood is drawn from the donor (similar to a blood donation), passed through a machine that extracts the stem cells and returns other portions of the blood to the donor.

Stem cells can also be taken from umbilical cord blood just after birth. Of all stem cell types, autologous harvesting involves the least risk. By definition, autologous cells are obtained from one’s own body, just as one may bank his or her own blood for elective surgical procedures.

Highly plastic adult stem cells are routinely used in medical therapies, for example in bone marrow transplantation. Stem cells can now be artificially grown and transformed (differentiated) into specialized cell types with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues such as muscles or nerves through cell culture. Embryonic cell lines and autologous embryonic stem cells generated through therapeutic cloning have also been proposed as promising candidates for future therapies.

Properties

The classical definition of a stem cell requires that it possess two properties:

• Self-renewal: the ability to go through numerous cycles of cell division while maintaining the undifferentiated state.
• Potency: the capacity to differentiate into specialized cell types. In the strictest sense, this requires stem cells to be either totipotent or pluripotent—to be able to give rise to any mature cell type, althoughmultipotent or unipotent progenitor cells are sometimes referred to as stem cells. Apart from this it is said that stem cell function is regulated in a feed back mechanism.

Self-renewal

Two mechanisms to ensure that a stem cell population is maintained exist:

1. Obligatory asymmetric replication: a stem cell divides into one father cell that is identical to the original stem cell, and another daughter cell that is differentiated
2. Stochastic differentiation: when one stem cell develops into two differentiated daughter cells, another stem cell undergoes mitosis and produces two stem cells identical to the original.

Potency definitions

Pluripotent, embryonic stem cells originate as inner cell mass (ICM) cells within a blastocyst. These stem cells can become any tissue in the body, excluding a placenta. Only cells from an earlier stage of the embryo, known as the morula, are totipotent, able to become all tissues in the body and the extraembryonic placenta.

Potency specifies the differentiation potential (the potential to differentiate into different cell types) of the stem cell.

• Totipotent (a.k.a. omnipotent) stem cells can differentiate into embryonic and extraembryonic cell types. Such cells can construct a complete, viable organism. These cells are produced from the fusion of an egg and sperm cell. Cells produced by the first few divisions of the fertilized egg are also totipotent.
• Pluripotent stem cells are the descendants of totipotent cells and can differentiate into nearly all cells, i.e. cells derived from any of the three germ layers.
• Multipotent stem cells can differentiate into a number of cells, but only those of a closely related family of cells.
• Oligopotent stem cells can differentiate into only a few cells, such as lymphoid or myeloid stem cells.
• Unipotent cells can produce only one cell type, their own, but have the property of self-renewal, which distinguishes them from non-stem cells (e.g., muscle stem cells).

Identification

The practical definition of a stem cell is the functional definition—a cell that has the potential to regenerate tissue over a lifetime. For example, the defining test for a bone marrow or hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) is the ability to transplant one cell and save an individual without HSCs. In this case, a stem cell must be able to produce new blood cells and immune cells over a long term, demonstrating potency. It should also be possible to isolate stem cells from the transplanted individual, which can themselves be transplanted into another individual without HSCs, demonstrating that the stem cell was able to self-renew.

Properties of stem cells can be illustrated in vitro, using methods such as clonogenic assays, in which single cells are assessed for their ability to differentiate and self-renew. Stem cells can also be isolated by their possession of a distinctive set of cell surface markers. However, in vitro culture conditions can alter the behavior of cells, making it unclear whether the cells will behave in a similar manner in vivo. There is considerable debate as to whether some proposed adult cell populations are truly stem cells.

Embryonic

Embryonic stem (ES) cell lines are cultures of cells derived from the epiblast tissue of the inner cell mass (ICM) of a blastocyst or earlier morula stage embryos.^[9] A blastocyst is an early stage embryo—approximately four to five days old in humans and consisting of 50–150 cells. ES cells are pluripotent and give rise during development to all derivatives of the three primary germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm. In other words, they can develop into each of the more than 200 cell types of the adult body when given sufficient and necessary stimulation for a specific cell type. They do not contribute to the extra-embryonic membranes or the placenta. The endoderm is composed of the entire gut tube and the lungs, the ectoderm gives rise to the nervous system and skin, and the mesoderm gives rise to muscle, bone, blood—in essence, everything else that connects the endoderm to the ectoderm.

Adult

Also known as somatic (from Greek Σωματικóς, “of the body”) stem cells and germline (giving rise to gametes) stem cells, they can be found in children, as well as adults.

Pluripotent adult stem cells are rare and generally small in number but can be found in a number of tissues including umbilical cord blood. A great deal of adult stem cell research to date has had the aim of characterizing the capacity of the cells to divide or self-renew indefinitely and their differentiation potential. In mice, pluripotent stem cells are directly generated from adult fibroblast cultures. Unfortunately, many mice do not live long with stem cell organs.

Most adult stem cells are lineage-restricted (multipotent) and are generally referred to by their tissue origin (mesenchymal stem cell, adipose-derived stem cell, endothelial stem cell, dental pulp stem cell, etc.).

Adult stem cell treatments have been successfully used for many years to treat leukemia and related bone/blood cancers through bone marrow transplants.

Amniotic

Multipotent stem cells are also found in amniotic fluid. These stem cells are very active, expand extensively without feeders and are not tumorigenic. Amniotic stem cells are multipotent and can differentiate in cells of adipogenic, osteogenic, myogenic, endothelial, hepatic and also neuronal lines.^[29] All over the world, universities and research institutes are studying amniotic fluid to discover all the qualities of amniotic stem cells…

Induced pluripotent

These are not adult stem cells, but rather adult cells (e.g. epithelial cells) reprogrammed to give rise to pluripotent capabilities. Using genetic reprogramming with protein transcription factors, pluripotent stem cells equivalent to embryonic stem cells have been derived from human adult skin tissue

Lineage

To ensure self-renewal, stem cells undergo two types of cell division (see Stem cell division and differentiation diagram). Symmetric division gives rise to two identical daughter cells both endowed with stem cell properties. Asymmetric division, on the other hand, produces only one stem cell and a progenitor cell with limited self-renewal potential. Progenitors can go through several rounds of cell division before terminally differentiating into a mature cell. It is possible that the molecular distinction between symmetric and asymmetric divisions lies in differential segregation of cell membrane proteins (such as receptors) between the daughter cells.

Stem cell treatments

What seems to be a common method or idea floating around for height increase is the application of acupuncture. I don’t know much about acupuncture and I would guess that I would know as much about acupuncture as most other Americans who has not been exposed to its real practices. I know that the main theory of acupuncture is use to needles placed in specific areas in on the human body to often unblock or rechannel the human internal energy called “chi’. The idea of “chi” is not a unique idea since the Japanese mystical and martial marts also incorporate the idea of “ki” while in India, the name of the universal energy is “prana”.

Acupuncture is a believe to be a creation from ancient China but it has been said to have been used since the dawn of human civilization with some archeological finding s showing humans sticking sharp things into their bodies to relieve pain or heal injuries. The practice is supposed to help cure or alleviate many different types of ailments, usually chronic.

First, I wanted to copy and paste an article that Tyler linked to in his post which you can find on his blog by clicking HERE (Resource 1)

Me: So who says that acupuncture can be used to increase height and grow taller?

I did more google research to see what other people are saying over the internet. The really weird thing is that the people who are stating that they can increase one’s height through acupuncture are not Chinese, but Indian and Thai. I don’t really care which nationality or ethnicity manages to find a method or way to increase height, but I am slightly suspicious of the fact that if the Chinese who were the originators of this entire field of study could not find a way to increase their height using acupuncture, how is it possible that a modern doctor or new age healer from India or Thailand or Malaysia find a solution?

The first resource I wanted to bring into this post is one made by Tyler from HeightQuest.Com in late April 2010 where he talks about the use of acupuncture in height increase. His original thoughts were that all that acupuncture did was to help relax some muscles in the body  leading to better posture so one’s height can be temporarily increased by 1-2 cms. His thinking is that acupuncture acts in the same way as sleeping does. The body muscles relaxes  and the back decompresses so the height increase is immediately seen. He did find a specific quote which I also wanted to paste here

“Acupuncturists and Refloxologists don’t have to show an increase in height, they just have to show a long term increase in IGF-1 level’s following treatment.”

He finished his post with…

“The blood theory seems the most promising in terms of height increase.  If you increase blood flow to the top of the skull then you will be taller(only temporary height though).  Also, if you increase blood flow to the intervertebral discs then it will be easier for those intervertebral discs to repair thus increasing height in that way.  A nerve theory is also listed but that would only have a benefit if you changed the nervous system to say inhibit myostatin or produce more IGF-1.
So, reflexologists and acupuncturalists, I have a challenge for you.  Prove that the various forms of Chinese Traditional Medicine increase the level of Insulin like Growth Factor One at a systemic level or at least in a location that could possibly increase height.”

Me: I highly doubt that there will be anyone who would want to take up on this experiment, even though it sounds likes a rather simple test.

From the website from India that claims they can increase your height through acupuncture found HERE

Note: The author of this article is Professor/Dr Prakash Verekar – Friday, March 5, 2010

How to be taller, grow height in India, HOW ACUPUNCTURE CAN MAKE SOMEONE TALLER

Let’s look at certain claims made by people on the internet that acupressure can be used to help increase one’s height. From personal experience, I remember that acupressure is a form of massage that focuses on pressure points on the body which correspond to certain chi points and chi centers.

In theory, it seems that the creation and development of acupressure is based on the same as acupressure. Instead of sticking needles, or cups, or stones on one’s body as done in acupuncture, one;s own hands, fingers, and limbs are used to stimulate the points over one’s body.

One of the oldest product ever sold that claimed to increase height was the YOKO product. A link of it is provided in the Products page.

It is described as in detail on why it works HERE.

Description : Yoko the scientifically developed height-increasing device that is absolutely safe, simple and effective for men and women of all ages who want to grow taller. Research has shown that short individuals have fewer opportunities for romantic relationships, have fewer children, and on average are paid less. finding adult fashion clothes is also difficult. short women report that they are not taken as seriously as their taller peers. short people deserve the same rights and privileges as any other member of society. we hope to help you gain them.

Yoko works by stimulating pituitary action. besides giving you the extra inches you desire, yoko has been proven to increase blood circulation, improve digestion, increase metabolism, reduce tiredness, slow-down aging, smoothen breathing and promote general good health. truly a wonderful way to grow taller and stay healthy at the same time!

According to the human growth medical research findings of dr ichiro kawaguchi of tokyo research laboratory of the national health department and dr a. kawata from the kyoto university, human height is not determined by genetic factor alone but is strongly influenced by the effects of certain hormones on the development of the 26 skeletal bones and the cartilageneous portions of the 62 bones of the lower body. the stimulation of the pituitary gland would increase hormonal production, which would then spur the growth of the cartilageneous portions of the bones of the lower body, ultimately leading to height increase.

Me: I wanted to make this post really quick. I have reviews the YOKO height increase insoles and showed that they don’t work. They can actually hurt a person’s feet from using it too much. There is another type of height increasing insole sold called the KIMI which is the exact same product as the YOKO, only with a different name. So we can conclude that most of the popular products sold that they can help you gain height from the theory of using acupresure, chi, and meridian doesn’t work.

When it comes to the use of reflexology there is just not enough evidence to show that there has ever been any case of height increase involved with consistent use of reflexology.

So does that mean that acupressure and certain types of massaging or touching of body parts will NOT induce growth hormones like IGF-1 or stimulate growth?

No exactly, since the issue is still very difficult to resolve.  I have shown in the past that there is a technique that I am willing to endorse which is the Qigong Method which has caused quite a stir in the internet space because the originator of the method supposed grew form 5′ 0” to 5′ 4″ when she was 22-24. She posted only a few posts through a 5 year span giving really great content and ideas on how she used her method to gain the height she had always wanted. Qigong has a theory based also on the Chinese principles of chi, meditation, and meridian lines. I would suspect that at this time, our Modern Western has not fully tried to incorporate and understand certain types of Eastern medical practices so there might be certain pressure point in the body which if we pressed can help our growth a little. 

I hope at least a few people were watching the Olympic this Summer because they fascinate me because it just shows us how the human body can be slowly transformed to continue to brake past its previous limitations. Every 4 years records that might have been set before in the last Olympics meet are shattered by the newer, more improved athletes.

I really enjoy watching 4 main events, basketball, swimming, volleyball, and track. Oddly, height is very important in at least 2 of the 4 events I watch. I don’t think I need to explain the importance of having height in basketball since I have already talked about the issue and will eventually get back to the subject eventually, but volleyball might be a subject and sport that is less well known than basketball, at least to the main US public. To not bore one with the details, I will just say that in volleyball, having height is just as important as in basketball. There are 5 main positions in volleyball.

1. Setters

2. Liberos

3. Middle blockers (aka Middle hitters)

4. Outside Hitters (aka Left side hitters)

5. Opposite Hitters (aka Right side hitters)

Apparently in the collegiate sports level, there are actual height requirements for each position as well as jump height requirements. Generally, the middle hitter/ blocker is supposed to be the tallest person in each team’s court side which for women is at least 6’0″ for Tier 1 and for men is it 6′ 7″ for Tier 1. For a more detailed list of height requirements for women, click HERE and for men click HERE..

With track, the events and sports is slightly different. Sprinters and marathon runners have historically been average in height. I would like to post an excerpt from Slate Magazine which got into explaining why the old science said that too tall individuals don’t win in certain events in track like the Sprint or Running. The person they referred to is the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist Usain Bolt who won the 100 meter sprint at an astounding height of 6′ 5″. You can find the source of the excerpt HERE.

“” Traditionally, height has been seen as a detriment to sprinting. The formula for speed is stride length times stride rate. If the longest legs always won the race, then Yao Ming would have the world record in the 100, and lions wouldn’t eat giraffes. Gangly guys, the thinking has always gone, don’t win short races because they can’t master the smooth form required to generate rapid leg turnover. Sprinters are supposed to be compact and muscular: Think Ben Johnson or Ato Boldon.

So we come to swimming. Swimming is another sport where people who are on the tall side have an advantage. The most famous swimmer in the world right now Michael Phelps is 6′ 4″. His teammates of the US National Swim Team for the 4×100 Medley Relay (which they won yesterday) are Branden Hansen (6′ 0″), Nathan Adrian (6′ 6″), and Matt Grevers (6′ 8″) . His teammates of the 4×100 Freestyle (got 2nd place) are Cullen Jones (6′ 5″), Ryan Lochte (6′ 2″), and Nathan Adrian (6′ 6″).

The average of of these guys is clearly at least 1 standard deviation away from the national average of 18-30 year old men. So the question is to ask whether swimming will let us grow taller, or is it that we become great swimmers because of being originally tall. There has been many articles claiming that swimming will improve one’s height because the buoyancy of the water and the horizontal movement of the body towards the vertical push of gravity allows the inter-vertebrate disks to decompress and expand thus increasing height. In theory, the science does sound reasonable but is the correlation between increased height and swimming strong enough to state a claim that “you can grow taller through swimmin?” Well, I am not aware of any scientific studies on the subject so the matter is still in the air.

One interesting part of my personality is that I believe in taking action first and often don’t ask for permission to try something. I believe in trying everything at least once as long as it is not potentially harmful to me. My philosophy is then since there is no science or study saying that swimming does not help with increase height, why not go ahead and try swimming and see if it has any affect on one’s overal height. Even if the height increase never comes, the other benefits in terms of health are too enormous to name so stick with the exercise.