Physical Growth is Possible
Cartilage is a firm yet elastic substance. With the appropriate exercises, you can stretch:
- The cartilage between the vertebrae in the spinal column
- The cartilage between the thigh bones and,
- The cartilage between the tibia or shin bones.
In other words you can grow by developing your cartilage which increase the space between the vertebrae.
Without proper exercise the cartilage becomes soft, it flattens and the bones eventually rub against each other. The exercises in this book will strengthen your disks and increase their elasticity. Both men and women of all ages can add precious centimetres to their height.
In a nutshell, the spinal column is like a coil. By stretching it up and down, forwards and backwards and from side to side, you can become taller.
A Bit of Biology
The spinal column is the tree of life. It is unquestionably an architectural masterpiece.
- It is composed of thirty-three short super-imposed bones called VERTEBRAE.
- There are:
- 7 cervical vertebrae
- 12 dorsal or thoracic vertebrae
- 5 lumbar vertebrae
- 5 sacrum vertebrae
- 4 coccyx vertebrae
- Between each vertebrae we find DISKS which are made of Cartrilage that serve as “shock absorbers”. This padding looks like a doughnut or a perforated wheel.
- There are holes in each vertebrae that forms the rachidian or SPINAL CANAL where we find the spinal cord.
- Attached to the spinal cord and protruding between the vertebrae are thirty-one pairs of nerves:
- 8 pairs of cervical nerves
- 12 pairs of thoracic nerves
- 5 pairs of lumbar nerves
- 5 pairs of sacral nerves
- 1 pair of coccygeal nerves.
First Journal Part 1
A persons growth span begins at fertilization, goes on throughout the nine month gestation period to birth until the moment when a person reaches his maximum height between the ages of eighteen to twenty-six years.
I don’t propose to give you a biology course; there are excellent books that can do better justice to the subject of growth. However my goal in this first chapter, is to illustrate the principal factors which contribute to ideal height development in humans.
1. The “milieu”
By the term ‘milieu I mean geographic and climatic conditions. Living conditions, heat and humidity, all these affect physical development.
‘Milieu’ also means ‘quality of life’ which I characterize as the application of proper hygienic measures, the purity of air and water and healthy living conditions.
2. Heredity and Genes
Heredity could be defined as the transmission of the physical and moral characteristics of parents (or ancestors) to their children. Hereditary specifications are determined by those elements lodged in the chromosomes which are called ‘genes’. Every man and woman inherits genetic potential.
3. Food
Nutrition will be discussed in depth in a later stage. For the moment I only wish to enumerate the foods essential for growth: Protein, Carbohydrates, Mineral salts, Vitamins and Fats.
Pay particular attention to protein. This substance in large part, makes up your blood supply and your muscle and bone tissue. Foods rich in protein are not to be forgotten for whoever wants to grow. That the present generation is generally taller than the previous one is due in part to better nutrition.
Medical Treatment.
Where growth is severely retarded, it would be best to consult a medical specialist called and Endocrinologist. When dwarfism is due to pituitary problem growth hormones can be injected.
I have only touched on the vast field of growth by enumerating the factors which promote growth. Further study of these factors could be of particular help to you.
