For more links check out either the Google Directory or the Yahoo! Directory.

Megan from the UK wrote in to tell me that famous English model Erin O'Connor who is 6'1" also suffers from Marfan Syndrome. Thanks for the info, Megan!

Estrogens as a means to stunt growth ???

The website Tall Girls is dedicated to women who, as prepubertal and adolescent girls, were exposed to synthetic estrogens to inhibit their growth. Tall Girls Inc. is an organisation that has been formed to support these women and their families, and to promote investigation of this treatment and its outcomes.

Backache:

Backache certainly isn't a problem that is exclusive to tall people but, from what I have gathered, they are more likely to suffer from intensive pain in the back area than their shorter counterparts.

Osgood-Schlatter Disease:

Shelly brought the "Osgood-Schlatter Disease" to my attention recently. It occurs when the growth platelets at the end of the tibia are overstimulated and form a lump of extra bone beneath the main tendon in the knee. This makes kneeling extremely difficult and sports can be painful (the extra bone rubs against the tendon during physical activity, causing micro-tears in the tissue which result in inflamation and pain). Here's another link regarding the illness.

Amy wrote to me (December 9th 2002): "I just wanted to share some information about Osgood Schlatter, which my 6'2" sister suffered from. Recently our chiropractor informed my sister that Osgood Schlatter may have been prevented/corrected by chiropractic treatment. The extra bone forms because the tibia grows so fast that the tendons lose their grip on the bone and the body grows new bone to try to reconnect it. A chiropractor knows how to work the tendon to help reattach itself to the bone, if successful, the tendon will grip the bone and the body doesn't need to develop new bone. Please share this information! I know how terrible my sister feels knowing now that there might have been something she could have done about this condition, but now as an adult she has to live with knee problems. It may be a treatment worth looking into."

Comment from a lady with a science background (January 17th 2003): "One thing you may want to correct (I am a copy writer/editor with a science background) On the health page under Osgood Schlatter, very near the beginning, it's not "growth platelets" of the tibia, it should be "growth plates." :)

Also, it's not really an illness, but this is an interesting health tidbit for tall women. After becoming pregnant with fraternal twins, I learned that big tall women have a higher frequency of twinning. Not of identicals, since that is due to the first division of the zygote. The cells separate creating two individuals. That can happen with equal frequency in any woman. But fraternal twins come from two separate eggs. Releasing two eggs in a single ovulatory cycle is dependant on levels of a certain hormone (I forget what it is). That is why fraternal twins "run" in families, it is hereditary to have higher levels of the hormone. But big, tall women tend to have higher levels, thus higher frequency of twins!"

Elizabeth commented as follows:

Regarding The Osgood-Schlatter disease: As per the Mayo-Clinic Staff, Osgood-Schlatter is not related to greater height. It occurs more often in athletic kids than in non-athletes, affecting as many as one in five adolescent athletes. The condition develops most often in boys ages 13 to 14 and girls ages 10 to 11. It is slightly more common in boys. Refer to www.mayoclinic.com.

Osteoporosis:

I just received an email from Kirsten who states

"It is a degenerative condition resulting from lack of proper bone structure & mass. While it is a dibilitating that can affect anyone (especially women), I've seen it really affect a lot of tall people. My 6'4" father was told a cancerous tumour was disintegrating a vertebrae in the middle of his back earlier this year. Doctors have determined the vertebrae was earlier damaged due to osteoporosis. Because he is so tall, the pressure from the weight of his upper body further pulverized the bone. Though the cancer has been treated successfully, now he can still barely sit for an hour or two without pain because of the bone, and the bone will likely never heal to normal again. If for no other reason than this... remember to eat a balanced diet including foods high in calcium like milk, or take a calcium supplement if you're lactose intolerant.

Always maintain good posture also, for good posture can result in naturally (*slightly) trimmer tummies, lees back pain, and keep you from developing the characteristic hunch in older women, but especially those who are tall."

Thanks for that input, Kirsten!

Advice from a biologist

As for osteoporosis: if you need calcium and are lactose intolerant, besides industrial supplements (there are many people who have a side-effects when using them) the best ones are fermented milk products: sour milk, cheese (especially fresh), yoghurt, kefir and such because they contain calcium and phosphorus in physiological ratio. Also, I recomend use of vitamin D or their precursors (especially in food rich in them: fish, fish oil, yeast...) because organism needs vitamin D to absorb calcium and phosphorus properly. Though, as for milk products, there is some caution needed: some people are allegic on casein, a major protein component of milk and its products, so they should avoid them.

Also, for a females who menstruate profusely, eat food with iron: spinach, liver etc along vith lots of vitamin C (fruits, vegetables), because without vitamn C you cannot get enough of iron, and will become anemic, as well as can get a scurvy.

Tall women have big organisms, so they need more food than avarage women. Be proactive, and find out what is optimal for you.

And be careful. Bones of tall people break more likely than of small ones, because they are much longer, but not much thicker. Also, if you trip and fall, or someone causes you to fall, your injuries can get more serious, especially for upper body parts, because of fall from greater hight and therefore harder impact when you hit the ground. So, be carefull for injuries of head, arms, ribs and upper spine, especially neck.

So, Your Highnesses, stay well and good
Sincerely yrs, Tomo

Joerg adds

I have done a bit of googling and came up with the website of the National Osteoporosis Foundation (USA). There is also the National Institutes of Health Website re. Osteoporosis, the Osteoporosis Society of Canada and, for my European visitors, the National Osteoporosis Society Website from the UK. For even more info check the Google Directory entries for Osteorporosis.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome:

Susanne wrote: "Please include details of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, as Doctors tend to forget about it, especially if they are short. An endocrinologist told us we have it after viewing an xray of my daughters hand (while assisting us with her height)."

I have found the following websites of interest: Ehlers Danlos National Foundation and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Support Group. I also suggest to check out the Google Directory entries for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Some other links of interest:

• Check out Dr. Torsten Stein, the World's Tallest Chiropractor

• Something that worries me a lot: Tall African-American Women May Have Increased Breast Cancer Risk - if you're a Black lady remember to have your breasts checked on a regular basis (if only to be on the safe side!)

• Not a topical website either but they do a lot of good work: The American Cancer Society

• Young Survival Coalition - for young women with breast cancer

• Not necessarily topical but an interesting read: Beauty Worlds: The culture of beauty

• For an overview of websites dealing with the health of women there's a great selection at Yahoo! Health Women's Health

You can participate here:

• Do you have experience with illnesses that could be contributed to the fact that you are tall?

• Would you like to write and tell others about it (anonymously if preferred!)?

• Do you have information (books, links etc.) that could prove helpful to women with height-related illnesses?

Just send me an email!

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