According to Chinese medicine, autumn is the best growth period for children, and acupuncture, foot massage and sports can boost physical development.
Shin Yi-zhong, a Chinese medicine doctor at Taipei City Hospital, explained that the 13th solar term of the lunar calendar, around Aug. 8, which marks the beginning of autumn but is actually 45 days before the autumn equinox, and the 15th solar term, which is around September 8, mark the best period of growth and development for an adolescent child.
He said the phrase "to harvest in fall and to go dormant in winter" is quite applicable for the development of children, as autumn is the best time to grow.
However, Shen reminded parents that they should pay attention to the skeletal ages of their children, recalling how he often sees X-rays showing that children's skeletal age is older than their actual age, and therefore infers that too much nutrition nowadays might be the reason for the overdevelopment. He said if the golden period of development before one's growth plate closes is missed, no makeup efforts will matter later on.
Shen stressed that besides engaging in bone turnover or eating various supplements to boost growth, one can also look to acupuncture or the massaging of various pressure points, as well as engaging in athletic activity to spark growth.
Shen indicated that rigorously massaging the Yongquan pressure point, located about one-third of the way down the center of the sole of the foot, between 30 and 50 times a day can help to boost circulation and thus generate growth. Riding a bicycle, playing basketball and jumping rope are also great activities to help stimulate growth, he added.
The best period for girls to undergo growth therapy would be after they begin to menstruate, which would be usually when they are in the sixth grade, Shen said. For boys, the best time would be when they start growing facial hair and their voices begin to change, which is usually in the first or second year of junior high school. Shen stated that girls generally begin development earlier than boys and that they complete their growth at about 16 years of age.
However, clinical experience has shown that some girls do not have their first period until about 14 years of age, and in principle their period of adolescence should go until they are about 19. Boys, on the other hand, are about two to three years behind girls in development, with most boys not fully developed until they are 18 years old. However, the exact time can vary depending on the individual situation of each person.
(This article originally appeared in The Liberty Times Aug. 23.)