Expert: Meg Jordan, PhD, RN - 1/8/2010

Question
Dear sir,
I am a guy from Bangladesh. I have a girl friend whos height is 5 feet and my height is 6 feet. You can see the difference that what hurt me sometime as she is really shorter than me.
Recently I saw a advertisement in our TV channel which was delivering a product from Asian Sky  Shop named Yoko Height Increaser. This product as it says will increase the height by 3 inch in just 3 months. So, I was planning to buy the product for my girl friend so that its going to help her to gain some height. I was really thinking whether this kind of product actually works or not. Though they are determining that the product has been produced scientifically, I was thinking is there actually any scientific  way of increasing height or they are fiving wrong information. If they are wrong I would really request you to give other suggestion on ways of increasing her height as this may have impact on our relationship, due to our social problems. By the way, her age is 18.
Thank You.  

Answer
Save your money -- don't squander it on worthless, unethical, probably illegal, product such as this. The claim is outrageously false!  Nothing, not even a torture device that attempts to stretch the human body, can increase one's height by 3 inches -- not in 3 months, not in 3 years.  Your height is determined by your genetic inheritance (genes at birth) along with nutritional, environmental and lifestyle factors before the age of 12 to 15. Time to rethink the 12-inch gap you two share. Consider it a cooperative and mutually beneficial difference -- you reach things that are too high for her; she checks the ground making sure you don't stumble.  Celebrate all those things you love and learn to dance your differences.  Be well, Dr. Meg Jordan