Helping children grow sound and healthy with parents

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of cases of sexual precocity and childhood obesity. The reasons for this are fast food, environmental hormones due to pollution, and poor lifestyle habits due to prolonged use of digital devices. Parents are worried when their children don＊t grow taller or, on the other hand, grow too fast and reach puberty early. They＊re not sure if they should go to the doctor or if it＊ll cost a lot of money. However, you shouldn＆t hesitate to visit a growth clinic and get help from a specialist. Park Sung-won, a pediatrician with 22 years of experience, has opened Samsung Ssook Ssook Growth Clinic at Exit 8 of Gangnam Hanti Station.

The clinic to help your child grow up healthy 

Park is a pediatric endocrinologist and doctor of medicine, and has been treating children at Cheil Hospital and Miz Medi Hospital for a long time. “This is a growth clinic where parents can feel free to come and check their child’s growth and talk. It is a place that acts as a primary care physician for the growth of our children as we raise them together.” says Park. She sees children who are shorter than their peers, children who have suddenly grown a lot taller or gone through puberty early, childhood obesity that can lead to other conditions, and thyroid disorders. “Obesity in children can lead to metabolic syndromes such as hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia. Fatty liver and sexual precocity can also be caused by obesity. I check how these children are growing with tests and follow-ups if needed. I’m trying to help the child thrive, rather than blindly recommending growth hormone therapy or other treatments for precociousness.” says Park. 

Helping children grow sound and healthy with parents

Park’s motto is “Right treatment with principles,” “Warm treatment with sincerity,” and “Honest treatment for the child. “I am a mother of two children, a girl and a boy, so I can understand and empathize with moms who are raising children. My own children are now adults, and many of the children I raised from Cheil Medical Center are now adults. I have continued to raise children with their parents and provide them with sincere and warm care.”  says Park. Children are evaluated for growth when they come here. A growth assessment is needed if a child’s height is below the 3rd percentile for their gender and age; their growth rate is less than 5 centimeters per year; puberty began before age 8 for girls or age 9 for boys; puberty has begun but they are short for their age; their birth height or weight is below the 3rd percentile; they have chronic kidney disease, heart disease, bowel disease, or have had chemotherapy; or they have optic nerve abnormalities or central facial abnormalities such as cleft lip or cleft palate. “I’ve been practicing growth medicine for 20 years, and I’ve had cases where I’ve accidentally discovered metabolic conditions such as hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, diabetes, and bone-related conditions, as well as brain tumors, pancreatic tumors, and other conditions that really need to be treated. I think of growth assessments today as a kind of children health check-up. I’m constantly studying, staying active in conferences, and improving my skills because that’s what matters to a doctor.” 

Wha is Park?

She completed her master’s and doctoral degrees at Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at Samsung Jeil Hospital and obtained a specialty in pediatric endocrinology from Samsung Seoul Hospital. Afterwards, she worked as a professor at Dankook University College of Medicine while working at Jeil Hospital. When Cheil Hospital closed, she moved to Mizmedi and established the Growth and Precocious Maturity Center at Mizmedi Hospital as the head of the Department of Pediatrics. She served as an academic committee member, educational committee member, and insurance committee member of the Pediatric Endocrinology Association, and served as an advisory member of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service for five years. She is the public relations director of the Mucopolysaccharidosis Research Society. She is active as an external cooperation director and a member of the Society of Pediatrics and the Society of Pediatric Endocrinology. She is also active in the Pediatric Nephrology Society and the Society for Inherited Metabolic Diseases.