yet, so therapeutic interventions are typically aimed at preventing or reducing pain or physical disability, increasing adult height, or mitigating psychosocial stresses and enhancing social adaptation. forms of dwarfism associated with the endocrine system may be treated using hormonal therapy. if the cause is prepubescent hyposecretion of growth hormone, supplemental growth hormone may correct the abnormality. if the receptor for growth hormone is itself affected, the condition may prove harder to treat. hypothyroidism is another possible cause of dwarfism that can be treated through hormonal therapy. injections of thyroid hormone can mitigate the effects of the condition, but lack of proportion may be permanent. pain and disability may be ameliorated by physical therapy, braces or other orthotic devices, or by surgical procedures. the only simple interventions that increase perceived adult height are dress enhancements, such as shoe lifts or hairstyle. growth hormone is rarely used for shortness caused by bone dysplasias, since the height benefit is typically small (less than 5 cm ) and the cost high. the most effective means of increasing adult height by several inches is distraction osteogenesis, though availability is limited and the cost is high in terms of money, discomfort, and disruption of life. most people with dwarfism do not choose this option, and it remains controversial. for other types of dwarfism, surgical treatment is not possible. society and culture terminology two norse dwarfs as depicted in a 19th-century edition of the poetic edda poem völuspá (1895) by lorenz frølich the appropriate term for describing a person of particularly short stature (or with the genetic condition achondroplasia) has developed euphemistically. the noun dwarf stems from old english dweorg, originally referring to a being from germanic mythology—a dwarf—that dwells in mountains and in the earth, and is associated with wisdom, smithing, mining, and crafting. the etymology of the word dwarf is contested, and scholars have proposed varying theories about the origins of the being, including that dwarfs may have originated as nature spirits or as beings associated with death, or as a mixture of concepts. competing etymologies include a basis in the indo-european root *dheur- (meaning 'damage'), the indo-european root *dhreugh (whence modern dutch droom 'dream' and bedrog 'deception'), and comparisons have been made with the old indian dhvaras (a type of demonic being). the being may not have gained associations with small stature until a later period. the terms "dwarf", "little person", "lp", and "person of short stature" are generally considered acceptable by most people affected by these disorders. however, the plural "dwarfs" as opposed to "dwarves" is generally preferred in the medical context, possibly because the plural "dwarves" was popularized by author j. r. r. tolkien, describing a race of characters in his the lord of the rings books resembling norse dwarfs. "midget", whose etymology indicates a "tiny biting insect", came into prominence in the mid-19th century after harriet beecher stowe used it in her novels sunny memories of foreign lands and oldtown folks where she described children and an extremely short man, respectively. later some people of short stature considered the word to be offensive because it was the descriptive term applied to p. t. barnum's dwarfs used for public amusement during the freak show era. it is also not considered accurate as it is not a medical term or diagnosis, though it is sometimes used as a slang term to describe those who are particularly short, whether or not they have dwarfism. dwarf sports dwarfs are supported to compete in sport by a number of organisations nationally and internationally. dwarfs are included in some events in the athletics at the summer paralympics. the dwarf athletic association of america and the dwarf sports association uk provide opportunities for dwarfs to compete nationally and internationally in the americas and europe, respectively. the dwarf sports association uk organises between 5 and 20 events per month for athletes with restricted growth conditions in the uk. for instance, swimming and bicycling are often recommended for people with skeletal dysplasias, since those activities put minimal pressure on the spine. since its early days, professional wrestling has had the involvement of dwarf athletes. "midget wrestling" had its heyday in the 1950s–'70s, when wrestlers such as little beaver, lord littlebrook, and fuzzy cupid toured north america, and sky low low was the first holder of the national wrestling alliance's world midget championship. in the following couple of decades, more wrestlers became prominent in north america, including foreign wrestlers like japan's little tokyo. although the term is seen by some as pejorative, many past and current midget wrestlers, including hornswoggle, have said they take pride in the term due to its history in the industry and its marketability. art and media depictions ivory statuette of a woman with dwarfism, gerzeh culture (naqada ii), prehistoric egypt in art, literature, and movies, dwarfs are rarely depicted as ordinary people who are very short but rather as a species apart. novelists, artists, and moviemakers may attach special moral or aesthetic significance to their "apartness" or misshapenness. artistic representations of dwarfism can be found on greek vases and other ancient artifacts, including ancient egyptian art in which dwarfs are likely to have been seen as a divine manifestation, with records indicating they could reach high positions in society. the bhagavat purana hindu text devotes nine chapters to the adventures of vamana, a dwarf avatar of lord vishnu. the dwarf don sebastián de morra, by velázquez depictions of dwarfism are also found in european paintings and many illustrations. many european paintings (especially spanish) of the 16th–19th centuries depict dwarfs by themselves or with others. in the talmud, it is said that the second born son of the egyptian pharaoh of the bible was a dwarf. recent scholarship has suggested that ancient egyptians held dwarfs in high esteem. several important mythological figures of the north american wyandot nation are portrayed as dwarfs. as popular media have become more widespread, the number of works depicting dwarfs have increased dramatically. dwarfism is depicted in many books, films, and tv series such as willow, the wild wild west, the man with the golden gun (and later parodied in austin powers), gulliver's travels by jonathan swift, the wizard of oz, willy wonka & the chocolate factory, bad santa, a son of the circus, little people, big world, the little couple, a song of ice and fire (and its tv adaptation game of thrones), seinfeld, the orator, in bruges, the tin drum by günter grass, the short-lived reality show the littlest groom, and the films the station agent and zero. the animal planet tv series pit boss features dwarf actor shorty rossi and his talent agency, "shortywood productions", which rossi uses to provide funding for his pit bull rescue operation, "shorty's rescue". rossi's three full-time employees, featured in the series, are all little people and aspiring actors. in september 2014, creative business house, along with donnons leur une chance, created the international dwarf fashion show to raise awareness and boost self-confidence of people living with dwarfism. a number of reality television series on lifetime, beginning with little women: la in 2014, focused on showing the lives of women living with dwarfism in various cities around the united states.