Shapewear Dangers
As a gastroenterologist, Dr. Roshini Raj gets all sorts of crazy medical questions. She turned them into a book called “What the Yuck? The Freaky and Fabulous Truth About Your Body.”
Dr. Raj joined Ali to talk about some some common medical misconceptions, and the ladies got on the topic of shapewear. “I’m a mom of two,” the doctor said, “Shapewear is my best friend—at times, in limited doses.”
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But, she said, shapewear can betray you if you wear it for extended periods.
“The truth is when you’re constricting everything in the abdominal area for too long, you can cause some problems.”
Among them? “Pain and discomfort, particularly for people with Irritable Bowel [Syndrome] who are prone to getting kinda gassy and bloated anyway.”
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Another group that should exercise caution: people with acid reflux. “We always recommend that people wear looser clothing because if it’s too tight in the midline area, it can cause more of the acid to come up in the esophagus.”
Dr. Raj also had a warning for all women who wear shapewear, and cleared up some misconceptions about STDs, diabetes, and public bathrooms. To hear it all, check out his episode of Daily Shot.
