KEY POINTS:
Hip-hugging trousers
Women who frequently wear tight, low-rise trousers could end up with nerve problems. Hip huggers can squeeze a sensory nerve under the hipbone, causing a tingling sensation in the thighs called paresthesia.
The feeling is not permanent but may last indefinitely as long as the trousers are worn.
The medical director of a Canadian hospital reported seeing several women who'd been experiencing paresthesia for up to eight months as a result of wearing fashionable jeans. They all complained of a tingling or burning sensation in their thighs and mild local tenderness, and all noticed their symptoms had disappeared within six weeks of changing to looser clothing. He warned other doctors to expect more cases with hip-huggers in fashion.
Paresthesia is also linked to obesity, car seat belts, sitting with legs crossed for too long and wearing tight corsets or heavy tool belts.
G-strings
G-string underwear can damage the skin and cause infections, warn some experts. Gynaecologists in Germany there have advised women to wear bigger knickers to avoid complications caused by the "string" element of the underwear. It's believed to be responsible for an increase in patients reporting genital inflammation.
Meanwhile British specialists say problems are more likely to occur with underwear - of any type, not just G-strings - that is too tight. Friction from tight knickers is likely to cause abrasions and will be worse if they are made with badly stitched material.
Injuries to sensitive genital skin can spread bacteria and cause fungal infections, such as thrush. Tight underwear of any sort can create an ideal environment for these infections to thrive.
Bras
There's much debate over whether bras are harmful to our health. Women the world over were thrown into a panic when a 1995 study stated bras could cause breast cancer.
The research, carried out in the United States by a medical anthropologist, came to the conclusion that the odds of getting breast cancer increased dramatically the longer women wore bras.
The researchers, who surveyed 4700 women, said those who had breast cancer were the ones who wore bras for more than 12 hours a day. They concluded that bras constricted the lymphatic system below the armpits, preventing toxins from being flushed from the body.
Auckland doctor Monica Lewis, co-author of the book Cancer - A Threat To Your Life or a Chance to Take Control of Your Future? (Lewis Publications, $29.99) advises her patients not to wear bras for more than 12 hours a day.
"Breast fat stores many of the chemicals and toxins that enter the body and wearing a bra can prevent these from being flushed out via the lymph vessels," she says. "Having these toxins stagnating in the breast tissue could be a factor in the development of breast cancer."
The findings of the US study have been disputed by other cancer specialists, who say there's no connection between bras and breast cancer. However, another study, this time in Wales, did not find a specific link between wearing a bra and increased risk of breast cancer but did report lower incidences of breast cancer in cultures where women are bra-less more often. Other specialists say this could be due to the lifestyles of the women in these cultures, in particular their diets.
Meanwhile, the Welsh study found evidence that bras could cause other problems. Some women who experienced regular breast pain reported having less pain when they went without a bra for three months. The researchers concluded that breast pain and health complications relating to the breasts were increased by wearing a bra.
The British School of Osteopathy found that ill-fitting bras could press on the rib cage and diaphragm, possibly restricting breathing. Sports bras may also cause breathing problems if worn for long periods.
High heels
Our bodies are not designed for high heels and wearing them often over a long period of time can cause all sorts of problems.
Not only are we more likely to fall over and suffer an injury, but women who wear high heels a lot risk knee and back problems, including shortened calf muscles and Achilles tendon, osteoarthritis and bone deformities.
And if you think you're doing a good thing by switching from thin stilettos to thicker heels, think again. A Harvard University study shows thick high heels (more than 4cm high) make us just as prone to serious knee problems as thin ones.
There is also a theory that extremely high heels can affect fertility. High heels make the pelvis tip forward, causing the organs in it to be pushed together, and researchers are looking into whether this may impair fertility.
Handbags
A heavy handbag can pull down the shoulder, overstretching muscles and ligaments. It can put pressure on the nerves that go from your neck to your arm and cause pain through the shoulders, neck and arm, along with pins and needles and tingling in the hand and lower arm.
- Detours, HoS
