Doctor Debunks Medical Myths With Viral Video

Have you ever wondered if coffee can really stunt your growth or if swallowing gum gets digested? Apparently, many people have as a video from Inside Edition debunking medical myths has gone viral with over 46,000 views and over 1,000 likes.

In the video, Dr. Roshini Raj puts an end once and for all — busting open these old wives or mother’s tales — of the most common medical queries with the facts.

As for coffee stunting your growth she said, “People used to think that coffee or caffeine may affect your risk of osteoporosis or decrease your bone growth, but that’s just not true. Coffee should not affect your growth in anyway.”

This myth didn’t come out of nowhere. Dr. Mary L. Gavin, Division of Pediatric Weight Management, Department of Pediatrics at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware further explained, “Coffee does contain caffeine, which stimulates the central nervous system. For most people, a cup or two of coffee a day doesn’t do any harm. High doses of caffeine can cause anxiety and dizziness, and may interfere with normal sleep.”

Pediatric Dr. Steven A. Dowshen added, “Not enough sleep suppresses the growth hormone — thus possibly stunting growth.”

Press Secretary Sean Spicer — who is often made fun of for his constant gum chewing by Melissa McCarthy on Saturday Night Live — will feel relieved to find out the truth about what really happens to gum after it’s swallowed.

Dr. Raj said, “It’s actually digested much like the food that we eat.”

The idea that it would take seven years to digest is debunked by another expert. As gastroenterologist Dr. Rodger Liddle of the Duke University School of Medicine explained to Scientific American, “Nothing would reside that long unless it was so large it couldn’t get out of the stomach or it was trapped in the intestine.”

On the flip slide, it may not be such a good idea to swallow gum as over time it can fill up your intestines. In several reported cases, doctors had to remove wads of gum from the bowels of children. One study highlighted the case of a 4-year-old boy with a two-year history of constipation. After many tests and treatments, doctors had to remove a blockage, which largely consisted of chewed gum. Turns out the boy always swallowed his gum.

For chocoholics worried about acne — it’s safe to indulge in your favorite confection.

The Inside Edition reporter said, “That is simply not true. Chocolate actually has anti-oxidants that are good for the skin.”

The cause of acne is a high-sugar/high-fat diet which may reside in that delicious Milky Way. According to Dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban , “that can increase sebum production and promote inflammatory responses in the body — which can lead to acne.”

If your mom ever told you that cracking your knuckles will give you arthritis or cripple your hands — you can now freely give in to that ritual of popping and snapping — as Dr. Roshini Raj said, “Cracking your knuckles or cracking your joints is perfectly fine. It actually doesn’t cause any permanent or short term damage to the joints.”

The last myth covered in the video is next time you’re cooking and your arm gets scolded — do not reach for the ice. According to Dr. Roshini Raj, “That can actually damage the skin or even slow down the healing process.”

The answer to your burning question of what to do is, “Run that burned hand under cold water for about 10 to 15 minutes.”

The Mayo Clinic agrees — putting ice on a burn can cause frostbite and damage the skin.

The moral of this story — always get a second opinion.