Q: I am a 42 year old vegetarian. My problem is of bloating / gas in my abdomen inspite of taking little diet. I take a vegetarian breakfast & lunch while for dinner i take only fruit. I do vigorous exercise morning & evening. I am taking orange juice & sweet lime but it does not seem to help. I also feel that my weight is increasing and think it is because of some kidney problem as I do not pass much urine. There is perhaps water retention leading to swelling of both my legs and abdomen sometimes. The leg swelling decreases marginally when I do exercise. Please advise what tests I require and some natural medicines for my leg swelling and gas trouble?

A:Your problem of abdominal bloating is very likely due to irritable bowel syndrome, which is due to abnormal motility of the bowels and as such treatment is unsatisfactory. The symptoms are due to the way the bowels react to various diets and day-to-day stress; however if your symptoms are very specific you need to get investigated by a specialist. Secondly, swelling of your feet and other parts need further tests to find out the cause. Please consult a specialist.