I sit and “work from home” all day. By evening my legs are swollen. I am fine the next day after sleep. I have varicose veins too.

Hours of inactivity cause the pooling of blood in the legs. This allows fluid from the veins to leak out. Tackle this by standing up every hour and pumping the blood in your legs by rocking up and down on your heels and toes. Wearing varicose veins stockings may also help.

Pregnancy

I vomit 3-4 times a day. Is there any way I can control this without tablets?

Try walking slowly in fresh air for 30 minutes in the morning and evening. Avoid frying food as the smell can cause nausea. Eat only the food that you like. Even if something is healthy, avoid it if the sight of it makes you nauseous. Do not drink cola drinks or glucose dissolved in water.

Breast lump

I have a small lump on the skin of my left breast. Is it cancer? I am 36 years old.

If the lump is on the surface of the skin, it is unlikely to be cancer. Please take an ultrasound scan of the breast and consult a surgeon.

Likelihood of twins  

There are twins on my side of the family as well as my husband’s. Am I likely to have twins?

Inheritance of the chance of having twins is complex and not determined by a single gene. Studies on the subject have yielded conflicting results. However, the chances are higher with assisted reproductive techniques.

Liver pain

I have pain in the right upper part of my abdomen. My mother feels it is liver pain and my husband says my irregular eating habits are causing stomach ulcers.

There are many causes of such pain. Simply worrying about it will not help. Consult a physician and do the basic blood tests for liver functions. Do an ultrasound to see if it is due to gall stones. In any case, you need a diagnosis first.

Bodybuilding

I want to take up bodybuilding seriously. My coach says I will not bulk up or do well in competitions unless I take supplements in the form of powder as well as injections.

Many supplements are unregulated and sold illegally. They can result in increased blood pressure, sweating and heart rate, liver and kidney damage, enlarged breasts and pimples. They also have the potential to lead to sterility, cataract and cancer. Testosterone and other steroids are produced naturally in the body. Unless you are proven to be deficient, increasing their levels artificially can exacerbate the previous side effects.

Vitamin supplements

I was told that as a senior citizen, I should take vitamin supplements. I am 65 years old.

With age, people's diets often tend to get disbalanced. They may not eat enough fresh fruits and vegetables. The lining of the stomach atrophies, and they may be on medication for lifestyle diseases. The bones lose calcium. All these make them prone to vitamin and mineral deficiency. Common offenders are Vitamin D, the B complex group B12 and calcium. A supplement may be a good idea but consult your physician first.

The writer is a paediatrician with a family practice at Vellore and the author of Staying Healthy in Modern India. If you have any questions on health issues please write to yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in