Scurvy is an vitamin deficiency that once plagued pirates because the didn’t have access to the necessary nutrition. While this problem was thought to be a thing of the past it has made a recent reoccurrence in the poorest populations in America because they don’t have the access to necessary fruits and vegetables. Not only does it apply to the poor in America it also applies to college students who spend their days only eating ramen and ice cream.
The symptoms of Scurvy can include bleeding gums, swelling, bruises and fatigue. One nutritionist says that the threshold for contracting scurvy is low that to prevent it all you have to do is to eat a couple packets of McDonald’s ketchup to meet the necessary vitamins. Proper vitamin intake can increase your quality of life and reduce headaches and joint pain.
Today with the access that people have to fast food, there is not always the conscious choice being made about what is best for our dietary needs so these diet based illnesses are on a rise. Eric Churchill said that diagnoses isn’t a common one but when a patient came to his clinic with a Vitamin level of zero he knew what it was, even though his colleagues weren’t quite on board with the test. The patient that was diagnosed said that for a while that he was on track and then he back slide into eating cheese sandwiches again.
Churchill stated that a couple pieces of fruit every couple days should do the trick or a vitamin supplement. It only takes a few small changes to be able to stave of this diagnosis.