What is Scurvy?
As soon as you are asked to smile for the photograph you smile and show off your teeth which not only facilitate you to have the good looks but also help you to chew the food for sustaining the life. But what if on opening your mouth you discover some spongy gums and bleeding mucous membranes? What’s the problem?
Well you might be suffering with one of the oldest deficiency disease i.e. scurvy. Scurvy was a very routine infirmity among sailors which results as the deficiency of vitamin C in diet due to various reasons including the long time deprivation of fresh fruits and vegetables. The vitamin C is better known as ascorbic acid in chemical nomenclature, which is derived from scorbutus, Latin name for scurvy thereby indicating the close connection between the two.
The body requires certain amount of vitamin C for the synthesis of collagen which is a kind of connective tissue that plays a substantial role in the formation of healthy bones, teeth and capillaries and also supports wound revivification process.
Thus scurvy is characterized by blue and black spots on skin, spongy gums and bleeding mucous membranes. There are two types of scurvy i.e. adult and infantile. It can occur in any stage from the infant stage to adult one. In adults it usually triggers due to faulty lifestyle or inadequate diet, while in children it gets onsets due to deficiency of vitamin C in food and as far as infants are concerned they become susceptible to it for not being breast fed by their mothers.
In case you are having this ailment then it’s high time to pay heed as don’t you want to eat food better and smile a lot! So read on further to find more about causes and symptoms of scurvy together with various beneficial natural home remedies for scurvy.
Causes of Scurvy
As scurvy has been described as one of the oldest deficiency disease and hence it’s obvious that major root cause of it lies in the vitamin deficiency i.e. vitamin C. It’s very important to know that the vitamin requirements of human body differs from one condition to other as it’s need gets multiplied in some states like pregnancy, breastfeeding, diarrhea, some inflammatory diseases, burns and exposure to intense heat and cold.
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Other causes of Scurvy are
• Alcohol addiction makes people vulnerable to scurvy
• Mental stress also triggers scurvy as the state demands more vitamin C which if not fulfilled leads to the deficiency disease i.e. scurvy
• Insufficient inclusion of fresh fruits and vegetables in diet
Symptoms of Scurvy
Although the symptoms of scurvy are very conspicuous in the form of spongy gums and bleeding mucous membranes yet there are also other set of symptoms which point to scurvy.
Some such symptoms are as follows:
• Loosening of teeth if not cared timely can lead to chronic condition
• Blue and black colored spots on thighs and legs
• Heaviness of heart
• Blood deficiency i.e. anemia
• Feebleness
• Fever
• Nausea
• Weight shrinkage
• Ill temper
• Body pain
• Fragile blood capillaries
• Common cold or sore throat
• Heart attack
• Thin hair
• Inability to gain weight
• Distended joints
• Loss of appetite
Natural Home Remedies For Scurvy
Although numerous pharmaceutical drugs are available in the market yet they offer short term quick fix for the ailment as if taken for the long period of time you are very likely to experience various side effects of the medicines. Thus if you are looking for some reliable sources to overpower the disease then natural home remedies for scurvy are what in essence you are looking for.
• Take a mix of extracts of lemon with one tablespoon of honey and mix it in a glass of warm water. Make a habit of drinking this mixture two times a day to treat scurvy.
• Indian Gooseberry is one of the very favoring natural home remedies for scurvy which is highly effective in overcoming scurvy and hence highly recommended.
• Preference to fruits rich in vitamin C can go a long way in treating scurvy naturally as let’s remind you it’s one of the oldest deficiency disease occurring as a result of deficiency of it. Thus you can have fruits like oranges, sweet lemons, watermelons, grapefruits, cantaloupes, green leafy vegetables and tomatoes.
• Powdered raw mango can also be put to use by mixing ½ tablespoon of it in a glass of water followed by drinking of course.
• The best natural home remedy for infants is to feed them on cow’s milk along with mother’s milk.
• You can further make good use of potatoes in overthrowing scurvy as 100gms of potato contain 17gms of vitamin C and hence highly beneficial. It’s one of the easiest natural home remedies for scurvy isn’t it?
• One of the very natural home remedies for scurvy also includes exposure to fresh sunlight and air which has been found impressive in the treatment of scurvy.
Diet For Scurvy
The role automatically assumes much importance as scurvy results from the deficiency of vitamin C which is found in number of fruits and vegetables. So better check out the diet for scurvy to get well soon
• As far as infants are concerned if due to certain reasons it becomes difficult to feed the infant on breast milk then he should be fed on cow’s milk or wholesale available milk formulas.
• Preference must be given to balanced diet full of nuts, grains, vegetables and fruits to fulfill all the basic requirements of body in terms of essential minerals, vitamins and nutrients. Scurvy patient must make room for vegetable oils, milk and honey in diet to recover soon.
• In case you like non-vegetarian food then include liver and oysters in food as they are rich in vitamin C.
When our hands and legs were dry is winter months my mom always used to use the term your hands are so scuvy is it a slangs term?