SCURVY The Most Common Disease Among Sailors and

SCURVY The Most Common Disease Among Sailors and Pirates By: Chris Jones and Anthony Lara

You Have Scurvy if…… �You have developed shortness of breath and bone pain �You have muscle pain due to reduced carnitine production �Your skin has become rough and is easily bruised �You have experienced gum disease, loss of teeth, poor wound healing, and emotional changes

Why You Have Scurvy… �You have a severe lack of Vitamin C in your diet �Vitamin C is destroyed by the process of pasteurization (reduction of pathogens in food) �You experience malnutrition �Majority of people with scurvy have poor dietary choices and live in industrialized nations

Worst Case Scenario…. �Bleeding under the skin and from the hair follicles (dermis region) �Scar tissue will break down and you will begin bleeding again from formerly healed areas �Corkscrew hair and rashes, particularly on your legs �If not treated, death due to cardiac failure may occur

Curing/Preventing Scurvy. . �Having a significant amount of foods and drinks containing Vitamin C � Citrus Fruits including oranges and strawberries � Vegetables such as carrots, broccoli, potatoes, cabbage, and spinach � Even some candies and most soft drinks

Fun Facts about Scurvy…. �Was very common in the times of pirates and sailors �Scurvy is much more prevalent in third-world countries due to lack of resources for proper nutrition �More common in babies � Reports say over 200 million children under the age of 5 are malnourished, which leaves them at a higher risk of contracting Scurvy

Table of Contents �http: //www. wired. com/thisdayintech/2009/05/dayintech_05 20/ �http: //www. healthcentral. com/diet-exercise/h/scurvydisease. html �http: //www. ask. com/wiki/Scurvy �http: //en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Scurvy