Living with Scurvy

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Living with scurvy

There are a number of strategies which are recommended to help deal with scurvy:

Eat foods rich in vitamin C - you must start to eat more foods high in vitamin C to help boost your vitamin C levels and stop the deficiency of this important vitamin. Foods that are very high in vitamin C are: rose hip (usually made into a tea), acerola, red peppers, native Australian fruits and citrus fruits
Eat foods rich in iron - if you are low in vitamin C, you may also have low iron levels or even anaemia. Your doctor will do a blood test and let you know what supplements you need to take. If you are low in iron you may need to take an iron supplement, but you need to also eat foods rich in iron. Foods that are very high in iron are: beef liver, beef, eggs, spinach. In order to get the most iron absorbed from the foods, eat them with a food rich in vitamin C

Use supplements as recommended - your doctor will recommend a specific dose of vitamin C, depending on the severity of your symptoms and after checking the results of your blood test. You may also be recommended to take iron supplements too, because if you are not taking in enough vitamin C, then you could also be deficient in iron, which could mean you have anaemia, or are on the verge of getting anaemia if your iron stores are low. This will also be identified in a blood test. Take your supplements as recommended at the time of day and dosage levels
Visit the doctor to check vitamin C and iron levels - you will be asked to visit the doctor again, usually in a week's time, to check on your blood levels of iron and vitamin C after supplementation has been recommended, to determine if treatment is successful

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Last reviewed: 30 August 2007 || Last updated: 20 February 2009

Ascorbic acid (glossary)
Bioflavonoids (vitamins)
Vitamin C (vitamins)

NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.

Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.

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