Was Scrooge suffering from arthritis and acid reflux?

Jim Carrey thinks Ebenezer Scrooge could have used some calcium pills.

Maybe even some antacids. And some therapy.

"One of the things I really wanted to capture with the character is the bitterness, the effect of a life without love. It forms you. It forms your face; it forms your body," the "Christmas Carol" star revealed about his character at the opening of the holiday film's free promotional cross-country Train Tour.

The first stop is Union Station this weekend, and then the traveling film museum hits 40 cities. The film opens nationally on Nov. 6.

"I always figured back then healthcare probably wasn't the best. So, he was probably suffering from some inflammatory diseases of some sort, like arthritis," Carrey theorizes. "I figured Scrooge had to have been living with a chronic case of acid reflux, so that the bitterness could be even tasted in his mouth. I mean, he just couldn't get around it. He's just full of vile feelings I think the bottom line of the character is he's screaming for help. And that's what's true of everybody in that position, is they just don't know how to love because they never felt love. So it's a beautiful character to be able to play."

Flip video reporting: Elizabeth Snead