How Your Tongue Tells You About Your Health

Food plays a significant role in our life. While many of us eat food to live some of us live to eat food. If the food eaten is tasty and delicious who would want to stay away from eating. Some foods have a mesmerizing effect on our mind that we repeatedly eat them even throughout our lifetime. Our tongue gets credit for all the wonderful tastes we experience. The taste buds on the tongue make us feel the taste of the food. Tongue not only makes us enjoy the food we eat through the taste buds but also can reveal about our health condition at all times. Ensure you pay complete attention to your tongue now and then. Your tongue can tell a lot about you, in fact much more than you think.

1 If your tongue is Strawberry Red in color

Basically, to have normal Papillae on the surface of the tongue, the body must be rich in Vitamin B12. Any deficiency in Vitamin B12 makes the tongue lose these Papillae giving it a smooth look. Losing Papillae causes pain and burning sensation when hot and spicy foods are eaten since the raw tongue gets exposed. While non-vegetarian eaters get compensated with Vitamin B12 eating meats of certain types, vegetarians are prone to Vitamin B12 deficiency. Vegetarians who happen to notice a strawberry red tongue must seek medical advice on the supplements to be taken to get rid of the condition. Beware this condition can also be caused when the GI Tract suffers from an autoimmune disease where the vitamins do not get absorbed by the stomach.

2 Brown or Black Fuzz on the surface of the tongue

The small bumps that appear on the top portion of our tongue continually grows till our lifetime. However, people having the tongue that is covered with Black or Brown fuzz needs to take care of their oral hygiene in a better manner though this is not a pointer to any chronic ailment. When we eat food or drink liquids, Papillae get automatically worn out due to regular usage. They keep growing on the worn out areas. However, when Papillae overgrow in size sometimes due to improper or insufficient oral hygiene habits, they tend to foster bacteria making them appear discolored and ugly. This also brings bad breath as an extra detriment. People who smoke must stop smoking to get rid of this problem. Non-smokers must ensure they practice habits that complement oral hygiene. Regularly cleaning the tongue with the tongue scraper will help people overcome this problem.

3 Tongue coated with Cottage Cheese White

A tongue being covered with white colored cottage cheese kind of a filament can mean the person is infected with yeast. When the white coated tongue becomes lumpy, it may be a pointer to the condition called Thrush. Thrush is caused due to the overproduction of Candida that is responsible for maintaining the tongue with normal thickness. Under normal circumstances, our tongue constantly creates Yeast and Bacteria. Such white coating on the tongue may be an indicator that your Immune system is getting affected and needs your attention. Antibiotics tend to kill bacteria that cause such white coating but do not kill the yeast, and so the problem persists. Thrush is more experienced by people who have Diabetes, autoimmune diseases and patients who undergo Chemotherapy treatments. Thrush can meddle with tastes and sometimes cause pain. Contact your Medical Practitioner if you happen to notice thrush. The happy news is, it is curable with the help of across the counter medications

4 Wrinkled tongue

Wrinkles on the tongue may be signs of ageing. Don't be surprised when we say this; tongue has age too. Sometimes dentures or any appliances used may also cause such wrinkles on the tongue. Such wrinkles, in normal situations, do not do any harm to the tongue or taste buds. However, when the clefts in between the wrinkles get affected by bacteria, they may cause pain and burning sensation. Simple antifungal medications can cure these wrinkles on the tongue. Check if your dental fixtures are settled in their place properly. Drinking plenty of water and practicing habits that take care of oral hygiene helps get rid of wrinkles. Ensure you clean your tongue regularly so you can avoid bacteria getting fostered on your tongue

5 Patches of white underneath the tongue

If you happen to notice small white colored patches underneath your tongue that irritate but not pain, you need to be alert. These small white patches are known as Leukoplakia. A highly prevalent in smokers, this is an indication that the body gives the smoker that he has got this precancerous lesions. If left unattended to, these may develop into cancer. Non-smokers usually get this when the teeth constantly rub against the tongue. However, if such white patches last for long, we suggest for a medical checkup. For all you know, you may be advised by your dentist to go in for a Biopsy to check the chances for cancer.

6 Red Lesions

Lesions look more like canker sores. The difference is Canker sores disappear with a couple of weeks even if no medication is taken. But Lesions that are persistent are dangerous. Irrespective of the age of the person, Lesions may occur on the tongue and persist for long periods. Allowing them to persist without attending to them on time may cost the life. Lesions, in particular, prolong the presence of Lesions points out to Tongue cancer. Do not wait to approach the Doctor just because these bulky things on the tongue have not caused any pain. Many types of cancers do not give any symptoms during the initial stages. Check with your Doctor immediately without wasting time, if you notice Lesions in your tongue.

7 Burning sensation on the tongue

Burning sensation on the tongue is experienced in women who are mostly in the postmenopause stage in life. Researches indicate that women are prone to feeling a burning sensation on the tongue almost seven times more than men. This happens mainly because of hormonal fluctuations in the body. The other reason that causes burning sensation on the tongue is probably the toothpaste being used. When we say, this one may wonder if they can face any issue due to the toothpaste they have been using all along in their life. Our answer is yes. The main ingredient in toothpaste which is responsible for creating foam while brushing the teeth is a chemical called Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. People who continuously feel burning sensation in their tongue must switch to pastes that do not have Sodium Lauryl Sulfate. Consult your Doctor who can recommend the appropriate solution for your problem

8 Hills and Valleys on the tongue

If your tongue looks like path full of hills and valleys, feel happy you have a geographic tongue. This is a normal condition which happens due to the shrinking and regenerating of taste buds now and then. This tongue condition is harmless unless it causes pain. If you experience no pain, just continue with your life since you do not need any treatment for the same. However, if you feel pain, check with your Doctor who may prescribe medication for you. Generally, a thorough antihistamine rinse or brushing with an anti-inflammatory steroid paste solves the issue in a simple manner

9 Sores that cause pain

These are the general Canker sores experienced by people across the world now and then. They may appear in the cheeks or tongue. These punched out reddish sores can cause unbearable pain in the particular regions. The pain is usually very high during the initial 4 to 5 days. They start subsiding automatically after five days and entirely vanish within two weeks time. Sores on the cheeks and tongue are not contagious. But be very careful when you get sores on your lips since these are highly contagious. These sores are said to be caused due to a virus called Herpis Simplex Virus. These are also caused when you are highly stressed out.