What Your Tongue Says About Your Health.
apart from the fact that coated tongues gives a bad odour which may be simply a problem of hygiene , the tongue actually reflects all the diseases of the body.when your doctor tells you to stick out your tongue is a valid way to start examing you.if you have a mystery tongue problem,go and see a certified otolaryngologist (more commonly known as an ear,nose, and throat specialist.
WHITE COATING.
When the tongue looks sort of white and pasty-in patches or in its entirety- it is an indication that there is probably some sort of infection present on the tongue,such as bacterial overgrowth or an autoimmune-related inflammatory disease. one possible: thrush,which is an overgrowth of candida (yeast) bacteria. once the infection is treated with anti-fungal drugs(either topical or oral) and the infection clears up, the tongue will return to its healthy pink shade.
TOO DARK.
A healthy tongue should have a warm,pinkish color,so when it looks dark brown or black,you need to wonder why.And chances are the answer will be in your diet,lifestyle or your medicine cabinet.The filiform papillae on the top of the tongue-particularly if they're elongated-can easily take on stains or various colors from the foods,drinks,antibiotics,lozenges etc that you consume.A side effect of taking bismuth medications(like pepto bismol) is that the tongue may turn temporarily black.And drinking a lot coffee,smoking or chewing tobacco can stain the tongue a brownish shade.The goodnews is that in both cases,it is probably just stained from food or medicine and simply brushing your tongue a few times should help it fade back to its normal shade.While the staining may not be permanent,beware that any kind of tobacco use increase you risk of oral cancer.
PALE AND SMOOTH.
When people are suffering from iron deficiency anaemia,the tongue can take on an abnormally pale,smooth look.That is because when your body is dealing with a lack iron,your blood does not have the necessary oxygen-carrying capacity to keep the tissues red. And the result of that lack of oxygen in the blood is that all of the tissues - including the tongue-become pale and look,well,anaemic.When the anaemia is under control and the blood is once again well-oxygenated,the tongue will go back to its healthy pink shade.
TURNING YELLOW.
A yellowish tint on the tongue is probably a clue that there is some sort of fungal or bacterial infection in the mouth. Another possible cause of tongue yellowing is gastric reflux.It may be that the acid rearranges the mouth's normal bacterial flora, and some of it may have a yellow hue.Occasionally,changes in the tongue's color will happen only in patches-a condition known as "geographic tongue".In that case,some spots on the tongue will become yellow while other areas remain normal and pink.
apart from the fact that coated tongues gives a bad odour which may be simply a problem of hygiene , the tongue actually reflects all the diseases of the body.when your doctor tells you to stick out your tongue is a valid way to start examing you.if you have a mystery tongue problem,go and see a certified otolaryngologist (more commonly known as an ear,nose, and throat specialist.
WHITE COATING.
When the tongue looks sort of white and pasty-in patches or in its entirety- it is an indication that there is probably some sort of infection present on the tongue,such as bacterial overgrowth or an autoimmune-related inflammatory disease. one possible: thrush,which is an overgrowth of candida (yeast) bacteria. once the infection is treated with anti-fungal drugs(either topical or oral) and the infection clears up, the tongue will return to its healthy pink shade.
TOO DARK.
A healthy tongue should have a warm,pinkish color,so when it looks dark brown or black,you need to wonder why.And chances are the answer will be in your diet,lifestyle or your medicine cabinet.The filiform papillae on the top of the tongue-particularly if they're elongated-can easily take on stains or various colors from the foods,drinks,antibiotics,lozenges etc that you consume.A side effect of taking bismuth medications(like pepto bismol) is that the tongue may turn temporarily black.And drinking a lot coffee,smoking or chewing tobacco can stain the tongue a brownish shade.The goodnews is that in both cases,it is probably just stained from food or medicine and simply brushing your tongue a few times should help it fade back to its normal shade.While the staining may not be permanent,beware that any kind of tobacco use increase you risk of oral cancer.
PALE AND SMOOTH.
When people are suffering from iron deficiency anaemia,the tongue can take on an abnormally pale,smooth look.That is because when your body is dealing with a lack iron,your blood does not have the necessary oxygen-carrying capacity to keep the tissues red. And the result of that lack of oxygen in the blood is that all of the tissues - including the tongue-become pale and look,well,anaemic.When the anaemia is under control and the blood is once again well-oxygenated,the tongue will go back to its healthy pink shade.
TURNING YELLOW.
A yellowish tint on the tongue is probably a clue that there is some sort of fungal or bacterial infection in the mouth. Another possible cause of tongue yellowing is gastric reflux.It may be that the acid rearranges the mouth's normal bacterial flora, and some of it may have a yellow hue.Occasionally,changes in the tongue's color will happen only in patches-a condition known as "geographic tongue".In that case,some spots on the tongue will become yellow while other areas remain normal and pink.
