When we comment something like "the food is delicious" after a meal, just make a note that it's your tongue that tells you about the taste. We can know the difference in taste due to the signal generated by the tongue, it is also an important body part which supports gustatory function.
What else tongue tells you? Well, it can tell many things about your health. You might be wondering how? Based on the changes in color or presence of blemishes and sores on the tongue provides a strong message about your health. Let's look at details about what are these changes and how to interpret health from the tongue.
What Can Your Tongue Tell You about Your Health
- Some of the change in the tongue are quite visible and can be easily judged to convey the health issues.
Changes in Texture
- Suddenly if you feel that your tongue has become unnaturally smooth then be aware that it is a sign of glossitis. The smoothness of tongue can be the result of inflammation and loss of papillae which is a hairy bump on the tongue. The main cause of this condition is deficiencies of vitamin B and iron. You have to take care of your diet if you find your tongue has become smooth.
Bumps, Blemishes or Sores
Here are the different types of symptoms you can find through abnormal tongue
Canker sore
- These sores issues are often get confused with the cold sore.
- The canker sore is tiny, shallow ulcers which can appear on the underside of your tongue.
- The canker sore is very painful and makes it hard to eat.
- It has red borders and yellow centers.
- Stress or issues in digestion generally result in canker sore.
Bumps
- An infection or allergy can lead to tiny bumps on your tongue.
- These bumps are quite irritating and represent that you are suffering from some infection and your body needs a lot of rest.
Strawberry tongue
- The strawberry tongue is considered as a sign of scarlet fever in children.
- It appears in the form of white covering on the tongue along with the swelling.
- In 4-5 day, the tongue becomes red strawberry and the swelling will increase.
- This indicates the immune disease 'kawaski' which affect the children the most.
- In this disease, the blood vessels throughout the body get inflamed vigorously.
Changes in Color
- Here are some changes in the color of the tongue which represent the signs of different diseases and deficiency.
Brown
- If your tongue has undergone discoloration and turned brown then be aware it is a sign of dangerous skin cancer called melanoma.
Black
- The black color of your tongue indicates the build up debris and bacteria on the surface of the tongue. It is often a result of excessive use of chemicals or intake of tobacco. A careful cleaning and brushing are required to change the color and get back the pink tongue.
White
- Dehydration and trapped debris in papillae lead to a white tongue.
- The excessive smoking habit can also lead to the white tongue.
- You can remove the white layer by regular cleaning of the tongue.
Red
- This could be a sign of scarlet fever or Kawasaki disease.
- It has to be treated on the urgent basis.
Yellow
- A yellow tinge on your tongue indicates smoking, dehydration, and fevers.
- It can also be a symptom of liver disease.
- So, it is important to take care of the tongue and keep looking at it carefully.
- The regular brushing and cleaning of tongue keep it healthy and pink in color.
- Mouthwash is also a promising way to keep tongue clean.
- The clean tongue will help you in the process of digestion and also reduce the chances of viral infection.
source: http://admirablebuilding.org
