Your tongue is the ultimate multi-tasker, helping you talk, taste, chew and swallow. It even fights germs – and IDs health problems. Dr. Mao's Natural Health Specialist, shows you how to read its clues to illness...
Most people ignore their hardest-working muscle: the tongue. Sure, you appreciate it when its 9,000 taste buds are wowed by sinfully-rich chocolate or spicy salsa. But did you know it can clue you into what’s happening in your body?
Doctors do. That’s why they ask you to “open up and say, ‘Ahhhh.’” They know the tongue offers a window into your health.
An inflamed tongue may mean you’re lacking vitamin B. A swollen tongue? Possibly hypothyroidism. And, as moms know, tongue ulcers pop up when kids have a fever.
But practitioners of ancient Chinese medicine believe the tongue can tell us even more.
“The tongue is one of the most important diagnostic areas,” says anti-aging expert and doctor of Chinese medicine Maoshing Ni (Dr. Mao), author of Secrets of Self Healing (Avery).
Your tongue is a map of your body’s organ networks, the Chinese believe.
Reading its abnormalities can alert you to illnesses everywhere – from brain to bowels – so you can find the right remedies.
Chinese medicine divides the tongue into five zones: the tip, behind the tip, the right and left sides, the center and the back.
Each corresponds with an organ and energy system in the body as well as a natural element, such as fire or water.
Color Clues
To start reading your tongue, check its color. A healthy tongue is light to medium pink, Dr. Mao says.
Scarlet or purple is an ominous sign, suggesting rising heat in your body from inflammation, infection or hyperactivity.
A bright red tongue suggests too much heat, so stop with the spicy foods.
If you’re stressed out, chances are your tongue is red – or even polka-dotted.
A pale tongue means you’re cold or you may have anemia or low energy. It’s likely your immune system’s not up to snuff.
The Coat
Next, look at your tongue’s coat. What you want, unpleasant as it sounds, is a thin, white layer of moss.
If you see a thick or colored coating, you may have an infection or inflammation. It also could mean you’re dehydrated or suffering from oral thrush, a fungal infection.
A brownish-black coating may suggest a rare fungal lung infection. A thick yellow coating on the back of your tongue could mean you have a bladder infection.
And then there’s “geographic tongue.” This sickly tongue will have smooth, bright red spots or patches scraped off its surface, causing the tongue’s surface to look like a map.
Though usually harmless, the patches can change size and even location from day to day, and they may be sore or burn.
Western doctors link the condition to stress, hormonal changes or allergies. Fortunately, the spots usually clear up on their own.
The Five Zones
Now that you have the color and coating down, you’re ready to align body parts with the tongue’s five zones.
Below is Dr. Mao’s lingual map and the signs that may suggest illness. As always, be careful with self-diagnosis.
Although tongue analysis has been practiced for thousands of years, it’s not backed by scientific research. If what you see is worrying, talk to your doctor.
1. The tip
Element: Fire
Body part: The heart and the small intestine organ network
What to look for: Red overall color or red dots. Redness here is associated with stress and anxiety. It could also indicate a chronic condition, such as celiac disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder or a phobia.
2. Behind the tip
Element: Metal
Body part: The respiratory and immune systems
What to look for: Redness or red dots. Either could indicate a respiratory infection. Possible ailments include bronchitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia or emphysema.
3. Right and left sides
Element: Wood
Body part: The liver network
What to look for: Teeth markings on the tongue’s sides occur when teeth rub against an enlarged tongue. This might suggest a liver problem, hepatitis, an enlarged liver or a fatty liver, a common side effect of diabetes. They could also indicate low energy, distension around the lower ribs or abdominal swelling.
If blue-green or purple spots appear on the tongue’s sides, you may have a more serious condition, such as liver cancer or cirrhosis.
4. Center
Element: Earth
Body part: The digestive system, including the stomach, spleen and pancreas
What to look for: Redness and a yellowish coating. These indicate gastro-esophageal reflux disease, commonly known as acid reflux.
Other conditions that may surface: diarrhea, constipation and Crohn’s disease.
5. Back
Element: Water
Body part: Kidney and bladder network, including the hormonal system and sexual glands
What to look for: A thick, yellow coating. If you see one in the back or the center of your tongue, you may be developing a bladder infection.
Other problems might include urethritis (inflammation of the urethra), kidney failure or kidney stones.
It’s easy to add a quick tongue check to your daily routine. Just say a few “Ahhhhs” after brushing your teeth.
To keep your tongue and mouth healthy, Dr. Mao recommends loading up on green tea – it’s an antibacterial cleanser, he says.
Want more? Meet Dr. Mao. Plus, visit AskDrMao.com.
Have a question for Dr. Mao? Email him at DrMao@LifeScript.com. Include your first name and last initial.
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