This Is What Your Tongue Reveals About Your Health
Broadly speaking, professionals who treat diseases are of two kinds – one, who look for physical manifestations of internal diseases, and the other, who do not confine themselves just to these external indications but perform a myriad of tests to confirm an internal problem. Today, I am interested in the former. These are the people who look at the face, the tongue, the eyes, and some other external parts like these and diagnose the problem even without the need of the corroboration from a diagnostic test. Read on to know how the color or texture and even size of the tongue act as indicators for doctors who use them to tell what’s happening inside.
To begin with, let’s talk about:
- A Healthy Pink Tongue
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To check whether your tongue is healthy or not, place your finger on the tongue and feel it. If you feel the following things on the surface, it means the tongue is in perfect health.
The tongue
A) Is pink.
B) Has a faint white coat.
C) Is of moderate thickness.
D) Has soft lumpy structures called papillae, which essentially are the small hairs that are situated between the taste buds.
- Bright Rosy Tongue – Tongue That Looks Like A Strawberry
Image: Shutterstock
That said, it is not a positive indication if you find your tongue to be too red. One of the reasons for your tongue to be too red is Vitamin B12 deficiency. Folic acid and iron deficiency too could cause this redness on the tongue. The lack of sufficient amounts of B12, in turn, causes the loss of taste buds, which is what makes the tongue red. Another possible reason for a red tongue is excessive dryness in the mouth. If these are the reasons, consider replenishing the body with vitamin supplementation. If you feel your mouth is way too dry and accompanied by redness, go for OTC saliva substitutes or stimulants that are available in the form of gels and sprays. Also, a red tongue is a sign of infection or inflammation somewhere in the body.