Reema Gehi, Mumbai Mirror
There's a reason docs ask you to stick your tongue out. It's your body's health monitor
Other than allowing you to indulge in juicy gossip and a scrumptious dinner, the tongue, say doctors, performs a vital health function. This mass of muscle is a sensitive signboard that indicates the health of the patient.
The tongue's size, colour and texture are key markers of health, which is why your neighbourhood physician is most likely to ask you to stick your tongue out when you visit him for an examination. Girgaum-based general physician Dr Krishnakant Dhebri says the body signals a fall in vitamins through ulcers on the tongue.
Examining the tongue can also help detect cyanosis (a condition in which the lungs are unable to acquire enough oxygen), fungal infections like oral thrush in which a furrish coating appears on the tongue, dehydration and kidney ailments. Prosthodontist and implantologist Dr Dilip Deshpande adds, "In fact, you can first read the immediate symptoms of measles in the mouth since they erupt in the oral cavity before spreading to the rest of the body."
Ayurveda, naturopathy and traditional Chinese medicine also use the tongue as a health map, believing that various sections of the tongue relate to specific organs of the body. According to macrobiotic nutritionist Shonali Sabherwal, traditional Chinese medicine says the tongue holds information about the digestive vessel. "Different areas of the tongue correspond to various areas of the digestive system. Macrobiotic practitioners like myself examine the colour, texture, spots and coating, and consider them important markers." When a patient approaches her Juhu clinic for the first time, Sabherwal spends 15 minutes studying the tongue. It's part of routine diagnosis, she says. An inflammation or spots are a clear indicators of a deeper problem rooted in the organs, she shares.
Look at: The colour
A dark red shade, says Sabherwal, indicates inflammation as well as excessive body. "In extreme cases, it could signal a cancerous condition," she says. A brownish or black discolouration of the tongue is caused due of excess consumption of tobacco, gutka and paan, Dr Dhebri says. A strawberry pink tongue could indicate the onset of scarlet fever. A pale hue points to the lack of nutrients and haemoglobin in the body. A thick white coating could be due to the oversecretion of bile in the liver and gall bladder. When the tongue turns blue or purple, it's time to seek urgent medical help. It occurs due to the overconsumption of sugar and foods like fruit, soft drinks, and processed items.
A healthy tongue should: Be pinkish in colour
The surface
Dr Dhebri points out, "A healthy person's tongue must be light pink and moist. When the tongue lacks texture (medically described as a bald tongue), it suggests that the patient is suffering from iron deficiency or pernicious anaemia."
Patches or spots means the person could be prone to allergies. "Pimples mean both, elimination of excessive protein, fat or sugar in the body or excess consumption of meats, eggs and citrus juices, sugars, dairy products and poor quality vegetable oil," says Sabherwal. "A dry tongue is a sign of stress, since the salivary glands are not functioning at optimum level. It also suggests the collection of mucous in various organs in the body."
A healthy tongue should: Have a thin transparent coating.
Keep it clean
If you don't keep your tongue clean, it can lead to fungal infection that may exacerbate into a sore mouth. Poor oral hygiene can also result in the spread of harmful bacteria around the mouth, and bad breath. "Since there is a constant flow of saliva in the mouth, the tongue is being naturally and continuously cleaned. This discourages harmful bacteria from forming in the area," says Dr Deshpande. But that doesn't mean you don't pay heed to it. After you brush your teeth and floss, make sure you brush your tongue or use a tongue cleaner on it in strong back to front motion.
What shape are you?
While an enlarged tongue could be viewed as a symptom of medical conditions like Down's Syndrome and cretinism (severely stunted physical and mental growth due to untreated congenital deficiency of thyroid hormones), traditional Chinese medicine believes that the tongue can also determine the physical and mental constitution of a patient.
Wide: The physiological and psychological condition of a person with a wide tongue are generally harmonious and gentle.
Narrow: A narrow tongue with a sharp pointed tip indicates heavy meat consumption of the person's mother during her pregnancy. This is indicative of a personality that is physically rigid and mentally aggressive with a narrow mind.
Divided tip: Indicates frequent consumption of raw and vegetable foods during pregnancy. The individual has a tendency to be fickle-minded.
Flat: A flat tongue means this 'harmonious personality' individual's mother was a grain and vegetable food consumer, when pregnant with him/her.
Thick: A thick tongue is suggestive of over-consumption of protein from animal food and fat by the mother. It could indicate an aggressive personality.
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