Crack In The Tongue
Cracked Tongue Causes. If you have noticed fissures on your tongue, then you may be having a condition known as cracked tongue. The problem may be painful and/or.
A geographic tongue refers to the tongue COATING, and it will looked kind of peeled back in some places. It looks like a map. This is quite different from a tongue.
In most cases cracked tongue does not cause discomfort, but consuming spicy foods or developing an infection in the mouth can make your symptoms worse. Here.
If you have fissures in your tongue, it s likely no cause for concern. In fact, certain types of grooves or cracks are considered simply a variation of a normal tongue. Sometimes called a plicated or scrotal tongue, this condition is often harmless. However, it s rarely a good idea to diagnose yourself. So, if you have any concerns, set your mind at ease by discussing this with your doctor or oral specialist. Characteristics of Fissured Tongue
These are the characteristics of a fissured tongue:Cracks, grooves, or clefts appear on the top and sides of the tongue.These fissures only affect your tongue.Fissures on the tongue vary in depth, but they may be as deep as 6 millimeters.Grooves may connect with other grooves, separating the tongue into small lobes or sections.
Unless debris builds up in these fissures, you are unlikely to have any symptoms.
Fissures may first appear during childhood. However, fissures are more common in adults. And, just as wrinkles can deepen with age, fissures can also become more pronounced as you get older. If you have regular dental exams, your dentist has no doubt spotted the fissures on your tongue. This is how most fissures are found. Conditions Associated With Fissured Tongue
About 2 to 5 of the U.S. population has a fissured tongue. A fissured tongue may affect men slightly more often than women.
Because a fissured tongue can cluster in families, it may be genetically inherited. Although other causes of fissured tongue are unknown, it may appear along with other conditions such as these:Geographic tongue, also known as benign migratory glossitis BMG. This benign condition often shows up along with fissured tongue. It may cause no symptoms other than sensitivity to hot and spicy foods.Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. This is a rare condition. It not only causes a fissured tongue, but also lip or facial swelling and paralysis in the face Bell s palsy that may come and go.Down syndrome. Fissured tongue occurs in as many as 80 of children with the chromosomal disorder Down syndrome.
It is not common to need a biopsy of a fissured tongue.
If a fissured tongue causes any symptoms, your dentist may encourage you to brush your tongue. This may help remove debris that has built up in deep fissures, causing irritation.
In almost all cases, though, no treatment is needed. However, if you have symptoms or any complications of Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome, your dentist or doctor may recommend that you see a specialist.
When you go to the doctor s office and complain of a sore throat, your physician may ask to peer into your mouth, pushing your tongue down with a wooden tongue depressor.
When you visit an acupuncturist or a Chinese medicine practitioner, you will also be asked to stick out your tongue - but for an entirely different reason.
The Tongue Is a Window into the Body
If you ask family, friends, and coworkers to show you their tongue, you will begin to see that each person s tongue is unique.
Some tongues have a coating, while others do not. One person may have a long, pointy tongue, while another person presents a short tongue. Some tongues have marks along the edges. Other tongues are full of horizontal lines or red dots.
Chinese medicine sees the body in terms of the microcosm and the macrocosm. This means that according to Chinese medical theory, a single pattern can repeat itself from the largest to the smallest scale.
The tongue is a perfect example: it is believed that the state of the tongue reflects the health of the entire body.
While it can take years to learn full tongue diagnosis, there are a few diagnostic signs that anyone can easily learn. With a little practice, you will be able to use the tongue as one more way to decipher what your body is telling you.
The Mouth Is the Orifice of the Digestive System
This means that what is going on in the tongue gives you a pretty good idea of what is going on in the gut.
How well we digest food and drink shows up on the tongue. This is visible in the tongue coating and in the tongue color.
The tongue coat, which often shows up on the middle or at the back of the tongue, lets you know how well you are metabolizing the food that you eat.
A light, thin white tongue coat reflects healthy digestive function.
A thick tongue coat reflects an excess of dampness, or pathogenic fluid. The tongue coat may be thick and yellow or thick and white. Most commonly, a thick tongue coat is associated with poor gut function.
No tongue coat at all could mean some form of exhaustion in the body. For example, a red and shiny wet tongue could signal that the body does not have enough fluids to produce a coat. A natural balance of fluids in the body is essential for healthy gut function and overall vitality.
Tongue color can range from pale pink to red or even have a bluish tinge. The tongue color reflects the distribution of body fluids throughout the body. For example:
A pale tongue tells us that there may not be enough blood in the body. Often the root cause of a pale tongue can be found in diet. This is because food gives us the energy to make blood.
A tongue that is purple or has a bluish tinge could be a warning that fluids and blood are not fully circulating. Lack of circulation can also translate into emotional stagnation or depression.
If you would rather not talk about your feelings, an acupuncturist will still be able to learn a lot from looking at your tongue. This is because the tongue gives clues about your current mental and emotional state.
When it comes to emotions, the tip of the tongue is especially important.
A red tongue tip shows up when the tongue tip is redder than the rest of the tongue body. This can reflect some kind of psychological stress.
According to Chinese medicine, too much thinking or worrying can deplete the cooling, regenerative fluids of the body and generate heat. Heat, as you may have already guessed, shows up as a red color in the tongue.
When we see a red tongue or a red tip, it makes sense to avoid foods that can overheat the body. These are foods like wine, alcohol, coffee, spicy foods, and too much meat.
No tip or indentation at the tip of the tongue. When someone experiences severe trauma, this may show up as an indentation on the tip of the tongue. Emotionally, this person my be slightly introverted or feel an overall loss of strength.
If you see a thick tongue coat, it is time to make some changes.
A thick tongue coat in the center of the tongue body or toward the back of the tongue indicates an overburdened digestive system.
An overgrowth of bacteria or yeast in the digestive system will often show up as a thick tongue coat. The color of the coat may be white or yellow, depending on a person s constitution.
Too much dampness can contribute to a thick tongue coat as well. When we overburden our digestive system by eating to capacity, we slow down gut motility.
While a little digestive disharmony may not seem like anything to worry about, over time it can lead to other problems that involve the immune system and the hormonal system.
If you are suffering from a thick tongue coating, try the following:
Fermented foods and probiotic beverages are some of the most effective ways to bring your inner ecosystem back into balance. A healthy tongue should look fresh and have a very thin white coat. Introducing living enzymes and probiotics to assist in the digestion of your food and to repopulate the digestive tract with beneficial bacteria is a must when correcting digestion and fighting candida.
A simple solution to improving digestion is to follow the Body Ecology Principle of 80/20. This means eating until you are 80 full. It also means not overwhelming your plate and your gut with too many starchy or acidic foods. Make sure that 80 of your plate is made up of non-starchy vegetables, fermented vegetables, and ocean vegetables.
Soups, broths, steamed vegetables, and cooked foods are often better choices for someone with digestive issues. Avoid large amounts of raw fruits and vegetables.
Herbs and spices such as turmeric, cardamom, ginger, coriander, black pepper, and fennel all aid in warming the system and improving digestion.
A cup of warm tea twenty minutes before a meal is a great way to stoke the digestive fire. Ginger tea can also benefit indigestion, bloating, and nausea.
Enzymes can assist the digestive process by improving the body s ability to break down the foods initially in the stomach and later in the small intestine to increase mineral absorption.
Fissured Tongue
Cracked Tongue Remedies. Development of fissures and cracks in the upper tongue surface has limited causes, and they are mostly harmless. Cracked tongue remedies.
Symptoms of a Cracked Tongue. Cracked tongue is a condition marked by grooves or cracks in the tongue. The condition also has several other names, such as scrotal.
Fissured tongue occurs in as many as 80 of children with the chromosomal disorder Down syndrome. It is not common to need a biopsy of a fissured tongue.
Tongue cracks are hereditary, and rarely cause and problem. Geographic tongue usually accompany cracked tongue. Possible causes include food allergy, biting the.
Aug 16, 2013 A cracked tongue is marked by one or more fissures on the tongue surface. It has multiple causes, ranging from poor nutrition to anemia. Understanding.
The tongue: A window to other organs. by Nancy W. Burkhart, The ground will become extremely dry and start to crack. The tongue topography will look the same.
