Signs on the tongue warn of dangerous diseases, go to the doctor right away lest you “regret it too late”-Life Health

The tongue is not only a taste organ, used to perceive taste but also reflects the state of human health. Unusual changes on your tongue can be a warning sign of serious health problems, even cancer.

According to traditional medicine, the tongue represents the state of human health, seeing that the tongue can diagnose many diseases, including cancer.

There may be some unusual changes on the tip of the tongue, which are warning signs of many dangerous diseases. If we detect them in time, it will be very helpful for the next course of treatment.

According to Oriental medicine, the parts of the human body are a unified whole under the concept of “so on the inside, they will all manifest on the outside”, that is, the five viscera are directly or indirectly related to each other. tongue. Thus, examining the tip of the tongue is an important method to diagnose diseases in Eastern medicine.

Particularly with cancer, when a person is about to develop cancer or is already sick, what characteristics may be present on the tip of the tongue? Although these signs are not necessarily signs of cancer, they do show that you need to take care of your health.

Illustration: Internet

White spots or stripes on the tongue

Usually on the tongue it is not easy to appear white spots or white stripes, they all have a shallow, evenly distributed coating of the tongue, if white spots or white stripes appear for a long time, you should pay more attention. First see if you have oral leukoplakia or oral lichen planus, if not, you need to consider precancerous lesions.

In particular, people who like to smoke or drink hot water at normal times are easy to damage the lining of the tongue and the lining of the mouth, which will increase the likelihood of cancer. Don’t be careless and perform the checks early.

Tongue always feels hot

People who like spicy food and numbness often have a burning sensation on their tongue after eating food, in addition, even if the tongue is scaly, this sensation will also occur. If you feel an unexplained burning sensation on your tongue, don’t be careless, most likely your body is reminding you that a brain attack is about to happen.

Doctor Sheng Lei, Head of Encephalopathy Department of Jiangsu No. 2 Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, said that if people over 50 or 60 years old experience unexplained tongue pain or short-term numbness and swelling of the tongue with According to the corner of the mouth is deviated and paralyzed on one side of the body, it is important to pay attention, it is most likely a signal of cerebral infarction, which should be checked in time.

Of course, it can also be a lack of nutrients, or a fungal infection, tongue cancer can also cause tongue pain, in case of more frequent tongue pain without finding the cause, you should see a doctor soon.

Pale tongue coating, swollen tongue and teeth marks around the tongue

It can be difficult for many people to distinguish the coating of the tongue, but if the body of the tongue is fat (edema), it can be clearly seen, easy to detect teeth marks on the tongue, the normal tongue has no teeth. Therefore, when detecting these changes in the tongue, there is only one type of change that you cannot ignore, it shows that you are a person with a cold body and need to adjust your body in time.

In addition to observing the tongue, you can also watch for other changes in the body such as cold hands and feet, difficult-to-shape stools, menstrual pain, irregular menstrual periods that can be related to the body getting cold.

Strawberry tongue

The so-called strawberry tongue means that there are many small red dots on the surface of the tip of the tongue, like the surface of a strawberry. This phenomenon may be related to a number of problems, such as too high temperature and humidity in the body, meaning a relatively severe internal heat, which requires examination of the spleen and stomach.

In addition to the heat and humidity problem that can also be associated with scarlet fever and Kawasaki disease (medium-sized arteritis), in addition to causing strawberry tongue disease, these two diseases will also be accompanied by high fever.

White array

White patches on the tongue can be a sign of thrush caused by a fungal infection. This disease occurs when your oral health is out of balance due to medication or illness.

In more severe cases, white, flat, non-scratchable patches appear on the tongue called leukoplakia, which can develop into oral cancer if prolonged. Therefore, you should see your doctor immediately if you notice these symptoms.

Tongue is bright red

This could be a sign of Kawasaki disease, a very serious and rare disease that often occurs in children, causing inflammation of the blood vessels. In addition, a bright red tongue is also a symptom of scarlet fever.

Besides, if you find your tongue is smooth and red, accompanied by pain in the mouth, it could be a sign of vitamin B3 deficiency.

Burning feeling

If you feel like your tongue is burning when you drink or have a metallic taste in your mouth, this could be a sign of neurological problems. This condition is called burning mouth syndrome or mouth sensation disorder. Other health problems like acid reflux and diabetes can also cause this feeling.

Smooth tongue

If the tongue is smooth, without small ripples, it could be a sign of a lack of nutrients such as iron, folic acid and vitamin B. It can also be a sign of infections. , celiac disease (a disorder of the digestive tract, gluten intolerance) or a side effect of medication.

When the surface of the tongue has different large and small patches that do not cause pain, it is a benign disease commonly known as geographic tongue or map tongue.

Swelling on the tongue

The underside of the tip of the tongue often appears as small, red and painful sores that will go away on their own. This is a sign of irritation.

Cracked tongue

Tongue fissures often form as you age, but they can also be a sign of Sjogren’s syndrome (chronic inflammatory systemic autoimmune disease) or psoriasis.

They can be harmless, but remember to clean the mouth area after eating to remove leftovers and bacteria, avoiding the risk of infection.

Big tongue

Macroglossia is a condition in which your tongue is too large for your mouth and is usually recognized by the teeth marks on the sides of your tongue. The cause of an enlarged tongue is infection, allergies, or hypothyroidism.

Tongue pain

Tongue pain is a common condition, showing various signs of illness. Mouth ulcers and lichen planus are the two main causes of pain, thrush and geographic tongue. Certain medications or infections can also cause tongue pain.

If on the tongue appear lumps, lumps accompanied by white patches and pain, this can be a sign of a dangerous disease. See your dentist as soon as possible.

Signs of oral cancer

Ulcers that do not heal, pain and lumps on the tongue along with symptoms of difficulty swallowing, chewing difficult can be a warning sign of cancer. If these symptoms do not improve and persist, it is necessary to see a doctor for an examination and early diagnosis of the disease.

The tongue is purple and has black spots on the surface

When you see these signs, it’s most likely because you have a blockage in a blood vessel. Often patients with blood vessel problems will have additional symptoms such as headache, chest tightness, swelling in the fingertips or toes, dull skin.

If the tongue turns dark purple, clear black spots accompany the above symptoms, go to the hospital immediately if you don’t want to face dangerous thrombotic diseases such as: pulmonary embolism, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction heart…

Tongue is yellow

People with poor oral hygiene will often have a light yellow color on the surface of the tongue. At this point, a large amount of bacteria has broken out and is raging in your mouth.

However, if you have done good hygiene and the condition has not changed, then you most likely have a problem with your liver or gallbladder. When the disease is severe, the breath will also have a bad smell, accompanied by frequent symptoms of fatigue and nausea

Tongue with white hairs in the middle

This is a warning sign of gastritis, colitis or chronic constipation.

At that time, white hairs will only grow in the middle of the tongue and divide the tongue into 2 parts, but for people with chronic stomach disease with low stomach acid, chronic gastric fibroids or duodenal ulcers, white hairs will appear. may grow more in the middle of the tongue, accompanied by mild swelling of the tongue.

Long-healing sores on the tongue

A healthy tongue is usually pink in color and has a smooth surface, with no lumps or sores.

If there are ulcers on the surface of the tongue that make it difficult to eat and drink and last forever, despite being treated, or red or white lumps, you must be careful because they can is a sign of cancer. It’s best to see your doctor as soon as possible.