Your tongue's color, texture and moisture can show you initial signs of what's going on inside your body. Many studies have already established the fact that proper oral hygiene is as important as balanced diet, healthy lifestyle and happy disposition in life.
If you wish to have an idea as to what's going on inside your body, experts recommend that you look into the mirror and take your tongue out. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials reported that a healthy tongue should be pink, gently moist with light coating and covered with small nodules called papillae. And in case, you notice any difference in terms of its normal color, shape and texture, there can be a certain cause of concern.
Some alternative medicine practitioners, Chinese herbalists and naturopaths believe that the tongue indicates the state of your health. Some of them can also diagnose their patients by just doing the basic analysis of their sense of taste.
If your tongue is swollen and red, there could be allergic reactions and vitamin deficiencies respectively. Strawberry or raspberry tongue among children can be a symptom of scarlet fever or Kawasaki disease. Yellow tongue usually means that there is bacterial overgrowth and in rare instances can be a symptom of gall bladder and kidney issues.
White tongue, on the other hand, most of times, requires you to simply brush your teeth and clean your tongue, too. Thus, it could also be a sign of excessive smoking and irritations from tobacco.
Dry and whitish tongue suggests that you either haven't been drinking enough body fluids or you've slept with your mouth open - making the body dehydrated. People with diabetes, taking antibiotics or receiving chemotherapy may develop black and hairy tongue, which can also insinuate bad oral hygiene and fungal infections.
According to Women's Health Mag, a "too-big tongue" gives you a feeling of largely swollen tongue that initially signifies hypothyroidism, which slows down your metabolism and decreases your energy levels.
Now, when you see your tongue is moist, "healthy-light red or pink" in color with a sort of white coating, you have nothing to worry. Nevertheless, anytime you notice pain, abnormal changes in your ability to taste or even difficulty in moving your tongue, go and see your doctor right away.
