Look at the tongue, check your health, and see your health from the tongue

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that: "The tongue is the sprout of the heart" and "The tongue coating is the root of stomach qi", that is, the tongue is connected to the meridians of internal organs such as the lungs, heart, liver, spleen, and kidneys. Observing the tongue quality is important to distinguish the strength or weakness of the internal organs; observing the tongue coating is important to distinguish the severity of the disease and the existence of stomach qi. This is the basis for understanding pathological changes in internal organs by observing the tongue.

Healthy tongue

Its color should be pink or light red, and its shape should be oblong, moderately fat and thin, with a thin white coating, shiny and moist; finally, the tongue should be able to stretch and retract freely and powerfully.

Too pale tongue

Most of them are blood deficiency, yang deficiency or cold syndrome. This pale tongue indicates the possibility of nutritional disorders, anemia and some endocrine diseases.

Tongue is too red

It is yin deficiency and excess heat. At this time, the body is hotter, breath is bad, and the temper is bad. This situation indicates that there is a problem with thyroid function or you may have diabetes.

Purple tongue

The purple tongue is caused by the abnormal blood color in the blood vessels on the tongue. Reasons such as venous congestion, increased blood viscosity, slowed flow rate, poor reflux, and increased reduced hemoglobin due to hypoxia are all direct causes of cyanotic tongue, and the degree of the disease is proportional to the severity of the cyanosis. The cyanotic tongue is mostly acidic. Changes in the pH value of the tongue surface are related to the severity of the disease and the strength of the self-cleaning function in the oral cavity. Cancer patients, especially liver cancer patients, are prone to cyanosis tongue, and the early and late stages of cancer are closely related to the severity of the cyanosis tongue. However, purple tongue is not unique to cancer patients. Patients with liver disease, bile duct disease, various heart diseases, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, dysmenorrhea in young women, and those undergoing surgical procedures may all develop purple tongue. If a person has never been sick and suddenly develops a purple tongue, this should be taken seriously.

Smooth tongue

It is manifested as atrophy of the lingual papillae, a smooth tongue surface without coating like a mirror, and a pale and dull tongue. It is more common in patients with pernicious anemia, gastric achlorhydria, gastric cancer, malabsorption or pellagra.

Fat and tender tongue

Tooth marks on the sides of the tongue are mostly a sign of deficiency and cold, and may be caused by hypothyroidism or acromegaly.

Thorns on tongue

This indicates that heat is stagnant inside the body, which may be caused by pneumonia and scarlet fever. Other diseases with high fever also have this tongue symptom.