How to tell your health from your lip color in traditional Chinese medicine

Changes in lip color are one of the bases for TCM diagnosis of disease. A normal person's lip color should be a healthy, moist red. If the lip color is abnormal, it means that there is disease in the body. Below, Chinese medicine teaches you how to judge your health by your lip color. In daily life, if the following two situations occur, you should be alert.

Numb lips: pancreatic weakness

My lips felt numb and my body became thinner. This may be due to the gradual weakening of pancreatic function, which is mainly caused by eating disorders and improper hunger and fullness. If the pancreas is not healthy, the stomach will be affected. When the stomach is damaged, the lips will become noticeably dry and numb. In addition to adjusting your diet at this time, you should also be careful not to eat raw, cold, or greasy foods.

Peeling lips: Lack of vitamin B2

Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin, has a national average daily intake of 0.8 mg, which is only 58.4% of the RDA requirement of 1.3 mg. The deficiency situation does not vary greatly between regions. Severe deficiency of vitamin B2 can cause symptoms such as peeling lips and itchy skin.

Lips too red: may cause "heatiness"

Red lips are a sign of health, but if they are as dark red as if you were wearing lipstick, it is an unhealthy sign. In traditional Chinese medicine, red represents heat. If there is too much heat accumulated in the body, be careful not to get inflamed.

Pale lips: Possible anemia

Because the skin of the lips is very thin, it can fully reflect the color of blood. If the lip color becomes lighter, it means that there is a lack of hemoglobin. If your lips are too white, it may indicate anemia. If accompanied by pale nails, anemia is very likely.

Bluish lips: Beware of congenital heart disease

Cyanosis of the lips is one of the common symptoms of congenital heart disease. Once you find that a child's lips, fingers, and toenails are cyanotic, and the color is lighter when the child is quiet, but darker after activity or crying, you should first consider whether it is congenital heart disease.

The small blisters that grow on the lips or around them are highly contagious and often occur during periods of low body resistance such as colds, fevers, and menstruation. Cold sores can be spread through kissing, close contact with an infected person, or sharing eating utensils. Although cold sores will disappear within a few days, they feel very uncomfortable. You can apply some Vaseline on them with a cotton swab and try to avoid wind and sun. But if it recurs, you need to go to the hospital for examination.

Chapped lips: Not just because of the climate

Sometimes chapped lips are not only caused by climate, but also by many oral and dental diseases, which can lead to chapped lips and cheilitis. Therefore, when hydrating in winter, you should also pay attention to oral hygiene to effectively prevent dry lips. If the chapped and scabby symptoms on the lips do not heal for a long time, you should go to the hospital in time to find out the cause as soon as possible and receive symptomatic treatment.