YOUR TONGUE CAN TELL  YOU ALOT MORE THAN YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR HEALTH


Noticed that your tongue recently has a thick white coating on it while brushing your teeth? Or is it looking a bit yellowish? Your tongue can actually tell you more about your health than you think! 


Healthy tongue

Stick out your tongue and look in the mirror. A healthy tongue should look pink and covered with papillae (small nodules). If your tongue looks different from what a normal tongue should look like, there might be some underlying health concerns. Check to see which description best suits the description of your tongue. 

1. Pale swollen tongue with a white coating

If you notice a pale coating on your tongue, you will also notice that you often get cold hands and feet. You might feel uncomfortable in your abdomen area as well, especially after consuming cold food. If your experience aligns with these symptoms described, you have yang deficiency according to 中医

2. Pale tongue with teeth marking at the sides

For people with pale tongue and teeth marking at the sides, you will also notice that you are fatigued most of the time. You also tend to perspire easily with little physical activity, just as just taking a 7-10 minutes to walk to your neighbourhood mall. You will also be more likely to catch the flu bug when flu season is around the corner! If you experience any of these, you have Qi deficiency.

3. Pale tongue with little or no coating

Those with pale tongue with little or no coating will find themselves being tired most of the time, along with dizziness and heart palpitations. They also tend to be forgetful, poor concentration and anaemic because they have blood deficiency. 

4. Tongue with a white coating and red tip

If your tongue has a white coating with red tip, you might find yourself with a bloated stomach constantly, tight chest as well as having mood swings. Under TCM, this is caused by Qi stagnation. 

5. Red tongue with cracks

People with red tongue tend to feel warm in their palms, accompanied by night sweats, feeling thirsty frequently and also constipation. According to TCM, this is because of yin deficiency in the body. 

6. Yellow tongue 

For those who find themselves with a yellow coating on their tongue, they also tend to have acne – whether it is on their face, chest or back. They will also notice that their stools are sticky and feel that it’s incomplete when passing out motion. This is caused by damp heat in the body.

Are you surprised at how much just by looking at your tongue a TCM physician is able to tell about your health? If your tongue deviates from the healthy pink tongue, book an appointment with a certified TCM physician and have it checked out! Your TCM physician will be able to diagnose your health more accurately and prescribe the suitable treatment for you – whether it’s yin deficiency, yang deficiency or others.