Your tongue can really tell you a lot about your health condition. Moreover, certain changes on your tongue may indicate that something strange happens in your body. Take a closer look yo your tongue to determine whether your thyroid works perfectly. In this article we give you some useful information that you are probably not aware of.
You can learn a lot by looking at your tongue, and this “testing” is considered as the most useful physical exam focus. Why is it that important?
Looking at your tongue provides a closer look to the function of your digestive tract. Your tongue is the only part of your body that is gives a direct connection to your stomach.
The same applies to your colon, but it sure is not something easy to examine. Your tongue can show you what happens inside your body, before you notice any deficiencies and imbalances, and even before the real problem shows up.
Take a mirror and look at your tongue. Notice any changes, color, surface, coatings, size, and pretty much everything that could be considered as a sign.
Next, answer the following questions:
- What color is my tongue? If my tongue pink? If not, what does this coloration mean?
- Is it smooth?
- Are there any changes? Does it look normal?
- Is my tongue too big for my oral cavity? Are there any indentations on the sides?
- Do I have cracks, fissures, or crevices?
- Are there any strange coatings?
Each of these questions can offer certain answers regarding your thyroid gland and provide more info than any set of lab tests.
Healthy tongue is pink, smooth, even, and without any coatins or fissures. If your tongue looks normal, then your thyroid probably works normally as well. But, there are some cases where healthy people struggle with hypothyroidism.
However, if your tongue looks bad, the same applies to your thyroid as well. Here are some thorough examples of what unhealthy tongue looks like and its association with the thyroid gland and its function.
If your tongue is red or beefy, you are likely to lack vitamins, especially vitamin B12, which essential for the thyroid function. Poor levels of these micronutrients often trigger problems with absorption. Your body cannot absorb micronutrients from food, which affects the function of your thyroid.
People with such tongues also lack zinc, selenium and iron. These are essential for thyroid conversion. If you have this problem, you better do something about your absorption. This process usually starts by improving your gut function.
Cracked and fissured tongues that resemble a map indicate problems with food sensitivity. The symptoms may not be visible at first, but the problems sure exists. Food sensitivity develops after a severe and long-term damage to your gut, causing a “leaky” gut. “Leaky” gut creates a perfect environment for food sensitivity. Every time you notice that your tongue looks like this, consider having a food sensitivity.
There is strong connection between having your tongue look like this and Hashimoto’s. Some experts believe that foon sensitivity often triggers the development of Hashimoto’s.
If your tongue looks like this, check your thyroid antibodies like Anti-Thyrogobulin and Anti-Thyroid Peroxidase, because fissures and cracks are signs you should not neglect. You can also do the IgG food allergy panel, or if you cannot do it, eliminate the two biggest offenders from your diet — wheat, or gluten, and dairy, or casein. Most people have noticed a huge improvement after avoiding both foods.
The size of your tongue also matters. Large tongue with indentations on its sides indicated a toxic body. If your body is loaded with toxins, your tongue will start swelling and push against your teeth. This causes indentations on your tongue’s sides, commonly referred to as “scalloping.” Toxins affect your thyroid in two different ways:
- They block cell receptors, and thyroid hormones cannot carry their function inside cells
- Toxins also damage your thyroid gland, making it less effective and vulnerable to disease, eventually leading to underactivity
Water is the most essential ally in detoxification. There is nothing fancy you should do, and drinking plenty of water is just enough. Water provides great health and detoxification. People often seek for a special “Detox Diet or Pill,” but every detox process starts off with hydration, or drinking enough water. Make sure you drink at least 80 ounces of water a day.
Coatings indicate a yeast overgrowth. Candida is a common infection, but unfortunately, not many people pay attention to it, nor treat it.
Poor levels of healthy gut bacteria create a perfect soil for the yeast, and it does not only overtake residence in your digestive trac, but on your tongue as well. Yeast affects thyroid function in many ways, but the most terrifying is its ability to decrease the conversion of T4 to T3.
Many people have low T3 levels due to a yeast overgrowth. You may not be aware of it, but any coatings on your tongue should be enough to convince you to do some testings and determine whether you are dealing with a yeast overgrowth. Blood and stool tests work fine for this purpose.
If your blood test shows increased levels of antibodies to yeast, consult your doctor to suggest you a therapy. Yeast-killing diet involves low carb intake and no yeast. Along with supplements and potent probiotics it provides an amazing treatment. You can also treat candida with medications, but this applies to advanced cases only.
Study your tongue to learn more about your thyroid. If you notice any of the aforementioned changes, ask your doctor to suggest you a suitable therapy. Hypothyroidism is not that easy to treat.
We hope that this article helped you a lot. Now, you can identify any underlying issues associated with your thyroid. As we already said, hyperthyroidism is a serious health condition, but you can stimulate your thyroid in different ways. Your doctor can help you find the best solution to your problem and fix your problem for good.
