My tongue is disintegrating

[TheSir]

Since last year, I've been observing the development of these cracks in the sides of my tongue, which in opposition to what I was hoping for have grown deeper over time. My premise, one which I fully believe in, is that these cracks point to some rather fundamental metabolic issue. I just don't know what exactly. Can anyone shed some light into the causes behind this development?

Flashlight & non-flashlight pics for convenience (NOT a before/after):

 

[Jon2547]

My brother and mother both have something similar. Their tongues have canyons all over. Not sure why they have this issue. AFAIK, they have been this way all of their life. Since yours may not be congenital, you may want to try an all meat diet for a while and see if that clears up the matter.

 

[aliml]

In TCM, the sides of the tongue usually reflect the heat of the liver.

Diet Guidelines for Liver Heat or Fire

 

[Korven]

I don't have much input on the issue but I think this is referred to as 'geographic tongue' if you want to investigate further. My hunch is that it's probably related to gut issues - I always get mouth and teeth problems when my digestion is off.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

In TCM, the sides of the tongue usually reflect the heat of the liver.

View attachment 34191

Diet Guidelines for Liver Heat or Fire

This tongue graph is interesting. It seems much like reflexoligy chart. So if there are cracks in those areas it means something is wrong?

 

[Makrosky]

This tongue graph is interesting. It seems much like reflexoligy chart. So if there are cracks in those areas it means something is wrong?

In TCM yes. For western allopatic medicine probably we need 300 more years to know about it.

 

[Summer]

I’m thinking this could be due to where you’re positioning your tongue when your mouth is closed. Those marks were likely made by your teeth.

 

[Stilgar]

I have those cracks all over the front and sides of my tongue from a H Pylori infection, so can confirm the mouth definitely reflects digestive health

 

[TheSir]

you may want to try an all meat diet for a while and see if that clears up the matter.

What would you propose to be the therapeutic function of an all meat diet? Nutritional value, ease of digestion, something else?

In TCM, the sides of the tongue usually reflect the heat of the liver.

View attachment 34191

Diet Guidelines for Liver Heat or Fire

What would liver heat translate to in the Western scientific framework? Stress and inflammation?

so can confirm the mouth definitely reflects digestive health

I always get mouth and teeth problems when my digestion is off.

Yes, I agree. Stomach, intestines, liver... would be surprised if it wasn't one of these.

I’m thinking this could be due to where you’re positioning your tongue when your mouth is closed. Those marks were likely made by your teeth.

A fair hypothesis, but instead of tiny cracks the tongue would reflect the shape of the inner dental arch. Years of being mindful of oral posture has ingrained in me the habit of avoiding tongue-teeth contact.

 

[grapes]

I have much more bigger cracks all over my tongue. I'm not sure if they evolved during my life but when I was kid my mother told me doctors have made incisions on my tongue because "it was too big" (I must've been too small to remember it happening). Apparently they do it to some infants. Maybe that's what you have?

 

[TheSir]

I have much more bigger cracks all over my tongue. I'm not sure if they evolved during my life but when I was kid my mother told me doctors have made incisions on my tongue because "it was too big" (I must've been too small to remember it happening). Apparently they do it to some infants. Maybe that's what you have?

Ouch! That sounds indescribably vulgar. Alas, no, mine have appeared and deepened within the last few years.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

"Literature suggests that the fissured tongue is relatively common. In fact, it's so common that it is not noted in many clinical exams. Both aging and local environmental factors may also contribute to the small and deep grooves that become noticeable. As we age, other factors may come into play, such as the way that we process foods, vitamins, and minerals, and our T-cell functions decrease or may become faulty."

The tongue: A window to other organs

Integrative medicine practitioners do link the tongue to other areas of the body. Here's a look at the fissured tongue and what it can mean in terms of overall health.

www.rdhmag.com

 

[TheSir]

"Literature suggests that the fissured tongue is relatively common. In fact, it's so common that it is not noted in many clinical exams. Both aging and local environmental factors may also contribute to the small and deep grooves that become noticeable. As we age, other factors may come into play, such as the way that we process foods, vitamins, and minerals, and our T-cell functions decrease or may become faulty."

The tongue: A window to other organs

Integrative medicine practitioners do link the tongue to other areas of the body. Here's a look at the fissured tongue and what it can mean in terms of overall health.

www.rdhmag.com

As us Peatarians know, aging is the accumulation of stress, and anything that causes stress is fixable. The 'as we age' argument is a way of saying: "this happens and we don't know why so why resist it". For example, it is commonly said that testosterone declines with age, even though the real cause is cumulative decline of health over the years.

To me it seems that any stressor that could affect the tongue to such extent must be a major one, hence my interest in locating it.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

As us Peatarians know, aging is the accumulation of stress, and anything that causes stress is fixable. The 'as we age' argument is a way of saying: "this happens and we don't know why so don't resist it". For example, it is commonly said that testosterone declines with age, even though the real cause is cumulative decline of health over the years.

To me it seems that any stressor that could affect the tongue to such extent must be a major one, hence my interest in locating it.

It was the "processing vitamins" that caught my attention in that article. Since this tongue issue came into play only in the last year l wondered if a suppliment might be the issue.

 

[TheSir]

It was the "processing vitamins" that caught my attention in that article. Since this tongue issue came into play only in the last year l wondered if a suppliment might be the issue.

Indeed. I'm open to the idea of something having malfunctioned in the gut to a degree that it would prevent the absorption of, say, some b-vitamins. Haven't really been supplementing anything, if that is what you're asking.

 

[Rinse & rePeat]

Indeed. I'm open to the idea of something having malfunctioned in the gut to a degree that it would prevent the absorption of, say, some b-vitamins. Haven't really been supplementing anything, if that is what you're asking.

I swear by manuka honey for many things. I take it before bed most nights to kill bacteria in my gut and mouth. I don't rinse my mouth after taking it either. I also brush my teeth with coconut oil instead of toothpaste, which further kills bacteria. Possibly your toothpaste can be causing your issue.

 

[𝙁𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩~𝙩𝙚𝙚]

Since last year, I've been observing the development of these cracks in the sides of my tongue, which in opposition to what I was hoping for have grown deeper over time. My premise, one which I fully believe in, is that these cracks point to some rather fundamental metabolic issue. I just don't know what exactly. Can anyone shed some light into the causes behind this development?

Flashlight & non-flashlight pics for convenience (NOT a before/after):
View attachment 34186

I’m also curious to know if you happen to have dry cracked heels on your feet? Which could point to a vitamin A deficiency…but where there’s one deficiency, there are others.

Over the past 8 years, I’ve paid attention to cracked tongues. Whenever I see someone in a video or picture sticking their tongues out, I subconsciously, check to see if it’s cracked or not. Even in person…from what I’ve read and agree with the other members who mentioned it, about it having to do with liver/gut health. My grandmother had a severely cracked tongue, I remember she had this my whole life. She had lots of gut and health issues, even had pancreatic cancer in the end. Looking back, she had all symptoms of low thyroid.

Do you eat a daily raw carrot salad, incorporate bamboo shoots and well cooked mushrooms into your diet? Maybe consider taking a liquid B complex temporarily, unless you can increase foods with natural B vitamins or even both.

 

[StephanF]

My son’s dentist had a wire installed in his mouth to keep a gap open from an extraction of a baby tooth. He then developed a tonsil inflammation in the throat, not the usual tonsils in the mouth, which had been removed. I had the dentist remove the stainless steel wire since it contained nickel. He still has severe marks on his tongue where the wire touched the tongue. He is now 26 years old.

 

[TheSir]

Possibly your toothpaste can be causing your issue.

I personally brush with water only.

I’m also curious to know if you happen to have dry cracked heels on your feet? Which could point to a vitamin A deficiency…but where there’s one deficiency, there are others.

Over the past 8 years, I’ve paid attention to cracked tongues. Whenever I see someone in a video or picture sticking their tongues out, I subconsciously, check to see if it’s cracked or not. Even in person…from what I’ve read and agree with the other members who mentioned it, about it having to do with liver/gut health. My grandmother had a severely cracked tongue, I remember she had this my whole life. She had lots of gut and health issues, even had pancreatic cancer in the end. Looking back, she had all symptoms of low thyroid.

Do you eat a daily raw carrot salad, incorporate bamboo shoots and well cooked mushrooms into your diet? Maybe consider taking a liquid B complex temporarily, unless you can increase foods with natural B vitamins or even both.

No cracked heels here. One thing I just realized that might very well contribute to this development is that I've been drinking moderate but frequent amounts of alcohol for the past couple of years. 2-4 beers 3-7x a week. This could be enough to slowly damage the gut and deplete some b-vitamins, could it not?

 

[Gânico]

Many people here associate tongue and gums issues with bacteria or gut dysbiosis,
but there is another theory which associates it with heavy metals/toxins dumping from the brain through tongue, salivary glands and gums, and your body will try to use alkali minerals such as calcium to bind them, resulting in a coated tongue and dental plaque. When your body fails to bind those toxins, your tongue/gums can be physically harmed.