LIVING WITH A GEOGRAPHIC TONGUE
Geographic tongue
I can personally feel the pain of all those who are living with a geographic tongue. I first discovered it when I was 18yrs old but had no idea what it was until years later. I had so many embarrassing experiences(as I’m sure many of you reading this can relate to) when it first became noticeable that it made my life miserable.
To begin I didn’t have medical insurance and the doctor who I was visiting at the time really had no clue what he was doing or prescribing me. We tried different treatments but nothing would work. You could imagine how expensive it was getting for me with every visit and every prescription that I tried. It wasn’t until I finally seen a dentist that I got my answer to what this “thing” was on my tongue.
For those of you that don’t know stress also plays roll in a geographic tongue. And believe me when I tell you I was stressed the hell out at that time simply because of my job and all the fast food I was consuming wasn’t helping. To top it off I was drinking alcohol heavily in those younger years and that made it worse. Alcohol creates a lot of acidity in the body which lead to yeast overgrowth and plenty of other unhealthy bodily reactions.
What caused my geographic tongue?
Since every individuals body is different there is no one solution or “one size fits all” treatment. A geographic tongue basically does not cause any major problems, therefore the medical field has not done much research to find out what’s the cause. When I finally found out what a geographic tongue was the dentist then told me it was do to stress. Stress? I asked my self, then why doesn’t half of the population have this symptom? And that’s when I began my research because it didn’t make sense to me at the time. Yes, stress plays a roll but it’s only one factor in the whole equation.
So I started searching the internet and participating in health forums and found out that I wasn’t alone. So many people discussing there life experiences with this problem and what they had tried and were trying in order to bring an end to what had made there life so difficult. It wasn’t until months of research that I came across Tim McMahon’s guide that I found a solution.
One of the major things that was effecting me was not only the stress but the foods that I was eating. The absorption issue and A digestive problems that were caused by heredity was another factor. Even thought I was eating healthy(according to me) I was still having issues with digestion. So what may be health for one person may not be for another. What may work for me may not exactly work for you.
For this reason I made this website because I truly know what it feels like to live with uncertainty. I have now lived years without having to worry about what’s on my tongue. The simple fact that I can now laugh or speak to someone without them looking at my tongue like I have some disease is honestly priceless. If you would like to learn more about geographic tongue then click here.
GEOGRAPHIC TONGUE OR THRUSH?
A geographic tongue can be sometimes confused for oral thrush. The main reason is because of the white coating on the tongue. Oral thrush is a condition in which the candida fungus accumulates on the lining of your mouth.
The difference is that oral thrush creates creamy white lesions that usually show up on your tongue or inner cheeks. The lesions can be painful at times and may bleed slightly when you try to scrape them off your tongue.
A dentist can diagnose if is thrush by examining your mouth. The dentist will look for the distinctive white lesions in the mouth, tongue, or cheeks. By lightly brushing the lesions away, it reveals a reddened, tender area that may bleed slightly.
Thrush has also been know to spread into the esophagus and may require other tests to make a better diagnosis. These test sometimes include taking a throat culture. A throat culture is when they swab the back of the throat and study the microorganisms under a microscope. Another is performing an endoscopy of your esophagus, stomach, and small intestine, or taking X rays of the esophagus.
Although oral thrush can affect anyone, it’s more likely to occur in infants and people who wear dentures, use inhaled corticosteroids or have compromised immune systems.
People with diabetes and high blood sugar levels are more likely to get thrush in the mouth because the extra sugar in your saliva acts like food for candida . People who take high doses of antibiotics or taking antibiotics for a long period of time increases their chances of acquiring oral thrush. The problem with antibiotics is that it kills some of the healthy bacteria that prevents the overgrowth of candida in the body .
A geographic tongue as mentioned in our previous post appear as small patches that disappear and reappear within a short period of time that usually ranges from hours to days. These patches will change in shape and sizes appearing like a geographic map.
The A.K.A’s of a Geographic Tongue
Here is a list of different names for geographic tongue:
-geographical tongue
-benign migratory glossitis
-oral erythema migrans
-glossitis areata exfoliativa
-glossitis areata migrans
-transitory benign plaques of the tongue
-lingua geographica
-stomatitis areata migrans
Here’s an interesting video from the Dr. Oz show
What I found interesting about this video is how easy it is to make a wrong self diagnosis when something appears on your tongue or on any other part of your body. I’ve been guilty of doing the same thing in the past that turned out to be something completely different.
If you would like more detailed information on geographic tongue and simple steps you can take to finally eliminate those embarrassing moments in public, then I recommend you check out Tim McMahon’s guide by Clicking Here
WHAT IS GEOGRAPHICAL TONGUE?
For those who are uncertain exactly what a geographic tongue(also known as geographical tongue) is, you have come to the right place for answers. A geographic tongue is an inflammatory condition that affects approximately 2% of the population. According to the U.S. Cencus Bureau there are about 7 billion people on earth, which would give us an estimate number of 140 million people that are affected by this condition. So your not alone. The characteristics are discolored regions of taste buds or sometimes even cracks in the tongue.
Geographic tongue is a condition that is most likely chronic, and frequently manifests after eating any of a range of exacerbating foods, or during times of stress, illness, or hormonal surges (particularly in women just before menstruating).
Geographical tongue symptoms
Usually the tongue is covered in small protrusions called papillae and red patches on the surface of the tongue are bordered by grayish white. The papillae are missing from the reddish areas and overcrowded in the grayish white borders. The whitish or yellow discoloration of the tongue is frequently due to a yeast infection.
Small patches then disappear and reappear within a short period of time that usually ranges from hours to days. These patches will change in shape and size. It is not that common for the condition to cause pain, but it may cause a burning or stinging sensation, especially after contact with certain foods that aggravate the tongue.
There are specific foods that sometimes cause irritation, numbness, burning or slight swelling of the tongue include tomato, eggplant, walnuts, citrus, sharp cheeses, spicy foods, sour foods, mint and candy. Products such as mouth washes and teeth whiteners, can also aggravate the tongue.
Geographical tongue causes
What exactly causes a geographical tongue is unknown but there are many factors that have been connected to this condition. It occurs more commonly in individuals who are affected by environmental sensitivity. Women are more likely to be affected, especially during high hormonal times. There has been many connections with patients with psoriasis, especially pustular psoriasis, diabetes, anaemia, atopy, particular foods and as mentioned above stress.
Stress has been associated with many of the health problems in today’s society. If people only new exactly what the body goes through when their emotions are all over the place they would consider a different approach to responding or reacting to their problems in life.
Geographical tongue treatments
There are many different treatments available. Visiting your dentist or doctor when you notice these symptoms occur is the best way to rule out a more serious problem. Most of the time they can diagnose geographic tongue from a description of your symptoms and from a simple examination of your mouth and tongue.
Discomfort or pain will most likely subside without any treatment. For those that experience a continuous pain, medication can help significantly. Your dentist or doctor may prescribe over the counter pain relievers, special mouth rinses, anti-inflammatories, vitamin B supplements, zinc supplements and corticosteroids.
Unfortunately none of these prescriptions mentioned above can eliminate a geographic tongue but they will definitely help to reduce the symptoms. The good thing is that this condition is a benign condition that usually resolves itself without causing any problems for the patient so most people do not require treatment. Click here for more on Geographical tongue
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Geographic tongue information coming soon!
