What your ears, tongue etc say about your health

Below I continue the article by Stephen Langley from The Naturopathy Workbook. I just finished reading The Magus by John Fowles.

NATUROPATHY
CLINICAL DIAGNOSIS continued

EARS

*Crease across ear lobe: may be a relationship with a weakened heart.
*Itchy and excess wax: Candida albicans, lactose intolerance

TONGUE

· Normal / healthy tongue: pink with fine white coating (moss), slightly moist and is neither too big nor too small for the mouth.

· Inspection of the tongue: Each part of the tongue corresponds to the condition of an organ. To see the condition of the heart for example, one looks at the extreme tip of the tongue, whereas to gauge the state of the lung one looks near the tip.
The progress of illness is also shown on the tongue. As illness improves, the quality of the coating (fur or moss) and the colour become more normal. If the illness worsens, so will the tongue and coating. If the tongue is very red overall or in one area, this indicates the presence of fever or inflammation that is attacking the organ system. The heart, lungs and liver are most vulnerable to damage by heat, which shows up as red on the tip and edges of the tongue.

· Map of the tongue-parts of the tongue and their relationship to organs of the body: tip of tongue (heart and lung zone) relates to organs and functions above the diaphragm eg heart, oesophagus, lung etc (heart being right at tip of tongue).
Centre of tongue (spleen zone) relates to organs and functions between diaphragm and navel eg stomach, pancreas, spleen etc.
Back of tongue (kidney zone) relates to organs and functions below the navel eg. Bladder and kidneys, intestines, uterus, ovaries etc
Sides of tongue (liver zone) relates to organs and functions in lateral areas of the body, between navel and diaphragm eg. Liver and gallbladder, spleen

· Texture- Geographical tongue (mapped tongue): Deficiency of complex B vitamins.

· Colour

*Red: heat, excess condition
*Blue/purple: stagnation, congestion, and poor circulation
*Pale: coldness, deficiency or low vital force
*Bright red (scarlet): internal heat, infection, inflammation

· Shape

*Swollen (flabby): damp present
*Deviation: Paralysis of 12th cranial nerve (hypoglossal) can cause atrophy and deviation towards the paralysed side
*Thin (elongated): Deficient blood or fluids
*Reddened with prominent papillae: excess heat or congealed blood
*Hairy tongue (excess papillae): may follow antibiotic therapy
*Smooth, slick and sore: may be deficiency of riboflavin, niacin, B12, B6 or iron.
*Scalloped at sides (teeth marks): fatigue and loss of vital force digestion/assimilation problems (spleen qi deficiency).

· Coating (fur, moss)

The moss is related to digestion and thus can reflect the state of the digestion system. The ‘fur’ consists of bacteria, food particles and dead cells which accumulate when saliva flow is reduced.

*Slimy: phlegm present
*Yellow: heat, excess
*Thick: excess, spleen disharmony
*Sticky & moist: extreme dampness of stomach and spleen
*White: cold, deficiency
*Dark brown: some form of stagnation

· State

*Dry: heat, excess, not enough fluids
*Short, horizontal cracks: deficiency of vital force (qi)
*Shallow midline crack (not to tip): stomach deficiency
*Deep midline crack (to tip): heart condition
*Leaden: a sign of either extreme heat or extreme cold
*Enlargement of veins under tongue: may be vitamin C deficiency
*Dark veins under tongue: possible kidney problems

· Glossitis: occasionally this condition is a symptom of iron deficient Anaemia, or a lack of vitamin B12, B3, biotin or folate

GUMS

· Normal/healthy gums: the gums (gingivae) normally show a pale red stippled surface. Their margins about the teeth are sharp and the crevices between gums and teeth shallow (eg 1-2mm)
· Bleeding gums: vitamin C and/or zinc or coenzyme Q10 deficiency
· Gingivitis: usually result of irritation by calculus formation) diet too acidic
· Periodontal disease: (often from untreated Gingivitis) reflects high acidity and low bioflavonoid, zinc and coenzyme Q10 status

BODY ODOURS

· Sweet: Possible pre diabetic condition
· Fishy: cold and deficiency
· Rotten, putrefying: heat syndrome, damp
· Oily, fatty: congestion, stagnation