Okay, everyone, stick your tongue out and say, AHHHH

[desertrat]

My tongue is never pink. Always a whitish coating, sometimes light, sometimes heavier.

I am sure it is due to something. Yeast, candida, gut putrification, sinus drainage....so many causes. I've seen pics of thrush, and don't think I've got that.

Does anyone else have a white tongue? Did you find it cleared up after going GF, SF, etc?

Or is it still white, no matter what you do?

Mandy

[Kari]

Hi Mandy,

I had white, yucky tongue all my life, and horrible morning breath - I used to joke that a skunk had slept in my mouth . After being GF/DF and mostly sugar free for two and a half years now, I'm happy to report that my tongue is pink - yeah!!! So hang in there - there is hope.

The bad news is that I do seem to have an overly sensitive tongue, and often get red, sore spots on it. I've been wondering if it's due to my waterpik, which sometimes hits the tongue, so I try to be very careful to protect my tongue while using it.

Love,
Kari

[wmonique2]

Mandy,

In Chinese medicine, your health is reflected on your tongue. A thick, furry coat is indicative of disease...you should use a tongue scrapper everyday. Bacteria accumulates on the surface which is the cause of bad breath.

Monique

[TXBrenda]

My tongue had a white coating even after going GF. Taking thyroid meds was the only thing that seemed to make a difference.

[JeanIrene]

Has anyone here heard of oil pulling, an ancient Ayurvedic remedy for removing harmful bacteria from the mouth? You put a tablespoon of sesame oil in your mouth and swish for twenty minutes first thing in the morning, then spit it out, rinse and brush. I tried this on a friend's advice and it seems to help my mouth feel cleaner, but it seems kind of strange! Not sure I believe it.

Jean

[wmonique2]

Jean,

there was a discussion a while back about it...I believe some people here tried it with coconut oil..I never did, don't think I have the patience to hold something in my mouth for 20 minutes without swallowing it...:-)


Monique

[ladyathome]

My tongue gets coated/white when my D is acting up or when I'm having other GI symptoms. When my symptoms subside, my tongue goes back pink again. I know for sure it changes according to how my gut is feeling. Last week when my symptoms were flaring, it was really bad, today, it's much pinker. I think medications have a lot to do with it too.

[Carriagehouse]

The first thing my ND did when I went to see her about LC was to look at my tongue. It was white all over, but bright red along the outer edges. She said that is indicative of gastrointestinal issues. Mu tongue has been white for as long as I can remember.

[Deb]

My tongue had a white coating for most of my life. It doesn't now. I'm suspecting it's from eliminating gluten but who knows???

[Julie]

Hi,

I had a white tongue because of a candida infection. There wasn't anything that could help me untill my doc prescribed something to rince my mouth. It was gone within days.

I had this due to taking cortisone. Apparently, cortisone can cause infections like candida, ...

Grtjs

Julie

[DebE13]

Mine frequently has a whitish color and scalloped around the edges. Most the time it's not too senstive but it can be painful. My acupuncturist said it's indicative of the GI issues and poor liver function. All of the traditional doctors have dismissed it. Not sure how it can be dismissed since it certainly is not normal.

[tex]

If I recall correctly, I read somewhere that scalloped edges on the sides of the tongue are an indication of hypothyroidism. I think the theory is that hypothyroidism causes the tongue to swell somewhat, which causes the teeth to leave impressions along the sides of the tongue. I had that symptom before I started taking Armour. The synthetic hormone supplement that I tried at first, didn't resolve it.

For the record, my tongue does not have a white coating, but it certainly did back when I was reacting.

Tex

[DebE13]

Tex, that's where I've come to a dead end with my doctors. They simply refuse to look into it any further. All my tests have been in their normal range. My dentists says it's due to my overbite. Acupunture helped somewhat at first for my eye pain but now not so much. I decided to try 20 treatments first before I decide if I should continue. My eye doc was the only one to bring up looking into hypothyroidism. My doc told me even an endocrinologist wouldn't treat me because nothing is wrong. That's when they offered the depression meds. Made total sense to me. Haha. I may need to revisit this- maybe the eye pain is tied into it.

My tongue is very sensitive to the foods I eat. I often have inflamed taste buds.

[TXBrenda]

Tex, the doctor that treats my hypothyroid told me the same thing.

Deb, my pcp would not treat my low thyroid symptoms because the lab values would always be in normal range. Finally went to a doctor in Houston that would treat me based on my symptoms. Yearly follow up appointments are by phone. There are doctors that will treat thyroid based on symptoms but they are few & far between. The dietician I used mentioned that she had to go to a doctor in the DFW area for her symptoms.

[tex]

My doc told me even an endocrinologist wouldn't treat me because nothing is wrong.

That's because an endocrinologist is going to go by the book, and this isn't in "the book". That's why I've never been interested in seeing an endocrinologist.

I would think that the only way to get a diagnosis/prescription without any "official" positive test results, would be through an alternative medicine doc.

Tex