The muscular tongue functions in chewing, tasting and swallowing. Because of its nearly continuous use throughout the day, abnormalities become obvious very quickly, making the tongue a helpful marker of disease. If your tongue shows signs or...
Iron deficiency anemia is a condition in which the body does not have enough red blood cells due to low levels of iron in the blood. Iron is a mineral that is important for the production of healthy red blood cells. Red blood cells contain...
A cracked tongue may indicate that you have a condition called scrotal tongue. Other names for a scrotal tongue include furrowed tongue, lingua fissurata, lingua plicata, lingua scrotalis, plicated tongue or grooved tongue. Most people who have...
Multiple sclerosis is a progressive neurological disease caused by damage to neurons in the brain and spinal cord. The damage occurs to the outer layer of the neurons, which is called the myelin sheath. The exact cause is not fully understood, but...
Tongue rings are a fashionable body piercing, yet an infection can cause major medical problems from disfigurement, obstructed airway or even blood poisoning. Learn the symptoms of an infected oral piercing to avoid further medical problems. Only...
Vitamin B12, an essential water-soluble vitamin, is stored in large amounts in your body and absorbed from animal fats and brewer's yeast. B12 helps create new red blood cells. B12 deficiency often causes anemia, or low red blood cell count. B12...
Geographic tongue gets its name from the maplike appearance caused by the smooth, red lesions on your tongue. Fortunately, geographic tongue is benign and doesn't require major treatment; however, it may not ever go away entirely, and you may not...
Your mouth can often be an indicator of what is happening in the rest of your body, and vitamin deficiencies are no exception. The human body is not able to make its own vitamins so you must obtain them from external sources to allow your body to...
A geographic tongue causes stinging or burning sensations and occasionally causes pain, swelling or numbness. Geographic tongue alters papillae--small protrusions on which taste buds are located--that are evenly spread out on unaffected tongues....
Consuming citrus fruit may cause your tongue to feel like it has bumps on it, but if you develop tongue swelling or burning, you may have an allergic reaction. Many food allergies don't cause a single symptom, but rather affect various body parts....
Vitamins are helpful in keeping the organs, muscles and systems of the body functioning properly. However, if you take too much of a specific type of vitamin, such as thiamine or vitamin B6, you may actually be doing more harm to your body than...
Nutritional therapy will clear the body of yeast overgrowth. An ongoing healthy diet can also prevent recurrent problems caused by yeast. Yeast overgrowth can affect various organs and body systems, causing symptoms including urinary pain,...
Your tongue is one of the toughest muscles in your body, but sometimes fissures break out on it. This is known as cracked tongue, scrotal tongue or grooved tongue. There is not a single established cause of cracked tongue, but there are many...
Kawasaki disease, also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome, is an inflammatory condition that affects the lymph nodes, skin and arteries. This disease most commonly affects children of Asian descent who are between 2 and 5 years old, as...
Amox-Clav is a medication made up of amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium. It is often abbreviated as Amox-Clav or is sold under the brand name Augmentin in the United States. Amox-Clav is part of the antibiotic family and is prescribed to treat...
Cilicaine, the brand name for the generic drug phenoxymethylpenicillin, is a prescription medication used to treat bacterial infections throughout the body. This antibiotic medication is part of a class of drugs called penicillins, which work by...
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, common tongue problems include pain, swelling or changes in the tongue's appearance. Minor infections or irritations are among the most common causes of...
Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is progressive and fatal. The disease affects the nerve cells that control the voluntary muscles. Because this disease affects some of the most important functions of the body, it...
The tongue is the primary organ of taste. It's made up of many muscles that assist in tasting, chewing, talking and swallowing. Mucous membranes and papillae cover the tongue and assist in the tongues functions. When white spots form on the...
Vitamin B12 plays an important role in many body functions, including red blood cell formation, DNA synthesis, hemoglobin synthesis and protein and fat metabolism. Vitamin B12 also plays an essential role in neurological function. Inadequate...
Sodium bicarbonate is an antacid medication used to treat the symptoms of heartburn, acid indigestion and sour stomach. You also may take a sodium bicarbonate product to lower the acidity of your blood or urine or to relieve the effects of...
Childhood hypothyroidism is a condition where a child's thyroid gland does not produce enough hormones in the bloodstream and, as a result, the body does not function normally. It is a condition that needs to be diagnosed and treated by a doctor....
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is a contagious virus that can cause recurrent skin infections in people affected by this condition. There are two major forms of HSV: type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2). The major distinction between these two types is...
Tracheitis refers to an acute inflammation of the trachea, or respiratory tract. Sufferers of tracheitis often experience partially blocked or potentially fully obstructed airways. This particular affliction occurs most often in very young...
Carcinoma is a term covering cancers that originate in epithelial tissues and spread to the surrounding area. Since epithelial cells are in the internal cavities of the body, on the skin and in the lining of all glandular tissues, carcinoma makes...
The tongue is a large muscle with specific functions in the mouth. These functions range from assisting in chewing, swallowing and tasting to helping with speaking, according to Medline Plus. The normal appearance of the tongue is pink with small...
Viral infections, caused by small infectious organisms that invade a host cell for replication purposes, may occur when a virus enters the body through the mouth or nose. The Merck Manual states that infections of the nose, throat and upper...
B12 is a water-soluble vitamin essential for maintaining nerve and blood cells and creating DNA. It is found in a variety of foods and stored in the body for several years. As a result, B12 vitamin deficiency is rare. Some weight-loss clinics...
If your skin starts to itch when you are out for your afternoon run, you may be experiencing an allergic reaction to exercise. The condition known as exercise-induced urticaria is a common type of heat rash It is classified as a physical allergy....
Sore throat, or pharyngitis, is a painful condition wherein the pharynx inflames and makes swallowing difficult. Learn more about sore throat in this health video.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that can cause mental dysfunction. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for Syphilis in this video.
Oral cancer is a kind of cancer that affects some part of the mouth. This cancer sees many people diagnosed with it annually, but it is also very curable if detected early. Watch this video for more information on this condition and how to fight it.