Causes of tongue atrophy:
Western medicine theory: mirror tongue is more common in severe patients such as fever, malignant tumor, hyperthyroidism, liver cirrhosis, tuberculosis, heart failure and advanced anemia. In addition, digestive and absorption disorders, vitamin B 1, B2, nicotinic acid and other nutrients can also occur. Modern research believes that due to the disorder of oxidative metabolism of tongue epithelial cells, a large number of cells die, which leads to the exfoliation of tongue mucosal epithelium except basal cells, drying the mucosa, and the mushroom nipple and filamentous nipple completely atrophy and disappear, thus forming a mirror tongue.
In addition, the mirror tongue can also be seen in the elderly. After entering the old age, the oral mucosa becomes thinner and atrophied, the elastic fibers around sublingual blood vessels degenerate, and the supporting effect on blood vessels is weakened, which will cause changes in tongue coating. Causes such as microcirculation disturbance of tongue body in the elderly can also lead to this symptom.
Traditional Chinese medicine theory: tongue coating is formed by steaming stomach qi on the surface of the tongue, as Zhang Xugu, a doctor in the Qing Dynasty, said: "However, people who are not ill often have a layer of grass as thin as grass roots, that is, the gas in the stomach." If it is as smooth as a mirror, there will be no hair growth, such as an inch of land and gold. "This passage vividly illustrates the relationship between the formation of tongue coating and stomach qi. Mirror tongue is caused by excessive consumption of vital qi in the process of disease, such as qi, blood, essence, body fluid and other substances, and even deficiency of both qi and yin. Medical law holds that this disease is caused by dryness, which can be divided into internal dryness and external dryness. Exogenous warmth or contact with poisons can lead to external dryness; Loss of body fluid or blood essence leads to internal dryness. If it is dry, it will be dry, which is manifested in the formation of mirror tongue in the mouth. Therefore, the treatment should be based on the principle of nourishing yin and reducing fire, benefiting qi and nourishing yin. Some patients are caused by deficiency and cold of spleen and stomach, and should be treated by warming the middle energizer and strengthening the spleen. In addition, the guide to tongue diagnosis of typhoid fever mentions: "The elderly have a weak stomach or hurt their stomach qi, so their tongue is light and bright, and there is no coating. "It shows that the mirror tongue may also appear after old age and physical decline. Special reminder, the research on the etiology of atrophic glossitis in modern medicine has surpassed the theoretical understanding of traditional Chinese medicine. Whether it's the old and weak or the mirror tongue caused by disease, it's not enough to rely solely on diet. Only on the basis of western medicine actively treating the primary disease, combined with the use of Chinese medicine, can we achieve good results.
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