Geographic Tongue: What is it?
By Timothy McMahon
- Moderate Geographic Tongue
Geographic Tongue is an annoying condition where the tongue develops “Bald” patches often surrounded with a thin white line. It is not considered serious or life threatening by doctors. These patches are called “denuded” meaning that the “papillae” or little bumps on the tongue have actually fallen off. Fortunately the papillae tend to replace themselves in 7 to 10 days.
If you have Geographic Tongue and watch it carefully, as I have, you will notice that the replacement process is what gives the tongue the appearance of the patches moving around on the tongue. This by the way is where the technical name (“Migratory Glossitis”) for geographic tongue comes from. It appears to me that as the older papillae fall off they aren’t replaced quickly enough so the bald patches develop. After a few days new “baby papillae” start to appear within the bald patch but by then another spot is losing its bumps. Continue reading
What is Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6: What is it?
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that exists in three major chemical forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal, and pyridoxamine. It performs a wide variety of functions in your body and is essential for your good health. For example, vitamin B6 is needed for more than 100 enzymes involved in protein metabolism. It is also essential for red blood cell metabolism. The nervous and immune systems need vitamin B6 to function efficiently, and it is also needed for the conversion of tryptophan (an amino acid) to niacin (a vitamin).
Hemoglobin within red blood cells carries oxygen to tissues. Your body needs vitamin B6 to make hemoglobin. Vitamin B6 also helps increase the amount of oxygen carried by hemoglobin. A vitamin B6 deficiency can result in a form of anemia that is similar to iron deficiency anemia. Continue reading
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