yeah, so i last posted in this thread in 2002, and i cant believe its still up! i had pretty bad GT back then, since i have gotten a few years older and out of college, my GT has gotten a lot better. i rinsed my mouth with everything you could think of back in the day and they all did nothing. the only thing that has changed is age, i get more sleep, and i eat healthier and have less stress. im pretty sure living a healthier life will cure 90% of cases. however, if i drink some certain citrus drinks, i still have a little pain that lasts until i drink something else. thats about it though.

on another note, about GT being contracted by others.......it cannot be contracted by anyone else by kissing or whatever. my ear nose and throat doc told me this, and i have kissed 4 or 5 girls since ive had GT, and none of them have gotten it.

I dont think the doctors can say its not contagious for other people by kissing. If the doctors dont know where GT come from how can they say its not contagious ?

I have the same with GT. In the begin it was a big problem for me but now its much less. Also because (I think) I take every morning very good Multi vitamin pills. Omnium !

This is very interesting as i have developed in the last month a geographic tounge, with one large spot after having alot of gastrointestinal problems caused by travellers diarrhea. I had this for around a month on and off and then the red raw area appeared as a result of the loss of fluids.
My understanding of the condition is this................The toungue is coated by the stomach and when the stomach fluids start to dry up the coat on the tongue becomes rootless, and peeled in some areas ie red rings. If these raw rings are in the middle of the tongue they are generally associated with stomach problems, like burning sensations when eating certain foods, particulary if they are hot and spicy, and also after drinking alcohol and coffee. Bloatedness after eating, thirst, maybe anxiety, insomnia and low grade fevers may also occur. You will probably find also on the tongue cracks, also due to the dryness of fluids in the stomach. Its a bit like land that becomes more dry and starts to crack due to the lack of water.
The geographic tongue is a major characteristic of what is called Yin deficiency in Chinese Medicine. It is readily treatable and in fact i am currently undertaking a course of herbs to treat this, which is starting to clear. My father a western medicine doctor does not know how to treat this other than by giving antibiotics for bacteria causing the glossitis, which infact is not the cause. The only way to help treat the condition is to go to a chinese herbalist! So forget all the pill popping of Vit C etc
You dont have to have raw herbs you can get powdered if you dont like the taste. There is also a list of foods that you can eat to help renourish the fluids in your stomachs.
Really what should be avoided is any foods that have a hot nature like spices, fried greasy foods, coffee, and phlegmy foods like yoghurt and bananas. Rice is really helpful particulary if you can make it into a soup. Chinese Herbal medicine is really fantastic for this and if you need more info on this let me know, and ill try to help. IT IS TREATABLE!!!!

I have had this condition for about 15 years. However, as I was recently working with some different vitamins and minerals, I found that taking 200mg of selenium each day seems to fix the problem. I tried going off it, and it came back, and when I took more selenium, it went away again.

Maybe this will work for someone else. If you try it and it works, please post!

I'll chime in here. For the record I've had GT for at least 15 years. I'm very allergic to citric acid (orange juice especailly) and pineapple juice just makes my GT worse than ever. It swells up, gets blisters, and look very bad. I've also been diagnosed with early type 2 diabetes due to raised blood sugar levels and hA1c tests. I think they are all connected.

I mention this because I've been reading many similarities and I hope some rising star in the medical world puts 2 and 2 together and gets this thing resolved.

I have had GT along with the teeth marks for as long as I can remember and I am 30. It wasn't a huge concern until recently...I've been hit with a bad episode. I thought that I was alone and only recently realized that there are others who suffer from the same condition. Other than pictures on the internet, I have NEVER seen anyone with a similar condition. As in a previous post, I find myself being envious of others with healthy pink tongues. It's like a cruel joke is being played on me, and other unfortunates. It does seem worse when you dwell on it. I have always kissed my boyfriends and no one has seemed to have caught it from me. Just recently, it has gotten worse and it seems to be my allergies. I am also anemic. I don't know of any known flare-ups and have tried peroxide and brushing three times a day and it offers minimal help. I am going to try the Biotene toothpaste and mouthwash to see if that works since some have and it seems to work. This site has help...Thanks.

Let me correct my above posting. I have had the teeth marks and some fissures for as long as I can remember. But the GT is only been with me for a few years. I think about 2 or 3 years. I started going to the dentist because I chipped a couple of teeth in the back. Recently I went to the dentist because he was fitting me for porcelain crowns but he was using metal ones to get a good fit and when I got there my tongue was fine. But when I left...I had a few spots on my tongue. Coincidence...probably not. I was thinking that my dentist is where my fate began with GT in the first place. I really hate this. It's really making me Self-conscious and sometimes depressed. I wasn't having any really bad episodes until a few month's ago. Only once a month and only then they were small spots. Now I have two large ones on the left side of my tongue and they seem to favor the tip of my tongue for some reason and the spread along the sides. I look at it in the mirror and want to cry. Hopefully for us there will be a real CURE one day.

I suffered with GT for 17 years and just now have found a cure for me. I also have GERD. I take gobs of vitamins prescribed by a natural health M.D. to strengthen my body. I have to be on a strict candida diet as well as a strict GERD diet. I had 3 major surgeries, one for huge fibroids, the other two for adhesions which closed my colon. I was on major antibiotics, major NSAIDs as well as major GERD medications. The three books that guide me are The PH Miracle by Robert O. Young, Ph.D., Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook, Jeanne Marie Martin and Why Stomach Acid is Good For You, by Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. I have to be careful because certain foods from the 1st 2 books don't work for Gerd. It is a very bland diet and is completely different from the average American diet. But, at least I can eat again and I am getting healthy again without prescribed drugs. It has taken 3 years to wean myself from the caffeine cravings of chocolate, tea and coffee, but, they are gone. The cravings for sugar and wheat were also very difficult to stop. No alcohol, not even a package of stevia or equal. Basically no fruit, except green apples sometimes. A really yummy recipe for pancakes is in the candida book. 2 tpb + 1/2 tsp simmered apple, pear or peach juice,(cooled in the freezer) 6 eggwhites, 2/3 C boiled/filtered water, 1 tbl olive oil, 1 + 3/4 C of mixed flours (teff, millet, quinoa), 1/4 C tapioca flour, 1 tsp baking pdr (no aluminum), 1/4 tsp sea salt and 3/4 tsp cinnamon. Oil a frying pan with olive oil and bring it quickly to medium-high heat. Start making pancakes immediately after batter is mixed, cook small pncks 60-90 secs. Re-oil pan before each new pnck. Just put a little expellier pressed oil type butter on the pancake & eat! I changed the recipe around a little. Another good recipe is millet, or quinoa with chicken or homemade chicken broth, sea salt, and add vegetables at the last 5 minutes. 5-6 small meals a day. HCl after each meal. I brush teeth with 1/2 salt and 1/2 baking pdr. Rinse mouth with 1 tsp hydrogen peroxide in 1/4 C water for 30 seconds. Rinse again with water. I take silver sometimes 3 tsp/day. Wormwood does help with the toungue pain. I hope this is of some help to some of you.

Hello again...this time I am going to ask a question to everyone. Is anyone using a toothpaste like Aquafresh Extreme Clean or another toothpaste that does a lot of foaming? Well I had started using the Aquafresh about four or more months ago. Prior to this I was using Colgate Whitening with Baking Soda & Peroxide and had been for years. I switched back to the Colgate and I have noticed significant improvement after only a few days or so. I even wasted my money ($6) on the Biotene toothpaste and it was unsuccessful. This may not be the case for everyone. I may have also been affected by allergies and have begun a regimin of at least one pill a day (sometimes two) of D-AMINE-SR (generic) prescribed by my Doctor. None the less, it SEEMS to have gone back to "normal." I have not changed my diet or eating habits at all. I hope this can help someone.

The biggest thing that makes geograpic tongue noticable is the white hairy parts of the tongue because they in sharp contrast the red patches. Well today I tried a remedie that I read online for white tongue also known as thrush. Many people believe that Thrush and Geographic tongue are both tied to yeast so maybe whatever cures one will cure the other. Anyay all the white on my tongue is completely gone so my tongue is entirely pink with patches slighty more red than the rest of my tongue but barely noticable. My geographic tongue was not as bad as it used to be in the first place because I have been loading up on multivitimans. Anyway if you want your tongue to be completely pink it's simple. Go to your local pharmacy and buy Glyserin USP in a bottle. It's for external use only but don't worry you aren't going to swallow it. It's a sweet tasting syrup like liquid. Brush your tongue with it and the white comes right off. It's awesome! Also I am trying another remedy that I heard of but since there is already no white on my tongue I guess I'm doing it to be thorough. I'm taking activated charcoal. You can by it in capsule form over the counter for gas relief. It's called Charcaps. Activated charcoal is a wonder drug and all it is, is powdered charcoal, but it can save your life if you swallow poison. It's good for many things but one person claimed she took it for digestion and the next morning her thrush was gone. I hope this helped! Good luck!

I've come across something called oil swishing, which is swishing sunflower oil in the mouth for about 20 minutes one or more times a day with acute conditions. It's supposed to clean the blood, which eliminates most ailments. It helps my migraines and teeth problems, but I don't know about other diseases. I use it as often as needed and seem to bounce back better than ever from a migraine. I get facial swelling which is connected to my migraines and the sunflower oil, which is rich in linoleic acid, brings the swelling down quickly, alleviating the pain from the swelling and migraine. The oil seems to soothe my teeth and gums, but I'm not sure if it can cure my lifetime teeth problem.

Best of luck,

Yeona

Here is a link that might be useful: Oil pulling or swishing

My 5 year old son was yesterday told by his doctor that he had this "condition". Having looked at various websites the unanimous decision would appear to be that it is caused by a lack of vitamin B (poss 100). My son also suffers mouth ulcers and I have suffered from this for years and a pharmacist told me that this was due to a lack of vitamin B12 (which my doctor denies!)

this makes me question of there is some sort of link tho I myself have not suffered from GT though horrendously with mouth ulcers. Being so young I am unsure if I will be able high doses of Vitamin B and wondr if parents of other children have done so

I've suffered from GT for over a year. Since my bowel resection surgery 3 months ago, it has become worse. I just started Remicade for my Crohn's disease and within 3 days of the infusion, my GT had disappeared. This was 2 weeks ago, and I haven't had problem since

I was diagnosed with geographical tongue when I was a infant (my mother had told me) 20 years later it decides to slowly creep back into my life. I am wondering if it has to do with living in a dorm enviornment at my college (not getting certain nutrients because dorm food sucks) but I have had a constant tingling/burning sensation for the past 8 months. Some days it is better and I really want to crack down on what makes those days better than others. It sucks a lot because I enjoy drinking orange juice, I love tacos and I enjoy the occasional beer nights but I notice that after having either one of those things; the next day my tongue looks like a truck ran over it. My teeth leave deeper indents on the sides of my tongue and it just hurts!! In the morning is when it has white areas and I can brush brush brush but not all the time do they go away on the tip.

My one tip to everyone is that when I started eating more protein (like lean meats and peanuts) it made the pain go away. I also bought one of those 20 dollar walmart night guards for my teeth so it would not indent my tongue because I think that is why it hurts so bad. That relieves the pain a bit.

I am trying to drink more water as well and that seems to help. If you are not a fan of water (like me) crystal light packets about half of one packet makes the water taste like juice.

I am in the same boat as everyone else and I give out my sympathy to those who have suffered for a while and hopefully there will be more tips to come. I have not tried any medications yet but I do believe a lot of it has to do with dwelling on it. I have a problem with worrying and thinking about the pain all the time which maybe makes it worse. Who knows...what will the answer be..but Good luck to all.

I have suffered with this on and off for years. Recently I had it worse than I ever have. After reading the suggestions of some of the members here, I added zinc, l-lysine, echinacea, a vitamin b-100 complex, and dandelion root to my daily routine. I am also eating at least one yogurt (activia) a day, and avoiding hard or crunchy foods as much as possible, as this seems to make the pain worse. It has been one week, and while not completely gone away, I no longer feel like someone took sandpaper to my tongue.

oh my goodness! I cannot BELIEVE I have found tons of postings on this subject! I have suffered in silence for 30 something years! I have only shown a handful of people my GT and have been totally embarassed by it! No licking of ice cream or lolipops in public, and suffering in shame when I have to go to the dentist!!!!

My mom told me i had this when I was a little girl and I thought all these years that she "made the name up"!!! How funny that I came across this message board!

anyway, i use Grapefruit seed extract on my teeth/gums and It helps with my GT...I find that as long as I brush my tongue--hard!---every day and night , the sores, white areas, and roughness, stay in check. I take no vitamins, drink no water and live on coffee.
it's weird how my tongue basically is sore all the time and I am just used to it and live with it (I am 38)
thank you GT sufferers for posting such helpful info!

This is a follow-up of my November 3rd post. My GT completely went away a few days after Remicade treatment. However, the white patches have come back. Luckily, I don't have the soreness back. My next Remicade treatment is later this month. Hopefully it will make the white patches go away again.

I emailed my sister who has psoriasis about the allo from "queertexan". Funnily enough, she lives in Texas!

I'm hoping she'll give the allo a try and it will help her psoriasis. The remicade helped her a lot too, but her doctor took her off of it.

All right enough! Ive had GT for a year now and for the first 6 months I was obbseesed about finding a way to fix it. But theres nothing to fix, its nothing, stop stressing about it and get on with your lives. Theres soooo many worse things that could go wrong with are bodies. Screw GT, Im serious. Eat and drink what ever you want, If you run your immune systym down having fun and the GT gets bad, so what!!!! Its that easy. I really hope that this helps someone.

Hello,

How many of you that suffer from GT also have fissure of the tongue? Deep grooves on the tongue. I am one of the lucky ones to have both conditions. It is said that only 2-5% of population in US have fissure of the tongue and maybe 3% have GT. I'm just too lucky to have both! The grooves in the tongue bothers me more now, because I kept on thinking that the grooves are expanding. I use baking soda toothpaste which I think helps my GT a little, but I think it's actually irritating the grooves and making them worst. I don't know what to do, if any of you have the same problem, please advice.

Thanks

I am 36 and have had geo tonuge with fissures since I was a kid. I have tried different toothpastes and find that arm & hammer baking soda toothpaste works best for me. I have learned to live with this and try not to dwell on it. I think if there was a magic cure for this we would know bout it by now. I ate some cooked cabbage the other day and it made my tongue feel AWESOME!!!! It didn't really change the appearence but man did it feel good. After this happened I did a little research on cabbage and read an article about how sailors used to eat cabbage to keep from getting scurvy on long trips. Also cabbage has an anti inflammitory effect. My opinion is that GT is some how allergy related. If anyone tries the cabbage for a soother please post if it works or not. I have grass,pollen,tree,weed allergies. Good luck to all!!!

Hi;
How's this one. I found a cure for my GT and have been using it with great success for the last several years. My dentist didn't know about it. I researched it out and showed it to him and he prescribed it for me and, like I said, it worked great. Unfortunately, the @??!!%&** pharmaceutical company has discontinued it. It's liquid Retin A. Not the gel or the cream. They have a lot of additives in them. Anyway, when I had an outbreak, I would swab it on my tongue with Q-tip 1-3 times a day. It would then always go away in a matter of days. It worked by making the cells divide and grow faster(hyperplasia). Never failed. If you want to, google Retin A and Geographic Tongue and you'll find some links. So, long story short, since I can't get it anymore, and I have an outbreak, I'm here looking for alternative treatments.
Regarding Ortho Pharmaceuticals taking this product off the market, this is just another example why Western Medicine is so corrupt. Despite the obscene price they charged for the liquid(last time I purchased it, it was pushing $150), because GT only hits 3% of the population, I guess they felt it wasn't a big enough market.
Thanks for everything everybody's posted here.
Hopefully, I can find another successful treatment.

Hi, I also have a problem with GT and fissures on the tongue. I really want to know, if someone who had a GT and succeed to get rid of it also got rid of fissures ussually associated with GT. Thanks a lot.

Oregano Oil is amazing for this condition - expensive but worth it. I suffered for about a month and tried everything suggested everywhere on the internet - peroxide, SLS Free tootpaste, baking soda, nothing worked and it just got more inflamed and awful.

After reading a post on another site about Oregano Oil I tried it on a whim. Within hours it had improved by 50%. By the next morning it was 90% cleared up. You need to buy the tincture and you only need a few drops smoothed over your tongue. It will burn a little for a few seconds but it works. I swear by it

Listen up! I have the solution.

I've tried all of the above: Fasting, no sugar, multivitamines, B12 shots, molybdenum, peroxide, oil of oregano tincture, baking soda, special toothpaste, you name it.

What causes it? Well GT is no psoriasis or something, it's strictly caused by your stomach (and guts). You have not enough stomach acid! (yes, not "too much" but "not enough") You're probably not absorbing your food as it should be. I had GT for years and last time it lasted 6 months so I decided to take a 1 month vacation to take care of things.

What works? Helping digestion and absorption of vitamines.
Before breakfast I crush my multivitamine pills + zink + selenium with an old fashioned farmacy crusher and put the dust into a glass of water. (not yummy) During lunch and dinner I take HCL betaine tablets with B12 supplement.
You'll notice within 2 days the patches fade out and the white coating in the middle of your tongue is gone!! HCL tablets improve digestion and help killing yeast/candida.

I remember when I visited the states I suffered from GT pretty nasty. Probably all the artificially flavored drinks and so on.

Remember people: help each other for free in whatever you discover!!! This help was given by Martijn from Belgium

This has to be the strangest thread. I have a geographical tongue and have had since I was born 57 years ago. It does not hurt. Never has hurt and never will hurt. Why? Because it is just a lack of "covering' over the taste buds. Every taste bud stands there like little tree stalks. It does make the buds more sensitive being directly exposed to whatever you put in your mouth and I would guess more exposed to infection.
If I brushed my tongue for 8 minutes with a toothbrush it would hurt. My gosh the buds are unprotected. Don't abuse them.
I do find that because they are exposed I am much more sensitive to tastes which can be a really nice thing. Who wouldn't like to super taste their favorite foods?
Foods that are caustic or burning can be a problem. I never drink hot drinks. The buds don't have protection and burn easily.
I don't eat super hot chilies etc because the chemical that causes them to be hot hurts.
If your tongue has rings etc in it then you might just consider you have a reaction to something or an illness, not true geographic tongue. Slimy tongue. ick. That is a health condition not geographic tongue.
Geographic tongue is not an illness! It is just the lack of covering over the taste buds!

I can't beleive you don't think it's a big deal. It IS a big deal. It means you're unbalanced and it is something to be dealt with. I really appreciate all the info on this fantastic thread and am trying them one at a time to see what works so hopefully I'll be able to find what balaces me.
Is there anyone from the Portland, OR area interested in a monthly non-tongue irritating potluck? Let me know...

OK, I've held off on responding to the oregano oil thing because I wanted to be 100% sure it was making a difference. I've had GT for several years now, and this is the first thing I've tried that's made a difference. However, I don't use it the same way the previous poster indicates (rubbing it directly on the area). I purchased some pre-diluted oil (holy cow, if that's diluted, I'd hate to go full strength). Every night, I put one or two drops in a mouthful sized glass of water and mix it around. I then swish it around in my mouth for a few seconds and drink it down. I can't say my GT is cured, but it has dramatically lessened. Knock on wood, but I haven't had a patch of it on the front part of my tongue for over a month now. Woohoo! I haven't been able to say that since I was cursed with this condition.

Thanks for the tip!

Hi guys,

I was wondering if any of you have also experienced any hair loss once you developed geographic tongue. I am 28-year old female and about 3 years ago, after taking contraceptive pill Dianette for 2 years, I have developed not only the tongue problems but also hair loss. And that is true for my mum who has similar condition but got it a year ago. It seems that when the tongue is particularly bad the hair loss worsens.

Please let me know as I am very frustrated with the condition and want to know if the two are related.

Regards,

HERE IS THE SOLUTION TO GT. I have suffered with GT since 1991 and like bob2222 who posted a message in Jan of this year, I was using liquid Retin-A and it worked great but is no longer available. HOWEVER, there is something that works even better. Recently, my new dermatologist perscribed a product for me specifically for my GT, the product is called DIPROLENE GEL. Believe me when I say this product is simply AMAZING. At the first sign of GT, I apply this gel and it begins to work almost instantly and it has always cleared any signs of GT overnight. I know how frustrating GT can be and I hope Diprolene Gel works as well for you as it has for me. Remember, it has to be in gel form. I had to call several pharmacy's in my area before I could find one that carried it in gel form but it was well worth the effort. Good luck to all of you and I hope this helps.

I have had GT pretty much my whole life and have only had a few instances where it has become painful. I have found that I get GT when I am coming down with an illness (cold, infection, etc....).

The past 2 months I have been suffering from arthritis-like symptoms in my shoulders, elbows, and wrists and my doctor is stumped as to what it is (it is not Lyme disease or Rhumatoid Arthritis). I also have had fever and chills (twice in the 2 month span). Today my GT is out of control and I am wondering if it could be flaring up b/c if an underlying illness????
I also have had psoriasis for about 10 years and wonder if GT is an auto-immune problem? Does anyone else have auto-immune diseases with it?
Just looking for some answers so I can get healed from my aching joints and sore mouth!!!

I WENT to atleast 5 doctors in the past 4 weeks and none of them new what was wrong with my tongue. they said its just an allergic reaction but i knew they didnt know what it was. than i stumbled onto this site thank god. I have red circles around the tip of my tongue, and on the sides of my tongues are ridges, like my tongue looks like a wave from the side. ive read over almost all of everyones blogs and it seems liek there is so many different treatments out there. can someone pleazzze give me some insite on to which one works the best. its making me really sad, i just want it to go away, i dont understand it. please someone give me some insight, it will be greatly apprecaisted.

I got Geographic tounge when I was pregnant and have had a heck of a time with it. After having an especially bad flare up recently I have stared a new combo of things that have helped dramatically. First of all I have stared using toothpaste from the healthfood store. I am using "oral comfort" by JASON. Its not minty so it takes a little getting use to but I have noticed a major difference. The second thing that I have been doing _and I think possibly the most important- is swishing with apple cider vinegar after brushing my teeth. the taste is horrible and if you are in the middle of a fareup it will burn like hell but then a few seconds later you will have total relief and in a few days you will notice a big change. third I am taking a multivitamen at bedtime every night. I'm taking "ultra mega gold" by gmc. it has 100 mg of b complex and enzymes as well as alot of other good stuff. anyway, i just wanted to share these thing with you. a week ago i could hardly talk or eat i was in so much pain and tonight i have a nearly perfect tounge. feel free to contact me with any questions or other advise.
shelby.brookings@gmail.com

I have had geographic tongue every since I can remember, and for me it's brought on from eating ketchup or any other acidic tomato-based food, or orange juice. My father has it and his acts up when he eats strawberries. Mine went away for a couple of years, but then came back with full force two years ago. I have to abstain from eating ketchup. I haven't had any combination of vitamins work. When I was younger, my doctor prescribed me a solution that I diluted in water and swished in my mouth. It was pretty much a lite novacane-like thing that just numbed it and alleviated the pain. I can't remember the name of it, but my only advise if you obtain this stuff is that you don't try to eat after you use it. You may bite your tongue.

Oh yeah, and another thing. Don't let doctors prescribe you things to try to get rid of it. There is no cure for it. You just have to find the foods that you eat that trigger it, and STOP EATING THEM. Or at least limit them, because I have to admit, I can't pass up ketchup on fries all of the time. For some of the other posts, who are saying that they are having bleeding or cracks or lumps, you do not have Geographical Tongue. It is largely genetic and the post made by the oral specialist GENGIS above is all of the answer you need. Believe me, I've had it my whole life.

OK. I'm 35 and I doctor. I have GT. I've read this entire site (all the posts). Pretty helpful.. I'm going to try some of these things and get back to you. I think the main thing is, there is probably no "cure" or quick fix. So, try some of these things, but be patient.

My 2 1/2 yr old boy has this and has had it all his life! I don't have it, nor does my husband, or anyone we know of for that matter. At first, I thought it was from his pacifier. (so did the DR) No pacifier, and NO it hasn't gone away. It takes me searching across the internet to find, very simply, what my DR couldn't tell me. It is ever so obviously GT. (And maybe he didn't tell me because there is no cure - he just said "it'll go away") SO if this information helps at all...

-2 yr old boy - noticed it just months after birth (so pretty much ..born with it, maybe I didn't notice right away even)
-this kid loves fruit more than anything! loves grapes, apples, peaches, pineapples, etc.. doesn't ever seem to bother him especially since he craves them!
-it looks BAD (much worse than pics I see here) it looks like "holes" in his tongue sometimes, but he NEVER has complained of his tongue hurting.
-his only food adversion seems to be things with ground beef (must be his preference however because they don't seem to be connected)
-he eats the same all the time, some weeks it's flared, and then others it's gone for a little while.

I feel so bad. It's there more than it's not. The poor thing has had it so long, and is too young to put up with that. I've just glad for him that it doesn't seem to bother as much as some people report. I am wondering if it does have to do with his constant crabby/whiny disposition. He always has to have a drink (but I'm just like that too). Also, a previous poster asked if the children with this had some certain symptoms (i.e. hyperactivity) Uh, not sure if it has any relation, but YES, this one son of mine is VERY hyperactive... and I'd love to know if there was any real correlation there. lol

Since my son is young, and since it's not myself, I just can't seem to try everything I hear on the poor thing. I'm just not sure what is safe, or what could eventually make his tongue fall off!!! :\ So any mild remedies help. Tongue brushing with peroxide and baking soda sound good. Does it help most people?

I have had this tongue ever since I was little. I was sick and was running a fever and my m om saw it and freaked out and took me to the emergency room. The doctor assured her I was fine and explained the tongue to her and said it was like a birth mark and nothing to worry about. About 4 years ago I just got married and was going to my husbands dentist. He asked me if I knew I had a special tongue. I said yes and he asked me it it ever bothered me. I said no. Well then two years ago I got pregnant and thats when the burning started. I told the dentist and he laughed and said it was the hormones and to try an antacid like malanta and coat my tongue with it. I never tried it because it gags me, but if anyone wants to try it and get back with me. My Flare ups are when I eat just about any fruits- Oranges, strawberries, and PINNEAPPLE! Then ketchup and my favorite steak sauce A1. Then it always looks the worst when I am SICK!!

Has anyone been tested to see if there is a yeast problem? My doc said there is no way yeast caused my geo tongue and sever sudden hairloss? I was an aintibiotics and got a yucky yeast infection and had a horrible allergic reaction to the antibiotics and a month later came the geo tongue from nowhere and my hair is falling out. i am only 34 and healthy. HELP?

This message is to cathy218.

Cathy, there is only one person that can help you and that is yourself. You need to find out what triggers your GT and what calms it down and relieves the pain.

My case is similar to yours - I have got hair loss as well as GT. I have notices that my hair loss worsens when my GT gets bad. And that comes during my period, when I have flue, after alcohol consumption and some acidic fruits and sauces. My mum has it as well.

I also noticed that fresh apple juice or apple cider vinegar makes things much better. Also try to find suitable tooth paste.

Unfortunately, it seems that GT and hair loss may be due to the changes in hormones or are genetic.

By the way, I am 29 and I had it for at least 5 years.

REMARKABLE STORY:
I had tried everything (EVERYTHING = all sorths of doctors and specialists, tonsils removed, wisdomteeth removed, all amalgam fillings removed, all sorths of allergy checks, acupunture,... you name it!)
THEN, I out of dispare, finally decided to consult... a psychic!(yes). I Just called the guy without my name for an appointment without reveiling my number. I was instructed to come by and say nothing. I just sat down in front of him at his desk. He scratched a picture of me several times and said after a while: well, one of your liver functions is not working properly and that causes irritation of your mucuous membranes(!!) Go figure: I did not say anything, also, you can't see my tongue when I talk (yes, I'm lucky while others often show their tongues while talking. Also Dutch does not uses i.e. the th-sound like in "thing", "that" which often reveals your tongue :-)) Anyways, I've could have been there for a broken knie, irritable bowels, to contact a dead friend or whatever! :-)

So this man wrote down to take: Chelidonium D4 in morning, again at 17pm and then Taraxacum D4 at 19h and 20h for 2 weeks then 1 day 2 days off. My tongue is definitely clearing up slowly... is this the root cause?? A sick liver?? Email me at thorazinedrip@hotmail.com for your findings.

would anyone be interested in a GT support group?

I have suffered from GT for a few months now. I started off noticing small stinging bits on my tongue and just presumed that I had bitten it. It was mostly obvious when I drank cider - something I have had rather a lot of in the last few months. Then, after I had some cranberry juice my tongue reacted really badly, raw patches appeared and I even found it difficult to talk. I just presumed I must have burnt it and the cranberry had stung the burnt bits. Then I finally realised there was a problem when I drank a hot drink with lemon in. I looked at my tongue properly in the mirror and saw patches on it. In the morning the patches had slight white borders around. That's when I went to the doctor who told me I had GT.

I wake up with a very dry mouth and find myself absent mindedly rubbing my tongue against the roof of my mouth. My boyfriend said that he has often heard me making 'sucking noises' in my sleep like I am eating something, but it must be my tongue trying to ease the discomfort. Cranberry juice, lemon juice, tomatoes and cider seem to make it worse.

I try to think of what has changed in my life in the last few months that may be causing this. My boyfriend began smoking - could that be it? I started drinking hot water with lemon because I heard it was a good detox (stopped that now but still have GT). I drink cider quite a bit. Also I was having really bad hormonal problems around the time my GT came on, and stopped taking the contraceptive pill to see if the mood swings would go. I still get occasional mood swings though but maybe this will subside after my hormones get back to normal.

Something I notice that is connected to the Geographic tongue is maybe my recent depression moods. I looked into vitamin B deficiency because I saw that the contraceptive pill can prevent you from absorbing vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 deficiency can cause low moods, and 'smooth tongue'. So I just nipped to the shop and bought 'Vitamin B Complex', so will wait to see if this is the answer to my problems. I know that they say GT can come on when you're pregnant too, so it must have a link to hormones. It can't be a coincidence that the condition came on the same time I started having mood swings because of the recent contraceptive pill I was on... can it?

I've had geographic tongue since I was born. I've had Tongue biopsies tonsils removed and so many blood tests I've lost count. After getting my tonsils out I never really suffered that much again I get the odd flare up but nothing major, I also found that difflam mouth wash is great when my Tongue is sore. I hope this info is helpful to somebody.

Hi everyone, I'm 36 and just developed GT recently. It came on very suddenly in the same month I contracted Ross River Virus from a mosquito. Apparently, it can be brought on by a compromised immune system, such as any type of alphavirus (like RRV). I've realised a pattern, it flares up when I get bouts of fatigue and joint pain from the polyathritis you get with the illness as it runs it's course, then dissipates the moment the virus symptoms go back into remission. I guess, for me at least, it's onset is related to either being rundown, a psoriatic condition from the virus itself or purely from inflammatory damage to nerves, again from the virus itself. I've found that regular brushing and mouthwash help relieve the tingling and irritating sensations. Fingers crossed it goes when the virus does (about 12 months apparently). Hope this might help someone out there or give clues about causes for others. Big squeezes and hang in there :)

A bit about me: I have suffered with this condition for 7 or so years with it getting progressively worse until it has plateaued over the last 3 years, with almost constant geographic tongue - the painful type. I have had extensive patch testing it only showed significant elevation / reaction to house dust.

- I have also had bloods taken on numerous (I think 3) occasions, but no signs of apparent deficiency.

- I have spent hundreds of hours researching these condition in order obtain some modicum of relief. Trying amongst other things:

- amitrypoline

- diphenhydramine (swish)

- hydrogen peroxide (swish)

- bicarbonate of soda

- SLS free toothpastes

- gluten free diet

- dairy free diets

- anti candida treatments (medicine and also natural treatments such as Apple cider vinegar etc)

- vitamin and mineral supplements, majoring on B12 and folic acid etc

- alpha lipoic acid

- xylitol - in numerous forms

- accupuncture

- difflam

- steroids either through inhaler (becotide) or paste (trinolone). betamethasone and buccal pellets (hydrocortisone).

Steroids had proved to be the most efficacious, in particular hydrocortisone and betamethasone. However, I was having to take them constantly to maintain remission and it exacerbated my dry mouth - caused I think by the geographic tongue. Clearly taking steroids constantly is not a good idea. But... This is where I have finally (I think) made my breakthrough. I have happened on a treatment that seems to have drastically improved my geographic tongue condition (in conjunction with sticking to a largely bensoate free diet). The treatment is called fucoidan, in particular it is the chewable tablets referred to in this piece of research:

http://pubs.sciepub.com/ajmcr/3/8/8/

I was able to get samples manufactured by Daiichi Sankyo which have had miraculous results, far more effective than the steroid treatment with no side effects as yet - other than some staining of my teeth. However, I was literally devastated to hear yesterday that this product has been discontinued and I am yet to locate a substitute I chewable tablet form. I was advised to perhaps try the power fucoidan in cream form as it has proved efficacious for RAS which seems to have a similar etiology- ref research by the same author:

http://www.craniomaxillary.com/article.asp?issn=2278-9588;year=2012;volume=1;issue=2;spage=105;epage=108;aulast=Tsubura 

RE: Col mcdonald....can you please email me? i had a question about the fucoidan.i would really appreciate. atlantaphotographer1@gmail.com. many thanks!

I am 48 and first experienced these tongue issues about ten years ago after a night out having had a few glasses of red wine. My tongue was sore, had red circles - the classic geograhic pattern. Sometimes I will get the deep fissures but there are never white patches - I always thought that was more a symptom of thrush which I've seen in some babies. I went to my doctor and he diagnosed me with Geographic tongue. Over the years I've noticed various foods will make it worse and so my condition comes and goes. Vinegar, tomatoes, ice cream, dried mangos, red wine, some strong flavoured tootpastes, and other things which I can't recall at the moment. I have an allergy or sensitivities to sulphites and in the past have had a very bad reaction to the prescribed drug sulpha which doctors say aren't related, but many people seem to say they have issues with both. I recently looked up which foods contain sulphites and the list is endless. I am wondering if GT could be caused by this preservative which is put in many of our foods? I personally think this is an allergy to something we eat and/or an autoimmune disease. I also have a low functioning thyroid (Hypothyroid) which was discovered somewhat around the time I noticed my tongue issues.

Geographic tongue is caused by ureaplasma. Some bacteria produce hydrogen peroxide, while others produce catalase which breaks down hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water ..... Good flora has some of each, which maintains balance. If you drip hydrogen peroxide on your tongue, you will find (probably) that there is visible catalase activity on the white patches (it becomes frothy) and there is no catalase activity on the red patches and the hydrogen peroxide does not froth. This means that there is no catalase bacteria on the red patches ..... You can therefore deduce that the only bacteria on the red patch are catalase negative, or they produce hydrogen peroxide.

As the tongue cells also produce catalase in order to protect themselves from the hydrogen peroxide producing bacteria, then there should always be some sort of reaction.

ureaplasma produces a chemical that counteracts catalase and ureaplasma produces hydrogen peroxide which can now inflame the tongue cells as they are no longer protected. The catalase producing bacteria are killed because they now have no defence against the hydrogen peroxide, so the area then becomes only inhabitable by hydrogen peroxide producing bacteria. There is a possibility that other species such as streptococcus have also got this catalase destroying ability ......

Get a ureaplasma/mycoplasma test of your tongue ..... See if it comes up positive ..... Antibiotics does cure it as it is an infection .......

For Betharnold, I just got done reading your post and I have a lot of the same things that you do. My tongue gets fissures, I have an allergy to sulpha and I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in April of 2013. I didn't get the GT until this June. I eat tomato products everyday so I am going to cut them out and see if it helps. I have just started Nystatin oral suspension. I have held it in my mouth for about 8 minutes each time and then I spit it out. I have done 9 doses so far and I am quitting tonight because it has only made my tongue worse. I also did a stool analysis in May and it showed that I have a Candida overgrowth. I have given up processed sugar and fruits because of it. I tested positive for a leaky gut in May also. I did a food sensitivity test in June and I am sensitive to about 45 foods. I am sensitive to all of the citrus except orange. It didn't show me being sensitive to tomato. I am sensitive to dairy and gluten and gave the dairy up in 2005 and I gave gluten up last year because it was giving me arthritis. I just started seeing a functional medicine doctor who has started me on some herbs for the leaky gut and some herbs for inflammation. I have red fingers and toes and he says that it is inflammation. My previous doctor said it was malnutrition. I am vegan and I consume protein in the form of potatoes, beans, rice and corn. I am not digesting/absorbing it because of my leaky gut. He hasn't addressed the candida yet but I have another appointment in a few days and I will ask him about it then. I also developed dry eye in 2009 and dry mouth 2 months ago. I also have many allergies to dental materials (I did an allergy test for that), house dust, grass, sagebrush and cat hair. Just wondering if anyone else has some of the same issues that I do.

so far I find that eliminating high histamine foods and using d-lactate free, histamine degrading probiotics helps the most. In addition olive leaf extract, diamine oxidase and pomegranate extract help stabilize mast cells. histamine is not the cause of GT but it does contribute to flare ups