Strange Sensation on Tongue

Posted by Lane (Alameda, CA) on 08/08/2006

About 2 months ago i started having a strange sensation on my tongue... like it had been scalded. had no idea what caused it and it wouldn't go away and got worse. i saw a doctor and they couldn't see anything wrong with it. about a month later, out of the blue, and very suddenly, i got instense burning in my throat. felt hot and almost like a fog of hot gas was coming out of me. tried some mylanta, and it helped a bit at first but then came back. saw doctor again and they said acid reflux and gave me pepcid. that didn't work so i started taking prilosec. i am currently taking both, twice a day. it's always better first thing in the morning and gets worse throughout the day, after eating. i've been eating bland food and avoiding citrus and tomatoes. my tongue is still patchy and weird feeling, more on one side than the other (left side) and in the back. often have a bitter or metallic taste in mouth. i am going to see a specialist in 1 days, is there anything i can try in the meantime? i've bought some ACV and some baking soda and will try them. thank you for your help.

Replied by Ted
Bangkok, Thailand
391 posts

Dear Lane: It is funny that we are the only website that recognized this very a common condition which is often referred to as the "acid tongue".' It is quite common and I found it has very much to do with electrolytic and buffer imbalance.

The easiest way to treat this I found is to prepare JUST ONLY baking soda (but preferably without the Apple cider vinegar) and just used as a mouthwash or just let the baking soda react with the excess acidity from your tongue, as well as taking a small amounts of baking soda 3 times a day, about 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda mixed in 1/2 glass of water three times a day on an empty stomach for at least a week.

In case of an acid tongue you don't need apple cider vinegar, you need just baking soda and perhaps add to that solution a pinch of potassium citrate. Since it goes away quickly enough within a week, I haven't got a chance to investigate whether just potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate or sodium bicarbonate works better, or whether certain ratios of sodium: potassium might work better, or whether adding magnesium might also help it stabilized better. However, most bicarbonates should be able to add the buffer's depletion within a week, and should normalized almost completely on the second week.

A long term solution to this dangerously acid tongue is to take about 5-1 mg. of biotin plus vitamin b complex. Extreme acidity is a condition of a possible biotin deficiency also as biotin is a common treatment for acidosis.

Unfortunately, finding a biotin with a dosage high enough in present market circumstance and price, at least in Bangkok anyway discourages me to pursue that path, whenever a simple bicarbonate supplementation will do.


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