Judging a child's health from his nails and tongue.

Did mommy observe that the baby's nails seem to be particularly soft? Easy to break or easy to break? Or a crack in your tongue? Often covered with tongue coating? "Jia" and "Tongue" are two important parts of TCM. Their appearance, color, shape, grain and even fatness are all related to the baby's health! Mommy can also learn simple discrimination. Let's take a look!

Mommy comes to see the doctor together. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "the liver stores blood, the main muscle is its claw" and "the claw is the tendon". Liao Lilan, director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Linsen Chinese Medicine Hospital of Taipei United Hospital, explained that claws are nails, and the joints of the body are dominated and supplied by the blood of the liver. When there is enough blood in bones and muscles, the extra blood will provide claw nails, so the redness, luster and hardness of nails reflect a person.

Part 1 Fingernails are composed of keratin, protein, vitamins and minerals. Its growth rate is influenced by health status, age difference, metabolic rate and seasonal changes. Healthy nails grow about 0. 1mm every day on average, and it takes about 4 to 6 months from head to toe.

The state of healthy nails is rosy luster, which is not rough to the touch, has no lines, has appropriate hardness and is not easy to break. Director Liao Lilan said that too soft nails usually represent deficiency of nutrition and qi and blood. See if the baby has eyelids, pale face, pale lips and other symptoms.

On the other hand, if the nails are too hard, it means that the metabolism is excessive, and there is a virtual fire in the body, which belongs to a hot and dry constitution. You can also observe whether the baby's nails are dry, whether his lips are red, whether his tongue is too red, and whether he often has gums, which makes him more irritable.

If some people's nails are naturally soft, will they be mistaken for signs of disease? Dr. Liao Lilan said that the principle of Chinese medicine treatment should be "smell, ask and feel" after "look" (Chinese medicine looks, smells, asks and feels). If you find the problem of soft fingernails, you should diagnose whether there are other related symptoms. If there are no other symptoms, it is that the natural nails are soft, and it can be confirmed that there are no other diseases.

On the whole, we can observe the health status of qi and blood circulation, nutrition, genetic diseases, metabolic diseases, hyperthyroidism, allergies, atopic dermatitis, spleen and stomach through nails. As long as mommy is more careful, she can observe the baby's health from the changes of her nails.

Next, we will classify the nails according to their colors, stripes and shapes, and list the problematic nails. Let's take a look at the health problems that may be represented behind nails in various situations.

Nail color * * * is a sign of health.

1. Slight yellowing: some nails are yellow, indicating that there may be gastrointestinal diseases, while all nails are dark yellow, indicating jaundice, indicating that bilirubin in the blood is increased, the skin, mucosa and even sclera of the white part of the eyeball are yellow, and the whole body is weak, anorexia, abdominal distension or abdominal pain, yellow urine or fever.

2. Taibai: There may be anemia or diabetes (poor peripheral circulation or necrosis).

3. Gray-black: refers to nail injury, onychomycosis, fungal infection and resistance problems.

4. Deep purple: In cold weather, tiny blood vessels contract, blood circulation is not smooth, and deep purple is easily formed on earlobes, fingertips, lips and nails. Or congenital heart disease, whose heme oxidation is incomplete, leading to poor peripheral circulation.

5. Red: The nail bed is congested due to poor blood circulation, which may include hypertension, heart disease, carbon monoxide poisoning, acute infection or fever.

Nail markings: Healthy nails are shiny and have no lines.

1. Vertical stripes: There are slender vertical stripes on nails, indicating physical fatigue, staying up late, staying up late for a long time, poor sleep, neurasthenia, taking too many drugs, etc. May be accompanied by liver and kidney diseases.

2. stripes: there may be anemia, skin diseases, lack of vitamin a, high blood sugar and other problems.

3. White spot: There may be kidney disease. There is too much albumin in urine, but the albumin in blood is obviously reduced, and the keratin that constitutes the deck is not enough, resulting in milky white nails and many white spots.

A square with a length ratio of 1 and a width ratio of 1.

1. clubbed nail: that is, the nail surface is raised and the tail end is drooping. I will check my pulse to see if my heart rate is too fast. I may have chronic respiratory diseases, heart disease, or thyroid abnormalities (especially bright nails).

2. Spoon-shaped nail: the nail plate becomes thinner and the middle is concave like a spoon. Common in severe anemia, diabetes, skin diseases and so on. If the center is not concave and the end is upturned, it is often a problem with the reproductive system.

3. Depressed nail surface: It may be fungal infection or atopic dermatitis, and patients with yin deficiency may also appear.

4. Excessive protrusion: it is prone to respiratory problems, such as lung disease, rhinitis, bronchitis, tonsillitis and pharyngitis.

Common symptom "nail edge desquamation"

Compared with the above-mentioned nail symptoms, nail edge peeling and even stinging is a common problem, which is usually caused by excessive dryness, repeated dry-wet cycles, abnormal metabolism of cuticle or trauma. It is common for children who have the habit of biting their nails and women who often do housework. Director Liao Lilan explained that nail edge peeling is related to spleen and stomach weakness, and you can observe your baby's appetite and defecation simultaneously to make a judgment.

Small exhortation of traditional Chinese medicine

Healthy nails should be shiny, and mommy should keep the baby's balanced diet and normal work and rest. Director Liao Lilan suggested that when you have time, you can help your baby maintain acupoints such as Tiger Mouth Hegu, Blood Sea above the knee, Zusanli on the outside below the knee, and Taichong on the instep, so as to regulate the spleen and stomach and promote blood circulation.

Part 2 Tongue A small tongue contains the health of internal organs! Director Liao Lilan explained that the tip of the tongue belongs to the heart (cardiovascular and respiratory system), the edge of the tongue belongs to sweetness (detoxification system), the tongue belongs to the spleen and stomach (digestive system), and the root of the tongue belongs to the kidney (urinary system). Each position of the tongue manages and reflects different organs of the human body respectively.

A healthy tongue is reddish, moderate in size, neither too fat nor too thin, with a thin layer of pale white tongue coating.

Director Liao Lilan said that the tongue coating is generally considered as the presentation of stomach qi. The thick tongue coating indicates that the gastrointestinal transport function is relatively poor, and the putrid gas rises, that is, the substances that cannot be digested and absorbed in the body are presented on the tongue.

Tongue coating is a reaction of stomach qi. Director Liao Lilan stressed that if there is something wrong with the body, even if it is brushed again, it will still appear and will not disappear because of cleaning. Therefore, putting your body back on a healthy track is the correct way to maintain it.

A reddish tongue is healthy.

1. Pale color: It usually indicates deficiency of qi and blood, weakness or cold. Suitable for tonic or warm food intake. 2. Red: indicates that there is heat, fever or deeper problems in the body. Water, cool food and medication should be given. 3. Crimson: It means that you have a high fever, serious virus infection or serious internal injuries. You should see a doctor as soon as possible. 4. Cyanosis: It means that there is congestion in the circulation of the body and you should seek medical treatment.

The tongue shape should not be too fat, thin and moderate in size.

1. Fat tongue: The tongue is fat and tender, pale in color, with obvious teeth bite marks, indicating that phlegm and dampness in the body are blocked, and spleen and kidney function are weak and unbalanced. It is necessary to eliminate dampness and phlegm, strengthen the spleen and tonify the kidney. If the tongue is swollen and deep red, it means that there is high fever in the body, which affects the function of heart and spleen. You should see a doctor as soon as possible. If the tongue is swollen and the color is blue and dark, it means that it has been poisoned and must be sent to the doctor quickly.

2. Pale tongue: If the light color indicates deficiency of both qi and blood, it is necessary to give food that supplements qi and blood. If the color is dark red and dry, it means that the body fluid is insufficient, and foods that can moisturize should be given, such as tremella, Cao Xian, Ai Yu and konjac.

3. Map tongue: There are cracks on the tongue, forming a patch that looks like a map. The actual reason is not clear at present, but in the view of Chinese medicine, infants with map tongue often have symptoms such as allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and asthma.

The surface of the tongue has a thin and white pale tongue coating.

1. No coating: No coating on the tongue represents yin deficiency, and the stomach has internal heat, usually accompanied by dry mouth and loss of appetite. Just after giving birth to a serious illness, such as a high fever, there will be symptoms of no moss.

2. Thick coating: Thick coating on the tongue indicates that the body is wet. If you have too much phlegm, you should eat less ice products and exercise more to sweat and dehumidify. If you have indigestion, you should eat less food that will flatulence.

3. Tooth marks: When the thick tongue becomes soft, it is easier to get bigger and even press on the next tooth, resulting in tooth marks. Tooth marks represent qi deficiency, and they look tired, listless and pale.

Common symptoms of the tongue: holes in the tongue.

When there is a hole in the tongue, not only is it uncomfortable to eat, but it doesn't even rotate! The baby's tongue hole problem is generally caused by careless burns when drinking milk, or by poor immunity recently, and there will be unexplained injuries.

During the period of broken tongue, the diet is mainly light, eat less sweets and hot food, drink more boiled water and maintain a good work and rest.

Liao Lilan's current position: attending physician of internal medicine of traditional Chinese medicine, director of gynecology and pediatrics of traditional Chinese medicine. Education: China Medical University Experience: Attending physician at the front desk of Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital, specializing in dermatophytosis, atopic dermatitis and seborrhea.

Editor's Interview/Jiang Ruiyu Consulting/Liao Lilan, Director of Gynecology and Pediatrics of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Linsen Hospital, Taipei United Hospital Photography/Pandora Professional Children's Photography Performance/Little Apple Reference Book of Mengmeizi/Wu Jianxun's Wisdom of Parenting Chinese Medicine, published in Commonwealth magazine.

* For more details, please refer to: Mommy Baby 201411mababy/