The health secrets between lips and teeth: changes in lip color, bad breath, and internal organ diseases

A decrease in lip sensation is a sign of weakened pancreatic function; numbness and gradual weight loss may also indicate weakened pancreatic function, primarily due to dietary imbalances and irregular eating habits. Dry lips, often accompanied by frequent licking with the tongue, and even chapped lips, are common in people with high fever, dry climates, dehydration, and those who frequently sleep with their heads covered. People lacking B vitamins and rarely eating fresh vegetables, fruits, or whole grains also frequently experience dry lips. Cheilitis is also a significant cause of dry lips. The main symptoms of cheilitis are dry, peeling, and cracked lips, with pain when eating spicy or acidic foods. In severe cases, swelling, blisters, erosion, and crusting may occur. Lip erosion is often associated with heat in the spleen and stomach, commonly seen in chronic gastrointestinal diseases. If lip erosion is accompanied by erythema, edema, oozing, cracking, and peeling, with radiating wrinkles at the corners of the mouth, usually occurring on both sides simultaneously, but occasionally on one side, this indicates angular cheilitis. Swelling of the upper lip is often caused by stomach cramps. Fine lines at the corners of the mouth indicate iron deficiency. Pale lips often indicate weak spleen and stomach, and insufficient qi and blood, commonly seen in anemia and blood loss. A pale or bluish upper lip is often accompanied by symptoms such as large intestine deficiency and cold, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal cramps, chills, and alternating hot and cold sensations; a pale lower lip indicates stomach deficiency and cold, which may be accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, cold stomach, and stomach cramps. Pale red lips often indicate blood deficiency or deficiency of both qi and blood. Deep red lips are commonly seen in fever. In patients with pulmonary heart disease (cor pulmonale) accompanied by heart failure, the lips turn purplish-red when hypoxic. Cherry-red lips are commonly seen in carbon monoxide poisoning. Bluish lips indicate poor blood circulation and susceptibility to acute illnesses, especially vascular diseases such as vascular embolism and stroke. Dark lips often indicate digestive system disorders, such as constipation, diarrhea, lower abdominal distension and pain, headache, and loss of appetite. Black patches on the lips and pigmentation around the mouth are commonly seen in chronic adrenocortical insufficiency. Brown or black spots on the lips, corners of the mouth, especially the lower lip and oral mucosa may indicate multiple polyps in the gastrointestinal tract. Possible diseases associated with different breath odors are as follows: (1) Bitter almond smell: may indicate cyanide poisoning. (2) Peanut smell: may indicate accidental ingestion of rat poison. (3) Garlic smell: in addition to the normal smell of garlic, may indicate pesticide poisoning or accidental ingestion of rat poison. (4) Metallic smell: may indicate heavy metal poisoning. (5) Rotten apple smell: when diabetic patients' condition worsens, the large amount of ketones produced will cause a rotten apple smell in their mouths. (6) Sour smell: can be seen in indigestion, food accumulation in the stomach, and belching often has a sour smell. (7) Urine (ammonia) smell: can be seen in patients with nephritis or renal failure. (8) Musty smell: This smell often indicates liver disease. People with severe liver disease often have this smell in their breath, which is called "liver odor". (9) Putrid smell: This is often caused by poor oral hygiene. (10) Purulent smell: This smell is commonly seen in purulent diseases of the nose and lungs. (11) Fecal smell: This smell is often seen in patients with fecal vomit, which can be seen in acute peritonitis and intestinal obstruction. Patients should be sent to the hospital immediately for emergency treatment. (12) Bloody smell: This can be seen in patients with bleeding gums, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, and bronchiectasis.