It’s not often that someone in my own private coaching group, doesn’t bring up a symptom that they didn’t think was a symptom of menopause! From burning tongue syndrome, to hair loss, to dizziness, palpitations and more, many women who I come across don’t know that most of these obscure symptoms which appear in the midlife years, are associated with the hormonal changes in menopause and of course, their ageing.
From burning tongue syndrome to skin changes to gastro-oesophageal reflux disorder (GERD) to tingling feelings in the arms and legs … many of these symptoms seem to arrive in midlife or post-menopause. But when women can’t find the answer they seek, they just start to accept them as ‘normal’. Have you found that with some of your clients too?
When the topic came up in my Practitioner course recently about the plethora of symptoms that women experience, I thought I would focus on two of these symptoms in this article for you – Burning Tongue Syndrome and Skin Changes.
I’ve also experienced Burning Tongue Syndrome and it took a long time after I went through menopause to begin to explore the origins of the feelings in my mouth – a tongue that felt like it was painful and ‘burning’ at the tip of it and almost a numb sensation in the oral mucosa – a bit like when you drink a hot coffee or tea and you scald your tongue.
I never gave menopause nor low Vitamin D or zinc a thought, especially when I moved towards more of a vegetarian diet.
Then one day, Rasika emailed me from London. She said that her tongue had always felt like it had been burning and her Doctor had no idea why. I began to look into it a bit more, because I had met her at one of my UK seminars and we had been talking about the risk of Vitamin D levels in women with darker skin, as she had.
Burning Tongue Syndrome differs from Xerostomia. Xerostomia is Dry Mouth Syndrome which many woman suffer from as well.
The Oral Cavity is Changing During Menopause:
We often don’t think about how our oral cavity changes during menopause, but with changes to glands, the salivary glands shrink in size. This means that salivary flow may be reduced up to 40-50% in menopausal women.
This is why I often tell women who are feeling dizzy or have dry mouth to cut up some carrots and apples and get chewing! This stimulates saliva!
But back to our tongue. If your clients have experienced the feelings of a burning tongue, then they aren’t alone. It’s one of the most frustrating symptoms that is not associated with menopause hormonal changes.
However, when you think about the fact that menopause is the start of our ageing, and our muscles are changing in size and tone, then it makes sense that the tongue, which is mainly muscle, is changing too. It helps to bring perspective to the fact that our tongue and oral cavity are also affected by hormonal changes in midlife.
The tongue is mostly made of muscles and is covered by mucosa (a moist, pink lining that covers certain organs and body cavities). It’s also covered with different types of papillae (bumps) and taste buds which are part of the human immune system.
The tongue and the mucosa are integral in immune health. It makes sense, then that it also responds to certain nutrients.
These nutrients include:
- Vitamin D
- Zinc and,
- B-vitamins, particularly Vitamin B6, B1 and B12.
Whilst I always recommend getting symptoms checked out by your client’s medical team, you can also send your client to their Dentist. She or he may know about this unusual symptom of menopause.
Furthermore, women can also be educated about the Vitamins that are necessary for the oral mucosa and tongue and include these foods in their diet:
- Vitamin D rich foods (and/or a supplement)
- Brown Rice, Whole Grains and Beans for Thiamin (Vitamin B1) – only small amounts are stored in the liver, so a daily intake of thiamin-rich foods is needed.
- Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12 is found in salmon, fish, meat, eggs, chickpeas, leafy greens and bananas.
- Zinc is found in oysters, seafood, eggs and oats and other breakfast cereals. If you are vegan and don’t eat eggs, then you may wish to talk to a Pharmacist about a supplement too.
The other thing to consider is whether you are having enough Vitamin C.
When you link up the fact that our oral cavity and tongue is an integral part of our immune system and Vitamin C is evidenced in pain management, then please also get juicing and increase your intake of Vitamin C.
We need more than we think during menopause and burning mouth is a known symptom in scurvy so keep this in mind as you tackle your burning tongue!
And with Vitamin C on our minds, then next week, I will talk about the changing sensitivity of your client’s ageing skin!
Helping your clients to learn how to look after themselves as they transition midlife, is an important role for the Practitioner. In the Certified MyMT™ Educaiton programmes for Practitioners, I teach you what to coach them and why. I hope you can join me sometime.
Dr Wendy Sweet (PhD)/ MyMT™ Founder & Member: Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine.
References:
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Dahiya P, Kamal R, Kumar M, Niti, Gupta R, Chaudhary K. Burning mouth syndrome and menopause. Int J Prev Med. 2013 Jan;4(1):15-20. PMID: 23411996;
Geddes, L. (2019). Chasing the Sun. [Wellcome Collection], Profile Books:London, UK.
Monteleone, P., Mascagni, G., Giannini, A. et al. Symptoms of menopause — global prevalence, physiology and implications. Nat Rev Endocrinol 14, 199–215 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2017.180
Morr Verenzuela CS, Davis MDP, Bruce AJ, Torgerson RR. Burning mouth syndrome: results of screening tests for vitamin and mineral deficiencies, thyroid hormone, and glucose levels-experience at Mayo Clinic over a decade. Int J Dermatol. 2017 Sep;56(9):952-956. doi: 10.1111/ijd.13634.
Santoro N, Epperson CN, Mathews SB. Menopausal Symptoms and Their Management. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2015 Sep;44(3):497-515. doi: 10.1016/j.ecl.2015.05.001.
