Why Your Health Is Important: From Your Tongue to Your Toes




Why Your Health Is Important: From Your Tongue to Your Toes


Did you know that your mouth can influence your posture, breathing, diseases, sleep disorders, and more? You probably did not realize what a huge role your mouth, and more specifically the placement of your tongue, has on your overall health. So today, I will be discussing the importance of your tongue and oral health. 


The tongue connects through fascia tissue all of the way down to your toes. So, this pertains to how the foods we choose to eat, the hygiene of our mouth, our tongue placement inside of the mouth, our morning and nightly routines, and more affect our body’s overall health. 


Let’s begin by answering some questions to aid with your understanding. 


How does the tongue connect to your entire body? 


The tongue connects with your entire body through fascia tissue and by joining two systems of the body. Bordoni et al. (2018) suggest, “The tongue is an organ that has an autocrine/paracrine mechanism of action to synthesize different substances to interact with the whole body; according to a line of thought, it is also an extension of the enteric system.” Autocrine mechanisms act on cells that are similar to them, whereas paracrine cells act on cells that are in proximity or close to them. Autocrine mechanisms also stimulate cell growth. Paracrine cells are communication cells that function toward communication and alter the behavior of cells throughout the body. So, the tongue not only acts as an entryway to the body, but it also serves as a primary organ in two essential bodily processes. Below, is an image that may help you visualize how the tongue connects all the way down to your toes, through your organs and muscles.  

 

What is fascia tissue? 


Fascia tissue is a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every bone, muscle, organ, blood vessel and nerve fiber in place. Fascia tissue is more than just support to the infrastructure of your body. Fascia tissue, like the skin, also contains sensitive nerves that tighten up when they are stressed. 


How can the placement of your tongue affect your breathing and posture? 


Many people commonly mistake the importance of your tongue’s placement in the mouth. The tongue plays an important role in posture and breathing. Many people, who have poor posture, commonly rest the tongue at the bottom of their mouth. The tongue should be actually placed and somewhat pressed up against the roof of your mouth, which engages the muscles in your neck, chin, and jaw and can help strengthen and tighten those muscles. Moreover, this affects your posture by engaging the muscles which keep your head from jutting forward and keeping your head upright. See image below to aid with recognition of head placement. 



Notice what an impact the head placement has on overall body posture and your bones. When you keep the tongue rested in a pressed up position toward the roof of your mouth, the head aligns with your spinal cord and helps avoid a hunched posture. 


How do the foods you eat affect your oral health and overall health? 


As you probably know, the foods you eat play a colossal role in your overall health. Certain foods metabolize easier in your intestines and stomach. Certain foods are more likely to cause bloating. Incidentally, the foods you eat may also pose risks to your oral health. For example, the same foods that you are taught to harm your body, are also the same foods that harm your oral health. So, your idea of unhealthy foods (i.e. fast food, excessive amounts of desserts and sweets, over-processed foods, and more) contain high amounts of salts and/or sugars. These are the same foods that are difficult for your body to digest. These sugars and salts enter the mouth, which from there enter the bloodstream, but also stay in the mouth. The same salts and sugars linger on the teeth and tongue and wear away at your enamel, leading to cavities. A solid morning and nightly oral health routine is key to proper oral and overall health! 


What does a solid oral health care routine consist of? 


There are many ways to maintain oral health, but what you may not realize is the importance of clean ingredients in your oral care. Many common oral care brands strip your mouth of BOTH good and bad bacteria, which can cause wear on your enamel and sensitivity to your teeth and gums. So, choosing products that are made of natural ingredients are more gentle on your teeth and gums and promote oral health. 


Your morning routine may differ slightly from your nighttime routine. At Primal Life Organics, we have curated an easy way to follow a morning and night oral care routine with our Dental Detox Kit. For morning, use the Peppermint Dirty Mouth Toothpowder, our Dirty Mouth Gum Serum, our Copper Papillae Tongue Scraper to remove any lingering bacteria or dead cells from the tongue, and Charcoal Floss Picks. At night, use our detoxifying Black Peppermint Dirty Mouth Toothpowder, Dirty Mouth Gum Serum, our Copper Papillae Tongue Scraper, and our Charcoal Floss Picks.


As you can tell, your overall health starts with your mouth! So, you can now see why it is important to prioritize your oral health. If you are looking for more information on how to perfect your oral health routine and the importance of natural ingredients, click here


Resources:


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6390887/