Question: My younger son who is 16 – I reckon he is pitta judging by his tongue, it is quite red as opposed to pink and covered with shallow horizontal crevices and quite a few small spots here and there. No coating though.
He looks fairly healthy and I do try to keep his diet as good as poss but I feel like I am fighting a losing battle, because basically he won’t eat anything much that’s good for him and eats at the cafeteria most school days, the more I try to advise him, the more he seems to want to eat rubbish (grrrrr). He smokes (grrr).
He plays ice hockey, which means he spends quite a few hours on an ice rink sweating like mad…
Anyway, he has a recurring problem during the hockey season, he gets slits on both corners of his mouth where the lips meet. Before I knew about Ayurveda I took him to the dr who gave him some cream for fungus with cortisone, but it didn’t work. Since then I have tried quite a few things, like zinc ointment, tea tree oil (haven’t insisted with this because he hates the smell) but nothing seems to work.
I have looked up the prob on the web and it is called “angular stomatitis”.
Have you any idea what he could do about this?
Alex replies: According to Ayurveda your son is drying out his Rasa Dhatu. Rakta may also be involved*. It is likely to be related to high Pitta causing excess heat with him as you said he is quite Pitta by your estimation. Also, with the intense physical activity, plus smoking, these are drying influences. If his pee is quite yellow and there are other signs of Pitta like redness, smooth red mucus membranes (and tongue) then Pitta is probably the cause, if not it is excess Vata.
In either case, a simple intervention would be for him to drink 1 large mug of warm water (250 ml) along with 1 level teaspoon (5 ml) of ghee (clarified butter) early in the morning or at worst case, 30 minutes before his breakfast. Also check his overall water consumption is adequate. If this does not help, have him get his blood checked for iron deficiency*.
However, being his mum, you are not likely to get any less frustrated. Professional health care providers say “never treat friends and family”. The best thing you can do is love and accept your son 100% the way he is. Give him that first of all. That does not prevent you from sharing your concern. And if he ever turns to your for advice or support, see if you can’t get him to see someone else like your local GP (which is not always interesting!) or a local naturopath or alternative therapist. It is a hard pill to swallow (for you – not to intervene) but it will make for more peace and happiness in the long term
*Folic Acid Deficiency Anemia
Symptoms
The body can potentially store enough folic acid to last 2 to 6 months. However, anemia can develop within weeks of a shortage of folic acid (folate).
Mild anemia may not produce any symptoms. The following are some common symptoms that may develop, especially as the anemia progresses:
Weakness
Fatigue
Lightheadedness
Forgetfulness
Irritability
Pale appearance (pallor)
Lack of appetite and weight loss
Less common symptoms include:
Diarrhea.
Abdominal pain.
Ringing in the ears (tinnitus).
Slight fever.
Sore, smooth tongue.
Cracked lips, especially at the corners of the mouth.
Shortness of breath with exertion.
Rapid or irregular heart rate.
Chest pain.
