Use of metaphors when treating unexplained medical symptoms

Table 1 Burning Mouth Syndrome

Symptoms	Visible signs	Etiology
Sore gums	None	Dental disease
Burning tongue	None	Infection; Allergy
Dry mouth	None	Dehydration
Altered taste	None	Gastric or dietary problems
Distress	Agitation; Social isolation	Psychiatric problems

Table 2 Putting metaphors to use

Patient descriptions of unexplained oral pain	Potential English metaphor
Burning	It burns me up: Makes me extremely angry
Gripping	To lose one’s grip: To lose control over one’s world
Throbbing	Heart throb: Someone you find extremely attractive
Crawling	Crawl out of the woodwork: The emergence of something unpleasant
Sore	To get sore at: To get angry with
Raw	To get a raw deal: To be taken advantage of
Shooting	To be gun-shy: To be wary, apprehensive because of past bad experience