Hypoglycemia is a condition in which you need to be intimately in tune with your body to recognize its symptoms and act immediately, as my dear Friend Freya does.
Freya had an extremely serious incident in which she had to be taken to the hospital emergency; ever since, she has made a point getting to know her body and its reactions; she keeps recommended foods always at hand and she has also informed some of her close coworkers of this condition.
Before I go on I would like to say that hypoglycemia must be taken seriously; our brain needs glucose to function and ignoring hypoglycemic symptoms might lead us to: Seizures, loss of consciousness and even death.
What is hypoglycemia?
Simple: An abnormal low level of sugar in the blood.
It is also called a “low-blood sugar emergency” or an “insulin reaction” because it occurs when there is too much insulin and not enough sugar in the system.
The Hypoglycemia Support Foundation Inc. in its internet site http://www.hypoglycemia.org/hypo.asp quotes an excerpt from “The Do's and Don'ts of Hypoglycemia: An Everyday Guide to Low Blood Sugar” by Roberta Ruggiero, its founder and president: “hypoglycemia is the body's inability to properly handle the large amounts of sugar that the average American consumes today. It's an overload of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, tobacco and stress.”
Hypoglycemia manifests itself in a variety of physical and psychological symptoms:
| · Irritability | · Forgetfulness |
| · Nervousness | · Mental confusion |
| · Palpitations or erratic heartbeat | · Short attention span |
| · Tremors (shakiness) | · Learning disabilities |
| · Exhaustion | · Lack of sex drive |
| · Faintness | · Lack of concentration |
| · Fatigue | · Intense itchiness |
| · Dizziness | · Crawling sensation under the skin |
| · Cold, clammy skin sweats | · Blurred vision |
| · Cold hands and feet | · Sugar addiction |
| · Migraine | · Drug addiction |
| · Digestive problems | · Numbness or tingling of the fingertips or lips |
| · Hunger in some cases, extreme | · Nausea |
| · Weakness | · Poor coordination |
| · Slurred speech | · Blurred vision |
| · Seizures or convulsions | · Insomnia |
| · Potential loss of consciousness | · Nightmares |
| · Alcoholism | · Crying spells |
| · Nervous breakdown | · Depression |
| · Fears | · Mood swings |
| · Phobias | · Anxiety |
| · Hostile behavior | · Difficulty walking |
| · Excessive sweating | · Low body temperature |
It might also be the cause of bedwetting in small children. A hyperactive child might be showing a sign of hypoglycemia as well.
It is recommended that as soon as a sugar low is recognized it be treated with a fast-acting carbohydrate such as juice or if you can carry them along, glucose tablets.
There are also devices to self test your glucose levels. Please consider having one at hand if you risk suffering hypoglycemic episodes frequently.
Keep in mind that the symptoms might vary with each episode, it is important to keep in tune with your body to recognize those symptoms. In healthy people fasting sugar levels are between 70 and 99 mg. If it falls under 70 mg you might experience either a mild, moderate or severe episode depending on how low the level of sugar is in your blood.
Your doctor will study your medical history, will order a lab test and perform a physical examination. Visits to the doctor on a yearly basis are recommended.
You will need to tell your doctor about your symptoms, when do they occur and how long they last.
Make sure you tell your family, friends and coworkers about your condition and what needs to be done if you appear to be sleepy or loose consciousness so they can call emergency or act immediately; they should also know whether you take insulin or not. This is very important!
It would be ideal if you could wear a medical tag or bracelet, they can be found in drugstores.
If you are a friend, family member or coworker of a person presenting hypoglycemic symptoms, use the quick fix if needed and as long as the person is able to swallow:
Quick fix: Fruit juice or glucose tablets (if available).
Remember, treating the symptoms with a quick fix is good, but preventing future episodes is better; if medicine is causing the episodes, tell your doctor so he can find an alternative, the doctor will determine if it is also consequence of a long-term illness and will take action as necessary.
It could also be that all you need is to change some behaviors or routines.
A sensible exercise plan and appropriate diet is recommended as well as keeping a diary (same as with other conditions or ailments).
If you suspect hypoglycemia in your life, I would advise that you take the “Hypo Quiz” found in http://www.hypoglycemia.org/hypo_test.asp.
I also recommend that you take a look at the diet recommendations found in the pages of The Hypoglycemia Support Foundation Inc. http://www.hypoglycemia.org/diet.asp as well as in the next pages that I found so helpful.
http://www.dietitian.com - For general nutritional questions
http://www.fibromyalgiatreatment.com/Research_HGdiet.htm great site with good info.
Please be advised that I did ask for authorization to post these links in this site and it was granted by the interested parties; I have the corresponding e-mails.
There is also a forum online that I did not explore, you might want to join.
It is also important to know that dieting as a hypoglycemic is not a bad thing as there is a vast array of foods that can be consumed; you will not be deprived! In fact, the list is sooo big that it pushed me into only listing the sites instead of posting it here.
As a last note to this article I would like to add that research on this condition is active and that there is hope.
