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Coping with Hypoglycemia

A PATIENT visits his doctor to complain of poor health. He feels “run down,” weak, and he gets dizzy spells. He also has become more nervous and irritable lately, and experiences a greater sense of anxiety and dread. At times, his heart beats too fast, and he breaks out in a cold sweat. What is wrong?

This person may be one of thousands who have hypoglycemia. This is the medical term for the condition commonly known as “low blood sugar.” However, the symptoms are so varied that it can be mistaken for many other ailments. And, at the same time, many other ailments can be mistaken for it.

Just what is hypoglycemia, and how can it be identified with more certainty? What causes it? And what can be done to cope with it?

Body Needs Sugar

The body needs a proper amount of sugar for good health. Sugar provides energy for the cells of the body. When the sugar level in the blood is too low, as a result of one of many conditions, then an emergency arises for the body, and it reacts accordingly.

The central nervous system​—the brain and the spinal cord—​is most seriously affected by too little sugar in the blood. Without this “fuel,” the brain cannot function; without that, there is no life.

But what kind of sugar is it that the body requires? The blood sugar referred to is called glucose. This is not the same as ordinary table sugar, and it is only about half as sweet. Where does the body get glucose so that the bloodstream can transport it to the body’s cells? The body gets glucose from carbohydrates, one of the three main classes of foods essential for life, the others being proteins and fats.

Some carbohydrates are simple sugars that are easily absorbed into the bloodstream when eaten. One example of this is a mildly sweet sugar that is present in corn syrup. Regular table sugar also is a carbohydrate, but needs to be digested (broken down) by the body so that glucose is manufactured from it.

The body also manufactures glucose from many other carbohydrates found in such foods as rice, oatmeal, lima beans, white and whole wheat bread and prunes. These foods all contain a high percentage of carbohydrates. Others that also have significant amounts of carbohydrates include corn, potatoes, bananas, apples, oranges and grapefruits.

Symptoms

A number of symptoms accompany hypoglycemia. The victim may feel weak and may experience higher blood pressure and an increased heartbeat. He may be more nervous, apprehensive, and may break out in a sweat for no apparent reason. There may also be headaches, dizziness, numbness, a lack of coordination, “thickened” speech, trembling and hunger. Severe hypoglycemia may result in convulsions and coma, and, in some cases, death.

However, this does not mean that people who have some of these symptoms have hypoglycemia. There are many other bodily ills that produce such symptoms. Too, a person can be tested for the glucose level in his blood and may find that, while it is low, he does not have hypoglycemia. Indeed, studies reveal that many persons regularly test out at a level lower than what is considered “normal” without any symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Doctors point out, too, that there are two types of hypoglycemia. The more common is called functional hypoglycemia and is the body’s exaggerated reaction to eating. The other type is called organic hypoglycemia, which results from a physical abnormality.

Functional Hypoglycemia

One of the keys to determining whether a person has functional hypoglycemia is this: Do the symptoms coincide regularly with the low point in the blood-sugar level, usually about three to five hours after eating meals?

Also, to avoid misunderstanding the problem, it is important to know that in the normal individual the amount of blood sugar varies even during different times of the day. It is largely governed by the food that is consumed. Eating triggers the gland called the pancreas to manufacture insulin. Insulin helps the body to use the sugar, “burning it up,” converting the sugar into energy.

Usually, the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood increases for a few hours after a meal, especially a meal that includes many carbohydrates. To counteract this and get the blood sugar down to normal levels, the pancreas secretes the insulin. With the insulin at work, in a few hours the sugar in the blood drops to more normal levels. But in this process the sugar level may get below normal for a time if the pancreas secretes somewhat more insulin than is needed. Yet, this is not unusual, and, in most people, it will not be accompanied by symptoms of hypoglycemia.

However, in those persons who have functional hypoglycemia, the pancreas is overly sensitive to carbohydrates and produces too much insulin. This overproduction of insulin lowers the blood-sugar level too much, and the body, in turn, produces symptoms such as those described earlier.

While diagnosing functional hypoglycemia is difficult, medical authorities state that likely it exists when these indicators are all present: (1) The patient’s symptoms do not occur all day long, but occur regularly within about three to five hours after meals; (2) the symptoms coincide with the low point in the blood-glucose level; (3) the bad feeling can be relieved to an extent if a sweet snack is eaten, which raises the blood-glucose level quickly; and (4) the problem can be revealed in special tests taken by qualified physicians.

It might also be observed that while too little blood sugar characterizes hypoglycemia, too much blood sugar may indicate diabetes. Yet, the two conditions are not necessarily opposites. Why? Because those who have diabetes can suffer an attack of hypoglycemia if they take too large a dosage of insulin, or if the insulin has a stronger effect than intended. This “burns up” too much sugar, resulting in too low a level in the blood, followed by symptoms of hypoglycemia.

Differences

While tests may be of great value in trying to determine whether a patient has hypoglycemia, differences need to be considered. Patients are people, and people are individuals. No two are exactly alike, as can be demonstrated by the fact that hardly any two fingerprints are alike among the world’s four thousand million people! So what is normal for one, or for a hundred, may not be normal for another.

For example, how long does it take the heart to return to its normal rate after 20 vigorous jumps? Even for persons who are of the same age and are in similar physical condition, this will vary. Because of such differences in bodily makeup, even diabetes specialists are unable to agree on precisely what constitutes the earliest indication of diabetes.

Similarly, in view of the differences in people’s bodies, it would be difficult to insist that any one level constitutes low blood sugar in every case. This must be weighed against the overall health of the individual, and it also depends on whether other indications are present.

Coping with the Causes

What causes the condition that results in a blood-sugar level that is too low? While the problem is complex, there are certain factors that have been identified as being involved.

One such factor is heredity. Some persons are born with a predisposition to hypoglycemia. A second factor is the total environment a person finds himself in, which includes the daily stress and emotional pressure that he is under. Too much stress and emotional anguish can cause a deterioration in the body’s ability to withstand illness. As a reaction to this, the symptoms of hypoglycemia can occur during periods of high or prolonged stress or emotional upset.

A third factor is the kind of food a person eats. It is generally agreed that essential foods include the proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and also vitamins, minerals and water. Our bodies were designed by the Creator to use the wide variety of foods found in creation. These supply building materials for growth and repair, as well as fuel for energy.

However, in recent decades we have seen a marked increase in the use of “junk” foods that contain little or no nutrition, although they may contain calories that can cause a person to become overweight. Also, too many sugars and starches, as found in candies and pastries, can lead to an overproduction of insulin by the pancreas, which, in turn, can lead to an abnormally low level of blood sugar. Symptoms of hypoglycemia may then follow.

Additionally, the increased use of many synthetic additives​—such as chemicals to retard spoilage and others to improve texture and flavor—​may be a factor that contributes to the problem. The present farming methods that include the use of pesticides that may not be removed from the food is another unknown factor influencing nutrition.

When symptoms of hypoglycemia do appear and are not due to a specific disease, they may be minimized, or may even be prevented from recurring, by a carefully regulated diet that is lower in carbohydrates and higher in proteins. Also, some of the symptoms may be prevented by a more careful intake of foods, with emphasis on those that are more nutritious. Of course, in the industrialized societies, obtaining such foods cheaply and conveniently may not always be a simple matter. Nevertheless, the following suggestions that have been offered by some nutritionists may be helpful:

(1) Where possible, cut down on processed foods, such as white sugar and white flour.

(2) Use foods that have the least amount of chemical additives such as artificial food colors and preservatives.

(3) When possible, eat mainly foods that spoil because of not having added preservatives, foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables. (Of course, eat them before they spoil!) And use a wide variety of vegetables, raw, or cooked in a way that keeps in most of the nutrition.

(4) When you do use frozen foods, use the fluid released in thawing, as it often has nutritional value.

(5) Avoid a heavy, steady intake of “junk” foods, such as candies and soft drinks. When you can do so, substitute natural sweets and fruit juices.

(6) Exercise regularly, taking into consideration your age and general health.

Other Causes

However, there are other causes of hypoglycemia that are not the result of heredity, environment, stress, the inability of the body to handle carbohydrates, or poor diet. For instance, a tumor in the pancreas can cause it to produce too much insulin, which, in turn, can lower the blood-sugar level too much. Blood-sugar disorders also may occur because of defects in one’s metabolism due to disease. Such types of organic hypoglycemia may result in spontaneous attacks, for example, at night or during periods of fasting.

The overuse of alcoholic beverages may also be a cause. When a person drinks excessively, the liver can be damaged, and that organ plays an important part in metabolizing carbohydrates. Too, the onset of diabetes might first show itself as hypoglycemia.

At times, the symptoms of this condition are much milder. Then the real cause may be very difficult, if not impossible, to discover.

Because the symptoms of hypoglycemia are many, some persons may be too quick to label a health problem as hypoglycemia. And this may also be the case with some doctors who specialize in the field. As Dr. Sydney Walker of California said in Psychology Today:

“Most hypoglycemia doctors sincerely try to treat their patients in the best way possible, but in any practice that is limited to one condition, there is a danger of seeing that condition everywhere.

“Just as allergists look first for allergies and psychiatrists probe for neuroses, hypoglycemia doctors are often predisposed to find a carbohydrate abnormality, and stop there.”

Hence, common sense in the type of foods we eat, unburdening ourselves as much as possible of too much stress and too many emotional problems, and getting sound medical advice and attention, all play their part in preventing hypoglycemia or coping with it.

Yet, it must be kept in mind that nothing in this system of things can permanently eliminate sickness or its cause. That is why it is the course of practical wisdom not to become fanatical about health, or to think that some “cure-all” can be found for illnesses.

True, we should do our best to try to avoid sickness, and, if it comes, we should cope with it the best we can. But only God’s provisions in his new order will totally eliminate human imperfection with its accompanying sickness and death. Those who truly desire perfect health and long life should direct their main efforts toward learning more about that new order and God’s requirements for living in it.​—Rev. 21:5.