Low Blood Sugar

Module 2. The Lowdown on Low Blood Sugar - Hypoglycemia

a. What the Research Shows

For energy, development and survival, our brain must have 2 things: glucose and oxygen. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), a person weighing approximately150 lbs. must have at least 4 grams (1 teaspoon) of glucose circulating in their entire bloodstream at any given time to fuel the brain and muscles. An adult of normal weight requires 200 grams of glucose per day with 2/3 of that specifically needed by the brain. Without oxygen being pumped to the brain, we would soon become mindless vegetables. With no glucose to fuel the brain, the effect is the same. Short disruptions in blood supply – the vehicle which delivers glucose and oxygen to the brain – are often either fatal or produce long-term damage to the brain. Yet even with adequate blood circulation, low blood sugar can produce similar effects.

The popularity and use of processed sugars has risen exponentially in the last century, and our body’s proper chemical balance has not fared well. To understand how low blood sugar (also known as hypoglycemia) can develop, you need to know how the body’s glucose metabolism works. Let’s take a look at the following video which illustrates how glucose interacts and breaks down or converts within the body.

NOTE: Hypoglycemic 4-minute video: https://youtu.be/J-up3DzYPSU

Our bodies convert all foods to glucose, however refined sugars and white flours (starches) convert at a much faster rate. When too much sugar floods the bloodstream, the pancreas pumps out extra insulin in just the right amount to bring the blood sugar back down to normal. Frequent, excessive meals or snacks of refined sugars, starche’s and bad carbs, (or alcohol, which is the purest form of sugar) cause the pancreas to get oversensitive (trigger happy) and pour too much insulin into the bloodstream too fast. Today’s sugary junk food cause an overuse of the pancreas and damages it permanently. That insulin removes too much sugar which causes blood sugar levels to crash way below normal. As the brain reacts to this crash, one may develop headaches, feel anxious, irritable, tired, dizzy, confused, forgetful, uncoordinated, and unable to concentrate, or antisocial. As glucose levels spiral downward, the body works to stop the fall. Otherwise, it plunges into deep shock—and if the drop continues uninterrupted, the result is ultimately death.

Fortunately, the physical stress being produced causes the adrenal glands to release adrenaline. The liver is then signaled to break down its emergency sugar, glycogen, into glucose and release it into the bloodstream to stop further insulin shock and protect the brain by providing emergency glucose. But the adrenaline release brings its own unpleasant reactions. One may feel shaky, sweaty, and weak, and experience a rapid heartbeat. Caffeine produces the same symptoms and is associated with a temporary rise of blood sugar levels. This seesawing of blood glucose all day long creates many uncomfortable symptoms, and most people interpret those signals as a need to grab a sweet snack or soda.

Some of these symptoms were documented in a research paper complied by Dr. Stephen Gyland M.D., based on a study of 1,200 hypoglycemic patients. Dr. Gyland himself experienced many of these symptoms as young man beginning his medical practice. When he became so incapacitated he could no longer work in medicine, he began a futile search for help from major medical centers across the US, including the famed Mayo Clinic. Finally on his own, he pieced together the correct diagnosis of hypoglycemia, which he then verified with a six-hour glucose tolerance test. Since his recovery, he has contributed this valuable study that shows what percentage of twelve hundred patients report each of these common hypoglycemic symptoms.

Check the symptoms chart below to see how many apply to you.

Chart of Hypoglycemic Symptoms & Frequency of Occurrence

Symptom Frequency % Symptom Frequency %

Nervousness 94 Irritability 89

Exhaustion 87 Faintness, dizziness

Tremors, Cold Sweats 86

Depression 86 Vertigo, dizziness 77

Drowsiness 73 Headaches 72

Digestive disturbances 71 Forgetfulness 69

Insomnia 67 Constant Worrying

Unprovoked anxieties 62

Mental confusion 62 Internal trembling 57

Heart palpitations, rapid pulse 54 Muscle pains 53

Numbness 51 Indecisiveness 50

Antisocial behavior 47 Crying spells 46

Lack of sex drive (females) 44 Allergies 43

Uncoordination 43 Leg cramps 43

Lack of concentration 42 Blurred vision 40

Muscle twitching & Jerking 40 Itching, crawling

Skin sensations 39

Gasping for breath 37 Smothering spells 34

Staggering 34 Impotence (males) 29

Unconsciousness 27 Nightmares, night terrors 27

Rheumatoid arthritis 24 Phobias, fears 23

Neurodermatitis, red skin rash 21 Suicidal intent 20

Nervous breakdowns 17 Convulsions 2

b. Hypoglycemia & its Likelihood

Hypoglycemia is a word many medical doctors hate. Some call it a fad disease and refuse to do the lab tests necessary to prove or disprove this condition. It’s hard to understand such a block in scientific thinking especially since the American Medical Association awarded the Distinguished Medal of Honor to Dr. Seal Harris, M.D., in 1929 for the discovery of Hypoglycemia.

Mental health professionals often fail to recognize hypoglycemic symptoms. They attempt to explain them as psychological phenomena. If you have puzzled over changes in your moods, thoughts, and feelings, don’t be so quick to accept them as psychological in origin. Hypoglycemia can cause severe metabolic changes in your brain and nervous system which, in turn, can create altered moods, emotional instability, and behavior changes.

So let’s take a look at YOUR symptoms now by completing the Hypoglycemic Symptoms Test.

Email or call us for your symptoms test and what to do if you are hypoglycemic.