Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia can mimic almost every medical problem in the book! Only in recent years has its true nature come to light. It is a disease that doctors used to dismiss by saying, "It's all in your head" because they simply didn't know enough about the condition to recognize the true problem.

Typically, the medical prescription began with a candy bar! If your blood sugar is low, then sugar out to take care of it, right? Wrong! Patients got worse. In order to understand why this treatment didn't and doesn't work, we must first define what hypoglycemia is.

"Hypo" means low, "gly" means sugar, and "cemia" means blood. Low blood sugar, it sounds simple, but there are many forms of sugars. We have glucose, sucrose, lactose, fructose, and galactose. Then we have starch glycogen, dextrins, maltoses, and pentose. It's quite complicated.

Outward manifestations of hypoglycemia look like a host of other problems that have nothing to do with blood sugar levels. What does sugar have to do with anything? Actually, sugar is the body's fuel. Every cell uses sugar to release energy for muscle contractions, heat, the processing of chemicals, thinking, and reproduction. So when blood sugar - fuel - is low, every system in the body suffers. Your most vulnerable organs will be weakened first. Since everyone has a different chemical, emotional and physical make-up, symptoms will manifest themselves differently in everyone person.

The most common symptoms are in this chart. It's is normal to have many of these symptoms in passing, but if they reoccur and no other cause can explain them, check yourself against the chart to see how many make a case for hypoglycemia.

The pancreas is the body's carburetor, controlling sugar carefully so it doesn't pile up in the capillaries, which would shut off blood to the cells. "Hyperglycemia", as this would be, is also call diabetes. So what would cause the pancreas to malfunction? Infection could shut down the part of the organ making insulin, or irritate it to produce too much. A junk food diet could deplete the organ's ability to manage the sugar, or strong emotions like fear and anger.

Diagnosis

While self-diagnosis can be difficult, especially with such a complicated illness as hypoglycemia, you can still do much for yourself along with seeking expert counsel and advise.

First, review the above chart and note which symptoms you experience frequently. Do you change moods in a few seconds? Maybe that's when your blood sugar reached a critical low-point and you couldn't handle the stress of that moment. Tired 2 hours after a meal? This is another clue.

Second, doctors usually recommend a "Glucose Tolerance Test" lasting at least 4 hours, but is more accurate when tested up to 6 hours. However, this is done in a state of fasting and is very hard on your depleted glands. If you already suspect you have hypoglycemia, you may wish to proceed with some dietary changes, the best cure yet discovered.

Third, consider your personal problems, stresses, a low-grade infection, environmental poisons, lack of rest or exercise, and do what you can for yourself. Enlist the help of friends and family so that you can gradually overcome this very common problem, these terrible symptoms, and feel hope once again that you and your life can be in balance with each other.

Helps

The first and best thing to do for hypoglycemia is to quit eating refined sugar and foods containing refined sugar. You will notice a distinct improvement in how you feel just by switching to more natural sweeteners such as raw honey, blackstrap olasses, real maple syrup, barley malt or date sugar.

If you still crave sweets, you may find licorice root helpful. Licorice root stimulates the adrenals and helps to balance blood sugar levels. It helps take away the craving for sweets, too. If you find you crave chocolates, you may be low in magnesium. Try a magnesium supplement. Taking a small amount of some bitter herb in liquid form (such as gentian or Oregon grape) may also help reduce cravings for sugar and chocolate.

Your pancreas can be aided by taking chromium, a mineral which is vitally important for proper function of this gland. Chromium is essential to the production of the glucose tolerance factor, which helps stabilize the blood sugar. Zinc is also important for pancreas function.

Two herbal combinations have been used by herbalists to aid the pancreas. P-14 is a combination of 14 herbs used historially to strengthen the pancreas. These herbs are: golden seal root, juniper berries, uva ursi, cedar berries, mullein leaves, yarrow flowers, garlic bulbs, slippery elm bark, capsicum, dandelion root, marshmallow root, nettle herb, white oak bark, and licorice root.

A special version of this formula, Target P-14, adds chromium and zinc bonded to amino acids which aid their assimilation by the pancreas. Another combination, developed by Paavo Airola, is sold under the tradename HY-A. It contains... licorice root, safflower flowers, dandelion root, and horseradish root. Yes another combination is sold under the tradename NBS-AV (Normalize Blood Sugar) and is used to balance the blood sugar.

These herbs may have a miraculous ability to relieve symptoms and compensate for weaknesses, but ultimately, you must realize that there are consequences to your choices. Sound nutrition and exercise, combined with proper usage of herbs and supplements can bring lasting health to your body.

Send e-mail to iridology@netzero.net if you have questions about hypoglycemia.