Have hypoglycimia..and dont know what it is!?
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Here's the answer in a couple sentences
Hypoglycemia is "low blood sugar"
This is a precursor to diabetes, it doesn't mean you have diabetes you just have to be a little more careful about what you eat and drink (for example those massive sodas). :)
http://www.hypoglycemia.org/hypo.asp...
Hypoglycemia - hy-po-gly-ce-mi-a (n.)
An abnormally low level of sugar in the blood.
What does this mean?
In simple layman's language, 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.
In medical terms, hypoglycemia is defined in relation to its cause. Functional hypoglycemia, the kind we are addressing here, is the oversecretion of insulin by the pancreas in response to a rapid rise in blood sugar or "glucose".
All carbohydrates (vegetables, fruits and grains, as well as simple table sugar), are broken down into simple sugars by the process of digestion. This sugar enters the blood stream as glucose and our level of blood sugar rises. The pancreas then secretes a hormone known as insulin into the blood in order to bring the glucose down to normal levels.
In hypoglycemia, the pancreas sends out too much insulin and the blood sugar plummets below the level necessary to maintain well-being.
Since all the cells of the body, especially the brain cells, use glucose for fuel, a blood glucose level that is too low starves the cells of needed fuel, causing both physical and emotional symptoms.
-an excerpt from The Do's and Don'ts of Hypoglycemia: An Everyday Guide to Low Blood Sugar by Roberta Ruggiero
Some of the symptoms of hypoglycemia are:
fatigue
insomnia
mental confusion
nervousness
mood swings
faintness
headaches
depression
phobias
heart palpitations
a craving for sweets
cold hands and feet
forgetfulness
dizziness
blurred vision
inner trembling
outbursts of temper
sudden hunger
allergies
crying spells
Whether you are hypoglycemic or think you are hypoglycemic, the first requirement is to EDUCATE yourself. As a knowledgeable patient, you will then be able to wisely choose a health-care professional who can assist you with your diagnosis and treatment.
What the Experts Say...
"The low blood sugar of today is the diabetes of tomorrow" Seale Harris, M.D.
"I have never, ever seen an alcoholic who wasn't hypoglycemic. It just doesn't occur, it's the same problem." Dr. Douglas M. Baird, HSF Medical Director, author of The Blood Sugar Hotline
"Warning: as many as 100 million people in this country may be suffering from a disease nobody cares to talk about! Failure to learn about it could be dangerous to your health." - Dr David Williams, author of Hypoglycemia: The Deadly Roller Coaster
"For one person in every ten, sugar is a deadly food, paving the way toward a hundred distressing physical symptoms, plus all the tortures of neurotic and even psychotic behavior. For that person a little sugar is akin to a little carbolic acid." - Carlton Federicks, Ph.D., author of New Low Blood Sugar And You
"The sugar-laden American diet has led to a national epidemic of hypoglycemia, an ailment characterized by irrational behavior, emotional instability, distorted judgement, and nasty personality defects." - Dr. Emanuel Cheraskin, author of The Vitamin C Connection
"It is an alarming fact that countless Americans suffer-unsuspectingly-from the debilitating effects of hypoglycemia, a diet-related condition caused by low blood sugar. Unless the symptoms are diagnosed, a multitude of mental and physical disorders can go undetected." - Dr.Harvey M. Ross, author of Hypoglycemia: The Disease your Doctor Won't Treat
Hypoglycemia means that your blood has too little sugar in it. That can cause, over the years, everything from bad breath "Ketosis" to the loss of limbs due to limited blood flow, cardiac problems and brain damage. In the short term it can cause major tremors, serious headaches, and blackouts.
Blood sugar levels can easily be measured by a blood glucose meter which costs from about $40 to around $100. The normal range for blood sugar just before eating is about 120 milligrams/deciliter. If your readings are much below that, you will start feeling dizzy and spaced out. When you get down to the 110 and below readings blackouts become possible and below 80 to 90 or so can cause temporary or perminant brain damage due to starvation of brain cells.
A simple home treatment until you can get to a doctor involves eating small amounts of very sweet things such as those packaged jams one finds in restaurants. Cookie iceing, which comes in little tubes, is also a good home treatment while you get yourself to your doctor or ER if you are having severe symptoms.
This can be a true medical emergency and if you are experiencing strong dizziness and/or visual effects such as black spots and/or blurred vision, you need to call your local Emergency Medical Service immediately and let them take it from there.
Who told you that you had it. If your doctor is out of town then no one has any business giving you a diagnosis like that! I would complain loudly! But you can find all kinds of information on the web about it, but spell it right----hypoglycemia. It just means your blood sugar drops lower than normal. Remember to eat frequently, and when you feel shaky have a snack with sugar or protein. Then when your doctor comes back to town, tell him what a lousy staff he has to tell you that and then not give you any more info. My doctor would have fired any of us nurses for doing that. Very unethical.
Eat right. Meat, vegetables and whole grains.
If your young and healthy otherwise, this is most likely just low blood sugar, which is easily controlled by proper diet. I know several people with this condition, mostly women. For now don't worry about it, but see a dietitian or do what your Doctor suggests. Most MD's know very little about diet and nutrition so seeing a dietitian is your best bet.
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