Low Blood Sugar: The Nutritional Plan to Overcome Hypoglycaemia, with 60 Recipes
in accurately diagnosing low blood sugar is that many of the symptoms of the condition can have other causes.
General symptoms and problems
To discuss the diversity of symptoms caused by low blood sugar would take up most of this book. However, the list below is a representative selection of the most common symptoms that can be caused in part or wholly by low blood sugar.
| Fatigue | Anxiety | Depression |
| Irritability | Forgetfulness | Poor concentration |
| Indigestion | Breathlessness | Panic feelings |
| Headaches | Migraine | Asthma |
| Overweight | Food cravings | Excessive smoking |
| Alcoholism | Vertigo | Sweating |
| Pre-menstrual tension | Muscular stiffness | Phobias |
| Numbness | Blurred vision | Cold extremities |
| Joint pain | Fainting and blackouts | Convulsions |
| Nightmares | Lack of sex drive | Allergies |
| Angina | Suicidal tendencies | Irritable bowel symptoms |
| Epilepsy | Stomach cramps | Stomach ulcers |
| Hyperactivity | Neuralgia | Agoraphobia |
| Narcolepsy | Tinnitus |
I am sure there will be many eyebrows raised at the great variety and number of symptoms I have listed and, at first sight, it is difficult to imagine that there is a common theme to all these conditions.
Interestingly though, many of the symptoms of low blood sugar are classed by doctors as ‘stress disorders’ and I hope to show, by describing the effect of sugar on the nervous system, that many of these symptoms are in fact due to nutritional imbalances and not ‘personality failings’. You may see several of your own symptoms on the list; but simply to scan this list, recognize your symptoms and blame low blood sugar is not the answer. As previously stated, many of these symptoms may have other causes, not least of which could be stress.
Self-diagnosis is therefore not advisable; a naturopath or sympathetic doctor should be able to offer more objective diagnostic methods. These can include, in addition to detailed case-history taking, the six-hour glucose tolerance test, the measurement of adrenal and thyroid hormones and a blood insulin test (these will be discussed in due course).
At some time in their lives most people experience one or more of the symptoms listed above. They are usually caused by transient low blood sugar – a temporary or passing fall in the blood sugar level. This is rapidly rectified by the body’s own sugar regulation mechanism. Once a balance is achieved, the symptoms usually disappear. If, however, there is a chronic imbalance in our sugar regulation, the symptoms may well improve or change, but they will always return if the actual imbalance is not corrected.
Now let us look more closely at the way in which a drop in the blood sugar directly affects the various organs and systems of the body, giving rise to the symptoms outlined. In this way you will begin to understand why the blood sugar level is so important to the normal running of the body. The effects of low blood sugar can be classified as follows:
Nervous system changes
The main nutrient needed by the nervous system is glucose. There is no really adequate substitute and, although other substances are involved, they cannot replace glucose. Unfortunately, it is not fully understood just how glucose acts on the nervous system, but it has been noted that when a healthy patient is injected with insulin (the opposite of glucose), profound and sudden changes in the efficiency of the nervous system occur within minutes. This is completely reversed by an injection of glucose. This tends to confirm that the nervous system requires a continuous supply of glucose in order to function efficiently.
Although the weight of an adult brain is only two per cent of the total body weight, the activity of the brain, in terms of utilization of glucose, may amount to 20–25 per cent of the total body activity. In spite of this, the total amount of glucose concentrated within the brain at any one time would, under normal conditions, be exhausted in 10–15 minutes. The effects of glucose starvation on the brain and nerve tissue as a result of a low level of blood sugar are as follows:
1 Insufficient oxygen.
2 Reduction in specific substances within the brain that are essential for nervous activity.
Let us look at the symptoms that can result from such changes.
CIRCULATORY CHANGES
Not surprisingly, the system first affected by a drop in the blood sugar level is the blood circulatory system. This, of course, includes the heart and blood vessels. When the blood sugar falls, the body automatically reacts in an attempt to restore balance to the system. This response involves the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands, to raise the blood sugar. Adrenaline is also released in stressful situations. This means that if an individual has persistent low blood sugar, they may have symptoms similar to those produced by chronic stress. These can include:
1 An irregular increase in the heart rate, causing palpitations and breathing difficulties.
2 Angina-like symptoms involving a reduction in circulation to the heart muscle, chest cramp and pain in the chest and arms.
3 A general withdrawal of blood to deal with the ‘stress effects’, causing coldness of the hands and feet, muscular cramp and a poor adaptation to temperature changes.
GLANDULAR CHANGES
The changes involved in the glandular system following a drop in the blood sugar level are widespread and could well provide sufficient material for another book. However, in this context, it is adequate simply to briefly look at the glands affected.
1 Pituitary gland. This is the master control gland influencing the thyroid and adrenal glands.
2 Adrenal glands. These glands produce adrenaline, cortisol (hydrocortisone), DHEA and other hormones. It is the persistent stimulation of these glands in a patient suffering from low blood sugar that provides the causative link between blood sugar and rheumatoid arthritis. Overactivity, with subsequent exhaustion of the adrenal glands, can cause a reduction in the availability of cortisol and the ‘mother’ hormone DHEA, which provide protection against joint pain and inflammation.
3 Thyroid gland. Changes that occur with thyroid activity are of less significance than other glands. Although, like the adrenal and pituitary glands, the thyroid secretions are essentially antagonistic to insulin and thus thyroid imbalance can contribute to a blood sugar imbalance. A vicious cycle may be established whereby a mildly deficient thyroid causes low blood sugar and the subsequent adrenal stress can further depress the thyroid.
DIGESTIVE CHANGES
The changes in gastric (stomach) activity that occur with low blood sugar are mainly caused by the increased insulin level in the blood, rather than the actual deficiency of blood sugar. A standard hospital test to assess the efficiency of digestive activity involves administering to the patient an injection of insulin. This prompts a rapid and predictable increase in the amount of stomach acids, which are then measured. It follows that if this test has such an effect, the fluctuations of the insulin level in the blood – as occurs in low blood sugar and insulin resistance – would have a similar effect. Indeed, in practice, I find that many patients suffering from stomach ulcers, heartburn, hiatus hernia and other digestive ailments frequently have an underlying blood sugar imbalance.
Those with food intolerances may suffer symptoms that are partially caused by low blood sugar. Unfortunately, as a result of symptom similarity the two conditions are often confused.
PSYCHOLOGICAL CHANGES
As I discussed previously, changes in blood sugar can have a significant impact on the brain and nervous system – it is hardly surprising then