What is hypoglycemia?

September 20, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: It seems like everyone talks about diabetes and high blood sugar, but I recently found out I suffer from the opposite. What can you tell me about hypoglycemia?

DEAR READER: Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar levels, is not a disease, but rather a symptom. It is most commonly seen in diabetics who do not have their sugar levels under proper control. In non-diabetics it is the result of an underlying condition.

Possible underlying causes include certain medications, tumors, alcoholism, anorexia, hepatitis, kidney disorders and endocrine deficiencies.
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Fighting oral cancer

September 16, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I follow your column in our local paper religiously, and your “No Flour-No Sugar” plan has made a big difference in the hypoglycemia condition that I seem to be prone to. Sadly, I don’t stick to it nearly often enough.

More specifically, I am 65 and probably an alcoholic — the result of a lifetime of bad choices and a couple of bad marriages. I live (by choice) in a fairly remote part of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, where medical advice is hard to come by. I also have a history of oral cancer, despite not having smoked for more than 20 years. The only ENT doc available to me has decided that the “cut it out and biopsy it” approach every three months or so is the proper one.
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Daily Column

September 19, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am a 47-year-old female with a peculiar problem. When my blood sugar levels are low, I yawn. This can be very embarrassing when I’m in the middle of a business meeting, or trying to carry on a conversation with a colleague. What’s going on?

DEAR READER:
The symptoms of low blood sugar are anxiety, agitation, a feeling of hunger, dizziness, palpitations, and more. Some individuals with the condition become glassy-eyed and stare off into space without realizing what they are doing. Low blood sugar tends to cause some other individuals to become fatigued. As you have discovered, that fatigue causes some individuals to yawn, even at inappropriate times.

I can give you some guidelines, but recommend you meet with your physician to be assured my suggestions are appropriate for you. [Read more...]

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Daily Column

August 30, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
Please have your readers write in about home remedies for hypoglycemia.

DEAR READER:
Hypoglycemia is an abnormally low sugar level in the blood. The foods we eat, stress and tobacco play a role in the condition. Recommendations for control include eliminating sugar, white flour, caffeine and excessive alcohol from the diet. Plan to eat six small, healthful meals daily, and consume appropriate snacks between meals. This does not translate to over-eating, but to a normal diet consumed in smaller amounts throughout the day. Begin the day with a high protein breakfast, as protein is broken down more slowly than sugar is. Include nuts and sunflower and pumpkin seeds in your diet.

Supplements include calcium, vitamin B complex, garlic, Hawthorne, [Read more...]

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