Hypoglycemia - For Those With and Without Diabetes

Hypoglycemia is a medical term for blood sugars that are running too low, which means below 70 mg. When this happens, a person may feel:



1. Weak



2. Confused



3. Sweaty



4. Very hungry



5. Have trouble speaking or making sense



6. Have feelings of panic or anxiety



7. Anger and agitation



Normalized blood sugars are usually between 70 mg and up to no more than 130. So a reading below 70 mg is considered as hypoglycemia. Some diabetic people may feel low at a higher number since they are used to running on extremely high blood sugars, and then going down to normal readings may make them feel too low until their body adjusts to better readings.



For diabetics, it is important to have an exact understanding of the medications and insulins they are taking daily. A person with diabetes should ALWAYS carry the following along with their glucose meter at all times:



1. Glucose tablets or sweet tarts



2. Glucagon for severe reactions (an injectable that someone must know how to give you in an emergency)



3. Hard candy



4. Soft drinks that have sugar which will raise sugars fast.



Alcoholic beverages should be used with care by those who are taking oral medications and/or insulins for diabetes. Alcohol could lower the blood sugar dangerously.



If you are diabetic and in doubt about your blood sugar level, you need to test it and not guess your readings. Guessing your blood sugar readings is NOT an accurate thing to do, and therefore, can put you in danger not realizing you are very low. Some people have hypoglycemic unawareness when they are diabetic, and don't realize how close they may be in having to seek emergency help. So it is better to be safe then sorry, and test your blood glucose when uncertain.



When a diabetic person struggles with nighttime hypoglycemia, it is always best to keep some high sugar source right there. But that doesn't always work while the person is sleeping. Continuous glucose monitoring is best for people with this problem that poses a threat to putting them into insulin shock. Many of the continuous glucose monitors have an alarm which will sound very loudly in order to wake a person to care for the reaction quickly before a medical emergency arises. The alarm will keep going and not shut off until the person is awake enough to help themselves. This is a real asset to many people experiencing this problem.



Low blood sugar can happen to people that don't have diabetes. But most frequently, it can very easily happen to diabetic people who are on either pills, insulin injections, or both.



The two types of hypoglycemia in a non-diabetic person are:



Reactive hypoglycemia. This type of hypoglycemia happens after eating a meal, usually in a time period of up to 4 hours.



Fasting Hypoglycemia is low blood sugar that happens after sleeping and is caused by some other medical condition not diabetic related.



Symptoms for both of these types are as I mentioned above.



A person that has hypoglycemia but no diabetes may have various types of stomach issues where in which enzyme deficiencies may be the underlying cause.



Various types of medicines may be the cause for a non-diabetic experiencing hypoglycemia. Quinine pills, aspirins in large amounts, and sulfa drugs may initiate hypoglycemic reactions in some people.



Treating low blood sugars in people without diabetes involve eating at the right times and the right balanced diet. Exercising helps along with eating something small every few hours.

Those Who Suffer From Hypoglycemia

Responding to a problem like hypoglycemia requires information. Know what hypoglycemia is all about and know what hits those who suffer from hypoglycemia. What is hypoglycemia?



Hypogclycemia is the opposite of diabetes. It is a condition where people are found deficient of sugar in their blood. Ironically, hypogclycemia can often be found from among the ranks of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics. The reason for this is that medication or diet for diabetics sometimes results in very low levels of blood sugar. However, hypoglycemia has many known causes; it can also affect anybody, not only diabetics. There are cases when people who fast or are starving may develop low blood glucose. Hypogclycemia can be a temporary disorder and can be resolved easily by restoring food or protein intake to normal levels.



People often mistakenly think that something sweet should be given to those having hypogclycemia to cure their deficiency. What is not fully understood is the fact that those who suffer from hypoglycemia usually lack protein and a protein-rich food is what they need to fix their problem. An example of a protein-rich food is peanut butter. Peanut butter effectively helps alleviate the condition of those who suffer from hypoglycemia.



But hypoglycemia can hit a person for various reasons; it can also worsen like a disease. Diabetics who suffer from hypoglycemia contract the disease as a result of reaction to insulin or diet. Other people may experience hypoglycemia occasionally, oftentimes caused by not being able to eat properly.



When a person suffers from hypoglycemia he or she shows signs that include anxiety, shakiness, sweating, heart palpitations, coldness, dilated pupils, clamminess, feeling of fainting, among other symptoms. These symptoms result from loss of sugar that triggers reactions affecting the brain. Unless treated in time, people who suffer from hypoglycemia may succumb to diabetic coma and, in most serious cases, die. Basic treatment consists of giving those who suffer from hypoglycemia food that is rich in protein to keep them from fainting or even falling into a coma.



Other manifestations of hypoglycemia may include abdominal pain, vomiting, and hunger. When the disorder remains untreated, a person who suffers from hypoglycemia may exhibit neurological symptoms like speaking difficulties, slurred speech, anxiety, fatigue, delirium, lethargy, stupor, headache, abnormal breathing and, at their most extreme, coma.



Doctors go about treating hypoglycemia by knowing, firstly, the circumstances that led to the disease. They need to conduct physical examination of patients that includes taking of blood samples. But most hypoglycemia cases remain unexplained because blood samples cannot be taken before glucose levels are restored to normal levels.



One good thing about hypoglycemia is that it often is not a dangerous disease or disorder. In a majority of cases hypoglycemia simply results from fasting or malnutrition. Not a few people suffer from hypoglycemia without even knowing it has hit them. It becomes a serious problem only when its symptoms continue to persist, which then would require medical help to determine its underlying causes in order to respond to it effectively.



By and large hypoglycemia emerges from various reasons and those who show its symptoms would be well advised to seek medical help to find out what caused it. It is the best way one can respond to the illness if it continues to linger. In many cases, though, the causes of hypoglycemia remain unknown and often the problem gets resolved even without treatment.

The Best Foods for Those Who Suffer of Diabetes

It is well known that diabetics have to follow a strict diet to maintain under control their level of sugar in the blood, and they don not have many alternatives when talking about food.



Here you can find some of the indicated vegetables in treating the diabetes, which are easy to find on the market, and do not taste awful.



The French bean, also known as common or kidney bean is one of the most frequently vegetable used in the whole world.



For controlling diabetes it is indicated to eat beans because they are high in carbohydrates and fiber.



A great remedy for diabetes is the bean decoction. You need 60 grams of fresh bean pods, weighed after removing their seeds, you boil the pads for four hours on a slow fire in four liters of water, then you strain this decoction through fine muslin cloth and then you let it rest for eight hours. During the day it is recommended that you drink one glass of this decoction every two hours for a period of 4 to 8 weeks. You must prepare this decoction every day and drink it fresh, because it looses its medicinal properties after 24 hours.



Another useful natural product is the juice extracted from the French beans, combined with the juice of Brussels sprout, which stimulates the production of insulin.



Studies managed by Dr. James Anderson of the Human Nutrition Research Center of the US Department of Agriculture concluded that foods that lower cholesterol and prevent heart diseases, along with beans that are high in soluble fiber and reduce the level of sugar in the blood, are suitable for diabetics who develop a high risk of heart disease.



Lettuce can also be used freely by diabetics as it contains 3% or less of carbohydrates.



Tomato is useful for those who want to lose weight, is low in carbohydrates too and it is said to control the level of sugar in the urine.



A great nutritious food used in the diet of diabetics is the Soya bean. It is rich in quality proteins and fat, and poor in starch. Studies on Soya bean have been performed since 1910 and have proved the utility of this vegetable in reducing the quality of urinary sugar in diabetes patients.



One of the eldest used vegetable in treating diabetes is the onion. It is not important whether it is eaten raw or cooked, the most important thing is that onion can lower the blood sugar level in diabetes and the greater the dose, the faster the blood response.
In the 1960's scientists discovered anti-diabetic compounds in onion, similar to the anti-diabetic pharmaceuticals that are used in stimulating insulin synthesis and release: allyl, propyl, disulphide and allicin.



An equilibrate diet, based on vegetables, fruit and juices, and with less fats and sweets, associated with an active lifestyle, quitting smoking, self measuring the level of sugar in the blood and losing weight could control the diabetes and allow the patients to live a normal life.



For more information about diabetes diet, diabetes treatment, diabetes causes visit http://www.diabetesmellitus-information.com

The symptoms of diabetes type2 vary-regular Check-ups important for those at risk

Recognize the symptoms of diabetes type2 can lead to earlier detection and treatment, which could harm the organs caused by high levels of glucose. In rare cases, even without previously noting detailed symptoms, diabetes type two leads to coma. The importance of regular check-ups cannot be underestimated, especially for those people who are at risk of developing the disease.



The symptoms of diabetes type2 can vary, but may include increased thirst or dry mouth, increased hunger after a meal, nausea or vomiting, frequent urination, generalized fatigue or weakness, blurred vision, and numbness or tingling in your hands or feet. Not everyone with the condition experience all of these symptoms of type2 diabetes and some other people experience, for example, frequent urinary tract infections, vaginal infections or scratching easily infected or scratches on the skin.



Even without the appearance of detailed symptoms, diabetes type 2 can be diagnosed by a doctor with a fasting glucose test or casual plasma. This test measures the level of glucose, or blood sugar.



Normally, the food is changed into glucose in the stomach. The glucose then enters the bloodstream, the pancreas produces insulin, which allows glucose to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy.



When the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or the body is unable to use it properly, glucose cannot enter the cells and builds up in the blood. In type I diabetes, the pancreas cells that produce insulin are lost or damaged.



In type II diabetes, the pancreas can produce insulin, but cannot produce enough and the cells of the body become resistant or less sensitive to the insulin that is produced. At the beginning, usually before they are noticed symptoms of type2 diabetes, the pancreas can produce more insulin to try to cope with the increased levels of glucose in the blood. But in the end the extra insulin stops working and your blood sugar levels continue to rise.



Increased levels of blood sugar can lead to other health problems. Frequent dehydration may accompany symptoms of diabetes type2. Severe dehydration accompanied by very high levels of blood sugar can lead to Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic syndrome which is life threatening.



If left unchecked, high levels of glucose in the blood can damage the eyes, kidneys, nervers and heart. Uncontrolled type II diabetes is one of the risk factors for developing heart disease, heart attack and stroke.



Insulin resistance is the term used to describe the inability of the body to recognize and use the insulin produced by the pancreas. Insulin resistance is not present in type I diabetes, but with or without additional symptoms diabetes type two is always accompanied by insulin resistance.



You can reduce your risk of developing insulin resistance and reduce the chances of developing symptoms of diabetes type2, with proper diet, weight loss and increased physical activity. Some natural supplements can help insulin production support and sensitivity, helping to stabilize your blood sugar levels. To learn more visit the information of type 2 diabetes.