Proper diet helps most hypoglycemics
Dear Dr. Gott: I’ve been diagnosed with hypoglycemia and have questions. Is this life-threatening, and how did I get it in the first place? How does it differ from diabetes (a condition my husband has), and how should our diets differ? When my husband and I saw different nutritionists, we were given the exact same diet. Are there any specific foods I should add or eliminate from my meals?
Dear Reader: Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), which causes faintness, weakness and hunger an hour or two after meals, is not life-threatening. The condition is diagnosed by a blood test. To have hypoglycemia, your blood sugar has to be below 45 milligrams per deciliter (normal is 100) in conjunction with the symptoms I mentioned.
Although some patients with this affliction have pancreatic tumors or other glandular abnormalities (which can be diagnosed by special X-rays and blood tests), most cases of hypoglycemia do not have a demonstrable cause. The basis for such cases is unknown, and no one knows why people develop the disorder.
In a minority of instances, hypoglycemia may be a prelude to diabetes (too much blood sugar). Once present, the condition does not disappear.
To treat hypoglycemia, most authorities recommend avoidance of sugar and alcohol, coupled with frequent small-portion meals high in protein and low in carbohydrates. Surgery may be necessary to remove a pancreatic tumor. In many ways, this restricted diet resembles that prescribed for diabetics.
Your doctor should probably refer you to an endocrinologist to make sure that you don’t have a serious cause for your hypoglycemia.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Hypoglycemia.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
Dear Dr. Gott: Recently I had a proctoscopic exam. When the doctor finished, he lightly sprayed the instrument and hung it up for future use. This seems to be a perfect means for fluids to be exchanged between patients. I am seriously considering not having this procedure done again, even though I know I should.
Dear Reader: In my opinion, your doctor failed to follow acceptable medical protocol. The device he used should have been thoroughly washed and sterilized between patients. Perhaps, after you left the office, the necessary cleaning was carried out. However, the proctoscopic exam enables a doctor to examine only about one-third of the colon. Therefore, most authorities recommend a full colon exam (colonoscopy) every 5 to 10 years, as a more appropriate and modern approach.