Low blood sugar a problem, too

Tue., Sept. 26, 2006

Peter H. Gott, M.D. The Spokesman-Review

Dear Dr. Gott: I would like your opinion on an issue that I have faced for years.

Why don’t doctors recognize low blood sugar as a serious problem? I have suffered from it for years, but my doctor makes little of it. He says if you eat right, you can’t have it. I disagree. Please address this problem in one of your columns.

Dear Reader: Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is real, although it is less frequently diagnosed than it was a generation ago. The criteria for hypoglycemia include weakness, lightheadedness and faintness in conjunction with a blood sugar below 45 milligrams. This relation between symptoms and low blood sugar is only half the picture, because faintness and weakness in the presence of a normal blood sugar (above 60) is not hypoglycemia.

In addition, many normal people have blood sugars below 50 milligrams with few, if any, symptoms. By definition, the sugar is low but the syndrome of hypoglycemia is not present.

As your doctor suggested, eating four to five small meals daily, with a sugar restriction, often is enough to prevent symptoms and a drop in the blood-glucose level.

A patient who meets criteria for hypoglycemia should be tested further. In particular, the pancreas (the source of insulin in the body) must be studied, because pancreatic tumors often will lead to 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.

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.