Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is a very common condition. If you are late to eat at your regular mealtime and you feel lightheaded or dizzy while standing up, or experience palpitations, tremor, nausea, drowsiness, sweating, nervousness, or mental confusion, all these indicate hypoglycemia. In some serious cases of hypoglycemia, a person can even have convulsions and fall into coma.

The brain uses blood sugar (glucose) as its sole food, and it depends on it for the necessary energy for its activity. If the brain doesn’t receive sufficient blood sugar, it goes into crisis; it will create tremors, headache, sweating, nausea, drowsiness, and the other symptoms mentioned because it is starving for blood sugar.

According to Ayurveda, hypoglycemia is common in persons with pitta prakruti (a pitta constitution) or pitta vikruti (a present pitta imbalance). Increased pitta stimulates the secretion of insulin, which lowers the blood sugar level and creates hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia in turn induces the secretion of adrenaline, which causes rapid heartbeat and tremors.

An unduly large dose of insulin taken by a diabetic person may lead to hypoglycemia. This condition is also common among alcoholics.

Hypoglycemia is a disorder that needs careful attention. To maintain their blood sugar level, pitta individuals should eat regular meals—breakfast, lunch, and dinner—and also have some fruit or another snack between meals or whenever they feel hypoglycemic symptoms. Emphasize proteins and complex carbohydrates for main meals; they digest more slowly, so the rises and falls in blood sugar will be less rapid.

TIME TO SEE THE DOCTOR

Reactive hypoglycemia may indicate a pancreatic tumor. When a middle-aged person craves sugar about 90 minutes after a full meal, it may mean that he or she has, or is going to develop, a pancreatic tumor. This is a serious health concern and requires medical attention.

Hypoglycemia can be classified into two types: fasting and reactive. Fasting hypoglycemia simply results from not eating, which is why people with a tendency toward low blood sugar need to eat regular meals. In addition, some individuals choose to fast, whether for religious reasons or for cleansing purposes. If they do too much prolonged fasting, hypoglycemia may result.

Reactive hypoglycemia occurs when the pancreas, often in response to a large intake of sugar, secretes too much insulin, which then reduces the blood sugar level. This is also called postprandial (after-eating) hypoglycemia. About 90 minutes after eating, the blood sugar level drops, and the person craves something sweet.

To deal with reactive hypoglycemia, one should treat pitta dosha.

DIET. Follow the pitta-pacifying diet (outlined in chapter 8). Stay away from hot spicy foods, fermented food, sour and citrus fruits, and alcoholic drinks. Smoking cigarettes should be curtailed or eliminated, as cigarettes also aggravate pitta.

LICORICE TEA. Drink licorice tea. When you are feeling lightheaded or faint or have some other hypoglycemic symptoms, make a cup of licorice (yashti madhu) tea, using 1 teaspoon of licorice root per cup of water. This tea will safely increase your blood sugar level. (However, individuals with hypertension should use licorice tea only sparingly; it increases water retention and may raise blood pressure.)

HERBAL REMEDIES.

• The best herbs to take are brahmi, jatamamsi, shanka pushpi, and licorice. These herbs are brain tonics; they nourish the brain and allow it to function on limited sugar. Mix these herbs together in equal proportions and use the mixture to make a tea. Steep ½ teaspoon of the herbs in 1 cup hot water, and drink after lunch and dinner.
• 
  If
  the
  problem
  is
  postprandial
  hypoglycemia
  due
  to gastrojejunostomy, Ayurveda suggests using

guduchi 5 parts
shanka bhasma 2 parts
kama dudha 2 parts
Take ½ teaspoon twice a day (after lunch and dinner) with some water.

• If there is a suspicion that reactive hypoglycemia may lead to pancreatic tumor (see “Time to See the Doctor”), see your doctor. In addition, use shilajit, a nervine tonic that is rejuvenating for the pancreas. A good formula for using shilajit is the following:

shilajit 1 part
shardunika 1 part

Take ½ teaspoon of this mixture after lunch and dinner with some water. This formula will also help to prevent adult-onset diabetes (diabetes mellitus).

YOGA POSTURES. Some yoga asanas to strengthen the pancreas and help prevent hypoglycemia include the Peacock, Camel, and Locust poses, and the Elevated Lotus, as well as nauli (an abdominal exercise explained in appendix 3). Individuals susceptible to hypoglycemia should do these yoga exercises and Alternate Nostril breathing.

NASYA. Brahmi ghee nasya, 5 drops in each nostril, will quickly relieve nausea, sweating, and mental confusion (see appendix 3).

FOR DROWSINESS. Drowsiness can be corrected by taking some sweet juice, such as pomegranate or sweet orange juice.