Low blood sugar, medically called as hypoglycemia, may signal that there is something wrong with the mechanism of your glucose metabolism. It can be very harmful for your entire body if left untreated. Medical intervention and natural treatment for low blood sugar consist of; prompt action of initial treatment and long-term treatment.
The answer is dependent on the symptoms that occur and the severity level of hypoglycemia itself.
But in essence, too low blood glucose should be restored back to normal as soon as possible. Therefore, initial treatment is more purposed to help the patient keep survive, particularly when severe hypoglycemia occurs.
In mild cases, early signs of low blood sugar (such as vomiting, excessive sweating, or increased hunger /thirsty) can be treated by some natural options such as:
- Drinking juice of fruits.
- Eating some candies or other quick-sugar foods such as milk and raisins.
Overall, initial treatment is aimed restore the blood glucose in short term – but make sure to not over-treat the problem. Over treating hypoglycemia may lead to hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) or other counterproductive effects.
If these home remedies don’t work well, your doctor may prescribe glucose tablets. Sticking with frequent small meals throughout the day is also good idea. This can help maintain your blood glucose levels throughout the day.
In case if you experience severe hypoglycemia that also affects the way of your ability to take glucose /sugar by mouth, some injections of intravenous glucose are usually used.
If you think that you are vulnerable to have low blood sugar, ask your doctor whether a practical glucagon kit (you can use it at home on your own) is the appropriate option to help deal with!
There are two major goals of long-term treatment.
First, it is purposed to decrease the risk of the re-occurrence of hypoglycemia. And for the second goal, it is used to find the underlying cause of why your low blood sugar occurs.
It’s very important to find the exact cause of the problem. If the exact cause is not known, the next flare-up could be unpredictable.
Moreover, knowing the underlying cause would also be helpful to determine treatments that work best.
For instance, if the cause is the existence of tumor that affects your pancreas, some kind of medical intervention is required. In such case, the tumor can be removed through surgery.
To prevent the re-occurrence of low blood sugar, here are a few helpful tips:
- If you have diabetes (particularly type-1 diabetes where the episodes of hypoglycemia are more common), take your insulin replacement properly – follow all instructions and procedures as your doctor says. Overdosing insulin can lead to hypoglycemia.
- Do your moderate exercise regularly. This is a good idea to give the most significant impact in improving your blood sugar control.
Eating right would help a lot to deal with hypoglycemia. Here are some helpful tips (according to the University of Maryland – Medical Center):
- Tobacco and alcohol are two major things you need to avoid. Your caffeine intake also should be restricted!
- Choose olive oil or other healthy cooking oils instead of margarine!
- Get some soluble fiber from your diet. Soluble fiber can help maintain your blood glucose throughout the day.
- Full your diet with some antioxidant foods (healthy vegetables and fresh fruits) and low in saturated fats & trans-fats.
- Restrict processed meats! Choose lean meats!
- Get plenty of iron and B-vitamins from your diet. Whole grains and vegetables are foods high in B-vitamins and iron.
- Your doctor may also ask you to skip pastas, white breads, or other refined foods at all!
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