Cancer Articles (Dr. S.N White)

It helps if you know the diabetic well enough to recognize behavior that isn't normal. If a generally easygoing person starts snapping and snarling, it may be low blood sugar. If a decisive person becomes vague, that can be a clue. Fumbling hands, glassy eyes, slurred speech, perspiration on the forehead or upper lip, a dopey smile, an odd, taut look about the face all can be symptoms of hypoglycemia. Just about all diabetics have some signs peculiar to themselves that you'll grow to recognize, if you're around them a lot and are observant. Even if you know the person well, though, it's not always easy to recognize low blood sugar. We still remember the time we were talking to the Glendale chapter of the Diabetes Association of Southern California and told about one of our editors who said she could always recognize when June had low blood sugar "because she starts being mean to Barbara." We noticed a woman in the audience frowning. During the question and a...

Is it all right to having low blood sugar? No. Low blood sugar can be very hazardous for a diabetic because you become irritable, befuddled, uncoordinated, and, in extreme cases, unconscious. Usually only insulin-taking diabetics experience low blood sugar, although non-insulin takers who are losing weight sometimes have periods of low blood sugar or, as it's also called, hypoglycemia. It's both a condition and a disease. As a disease, hypoglycemia is almost the opposite of diabetes. The pancreas produces too much insulin, which causes the blood sugar to plummet. Strangely enough, hypoglycemia can be a precursor of diabetes.