Low blood sugar /glucose or medically called hypoglycemia can be a warning sign that there is something wrong with the mechanism of your glucose metabolism. It can be very harmful for your entire body if left untreated. Both medical intervention and natural treatment for low blood sugar consist of two major steps; 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 patient keep survive, particularly when severe hypoglycemia occurs.
In mild to moderate 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. Other quick-sugar foods such as milk and raisins also can help.
Overall, initial treatment should be able to help restore the blood glucose in short term – but make sure to not over-treat the problem. Over treating hypoglycemia can lead to a new problem such as hyperglycemia (high blood sugar).
If these home remedies don’t work well, your doctor may prescribe glucose tablets to help raise your blood sugar level back to normal. Sticking with frequent small meals throughout the day is also good idea. It can help maintain your blood glucose levels throughout the day.
If you experience severe hypoglycemia that also affect the way of your ability to take glucose /sugar by your mouth, your doctor can give some injections of intravenous glucose.
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 for you!
There are two major goal of long-term treatment.
First, it is purposed to decrease the risk of the re-occurrence of hypoglycemia or to prevent the problem for the second time. And for the second goal, it is used to analyze and find the underlying reason of why your low blood sugar occurs.
It’s very important to find the exact cause of the problem. As long as the cause is still not found, the episode of your hypoglycemia can be very unpredictable. Moreover, knowing the underlying condition of the problem also can be very helpful and important to determine your long-term treatment plan.
For instance, if the cause is the existence of tumor that affects your pancreas (cells of pancreas are so vital to produce insulin and to maintain the normal level of glucose in the blood), home remedies alone will be not enough to treat the problem in long term. For this case, the tumor of pancreas can be removed through a surgery.
The following are some helpful natural treatment tips to prevent the re-occurrence of low blood sugar:
- For the case 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 on how to take your insulin correctly. It’s important to stick with your diabetes treatment plan that made by your doctor /healthcare provider. Overdosing insulin into your body can lead to hypoglycemia.
- Do your moderate exercise regularly to give the most significant impact in improving your blood sugar control.
Eating right can help improve the symptoms of 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! Some studies found that they may affect the glucose metabolism.
- Choose olive oil or other healthy cooking oils instead of margarine for your cooking oils.
- Get some soluble fiber from your diet. Soluble fiber can help maintain your blood glucose throughout the day – because it can help slow the rate of dietary glucose enters your bloodstream.
- Full your diet with some antioxidant foods (healthy vegetables and fresh fruits) and low in saturated fats & trans-fats.
- Restrict the intake of processed meats (such as lunch meats). Choose lean meats that don’t have antibiotics /hormones!
- Don’t forget to get plenty of iron and B-vitamins from your diet. Whole grains and vegetables are foods high in B-vitamins and iron.
- Pastas, white breads, or other refined foods should be restricted in your daily diet.
Identify suspected food allergens that can worsen the symptoms of your hypoglycemia! Work with your healthcare provider to find food allergens as much as you can!
These may include: