One of the most common complaints of fatigue and symptoms of adrenal fatigue is the need
to have food in order to avoid fatigue, brain fog, soon after a meal is taken. This is Dr.
Lam, founder of DrLam.com and in this video we will go over the mechanics of what happens
in this for of hypoglycemia which we call reactive hypoglycemia.
Laboratory tests, if you take a spot of the blood sample at the time of the sensation
of fatigue, brain fog, and anxiety are usually normal. So, sufferers are universally baffled.
Doctors are also not sure what is going on and tell the client or the patient that it's
fine; but is it really fine? Let's take a look.
When the blood sugar is dropping then the term hypoglycemia is used. Usually clinically
we see the laboratory value of sugar less than 60-70 mg per decimeter, but in the case
of adrenal fatigue associated with hypoglycemic episodes, the blood sugar actually is normal.
Now, we don't exactly know why this is happening, but we do know that there is a form of reactive
type of hypoglycemia, a form of hypoglycemia that is called reactive hypoglycemia, I should
be clearer, in that it is not the absolute level of blood sugar that decides whether
you have symptoms or not; however, it is that you are of normal blood sugar, let's say 100-120
mg per decimeter to the 60-70 or even 80, so while you can have a blood sugar of 80
and be considered normal, the drop from 110-80 is what triggers the hypoglycemic symptoms.
This is why it is called reactive hypoglycemia, and when you have this which is commonly associated
with adrenal fatigue, laboratory tests will show normal.
Now what you can do is to eat a bit more frequently, and that is the common thing to do, but you
also want to not just simply eat but understand the physiology that this is the way your body
is telling you that it is metabolically deranged and in need. You are not necessarily in a
diabetic situation and you are not necessarily having a medical clinical diagnosis of hypoglycemia,
but you have hypoglycemic symptoms, and laboratory results are normal.
Now, eating small snacks is a good thing to do, repeat blood test is not usually productive,
but reactive hypoglycemia is a sign of later stages of adrenal fatigue, and usually when
that happens to you it is a sign that you have to look and see what else is going on.
Usually, it also accompanied by brain fog, irritability, and at night time it can actually
wake you up after you've been sleeping. During the day time, after lunch, you may have to
find that you need a snack about two hours before, or afterwards I'm sorry, otherwise
you will feel really draggy, and fatigued and slumpy. The same thing may happen in the
morning around 10 am around 2 or 3 hours after breakfast, before lunch, you will then feel
a sense that you really need food and if you don't have that food supply or the sugar boost
then your body will feel very, very weak. These are classic signs of reactive hypoglycemia
in the situation of adrenal fatigue.
Now, it is very important also to check with your doctor to see that there are other forms
of metabolic imbalances. Those people who have a family history of diabetes especially
should be a little bit more careful because your body can react in different ways under
those situations. But, if you really put the picture together clinically, in adrenal fatigue
you can really sense the big picture, and that big picture is what counts it is not
just the hypoglycemic episode on its own. Sometimes it can be accompanied as I said
earlier with brain fog, heart palpitations, pain of unknown origin, insomnia, heart palpitations
and arrhythmia, joint pains, etc., etc. So knowing this is one of the leads that bring
us to adrenal fatigue and how to overcome this is something that we can deal with once
we understand the physiology.
I hope you've enjoyed this video. For more information on this topic, head over to DrLam.com
where I have written over a thousand articles to help educate people. You can also call
me at 626-571-1234 for more information on Adrenal Fatigue and how to navigate it. Finally,
if you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to my YouTube channel. Thanks for watching.