Cayce Health Database

OVERVIEW OF HYPOGLYCEMIA

I.  Physiological Considerations

    Hypoglycemia has been called the stepchild of modern medicine, for it is seldom indeed that a diagnosis of hypoglycemia is made or given any credence or importance by the modern physician.  There are always exceptions, of course, and the doctors who do understand have continued to work toward acceptance of this condition as a significant illness in and of itself.

    By use of a five-hour glucose tolerance test, which has been standardized for many years, a curve is developed on a graph.  The curve indicates changes from the normal when hypoglycemia is present.  This change concerns a lowering of the blood sugar level below the fasting state and may be demonstrated at any point after the 100 grams of glucose are taken by mouth. (Sample hypoglycemia curves are included in this commentary.)

    Hypoglycemia merely means a lowering (hypo) of the sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream (-emia).  The opposite of this condition is hyperglycemia, more commonly known as diabetes mellitus.  The two are closely related; it has been generally accepted among researchers in the realm of endocrinology that both the intestinal mucosa and the pancreas are related to at least the elevated blood sugar - and possibly the hypoglycemia as well.  Many glucose tolerance curves show both conditions.

    It is also well known that diabetes mellitus can have hypoglycemia as its precursor, thus giving more credence to the concept that the same portion of the body's functioning mechanisms may be involved in both conditions.

    The adrenal glands seem to be abnormally functioning in many, if not most hypoglycemia conditions.  The frequency is such that the Hypoglycemia Foundation several years ago prepared a booklet for physicians, entitled "Hypoadrenocorticism: An Endocrinologic Approach to the Etiology and Treatment of Functional Hypoglycemia." It is theorized that the adrenal cortex is substandard in its functioning and this lowers the blood sugar.  It is well known, for instance, that in emergencies the adrenal cortex releases cortisone into the bloodstream, which in turn brings about a physiological rise in blood sugar to allow the body to meet the emergency by fighting or fleeing.  Stresses which are not met in one of these two manners undoubtedly brings about disturbance to the entire body, including the adrenals, for the hormones are not used appropriately nor is the blood sugar.  And, of course, stimulation of the nervous system and the alteration of the blood supply from the deep to the superficial circulation is only intended for the emergency, so failure to act creates internal discord.

    Probably most of the hypoglycemia states are brought about through improper diet.  These are called reactional or functional hypoglycemics.  There are some individuals who have familial hypoglycemia, passed on as an hereditary tendency.

    Much has been written in the popular literature and in medical journals over the years since hypoglycemia was identified as a syndrome and given its name in 1924 by Seale Harris, M.D., in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  All factors involved in its etiology are certainly not yet known.  This creates a difficulty, for most physicians feel uneasy when they cannot pin down the etiology in a disease process.  Why hypoglycemia remains so unaccepted by the medical profession remains, however, a real mystery, for it is undisputed as far as the symptoms and the blood sugar findings are concerned.  Also hypoglycemia is part of the picture of many other conditions of illness of the human body.  So it behooves us to recognize what it is and what to do about it.  

II.  Edgar Cayce Readings on Hypoglycemia

    Very little is given in the readings on what we call hypoglycemia.  This may be simply because the condition was not readily recognized during the first half of this century, when the readings were given.  Or perhaps those who had been diagnosed as having hypoglycemia did not seek out a reading.  One 23-year-old man was having trouble calcifying the fracture site of a recent broken bone. (440-2) He was anemic and considerably underweight.  There is not sufficient information to determine which of these conditions was basic and whether or not he actually had hypoglycemia.  The second case indexed under hypoglycemia was for a 50-year-old woman who had been diagnosed at the Cleveland Clinic and was given a diet to follow. (3252-1) She was beset with fears and doubts, apparently, and was low on vitality; but it was simply suggested that she be given vitamin B, by mouth, follow the diet already prescribed, and to get lots of activity in the open air.

    Throughout the Cayce material, however, there are suggestions for restoring the body back to a normal balance, as well as discussions relative to the manner in which the body becomes disturbed in its functioning.

    From our experience working with these readings, it seems logical to conclude that hypoglycemia certainly has endocrine origins, and thus deeper causation in the attitudes and emotions of the individual affected.  The adrenal, the thyroid, and certainly the pancreas and the small intestine - especially the duodenum - all are part of the picture.

    The nerve supply to these organs comes from the spinal segments and the ganglia associated with those segments and from the celiac (solar) plexus which is closely related to the adrenal gland.  In one reading, 3722-1, the 6th, 8th, 9th and 10th dorsal vertebrae were in need of specific manipulations or adjustments.  This was for diabetes mellitus, not hypoglycemia, but the effect was to the pancreas and the duodenum and the spleen.  These same organs are probably disturbed in hypoglycemia, also.

    So lesions in the spine - osteopathic lesions - are probably a causative factor; the assimilation and elimination are problems; the attitudes need correction; and certainly the diet needs change to one that is constructive.  And, of course, the glands need some kind of helpful attention.  Rest is important; and the material suggests over and over again that patience, persistence, and consistency are ever part of the healing effort.

    It is interesting to note that Cayce nearly always wove into the suggested physical applications a spiritual note - the Oneness of all things; the nature of the human being as body, mind and spirit; the importance of spending some time regularly in meditation; and the tremendous importance of the mind as the builder.

    Thus it is mandatory, if we are going to be holistic in our approach, to look at this condition of hypoglycemia as an illness of all three aspects of our being and take steps to correct the condition at all three levels.  Perhaps it would stimulate our enthusiasm if we looked at the healing of the body as an adventure in consciousness.
 

III.  Suggested Therapeutic Regimen

    In designing a therapy program for someone who has developed symptoms of hypoglycemia, a diagnosis must first be made, then the treatment should be individualized for that person.  Modern-day medical techniques can be combined with the ideas of the medical heretics who understand that hypoglycemia exists and then the two of them can be merged with the concepts in the Cayce readings - in this way perhaps a more complete healing can take place.

    The five-hour glucose tolerance test is a must in order to determine the degree and the nature of the hypoglycemia.  It must be understood that any other co-existing condition of illness must also be under treatment of a constructive nature.

    There are several steps in a therapy program that would probably be helpful for every person who has developed hypoglycemia:

1.  A strict diet should be started.  Basically, such a diet should include fish, fowl, and lamb for protein; lots of leafy green vegetables; plenty of fruit, fresh and cooked; salads; but no fried foods, no white flour or white sugar, no coffee or alcohol, no tranquilizers and no soft drinks containing caffeine.  It is important to include both natural sugar (fruit) and protein as between-meal snacks.

    Smoking is detrimental and should also be stopped, unless (as Cayce often remarked) the person is an addict.  In that case, Cayce suggested five to six cigarettes a day.  There are many aids today to help people stop the smoking habit, however.

2.  As an aid to the diet, a soybean-protein-powder-blender mix made with either milk or fruit juice taken at night can often help the hypoglycemia patient sleep better and not have the nightmares that often accompany this condition.

3.  Medication: B-complex vitamin once a day.  At the A.R.E. Clinic, Inc., we use Adrex S.E.L. (an adrenal extract tablet) once a day, sometimes thyroid tablets, and sometimes Atomidine in a cyclic manner.

4.  Osteopathic or chiropractic treatments once a week for a period of six to eight weeks with special attention given to the dorsal 6th, 8th, 9th, and 10th vertebrae.  General treatments to the spine would, of course, be added to the specifics.

5.  Regular and adequate rest is a must, as is exercise to keep the circulation and the nervous systems active.  This is especially so for the sedentary person, who works much with the mind and not so much with the body.

6.  Eliminations should be kept up normally with occasional colonics, if they are available.

7.  All of the above should be done with patience, persistence, and consistency.  These qualities are spiritual in their activity and are often a requirement for healing to come about.

8.  Meditation and regular study and interpretation of dreams are not mentioned in the medical schools, nor will one usually find these even in instructions of the medical heretic.  However, the readings are adamant that these two disciplines are part of what every person must some day experience - so that his destiny may be realized.

    There are other factors that may be added to a therapy program if it appears necessary.  It must be realized that every condition of illness in the human body varies in its degree of severity.  Thus the mild case of hypoglycemia will not need the attention and definitive care that the average case will.  The severe problem demands even more extensive and painstaking therapeutic measures.  Thus, the following treatments may be needed, if the conditions warrant:

1.  Clary water was suggested in the Cayce material for diabetes mellitus.  Since the two conditions are closely related, this formula may be helpful in hypoglycemia.

    To relieve this condition, we would take that in the system that will give the balance of force to the body to create the assimilation and to give the excretory functionings of the emunctory forces their rejuvenating forces for the body, taking this in the system prepared in this manner:
    To one gallon of rain water, add eight (8) ounces of clary flower (common garden sage).  Reduce by simmering, not boiling, to one quart.  Dissolve four (4) ounces of beet sugar in just sufficient hot water to dissolve it, then add, while warm, to other solution.  Dissolve fifteen (15) grains of ambergris [currently banned by U.S. and Britain] in one (1) ounce of grain alcohol, add to solution, then add four (4) ounces of grain alcohol and fifty (50) drops or minims of oil of juniper, see, with three (3) drams of balsam of tolu cut with alcohol and added.  The dose would be a dessertspoonful three times each day.   (953-1)

2.  Extracts of the adrenal, pancreatic, and duodenal tissues are often helpful. (The adrenal has already been mentioned as Adrex S. E. L.)

3.  The radio-active appliance described in the Cayce readings is suggested as an aid in helping the body to achieve a better balance.  A simplified description of how it might work: When attached, the device picks up the electrical charges flowing through the body which are in excess in one place and deposits them where they are deficient in another.  On the basis of the concept that the human body is an electrical phenomenon, such a concept of action is not unreasonable.

4. As mentioned earlier, those conditions of the body which are not directly related to the hypoglycemia need attention and should be cared for.

We have placed information at the end of this commentary to make the description of the causation and the therapy of hypoglycemia a bit more understandable.  It would be well to remember that true healing - as it has been described in the Cayce readings many times is an event of the whole person and is an awakening of the forces within the body to their divine origin.  So it is not something that may just come about for the person's convenience, but instead is a change, an elevation, an awakening of consciousness.

[Note: The preceding overview was written by William A. McGarey, M.D. and Edna Germain, R.N., F.N.P. and is excerpted from the Physician's Reference Notebook, Copyright © 1968 by the Edgar Cayce Foundation, Virginia Beach, VA.]

Hypoglycemia Diet  

ALLOWED:

    Vegetables: Asparagus, avocado, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, lima beans, onions, peas, radishes, sauerkraut, string beans, tomatoes, turnips.

    Fruits: Apples, apricots, berries, grapefruit, melon, oranges, peaches, pears, pineapple, tangerines.  These may be cooked or raw, with or without cream, but without sugar.  Canned fruits should be packed in water.  Avoid dried fruits such as dates, raisins, and apricots because of high sugar content.  Large amounts of any fruit may contain too much sugar for you.

    Beverages: Weak tea, decaffeinated coffee or substitutes.  May be sweetened with saccharin or sucaryl.  Juices: Any unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice, except grape or prune juice.

    Desserts and miscellaneous: Fruit, unsweetened gelatin, junket (made from tablet, not mix), yogurt.  Lettuce, mushrooms or nuts may be taken as freely as desired.

PROHIBITED:

    All alcoholic and soft drinks, club soda, ginger ale, Pepsi, beer and wine.  Alcoholic beverages usually have a high carbohydrate content.

    Sugar, candy and other sweets such as cakes, pie, pastries, pudding, ice cream and honey.  Regular coffee, strong brewed tea or any other beverage containing caffeine.

TO BE AVOIDED:

    Starchy foods - potatoes, rice, bananas, spaghetti, noodles, doughnuts, white bread, etc.  Foods high in sugar - grapes, raisins, figs, dates, jams, jellies and plums.  Pork-except crisp bacon.  Large meals - frequent small meals of a high protein, low carbohydrate diet help maintain your blood sugar at a normal level which eliminates the unpleasant effects of hypoglycemia.

Five Case Histories of Hypoglycemia

Case I

    Lois, a 28-year-old woman with two small children, had been to a chiropractor who did a glucose tolerance test four years before she came to the A.R.E. Clinic.  She had been told that she was hypoglycemic and had been given books to read.  She decided that the chiropractor was a "health food nut" and abandoned any special diet.  After three years of many symptoms - such as extreme fatigue, weakness of arms and legs, slurred speech, stumbling, numbness in arms and legs, slowed reactions (two car accidents during this time), severe anxiety attacks, incoordination, out-of-body experiences, confusion, lightheartedness, vertigo, arthralgia, muscle pain - she went to an internist physician.  After many tests, at a tremendous cost, she was told that she was diabetic and to follow the Diabetic Association's diet - which made her feel worse.  Disillusioned and confused, she came to the A.R.E. Clinic in October, 1981, after hearing about the Clinic at a Hypoglycemia Association of America meeting.  After following the "hypoglycemia" diet planned to help her maintain an even blood sugar level, she felt "fantastic" in only eight days.  She had no more nightmares and slept better.  

Case 2

    Julia, a 31-year-old woman, came to the Clinic two years ago.  She had been previously treated elsewhere for depression and had had an acute reaction to some anti-depressant medication.  After having a glucose tolerance test and starting on the hypoglycemia diet, she became capable of functioning in a normal fashion, caring for her children without need for tranquilizers.  

Case 3

    Jake, a seven-year-old boy, had had many nervous and overactive reactions from eating sweets.  He had become inattentive at school, where he was becoming a discipline problem.  He also experienced bladder control problems.  After having a glucose tolerance test at the Clinic and following an individualized hypoglycemic diet, he began to do well in school and stopped having behavior problems.  His mother spent a great deal of time explaining to his teacher and school nurse about the necessity of no sweets in his diet.  

Case 4

    Joan, a 40-year-old woman, found that candy, sweets, and especially wine upset her and caused headaches and extreme fatigue.  She craved sweets.  Her glucose tolerance test disclosed hypoglycemia with pre-diabetic tendencies.  She felt much better after following the hypoglycemia diet.  

Case 5

    Mike, a 33-year-old man, had several symptoms - such as depression, fatigue, headaches and lack of concentration.  He came to the Clinic after his wife had been diagnosed as hypoglycemic.  After his glucose tolerance test and starting of the diet, he felt better and more energetic.  He also lost weight that he needed to lose.