Have you ever felt this in your body?

It was my 3rd or 4th year of graduate school. My body was worn out and weak. I ate a trail mix that had peanuts in it, which is a food sensitivity of mine. I did not eat the peanuts, but nevertheless I started to have a reaction later after I finished the mix. I felt my energy drop, I became super lightheaded and I broke out into a bodywide sweat. I had to stop the conversation I was having with my teacher and go lie down in the car. There were other times this would happen to me and it could also be accompanied by shakiness.

Have you ever felt a drop in energy followed by shakiness and sweating? You could have experienced an episode of low blood sugar, otherwise known as hypoglycemia.

When you think of such an episode, you may think it comes from one of two places: diabetes or you haven’t eaten in a while. But hypoglycemia can stem from a number of medications and conditions, and to be able to resolve hypoglycemia, it is important to know where it is coming from.

Symptoms of low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, include:

Pale skin
Shakiness
Anxiety
Sweating
Irritability
Fatigue
Hunger
Irregular or fast heartbeat
Tingling or numbness of the lips, tongue, or cheek

Another cause of hypoglycemia is low adrenal function. Most of my clients with digestive or autoimmune conditions tend to have significant fatigue and weaknesses when they first start working with me, coupled with trouble sleeping. This can stem from their condition, but they also tend to be persons that are hard on themselves, have a lot of inner turmoil and worry, and they overwork. This way of living can leave one depleted hormonally.

It depends on the situation, but when I see this occurring I tend to immediately start supporting their adrenal function, and they can start to notice changes in less than a month. Why so quickly? Because I know what it feels like, I know the different ways it can present itself, and I know how to not mildly, but strongly, support adrenal health.

Symptoms of low adrenal function include:

Extreme fatigue and difficulty coping with stress, lack of stamina, fatigue after meals
Low blood pressure, dizziness when standing
Low blood sugar between meals
Trouble sleeping
Light sensitivity
Intolerance to heat or cold
Food allergies
Low immune function
Gastrointestinal infections, digestive problems (and digestive problems can also promote low adrenal function)
Anxiety, palpitations
Depression, crying for no reason, or crying over things you would not normally cry over
Brain fog after eating carbs – this happened to me too, and it sucks when it abruptly happens while you are studying!

During the episode of hypoglycemia that I explained in the first paragraph, I thought a nice veggie juice would help me, so I bought an apple-carrot-ginger juice. No change. My teacher then suggested protein, so I bought a gluten free steak wrap. With the first bite, I immediately started to come out of my episode. I could feel my body normalizing.

This is the way you can better pinpoint the type of hypoglycemic episode that you are having: if your body requires you to eat a sugar-containing food (ex. rice, fruit, etc.) or a protein-containing food. If it wants a protein-containing food (ex. meat, fish, protein drink), this may in fact be a hypoglycemic episode stemming from low adrenal function.

I have helped many clients build back up their adrenals through targeted nutrition and herbs. If you need help restoring your adrenal function, schedule an appointment by: