What can cause hypoglycaemic symptoms like extreme lightheadedness and dizziness when blood glucose is fine

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mamakitty

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So new buildings can be offgassing various chemicals. Do you feel ok when you travel or are away? Maybe try a short vacation...

They might just routinely spray for termites without notification, often done at the ground-level exterior.
Oh I see! That’s rather disturbing, I’ll ask the management.

I don’t travel these days for obvious reasons, but when I did use to vacation I felt fine except for the travel itself. I get intense motion sickness if I’m sitting in car with closrd windows for a long time. In fact, it is pretty much the same as the hypoglycaemic symptoms I described in the original post. I also feel very bad while flying, and especially upon landing and then on the way home in a car with closed windows. I usually have to have very chilled mango juice (that I totally hate otherwise) along with salty chips, or sometimes just ice cream to feel better in those situations.
We didn’t vacation much after moving to this building, but my symptoms preceded moving into this building by many years.
Though, now that I think about it, my symptoms were the worst in one building that was literally brand new, and even worse in this building which was only a year old when we moved in a few years ago. Hmmm
 

Tim Lundeen

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Cars offgas various chemicals, even when they are 10 years old. But you are ok in the car with windows open? That would suggest sensitivity to some environmental chemical(s). New buildings often have high levels of formaldehyde, as can cars. They often put mildewcides in the interior paint, don't know about car interiors.

Dr Baker has a good book on detox (to reduce sensitivity) -- Detoxification and Healing -- that includes some simple protocols to improve toxin clearance rates, you might try them... Might be a good starting point.

Amazon product ASIN 0658012193View: https://www.amazon.com/Detoxification-Healing-Key-Optimal-Health/dp/0658012193/ref=sr_1_2?crid=LI5PH8SO8ZLP&keywords=detoxification+and+healing+the+key+to+optimal+health&qid=1638041867&qsid=131-9963710-0569127&sprefix=detoxification+and+h%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-2&sres=0658012193%2C1700483382%2CB08KSDRD2H%2CB0026TOCK2%2CB009I34IDU%2CB07HNJ8HKW%2CB005IW7ATE%2CB078T354SC%2CB0014291SA%2CB001MSET8I%2CB07J9KNS9G%2CB078K93HFD%2CB0011Y0YKK%2CB07ZPBSNWW%2CB08B11LYT8%2CB0763S8XFX&srpt=ABIS_BOOK
 

TheCalciumCad

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I wonder if it could be an Iron deficiency, I had a period of 2 weeks recently where I was dizzy/fatigued for no obvious reason despite my health/metabolism being excellent. I realised I hadn't had liver in a while which is by far the most Iron abundant food I eat so got back on it and stopped having coffee with meat as it significantly reduces Iron absorption, symptoms resolved themselves pretty much immediately.
 
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mamakitty

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Cars offgas various chemicals, even when they are 10 years old. But you are ok in the car with windows open? That would suggest sensitivity to some environmental chemical(s). New buildings often have high levels of formaldehyde, as can cars. They often put mildewcides in the interior paint, don't know about car interiors.

Dr Baker has a good book on detox (to reduce sensitivity) -- Detoxification and Healing -- that includes some simple protocols to improve toxin clearance rates, you might try them... Might be a good starting point.

Amazon product ASIN 0658012193View: https://www.amazon.com/Detoxification-Healing-Key-Optimal-Health/dp/0658012193/ref=sr_1_2?crid=LI5PH8SO8ZLP&keywords=detoxification+and+healing+the+key+to+optimal+health&qid=1638041867&qsid=131-9963710-0569127&sprefix=detoxification+and+h%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-2&sres=0658012193%2C1700483382%2CB08KSDRD2H%2CB0026TOCK2%2CB009I34IDU%2CB07HNJ8HKW%2CB005IW7ATE%2CB078T354SC%2CB0014291SA%2CB001MSET8I%2CB07J9KNS9G%2CB078K93HFD%2CB0011Y0YKK%2CB07ZPBSNWW%2CB08B11LYT8%2CB0763S8XFX&srpt=ABIS_BOOK
Thank you very much, I will look into this book.
I’m not completely okay with windows down, but much better as long as there’s air flow and I don’t feel suffocated.
 
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mamakitty

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I wonder if it could be an Iron deficiency, I had a period of 2 weeks recently where I was dizzy/fatigued for no obvious reason despite my health/metabolism being excellent. I realised I hadn't had liver in a while which is by far the most Iron abundant food I eat so got back on it and stopped having coffee with meat as it significantly reduces Iron absorption, symptoms resolved themselves pretty much immediately.
I doubt it’s iron deficiency because my haemoglobin is always on the high side, same with rbc. I have always been an avid meat eater, while I was a fanatic coffee drinker for just a few years (although I was quite healthy back then). I have just recently started to lower my meat consumption. These symptoms I have started years ago but milder and no where near as frequent as they are now. I know I eat enough meat (far too much till last year, actually). In fact the symptoms I had yesterday was after eating liver and heart mixed with beed in a chilli the day before.
I mean it could be an uncommon iron deficiency where maybe I’m not absorbing the iron?
 

Tim Lundeen

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I wonder if you are having low blood pressure (e.g. "syncope") from a histamine response to the environment? Do you normally have low BP? Histamine raises nitric oxide, which lowers BP, and a big burst of histamine can cause fatigue, extreme tiredness, even fainting. Does an anti-histamine resolve the symptoms? (If this is what's going on, you don't want to take anti-histamines as a permanent cure, because they have their own long-term issues, but it could help diagnose.)

If high histamine, small amounts of B1 and biotin can help (e.g. 1-4 mg of B1, 50-100ug of biotin), maybe 1-3mg/day of boron. Excess zinc raises histamine (but you still need enough)...
 

TheCalciumCad

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I doubt it’s iron deficiency because my haemoglobin is always on the high side, same with rbc. I have always been an avid meat eater, while I was a fanatic coffee drinker for just a few years (although I was quite healthy back then). I have just recently started to lower my meat consumption. These symptoms I have started years ago but milder and no where near as frequent as they are now. I know I eat enough meat (far too much till last year, actually). In fact the symptoms I had yesterday was after eating liver and heart mixed with beed in a chilli the day before.
I mean it could be an uncommon iron deficiency where maybe I’m not absorbing the iron?
Ye if you're having good amounts of meat consistently and especially not with a coffee its unlikely iron deficiency tho you do need good thyroid function to produce enough stomach acid to absorb iron in the first place and women do lose iron with their monthly cycles.
 
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I wonder if you are having low blood pressure (e.g. "syncope") from a histamine response to the environment? Do you normally have low BP? Histamine raises nitric oxide, which lowers BP, and a big burst of histamine can cause fatigue, extreme tiredness, even fainting. Does an anti-histamine resolve the symptoms? (If this is what's going on, you don't want to take anti-histamines as a permanent cure, because they have their own long-term issues, but it could help diagnose.)

If high histamine, small amounts of B1 and biotin can help (e.g. 1-4 mg of B1, 50-100ug of biotin), maybe 1-3mg/day of boron. Excess zinc raises histamine (but you still need enough)...
I actually don’t have low blood pressure in general except for sometimes in late evenings it falls very low. I always check my blood pressure when I’m feeling faint and it’s almost never low, it’s almost slightly elevated. So, to give a full picture of the blood pressure actually, I was diagnosed with postpartum blood pressure and kidney issues, so the doctor put me on diltiazem which is a calcium channel blocker, a year ago. I’m on a very low dose right now. My b pressure was normalised as soon as I went on the med, and urine protein has also almost fixed itself, almost. But my blood pressure is slightly elevated in the mornings (132 or 134 or 128/ 82 or 84 or 78) but some evenings at bedtime it’s very low (90/60). But I never get bad symptoms when it’s low, and when I do get the symptoms, neither my blood pressure or glucose is low. I’m just so frustrated.
 
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Ye if you're having good amounts of meat consistently and especially not with a coffee its unlikely iron deficiency tho you do need good thyroid function to produce enough stomach acid to absorb iron in the first place and women do lose iron with their monthly cycles.
Yeah, my thyroid is not working great. I have hypothyroidism but I can’t get t3 as my doctor refused to prescribe it. I’m on the lowest dose of t4. I don’t think I’m becoming anaemic during my period because most tests show high haemoglobin and rbc count. I guess my symptoms are thyroid or energy balance related.
 
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Tim Lundeen

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I wonder if the problems are from the Diltiazem? Side effects include dizziness or lightheadedness and nausea. It could be that there are some environmental triggers where you need the Ca channels to work, and it blocks them somewhat? Even low doses of meds can have significant effects.

High BP postpartum is usually due to zinc deficiency. Pregnancy increases blood copper, which lowers histamine, which raises BP. Supplementing zinc can help reverse this and get back to normal. Zinc is also required for burning glucose in mitochondria. Without enough zinc, your cells use more glycolysis and make lactic acid. So you don't get as much energy from your food, and the lactic acid uses up more energy. We don't like to supplement high doses, but maybe 15mg/day spread out would help, and help titrate off the Diltiazem, then titrate off the zinc. Suggest liquid forms, zinc chloride, zinc sulfate (if not sulfer sensitive), or zinc picolinate. This could also help resolve kidney issues.
 
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mamakitty

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I wonder if the problems are from the Diltiazem? Side effects include dizziness or lightheadedness and nausea. It could be that there are some environmental triggers where you need the Ca channels to work, and it blocks them somewhat? Even low doses of meds can have significant effects.

High BP postpartum is usually due to zinc deficiency. Pregnancy increases blood copper, which lowers histamine, which raises BP. Supplementing zinc can help reverse this and get back to normal. Zinc is also required for burning glucose in mitochondria. Without enough zinc, your cells use more glycolysis and make lactic acid. So you don't get as much energy from your food, and the lactic acid uses up more energy. We don't like to supplement high doses, but maybe 15mg/day spread out would help, and help titrate off the Diltiazem, then titrate off the zinc. Suggest liquid forms, zinc chloride, zinc sulfate (if not sulfer sensitive), or zinc picolinate. This could also help resolve kidney issues.
Wow I actually had not heard of zinc helping with blood pressure or kidney problems. Thanks for this info! I don’t know if I am deficient in zinc though, I eat a lot of beef and try my best to eat seafood semi regularly. I also eat beef liver semi regularly. I wonder if I still need to supplement zinc? Won’t it deplete copper?
Also, funnily enough the day before yesterday I took zinc after a very long time, but I got the bad symptoms yesterday anyway.
Regarding diltiazem, my symptoms began long before I ever took diltiazem or any prescription medication at all. I never even went to the doctor for years and years, I never needed them and I actively avoid them anyway. But when I got pregnant I had to finally give in. In fact, I was a little freaked out because I didn’t have a family or primary doctor. Well, now I’m on drugs unfortunately; diltiazem and thyroid levo whatever it’s called. I’m on the lowest doses for both of them though.
 

Tim Lundeen

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High BP can be from too much copper, not enough zinc. Liver and seafood are high zinc, but also high copper and the zinc-to-copper is usually relatively low zinc, high copper.

Too much Vitamin A can cause toxicity, even if taken with Vit D or good sunlight. I know someone who had severe kidney disease, was given 4 months to live. He figured out he was Vit A toxic, stopped all intake, and is still alive and in good health today, years later. His kidneys are fully healed, and his acne cleared up. The problem with Vit A is that it is stored in the liver. When the liver gets full, it starts to leak into the blood and levels build up in other tissues, causing major problems. The safe level afaiks is about 5,000IU/day. So I used to eat liver, and loved it, but I don't any more...

By any chance, are you using skin products with Vitamin A (aka retinol and various other names) or retinoic acid? If so, suggest stopping them immediately. Skin application is well-absorbed re Vit A, and retinoic acid is bad stuff. Also if you're taking cod liver oil, suggest stopping that too.

Another common issue is not enough magnesium. You can use cronometer.com to check for a few days, see how everything looks...
 
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High BP can be from too much copper, not enough zinc. Liver and seafood are high zinc, but also high copper and the zinc-to-copper is usually relatively low zinc, high copper.

Too much Vitamin A can cause toxicity, even if taken with Vit D or good sunlight. I know someone who had severe kidney disease, was given 4 months to live. He figured out he was Vit A toxic, stopped all intake, and is still alive and in good health today, years later. His kidneys are fully healed, and his acne cleared up. The problem with Vit A is that it is stored in the liver. When the liver gets full, it starts to leak into the blood and levels build up in other tissues, causing major problems. The safe level afaiks is about 5,000IU/day. So I used to eat liver, and loved it, but I don't any more...

By any chance, are you using skin products with Vitamin A (aka retinol and various other names) or retinoic acid? If so, suggest stopping them immediately. Skin application is well-absorbed re Vit A, and retinoic acid is bad stuff. Also if you're taking cod liver oil, suggest stopping that too.

Another common issue is not enough magnesium. You can use cronometer.com to check for a few days, see how everything looks...
Interesting information! I doubt I overdo vitamin A or copper though. My beef liver intake is semi regular, I eat it mostly once a month. I actually so far thought my copper might be low because I don’t eat seafood enough. I’ll have to carefully figure out my zinc and copper intake on Cronometer now.

I used to use retin a cream occasionally but I completely stopped two years ago when I first got pregnant. Oddly enough, my symptoms have been worse for about a couple years! I don’t use any retinol in my skincare except this eye cream I bought recently that probably has it, now I got to investigate more.
I never took cod liver oil, even stopped fish oil omega 3 half a year ago,
I do supplement magnesium bisglycinate semo regularly. I’m extremely constipation prone so I have to take magnesium oxide twice a week because that’s the only thing that works for me.

So, I think so far what you are suggesting is to look into detox from chemicals in the building, take zinc, avoid vitamin A, and take magnesium?
 

aliml

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"Lightheadedness is from a lack of oxygen to the brain often due to reversible Autonomic Nervous System dysfunction. The Autonomic Nervous System is the brain’s master control network and this is how your brain controls all your cells, organs, hormones, immune system, and blood pressure.

The Autonomic Nervous System is comprised of two main branches that should work together in balance like a seesaw. When you get out of bed in the morning for instance, one branch clamps down and the other releases at the exact same time.

When the Autonomic seesaw works in unison there are no symptoms, but when they no longer are in balance someone feels dizzy, gets a head rush, may fall, or might pass out.

The Autonomic seesaw makes you dizzy because a damaged Autonomic Nervous System cannot correctly push blood upwards against gravity and this results in low brain oxygen levels.

The brain only has a one second reserve supply of oxygen and when the Autonomic Nervous System does not work correctly the brain cells do not function without enough oxygen. The dizziness is an oxygen problem and that is why you feel lightheaded.

The low “brain blood pressure” that results from a dysfunction in the Autonomic Nervous System often does not show up as a low BP reading when the measurement is taken at the arm. Simple blood pressure machines do not measure the brain’s demand for oxygen flow. This is why “low blood pressure” to the brain it is commonly misdiagnosed.

In other words, as your brain screams out for more oxygen the blood pressure reading in your arm will rise as your body pumps harder and harder to supply the oxygen flow to keep your brain from being dizzy.

Ironically, many health care providers do not understand what the raised arm blood pressure number means so they increase your blood pressure medication which results in even less oxygen flow and even more dizziness.

Because they do not take the time to ask a few questions, these health care providers confuse the elevated pressure reading measured at the arm as a sign of the disease Hypertension instead of the effect of low blood pressure to the brain.

People are misdiagnosed and then they are treated with medication they do not need for a problem they do not have, and silently their Autonomic dysfunction progresses."

 
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"Lightheadedness is from a lack of oxygen to the brain often due to reversible Autonomic Nervous System dysfunction. The Autonomic Nervous System is the brain’s master control network and this is how your brain controls all your cells, organs, hormones, immune system, and blood pressure.

The Autonomic Nervous System is comprised of two main branches that should work together in balance like a seesaw. When you get out of bed in the morning for instance, one branch clamps down and the other releases at the exact same time.

When the Autonomic seesaw works in unison there are no symptoms, but when they no longer are in balance someone feels dizzy, gets a head rush, may fall, or might pass out.

The Autonomic seesaw makes you dizzy because a damaged Autonomic Nervous System cannot correctly push blood upwards against gravity and this results in low brain oxygen levels.

The brain only has a one second reserve supply of oxygen and when the Autonomic Nervous System does not work correctly the brain cells do not function without enough oxygen. The dizziness is an oxygen problem and that is why you feel lightheaded.

The low “brain blood pressure” that results from a dysfunction in the Autonomic Nervous System often does not show up as a low BP reading when the measurement is taken at the arm. Simple blood pressure machines do not measure the brain’s demand for oxygen flow. This is why “low blood pressure” to the brain it is commonly misdiagnosed.

In other words, as your brain screams out for more oxygen the blood pressure reading in your arm will rise as your body pumps harder and harder to supply the oxygen flow to keep your brain from being dizzy.

Ironically, many health care providers do not understand what the raised arm blood pressure number means so they increase your blood pressure medication which results in even less oxygen flow and even more dizziness.

Because they do not take the time to ask a few questions, these health care providers confuse the elevated pressure reading measured at the arm as a sign of the disease Hypertension instead of the effect of low blood pressure to the brain.

People are misdiagnosed and then they are treated with medication they do not need for a problem they do not have, and silently their Autonomic dysfunction progresses."


Thank you for taking the time to write this interesting information. I’m going to check out the link, hope it mentions actionable solutions!
 

Karime22

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Thank you for taking the time to write this interesting information. I’m going to check out the link, hope it mentions actionable solutions!
@mamakitty have you found any relief? I have similar symptoms of hypoglycemia with normal blood sugar (actually a little high). I just feel so weak and sometimes hungry and my heart will race. I do have low ferritin and blood iron levels, but high rbc and almost high hemoglobin. My symptoms started when I started supplementing iron, actually. Although I had many health issues before that for sure. I'm thinking thyroid and hormones, now, as I have heavy periods that have gotten worse lately.
 
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mamakitty

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@mamakitty have you found any relief? I have similar symptoms of hypoglycemia with normal blood sugar (actually a little high). I just feel so weak and sometimes hungry and my heart will race. I do have low ferritin and blood iron levels, but high rbc and almost high hemoglobin. My symptoms started when I started supplementing iron, actually. Although I had many health issues before that for sure. I'm thinking thyroid and hormones, now, as I have heavy periods that have gotten worse lately.
I am not sure if I have found a relief because I didn’t have an episode since posting this thread. I had a mini episode a few days ago and i took some salt but because I was super hungry as well, I had a snack too, so don’t know which of the strategies worked.

Your symptoms sound eerily like mine, except I don’t get very heavy periods anymore after having my baby.
I’m not sure supplementing iron is a good idea according to what Ray has written. I have also heard haemoglobin is a far more accurate test for iron. But of course, I don’t know enough at all to recommend you what to do. I can only tell you a couple things I felt have a very strong connection to my own hypoglycaemic episodes.
One is lack of sleep, and the other is skipping meals or long gaps between meals. When I have a long gap between meals in the day, I feel very sick and it continues for two days after that one skipped meal!
Also, I cannot eat just carbs, it makes me sick. I think pairing carbs with protein is a must, and a little fat too for taste.

So I guess maybe you can try sleeping better and eating more frequently and see if it helps.

Another thing that might be working for me is a B complex that I take sometimes. It kinda gives me more energy.

Hope this helps, and if you come across something that helps you, please let me know too!

Edit: I think I have thyroid and hormonal issues too, but I don’t have access to get those supplements. So I’m working with what I have available.
 

Karime22

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Thanks for replying. I agree about the iron. I wasn't sure what to do bc my ferritin was a 3 and oxygen saturation 6 percent, and my arms were kinda falling asleep a little. I think I probably have a bunch stored in tissues but I don't know how to get my body to recycle it better. Since my periods are heavy, it's possible I am actually low, especially bc I think I have low stomach acid. But the fact that my weird symptoms started around the same time as starting the iron is suspicious ?. It's nice to hear that your symptoms are doing ok. Mine are kinda non stop- I've been to the dr twice and er once bc i just felt so uncomfortable and weak/hungry. I looked up the symptoms of hyperthyroidism and it matched perfectly, even including insomnia. But they ran a thyroid panel and it was "ok". My white blood cells are a little elevated, but they've actually gone down from a month ago. I have found that eating horrible fast food actually makes me feel half decent for a bit, but that's a lot of pufa. How old are you, if you don't mind me asking? I'm guessing younger than me-im 40.
 

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