These occurrences and the frequent symptoms of eye irritation, scalded or metallic oral sensations, pruritus, various rashes, faulty hair texture and growth, fingernail defects, all strengthen our belief in a generalized abnormality affecting not only the brain, musculoskeletal and intestinal systems, but also the body fluids and the integument. The multiple, overstimulated areas of fibromyalgia burn fuel steadily. This results in sugar-craving in a futile attempt to create energy. Increasing carbohydrate intake yields little, due to the impediment to ATP formation. Some 40 percent of fibromyalgic females and 20 percent of males suffer from this as manifested by frontal headaches, tremulousness, sweats, heart palpitations or pounding, often with tachycardia and the sudden feeling of anxiety.
Symptoms occur a few hours postprandially and often nocturnally.
Episodes last approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Genter and Ipp reported the release of counter-regulatory hormones during glucose tolerance tests on normal individuals. One-half of these young, healthy subjects became maximally symptomatic as epinephrine neared its peak, some at perfectly normal glucose levels. Obviously, each of us has an individual brain set point for glucose. We no longer perform glucose tolerance tests since symptoms suffice for diagnosis.