The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-01-26
WHEN YOUR SUGAR IS LOW

I suppose we doctors would be unhappy t we were compelled to can the superfiuous imposing terms and the abSurdly long names we de- fIight to use in our writing and speech. Think how silly 1t would b. if you went to an eminent spe- 5ialist complaining of your heart and he had to tell you 1t is heart trouble. You'd be tempted to com- plain that you had told him so. But not a peep out Of you if the great man decided that you are suffering from a cardiac condition. That means something.
 Hypertnsulin.sm is e unoedst term as modern medical lingo goes, mean ing secretion of too much irsulin by the specialized groups of cells in the pancreas, the islands Of Langerhans. whose function 1t is to produce the hofmone, instllin, required for the utilization of fuel, carbohydrate, blood sugar, animal starch, glycogen, glucose, dextrose in the body nnachin- cry. An opposite state, called hypo- iHisulinism, meaning insufficient iit- sulin, is the essential of diabetes.
 There is a certain amount of su- gar (glucose or dextrose) constant- ly present in the blood of 8 healthy person, during fasting 1t amounts to one-tenth of one per cent, and after 6 meal 1t rises to approxi- snately half as much more. Tn other words the blood contains total of perhaps 2A ounces of sugar when one Is fasting, and as much as 31s ounces after a hearty meal. ..
 When the proportion of sugar in the blood rises above IT per cent when the individual is fasting the question of diabetes arises. In dia. bette the blood sugar is generally .l8 per cent or higher. That is less disturbing or serious than compar- able lowering of the proportion of blood sugar below I per cent; In some circumstances individuals suf- fer extraordinary upsets from hyper insulinisna, secretion of too much in- sulin, and consequent hypoglycemia, medicalese for low blood sugar, the excess of itasulin too quickly burning up or using up the available supply of sugar in the blood before 1t can be replenished. Such emergencies sometimes occur when g patient with diabetes receives a d6se of insulin and fails or is unable to take some food shortly afterward.
 But the same hyperinsulhlism and hypoglycen1ia occurs as casual complication in cases of adrenal gland insuf1ciency such as Addison's disease, in cases of myEedema or slow thyroid function, in cases of faulty function of the anterior pituitary gland associated with the peculiar type of pituitary obesity characterized by piano legs" accu- mutation of 3 fat girdle about the hips, buttocks. thighs and cor1para- tiYely little or no surplus fat in the upper half of the body.
 A moderate attack of hyperinsu. linisln (hypoglycen1ia) is manifest. ed by unusual sensations of hunger, sudden sweating, swimming of ob- jects before the eyes, irritability and quarrelsomeress; fatigue, sonnolence and excessive yawning. In more se- were attacks there may be threat. ening collapse and fainting, tempo rary paralysis or blindness, pallor, cold sweats, stupor. even coma.
 The paramount remedy or treat ment for any such attack in any case is sugar in any form, cane sugar, candy, sweetened beverage, ice cream, fruit juice, cooky, cake, milk (n1ilk sugar).