Conference rocks::weight_control

Happens to me on diets too, sometimes, and can also be a sign of dehydration.  
Drink water, and if that doesn't do the trick, have one of your fruits.

    re .1
    
    I do drink water.  I'm one of the constant water drinkers.  As soon
    as my glass is empty, I'm refilling it.  I've tried eating as soon
    as I feel this starting to happen, but it only seems to help for
    30 minutes to an hour and then the spots come back, sometimes as
    strong as before I ate and sometimes not as strong.  I've got a
    doctor's appointment after Christmas, I hope he'll be able to help
    me.  It makes me wonder if maybe I shouldn't diet until I find out
    exactly what the problem is!!!

Diuretics have that effect on me sometimes.  Drinking "too much" water has a 
diuretic effect.  Perhaps that has something to do with it?  I'm interested to 
hear what the doc will say!

.0>    Does anyone know about blood sugar levels and what kind of effects
.0>    it has on you if it gets lower than it should be?

    	q. How many fruit exchanges are you eating per day and when?
    
    	q. Are you taking a vitamin and mineral supplement?
    
    
                (from The Columbia Encyclopedia of Nutrition)
    
    	"If the blood sugar level drops low enough, a group of symptoms
    develop, including [ , but not limited to ] , sweating, palpitations,
    anxiety, dizziness, weakness, and sometimes fainting."
    
    	"The symptoms themselves are not specific, and therefore, in
    order to diagnose true hypoglycemia a blood test must show a low
    blood sugar level at the time the symptoms appear, and not simply
    during the course of a glucose tolerance test."
    
    	"True hypoglycemia, if untreated, can be extremely serious.
    As the blood sugar level falls to very low levels, signs of central
    nervous system impairment may occur.  These can include confusion,
    blurred vision, loss of memory, bizarre behavior, and depressed
    intellectual functions.  In the most severe cases, convulsions and
    coma are possible."
    
    	"Any person who suspects he or she is suffering from hypoglycemia
    should seek medical attention and advice."

    -mike z

    
    Definately see the doctor.  I've just started "The Diet Center"
    a couple of weeks ago.  They are feeding me supplements that they
    say are supposed to level the blood sugar so you won't crave garbage.
    I have no side effects, and it does work for me.  However if I did  
    have side effects, you bet I'd make an appointment fast.  Everyone 
    is different.  It could be dangerous if you wait.
    
    Have you ask the consultant at Weight Watchers if it's a common
    thing?  That is what their there for.
    
    Keep in touch,  Im sure I'm not the only one that wants to know
    what the "Doc" says.
    
    PKT

    HI
    
    I have had the same symptoms that you described.  I was told that
    it was a form of a migraine (one of the milder forms), if that's
    any consolation to you.  It can be very alarming though, especially
    when you look in the mirror and see only half of the image looking
    back at you.

    RE .6
    
    The first time I told my Doctor about it, he also said it was
    migraine, but I've always heard that chocolate and/or sugar makes
    a migraine worse.  When I eat chocolate or sweets when this is
    happening, it immediately gets better and the spots start going
    away.  I started having these symptoms a couple of years ago, but
    they were real infrequent (like once every 3-6 months).  Two weeks
    ago they were DAILY.  That's when I started thinking, "well, what
    have I changed to make this start happening every day?"  When I
    immediately thought of my eating habits, I decided to try to eat
    something sweet the next time I felt this coming on because nothing
    else had helped so far.  The sweets immediately made the spots start
    going away.  It's real scary when you're driving and you can only
    see part of the road and/or traffic light, car, etc.
    
    Thanks for all replys!

	Well, for years there's been an unproven theory that suggests
    that chocolate, cheese, and alcohol are the 3 common foods that
    aggravate migraines.
    
    	The supporters can't explain for sure why they do, but they
    have a good amount of data that seems to suggest a hard link.
    
    	They think these foods may be vasoconstrictors, causing a
    localized increase in blood pressure in the brain, for some
    people who suffer migraine attacks.
    
    	I haven't read anything on this in the last year or two, so
    maybe now it's been disproven.  It wouldn't hurt to ask your
    physician about this.
    
    -mike z

    re .8
    
    Mike,
    
    I will ask, but that's what I'm saying.  If these were migraines
    that I'm having, chocolate should make it worse, but instead it
    gets better.  Therefore, I don't think it is a migraine.  Even if
    it was, chocolate shouldn't make it better.  Maybe from now on when
    I feel a chocolate attack coming on, I'll claim that I'm seeing
    spots.........  ;-)
    
    Thanks

    The fact that chocolate makes the headache go away doesn't mean that it's
    not a migraine, and it doesn't mean that chocolate isn't the culprit.

    There's a thing called an addictive allergy, in which you are addicted
    to a food to which you are allergic.  Migraines are a common withdrawal
    symptom; getting a dose of the allergen will often cause the symptoms to
    abate (exactly hat happens when the alcoholic suffering the DT's takes a
    drink and feels better).

    This is covered in gruesome detail in "Dr. Mandell's 5-Day Allergy Relief
    System", by Dr. Marshall Mandell.  He's a bit fanatical in places, but by
    following his procedures I was able to identify my allergy to wheat, and
    cut my migraines from several times a week to 1 or 2 a month.  My SO at
    the time was allergic to milk; he had been experiencing stomach pains that
    went away when he drank a glass of milk.  He was in bad shape while going
    through withdrawals, as was I, but the long term affects are well worth it.

    Migraines, BTW, are by definition a condition where the blood vessels in
    the brain dilate.  Vasoconstrictors, such as caffeine and ergotamine, are
    sometimes used to treat them.  There are, however, some cases where the
    dilation is preceded by constriction.  A constrictor could kick off a
    migraine.

    Beverly

    I am also a sufferer of the classic "spots before your eyes" migraine
    headaches.  I have had my blood sugar checked and nothing wrong
    there.
    
    These headaches are caused by the blood vessels conscripting behind
    the eyes and no one is certain why.  They may be caused by many
    factors - stress (I would always have one the week after finals
    when I was in college), allergies (mine are more prevalent in the
    spring).
    
    The spots (I describe mine as a Kaliedoscope effect) are usually
    foolowed by a severe headache.  Sometimes mine are not bad.  But
    I now had medication, Midrin, that I take when I see the spots.
    It makes me sleepy but avoids the pain.  If I am unable to take
    the medicine when I see the spots then I will have a headache even if I
    take the medicine later.
    
    See your doctor.  This can also be a sign of high blood pressure.
    Mine is usually low but I've never been checked during a headache.
    
    Good luck,
    
    Linda B