Insulin Tolerance Test
Dr. Weyrich's Naturopathic Functional Medicine Notebook
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Test Overview
With the patient in a fasting state, blood sugar is measured followed by IV injection of 0.1 units of insulin/Kg body weight. Blood sugar is subsequently measured at 20, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes post injection. In a normal response, blood sugar should drop about 50% within the first 20 minutes, without development of any symptoms, and then slowly rise back to the previous fasting level by 120 minutes. In hypoglycemic individuals, the drop is more precipitous and the recovery slower, and various signs of hypoglycemia may manifest.In the event of excessive drop in blood sugar leading extreme symptoms or unconciousnes, the doctor must be prepared to immediately administer IV glucose in order to prevent brain damage or death. Individuals with adrenal insufficiency may be more sensitive to insulin, and in this case the insulin dose should be reduced by half [Barnes1999; Escamilla1954; Starr2005, pg 141].
Labs Performing Test
Costs cited are subject to change and may be reduced by insurance or cash discounts and increased by sample collection fees.
References
Unless specifically noted above, references used in the construction of this web page include the following:[FDM] Lecture notes from Functional Medicine University.
[SCNM] Lecture notes from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine.
[UT] Lecture notes from the University of Tennessee graduate programs in Chemistry and Biochemistry.
[Barnes1999] B.O. Barnes & C.W. Barnes. Hope for Hypoglycemia, Revised Edition. America Book Company (1999). Cited by [Starr2005].
[Escamilla1954] Escamilla RF. Laboratory Aids in Endocrine Diagnosis. Charles C. Thomas (1954).
[Starr2005] Mark Starr. Hypothyroidism Type 2: The Epidemic. Columbia, MO: Mark Starr Trust (2005).
Copyright © 2007-2010 Dr. Weyrich. The information on this site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease or illness. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. If you have a health concern or medical condition, consult a licensed healthcare provider. Dr. Weyrich is licensed by the State of Arizona to practice medicine (license number 07-1008).
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