What is Addison’s Disease?

Addison’s Disease also known as Chronic Adrenal Insufficiency is a hormonal disease where Adrenal glands fail to produce the required amount of Steroid Hormones.

Kidneys contain a pair of adrenal glands on the top which have two parts Cortex and the Medulla. Both produce specific hormones needed for the functionality of our body. When the cortex fails to produce a sufficient amount of hormones person is suffered from Addison disease.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Addison’s Disease?

Common symptoms

Symptoms of Addison disease are very common and take several months to appear. Signs and symptoms  are as follows

• Low Blood pressure leading to faintness
• Vomiting and Nausea
• High fatigue and weakness
• Loss of appetite and weight
• Pigmentation and darkening of the skin
• Pain in abdomen and joints
• Depression
• Hair loss
• Decreased level of blood sugar
• Dehydration and paleness
• Salt craving

What is Acute Adrenal failure?

Normally symptoms of Addison’s Disease are ignored being common and non-specific but sometimes symptoms appear suddenly and severely. This condition is known as the Addisonian crisis. Addisonian crisis is a serious situation and needs to be treated immediately.

What are the Possible Causes of Addison’s Disease?

1- Damaged Adrenal Gland

Addison’s Disease is the result of the inefficient working of Adrenal glands lying on the top of the kidney. The adrenal gland is made of two basic sections Cortex and Medulla. Both produce different essential hormones for the body. Addison disease is caused when Cortex is damaged and does not produce hormones in the desired quantity. This condition is known as primary adrenal insufficiency.

Primary adrenal insufficiency is caused by autoimmune disease in which the immunity system itself starts damaging the cortex taking the cortex as some foreign harmful object.

Other causes of primary adrenal insufficiency are fungal infections, tuberculosis, tumors, HIV, and hemorrhage to the adrenal glands.

2- Diseased Pituitary Gland

A diseased Pituitary gland also helps in causing Adrenal insufficiency. The pituitary gland helps the cortex producing its hormones by making a hormone ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic Hormone). If the pituitary gland fails to produce an adequate amount of ACTH then the adrenal cortex also fails to produce a sufficient amount of its hormones which leads to Addison disease. This condition is termed secondary adrenal insufficiency by medical specialists.

3- Other Causes of Addison Disease

When the patient with asthma and arthritis stops taking steroids as treatment, there is also a chance of adrenal gland inefficiency.

Image Credit: autoimmunesociety.org

How Addison Disease Can Be Diagnosed?

After a detailed study of the patient’s symptoms and medical history doctor will suggest some tests if he doubts.

Medical Tests to Diagnose:

Doctors can perform the following tests to diagnose.

The blood test can indicate levels of sodium and potassium in the blood, antibodies associated with autoimmune disease, cortisol, and ACTH.

ACTH stimulating test measures the cortisol level after injecting synthetic ACTH.

A hypoglycemia test involves measuring blood glucose and cortisol between the intervals of after and before injecting insulin.

CT and Abdominal X-rays can also be conducted to check abnormalities in adrenal glands. In complicated conditions, MRI is also suggested.

Common Allopathic Treatment Methods for Addison Disease

Allopathic medicines are also helpful in curing Addison’s disease but the patient needs to carry the medicine to the whole of his life and this treatment costs too much for this.

• Corticosteroids are given orally or injected to cure.
• In the case of the Addisonian crisis hydrocortisone, saline solution and sugar may be injected.

Addison Disease Treated in Homeopathic medicine without any side effects of the medicine

Homeopathic medicines are more helpful in the cure of Addison disease as these medicines increase the secretion of hormones and improve the functions of the body thus hormones need not supplement externally. With the use of these medicines, the patient is relieved from the symptoms more effectively than allopathic medicines. Following homeopathic medicines help cure.

• Belladonna
• Iodine
• Tuberculinium
• Arsenic
• Phosphorus
• Calcarea Carb
• Ledum pal
• Adrenaline
• Berberis Vulgaris

Please don’t use any of these medicines on your own without consulting an experienced professional homeopathic doctor.