Well-Womens Guide to Adrenal Insufficiency and Addisons Disease

Basically, the saying "burnt out" has everything to do with this.

Think of the many conditions caused by stress including: Panic Attacks, IBS, Globus hystericus, Thyroid conditions

How can they not be affected?

We do not realise the important hormones that are regulated by these glands which are located at the top of your kidneys. They are divided into an inner medulla and an outer cortex. The outer cortex is something we can not live without. The various parts of the glands secrete different hormones.

All the hormones of the cortex are steroidal and include aldosterone, cortisol and sex hormones androgens and DHEA in small amounts. The medulla secrets adrenaline and noradrenaline and these are secreted as a reaction to stress. Some of the hormones are also responsible for blood sugar regulation.

We are hardly likely to realise their importance. But when you start suffering from certain symptoms including: sugar cravings, salt cravings, low blood pressure which in turn can lead to dizziness and fainting, allergies, low stamina, water retention causing swelling in fingers, ankles and face, hair loss, fatigue and exhaustion, weakness, feeling run down, immune disorders, sleep disturbances, digestive disorders, feeling cold, low immune function, vomitting, diarrhoea, constipation, inability to cope with stress, weight loss, low libido and hyperpigmentation of the skin. Then you know that something is wrong.

Please watch this youtube video about Adrenal Fatigue

It stands to reason that prolonged stress will cause the glands to "burn out" as your body can no longer cope with the excessive demands to produce the hormone "cortisol" This burnt out situation was once called a nervous breakdown. What this in fact relates to is adrenal insufficiency or adrenal fatigue due to too much demand on these glands.

Everyone has a different response to stress and some can cope with huge amounts with no ill effect. Others go downhill rapidly. Often those that are exposed to prolongued periods of stress come out the worst as then small amounts of stress cause a massive reaction. Please click here to read an article about adrenal fatigue and view the product "Licorice Formula" offered.

Your body is in a permanent state of "Fright or Flight" causing excessive amounts of adrenaline to be pumped out. This however only serves to weaken these glands thus causing illness know as A.I or Adrenal Insufficiency/fatigue or exhaustion. Eventually they may even stop producing hormones altogether.

Doctor James Wilson has written an excellent book about Adrenal Fatigue called Adrenal Fatigue - The 21st Century Syndrome"

The book describes what the condition is, how to diagnose yourself to find out if you have it, and how you can get well again. It is a great book with lots of information and anwers lots of questions. It also makes us realise that millions of people will have this condition in varying degrees. The book also explains how adrenal fatigue affects thyroid function causing hypothyroidism as well as many other endocrine conditions bearing out what I said all along, that what affects one part of the endocrine system will invariably affect other part of it.

Doctor Peatfield's book, Your Thyroid and How to Keep it Healthy - The great Thyroid Scandal and How to Survive it also talks about Adrenal Fatigue or Low Adrenal Reserve as he calls it and its relationship to hypothyroidism. It has to be one of the best books on the subject and is easy to understand and fairly jargon free.

The condition known as Adrenal Fatigue will not be diagnosed by your GP or Endo. Only Addisons disease (see below) will be diagnosed by a doctor and once again, doctors fail to recognise the symptoms of A.I.

What can I do and how can I confirm that I have A.I?

Many private doctors are happy to test for (blood and or urine tests) and diagnose A.I and one of the treatments is low dose hydrocortisone. (this treatment can also be dangerous - see below) Email me for a list of doctors in the UK.

Some tests that you can do at home (however, you would still need to confirm A.I with blood tests) are:

Using a torch and mirror, shine the beam into your eyes. The pupils should contract (get smaller). If they stay the same, or even more concerning, if they dilate, then this is a sign of adrenal fatigue (A.I)

If you have a home blood pressure kit, then another test would be to first take your blood pressure sitting down, then stand up quickly and take your blood pressure again. If it drops, this is a sign of adrenal fatigue. Another sign could be if you suffer from dizziness when raising from sitting to standing or lying down to sitting or standing as dizziness shows a blood pressure drop in these cases.

Tenderness in the small of your back where the adrenal glands are located (just above your kidneys) can also indicate A.I when combined with the above tests. (Tenderness can also be a kidney infection)

Please click here to go to the tests page where there are details of super tests you can order to check adrenal stress hormones.

What can we do to recover?

The longer you have Adrenal fatigue, and the more severe it is, the longer it will take to recover. If the problem is minor it will take up to 9 months, moderate fatigue a year or more and severe adrenal fatigue could take up to two years. The sooner you take steps to improve the condition, the better.

Avoid any type of stimulant (alcohol, nicotine, coca cola and soft drinks that stimulate and tea and coffee. Pro Plus and over the counter stimulants should never be consumed) like the plague as it will only serve to further tire already burnt out glands. Calm and relaxing TV viewing and pass times should be considered. Avoid vigorous exercise. It will weaken the glands further.

Yoga and meditation will help and have proved successful in treating A.I

In order to take the stress off them, a low sugar diet and a diet without refined carbohydrates so that the glands don't have to work extra hard to stabilise blood sugar. Increase protein and fibre as the energy souce.

Siberian Ginseng and Black Cohosh support the glands'function. Biocare AD 206 Adrenal support is an alternative to glandulars sometimes prescribed by private doctors. These can also be purchased online from the nutri centre who do their own brand. B Complex is much needed to assist with adrenal hormone production particularly the important corticosteroids. 1000mg of a good quality Vitamin C can help with weakness of the gland and support immune function. Enzymatic Therapy Daily Energy can provide nutritional support. Relaxing herbal teas like chamomile can be used instead of excessive tea and coffee consumption.

The hormone DHEA can help solve A.I, but should be used under the supervision of your private doctor. (Gp's probably won't prescribe this unless your levels are low and this can be confirmed by a blood test. Whether they will listen to you and do the required blood test is another matter.)

A specialist private doctor can devise a program to correct this problem. Please contact me for a list of private doctors in the UK.

Steroid use

A word of warning about steroids (hydrocortisone etc)

Adrenal fatigue should only be treated with a therapeutic dose of hydrocortisone or other steroid medication. High doses are dangerous and there are women who have suffered more because of steroid use to treat adrenal fatigue than from the condition itself. Doses over 25mg are high and while some doctors think the need to increase the dose to 30 or 40mg is necessary, this should always be questioned.

Use of high dose steroids can result in severe side effects including suppression of the adrenal glands, muscle wasting, osteoporosis, and patients with suppression of the adrenal glands will need emergency treatment if involved in an accident or undergoing surgery because their reaction to stress will cause a crisis situation. Use of steroids long term is questionable as patients with adrenal fatigue should not need steroids for more than a couple of months. After this time patients are normally weaned off gradually.

Please read Dr Myhills page regarding steroids

Addisons Disease

This is a chronic condition when the glands no longer produce the hormones needed for the body's response to stress. In some cases it can result in Addisonian Crisis which is a medical emergency.

The disease was first discovered in 1855 by Thomas Addison at Guys hospital and complications of TB was actually the known cause at that time. It still remains the cause in some Third World countries today.

Addisons disease can be caused by progessive A.I as above, by autoimmune attack of the glands and this reason affects women more than men. As with all autoimmune diseases, the cause for the autoimmune attack is unknown. Rarer cases of Addisons could be caused by viral infections, fungal infections and tumours. Some long term medications can also be responsible for both long term and temporary loss of function referred to as secondary adrenal suppression, such as those to treat bowel disease and asthma. Steroidal drugs can also do this.

Symptoms

These become apparent when over 90 per cent of the cortex has been destroyed and this can takes months or years. It is known as Primary Adrenal Insufficiency and show as follows:

Severe progressively worsening fatigue and weakness, weight loss, loss of appetite, pigmentation changes in the skin due to the increase of the hormone ACTH and the subsequent loss of cortisol, fainting, weight loss, low blood pressure, joint and muscle pain and spasm, and symptoms as for A.I but also irritability and depression, low blood pressure and fainting.

Once again, this can be diagnosed late as the symptoms presented do not inspire the medical profession to automatically think of the Addisons Disease.

Unfortunately it may reach crisis level before a diagnosis is made. Frequently the sufferer may develope a virus or need surgery and because of the body's lack of response to this from a stress angle, the patient's condition deteriorates and the condition then becomes apparent.

Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency can often be referred to as Addisons although it is often caused by a tumour (adenoma) but can also be caused by autoimmune destruction of the pituitary gland. In this case the pituitary gland will no longer send signals to the glands to produce cortisol and DHEA will also decline.

Before the introduction of long term medication in the form of steroids to replace the hormones that are no longer produced, Addisons Disease was invariably fatal.

Proper medication will enable sufferers to lead a normal life provided they ensure their medication is correctly managed and that they take proper care of themselves at all times.

Addisonian Crisis: What are the symptoms?

Severe mental confusion, weakness vomitting and drop in blood pressure. An emergency injection of 100mcg Hydrocortisone Sodium will be needed.

What products can help Adrenal Fatigue?

Nurti Adrenal and Nutri Adrenal Extra

Adrenal Glandulars are recommended by Doctor Barry Durrant-Peatfield as part of his treatment protocol for adrenal fatigue as well as liqourice and a variety of vitamins and minerals such as the very important B Complex and high dose vitamin C.

Also Please Click Here to view other helpful supplements.

Sodium Ascorbate

This has many uses as well as re building the body's structural integrity by renewing and maintaining collagen synthesis. It is thought to improve adrenal metabolism. Insufficient adrenal function is said to play a role in all autoimmune diseases and also in chronic allergic conditions such as eczema, hayfever and asthma. Stress of course is linked with A.I and this will be improved by supplementation with sodium ascorbate.

People who have cardiovascular disease or insufficient gastric juices (gastric HCI) should take ascorbic acid rather than sodium ascorbate.

Plant Sterols and Sterolins are natural nutrients that help the glands produce more natural steroids when needed and a product called Naturleaf is the product of choice here.

Wild Yam helps to regulate hormones facilitating the production of DHEA, the precursor hormone to oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone and many other important hormones and is necessary for correct hormone balance. It can normalise the production of adrenal cortex hormones.

The correct production of DHEA will therefore help in the correction of fatigue, depression. stress, poor memory, high blood pressure premature aging of the skin due to lack of collagen and immune system insufficiency.

Celtic Sea Salt and Ionic Minerals help in providing salts needed by the body and so often expelled in large amounts by the body in urine when the adrenals are not functioning optimally.

Maca Can also help regulate hormones by stimulating the pituitary and hypothalmus glands which then in turn stimulates the thyroid, adrenals, ovaries, adrenals and pancreas.

Zell Oxygen is also part of the overall regenerative program for all autoimmune illness as well as many other chronic and inflammatory condtions.

Latest News about Adrenal Fatigue

I attended a meeting at my friends house as she had invited Dr Barry durrant-Peatfield to talk to her Fibromyalgia Tried and Tested Group about his treatment.

Dr Peatfield was in a battle with the GMC because he was treating thyroid dysfunction and adrenal conditions in the abcence of positive thyroid blood test results. He reliquished his licence to practice as a result of this. Thing is, Dr Peatfield has succesfully treated hundreds of women (and men) with Adrenal fatigue and the resultant low thyroid as well as fibromyalgia and it is an absolute crime that he no longer practices. He now has to pratice as an alternative therapist.

There were many things he explained to us on Friday (19th September 2008) and he gave us hope.

I hardly know where to start.

Many women who are unwell and suspect they have a thyroid condition may well be suffering from Adrenal Fatigue (as above)

The exciting thing about this is, that adrenal fatigue causes low thyroid as the result of poor adrenal function interferes with thyroid hormone production.

Facinatingly enough, my friend had her thyroid tested at the GP's by the usual thyroid blood test. It came back normal (as we indeed suspected it might)

However, when she took Doctor P's advice and ordered a private tests which she did st home over a 24 hour period of urine collection, the results showed that whilst she was producing T4, she was very low on T3 which causes hypothyroidism.

T3 is the most important thyroid hormone, not T4. We only need T4 to convert (by an enzymatic process) to T3 which is needed by all our body cells.

The urine tests demonstrates the presence of thyroid hormones in the tissues and of course in turn how we are using them and whether we are converting T4 to T3.

So while my friend had been told her blood test was normal, the urine tests showed otherwise.

Dr P told us that many thyroid patients, especially those with autoimmune thyroid conditions are likely to have (in most cases) some degree of adrenal fatigue.

He also told us that Fibromyalgia patients are more than likely to have adrenal fatigue and also as a direct result of this, low thyroid function or full blown hypothyroidism.

Correct the adrenal fatigue and the thyroid function and you are on the road to wellness.

How?

One needs to establish whether they have adrenal fatigue. Tests can be purchased to establish this but using the tests mentioned above checking pupil dilation, whether you are dizzy when you stand up from a sitting or lying position, low blood pressure, tenderness in the lower back can usually be enough to establish this. Also poor acvhilles tendon reflex.

This can then be treated either with adrenal nutritional support such as Nutri Adrenal Extract or low dose hydrocortisone whic is only available from a private specialising GP (please contact me for either Dr Peatfields clinic details or my huge private docs list)

Once the adrenal treatment is under way (3-4 weeks) the thyroid issue can be corrected either with Nutri thyroid, Thyro Complex or Armour thyroid depending on the severity or nature of the thyroid condition.

(The adrenal issue must be corrected first or the precribing of thyroid medication will only serve to overstress and rev up already exhausted adrenal glands)

Those already on thyroid medication will need to cease for around 10 days and then gradually re introduce.

Doctor Peatfield says that Fibro patients can recover and this is a marvellous thought including their pain.

Thyoid patients can get rid of their joint and muscle pain and weakness and be revived by this treatment.

This also includes thyroid autoimmune sufferers since they are more than likely to have adrenal fatigue in conjunction with the thyroid problems as the autoimmune attack will have resulted in the adrenals under performing.

Doctor P also mentioned Systemic Candidiasis, (Also called Candida Albicans, Thrush and Monilla)

The way to check for this is to take a glass of water to bed and put it beside you. In the morning, spit into the water and leave for 30 mins. Then return and check the result. If the saliva is floating with what looks like small tails, then you have systemic candidiasis. This needs to be sorted out as combined with adrenal fatigue, thyroid hormone dydfunction, you really don't need this as well. Many will find they have it and as it is a cause of much chronic illness, it needs to be eliminated.

Doc P recommends Fluconazole, one a week for three weeks, together with dietary supplements in the form of oregano, garlic and caprylic acid to support the elimination. (wormwood is also good) and an aggressive approach is needed. I will document this on the candida page also.

I am so glad to have met Doctor Peatfield and feel it is of real benefit and priviledge to have been able to hear him speak and get plenty of advice to then share with everyone who is suffering.

However, his advice only served to further highlight the inadequancies of the Gp's and medical profession.

To read about Cushings Disease please click here

To read books about the adrenals please click here

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