Addison’s Disease is a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones like cortisol and aldosterone. This condition affects both sexes and is not associated with any particular age group.
Addison’s Disease is sometimes referred to as adrenal insufficiency.
Symptoms of Addison’s Disease can include weight loss, low blood pressure, darkening of the skin, low sodium, low blood sugar, fainting, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and depression, and pain.
Natural Remedies for Addison’s Disease
Because Addison’s Disease can be severely debilitating and even life-threatening, you should work with your healthcare professional closely, especially if you are considering supporting your health with natural remedies. Because hormone balance and electrolyte balance are critical to life, make sure changes you make to your routine are approved by your doctor.
Addison’s disease can be caused by an autoimmune response, damage to the adrenal glands, infection of the adrenal glands and cancer that spreads to the adrenal glands. These things can lead to “Primary Adrenal Insufficiency” where the cause is rooted in the adrenal system. Worldwide, tuberculosis is a common cause of Addison’s Disease.
“Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency” would be when another condition, like a pituitary gland problem, causes the adrenal insufficiency. Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency can occur if you suddenly stop taking corticosteroids for conditions like asthma or arthritis.
Significant stress, an accident or a sudden turn for the worse in health (as in the flu) can cause an adrenal crisis, which can be a life-threatening complication of Addison’s Disease.
Natural remedies may be useful for supporting the health of those suffering from Addison’s Disease, but hormone replacement and open communication with your health professional are imperative.
Read on to see what our readers have learned about coping with their Addison’s Disease and what natural remedies and supplements have helped them.
I do not agree with the information posted here on Addison’s Disease :- there is no Glandular recommendation instead you are required to take Cortisol and Florinef issued from your endocrinologist and from my 17 years experience of the PAI disease you do not take Licorice as I have 90% of my adrenals destroyed (by my auto immune system:- hence Primary Addison’s Disease) and so my adrenals CANNOT receive a boost or stimulation from Licorice as the receptors for Licorice and all other anti inflammatories are just NOT THERE as they have been destroyed ( as explained previously above)…and this outer section of my adrenals DOES NOT EVER grow back so NO amount of Vitamins or potions Zinc Extract etc will EVER Help these deficient Adrenals!
Trying to agitate these diseased adrenals actually MAKES YOU FEEL VERY SICK and I have to go to 2 or 3 days bed rest to get over anti inflammatories foods or herbs that I have eaten…..believe me after 17 years of this PAI I know the symptoms of eating Anti Inflammatory foods …I am physically and mentally WIPED out UNABLE TO READ OR SPEAK VERY MUCH AND CONFINED TO BED! Till this disruptive anti inflammatory foods and herbs have moved through my system.
Oh by the way I have been on these drugs for 17 years and my bone density is average or above and I have suffered no bone damage whatsoever and I DO NOT take Vitamins ( as stated above ) and I just drink fat reduced MILK its so simple …… I walk exercise eat healthy for Addison’s ( reduced potassium intake also is required for some of us ) and eat a fair amount of Cheese and drink fat reduced Milk I.e. healthy Bones!
Avoid B6 for Addison’s Disease:
I sadly have been suffering with this as well as lupus and a possibly pheochromocytoma. Unfortunately doctors do not know how to treat adrenal disorders much and the hospitals and doctors offices here do not help. They treat me like I am crazy and say everything is normal. They tried to prescribe me methylprednisone one day but I refused to take it due to all the side effects. The doctors and nurses treat me awful/are speechless with no responses or answers cause that’s all they can do since they are scared due to the fact they don’t have much knowledge about addisons/pheochromocytoma/rare diseases. So because of their pride they choose to not just say” look we cant treat this, we don’t know how to, I am sorry. PLus, I live in the big city so they don’t feel like running a ton of tests they are overworked and They are very afraid of what medications they give can trigger a crisis. Sadly since I am on no medications each crisis is worst.
Be very very very careful about what foods you eat, vitamins/herbs you take. Take herbs in just small amounts, DO NOT overdo anything! And 100% AVOID VITAMIN B6. This triggers a crisis in me every single time. I had a crisis the other day which I am recovering from. What the other person said about b6 is very true, it will cause pins and needles and it will inflame the adrenals. I don’t know why, but it just does. I have learned the hard way! Also avoid tyramine rich foods, every single time I have aged white cheddar(also precipitated this crisis), I get an attack. Egg yolks also are a trigger( I stick to egg whites), WINE(especially red)(for some reason it is tolerable for me sometimes but If I am in crisis mode is a no-no. red meat, salami, aged meats, cheeses, beer(very bad), all are triggers. look up a tyramine food list and avoid these foods. also I am going to try an acid-alkaline diet which I hear helps cause I have dealt with some over acidity and electrolyte issues. avacados and brown rice all b6 rich foods can be a huge trigger. certain ones not so much but avoid. Be very careful with what kinds of vitamins you take.
Magnesium is okay, just don’t take it everyday for an extended period(over a month), it will build up to hypermagnesia, she is right. It does help muscle pain but if you are dealing with electrolyte imbalance, it will begin to cause pins needles, seizures, headaches. also be extremely careful with herbs. Some herbs can really aggravate this condition. too much garlic, echinincea, goldenseal, and TCM herb mixes, can all aggravate this. Overuse of marijuana can aggravate this(specifically hash oils/concentrates will flare this up and consistent use for too many days during the start of a crisis or during a crisis). avoid concentrates specifically. full of chemicals worstens autoimmune disease and another cause of flares.
Marijuana is okay in small amounts. Take breaks as often as you can so your adrenals can rest or they will go berserk. also this is a big one AVOID all anti-anxiety medications!!!! Especially Ativan. taking Ativan can relieve the anxiety caused by this condition temporarily yes BUT it will worsten this condition. It kills all cortisol in your system and it will take time to get your cortisol levels back up. Look up foods rich in cortisol ex. grapefruit juice. The benzodiazepine meds are tempting to take during a crisis but it will WORSEN the crisis.
IF I take Ativan now I wake up nauseous, weak and it also added to the cause of the attack. if you HAVE to take it, limit yourself to 2 days MAXIMUM if taking 2mg and 4 days max if 1mg, no more than that! The higher the dose, the more dangers for this condition. it will ruin your cortisol levels even further making sleep nearly impossible. it will take a very long time to restore sleep levels to fully normal. There are some natural food remedies that can help you sleep online and some other tips. also be very very careful about medications and do more research on your medications. certain medications will effect your electrolytes. Ativan is one that will lower your sodium and cortisol. I am on Norvasc(amlodipine)10 mg and trileptal(1200mg) I have been on for a couple years. both lower sodium and have caused me issues.
I have cut down the trileptal to 900mg so far which has helped. It also causes SIADH(syndrome of innapropriate diuretic hormone) which will cause you to hold onto water and mess up electrolytes. IF this does cause your sodium levels issues, the only way to really fix it is to go to the the ER and get a sodium bag drip of saline. I am holding onto about 15 pounds of water due to these medications. I lost 5 lbs this morning after receiving my sodium at the ER. the bloating is awful. I will be trying to get a new doctor very soon to switch my medications. Avoid ciggerates, too much caffeine too. A cup of coffee sometimes does me some good but it will flush out more electrolytes leading to issues. I limit myself to just a cup rarely. Exercise a few times a week just don’t overdo it and DO not drink too much water can result in issues with electrolytes. 4-6 cups a day is good. Also another issue can be your thyroid too which will be really irritating. I struggle with thyroiditis. I take sea kelp pills(organic) which helps me get iodine. If I dare miss a few days of it I feel AWFUL. Headaches return, bad mood, anxiety, and cold feeling. I also take it with selenium(non yeast) which will help you to not feel jittery from the kelp cause it can be stimulating.
Take what the directions say only once a day and make sure it is from a trusted source (organic) otherwise it may have arsenic or mercury which will result in an awful headache. Take a probiotic daily as much as you can remember. avoid sugar, ciggerates, chemicals.I am yet to try rhodiola rosea I hear is very good. I have tried holy basil which seems to help but I did get a bit too stimulated I believe but it really does increase your stamina, take away pain etc. I have stopped taking it but I may try it again one day. This disease is very hard to treat and doctors don’thave much knowledge about it, it is very rarely spoken of. This can be treated naturally, every disease can be it can be hard but it can be treated. autoimmune diseases usually result from extreme sensitivities, food allergies, pesticides, chemicals and most notoriously parasites and worms(which 85%) of us have. if you had these in childhood you will have them forever. You ever walked outside barefoot, you got em. you ever played as a kid in the dirt or put toys in your mouth, touched everything etc. you got em. food poisioning(most notorious as well) you got em. all my issues started once me and my family got horrible awful food poisioning from foster farms chicken. Then things were precipated even worst by salmon fish food poisioning. avoid yeast as wel if you can and dairy, microwaved foods all aggravate the adrenals.
I wish you all luck. sadly I don’t know how long I will survive this diasease but each day I force myself to get up and keep fighting thru it even when the anxiety cripples me and I cant get out of bed I will rest but it is very hard to live with autoimmune disease. if you don’t feel good listen to your gut and go to ER. Keep pushing the doctors to run more tests and get your results each time. they will still lie, but just try.
I came across an article online written by an alternative MD that cured a woman of full blown Addison’s disease (adrenals not working at all and non-curable) with homeopathic ayahuasca. The author didn’t give the dosage or dilution, but did say it took 3 months. When the woman went back to her regular doctor to get retested, he told her she had no signs of Addison’s Disease. She asked him if he had ever seen it reversed and he said, No. With a little Google searching you may be able to find the article, otherwise it may look like I am the Doc promoting myself.
I know you can get homeopathic ayahuasca from Helios in the UK. – only place I know.
I have SAI I am on 10 mg of hydrocortisone in AM and 5 in PM. I love peppermint oil and it is helping me feel like myself again. The brain fog goes away and my circulation is so much better! I’m very happy about this!
I am hypothyroid with Addison’s. I take 40 mg. hydrocortisone, and 150 mg. ThyroGold, and don’t want to take anymore. I still have had symptoms, like getting cold easily and poor circulation and fatigue and some brain fog.
The circulation problem is mostly aggravated by the fact that I do a lot of art work sitting down. I have a little cube timer that goes off every 15 minutes so I can get up and walk around or do something else. But still, even 15 minutes of sitting makes my legs feel heavy and stiff.
I started drinking a lot of peppermint tea, sipping on it throughout the day. Also, I have rubbed peppermint essential oil into my adrenal areas and thyroid once a day and rub some of the oil on my upper lip under my nose. I rub the oil into the reflexology thyroid and adrenal areas of the feet, giving some definite massage there.
Studies show that smelling peppermint essential oil (be sure it’s real essential oil) improves circulation and mental function and that’s what I’m seeing. Within the first two days I noticed a big improvement in circulation, energy, mood and mental clarity.
While Addison’s is primary adrenal insufficiency, mine is secondary adrenal insufficiency. (pituitary origin) They are usually caused by an autoimmune assault that results in low to no production of cortisol and other hormones. When cortisol is not produced, there is an extremely high probability of loss of life from even the smallest amount of stress. Cortisol replacement is very difficult to balance because it goes up and down daily, and it goes up with infections, etc. We have to try to approximate this dynamic fluctuation when taking this hormone.
With Addison’s disease when cortisol is low, there is low sodium, low chlorides, and resulting high potassium in blood serum. There is often times metabolic acidosis. (low bicarbonates, etc. ) When cortisol is replaced correctly, sodium and chlorides are then held, and potassium returns back into cells from the serum in blood.
If cortisol replacement is too high, sodium and chlorides can become too high, bicarbonates may increase to push out high chlorides, and potassium will be flushed out of the body. This can result with Alkalosis. (often indicated along with low potassium in serum blood test).
Addisonians often have difficulty metabolizing calcium, and it can be high in blood and tissues. Cortisol usually lowers ca in blood, but ca can remain in tissues.
There can be high magnesium with low and high cortisol, because there is probably kidney distress. With electrolyte imbalances, there is most often kidney distress.
Most Endocrinologists now are recommending that patients try to keep maintenance cortisol dosages below 30mg. Daily and as close to 20mg. as possible. If dosage needs to be reduced, then it must be done very slowly, with Dr.s care and attention. (we don’t want a crisis to occur).
I have struggled to reduce my daily dosage in the past, but I have found that certain natural substances I’ve learned about here, and through my own research have made my dosage reduction possible.
I found that increasing my potassium intake reduced my pain exponentially. I did not decrease my sodium intake. (sea salt) I do take a potassium supplement at this time as long as I seem to need it. ( I usually take potassium gluconate because it is more neutral, “plant like”). It is absorbed very quickly, so I take small amounts at a time so as not to disturb the other electrolytes. (250mgs) The amount I take daily varies, and I have a set of symptoms that indicate the need for more. I also eat a high potassium diet, but I salt it to good flavor.
I have found that, reducing the amount of acids that I have each day, helps with pain and helps with lowering my cortisol needs. It is also helping to lower my potassium needs. (less autoimmune, viral, infectious outbreaks).
I take Iodine (Lugol’s) for glandular support and infection resistance. I couldn’t take thyroid meds. (too stimulating for me). People take it in a wide variety of ways and amounts that change, so it’s up to us to find that amount, but I like to put 4 to 6 drops of 2% lugol’s in 1 oz. water, and hold it in my mouth for several minutes, then spit.
I also take H2o2 on occasions. When a lung infection arises, I use Bill Munro’s method of intake until the infection ceases. I also apply it to my skin a few times weekly.
I also take Milk Thistle and Dandelion Root, (and leaf) regularly, off and on for kidney, liver support. I believe they really help this condition. They are powerful, so I take them 1 hr. apart from meds.
These practices have been so effective with keeping away infections for me, that I’m not sure I can remember when I had to double my cortisol dosage for an infection.
I really hope that this can ease the pain, Connie
As someone with diagnosed Adrenal Insufficiency (Addison’s Disease), I would recommend to anyone who suspects that they may have this problem to ask your doctor (MD) to run a morning cortisol test to begin with. The range of normal is quite large, and you may have a low normal reading that would indicate you may need cortisol replacement or prednisone. Some other tests can be done to determine whether the problem is in the adrenals themselves or in the pituitary or hypothalamus. The A.M. cortisol test is a blood test and should be done in conjunction with other tests for blood counts, electrolytes, and hormones. Cortisol is at its highest level first thing in the morning, so if it is low, it is only going down from there for the rest of the day.
Low sodium and postural hypotension are common symptoms as are abdominal and flank pain, sleeplessness, low body temp and feeling cold, hypoglycemia, an unusually dark tan, extreme fatigue(an overused term), and cravings for caffeine, sugar, alcohol, cigarettes, or other substances to boost you up. If you have all of these symptoms, you need to be tested for adrenal insufficiency asap.
Anything that you use to boost your metabolism– thyroid hormone, diet products, adrenal stimulating complexes–will make your problem worse. I take supplements that strengthen my body and its overall function: Vit C, 1-3 g/day; Vit E, 400 IU/day; L-Tyrosine, 500 mg/day; liver cleanse product; green foods tabs. I tried licorice for about a month and noticed no difference. DO NOT TAKE POTASSIUM. Adrenal insufficiency causes hyperkalemia (excess potassium) and hyponatremia(low sodium). Be careful of B viamin complexes, too much B6 in the presence of low sodium causes magnesium overabundance which is manifested by tingling in feet, legs, hands, and arms. Low magnesium is not a symptom of adrenal fatigue. Avoid taking supplements that do not have a cal/mag ratio of 2/1.
Someone suggested tin chloride supplements. NO. Tin salts are toxic.
I also have tried to detox my enviroment by eating organic food, avoiding pesticides and chemicals, and changing all the products I use on my body. I juice organic fruits and vegetables almost everyday. The Blood Type Diet has made a big difference by eliminating agglutinating foods from my diet that were making me feel lousy.
I try to control my stress as much as possible by making choices about how I spend my time (as much as a mom with 4 kids can) and with whom I spend it. Some of these are tough choices and require a change in expectations on your part and those you interact with.
Not everyone who is fatigued has adrenal fatigue. Toxic enviroment, toxic food, and toxic relationships all cause a great deal of stress.
Should this be a saliva or blood test for morning cortisol (for Addison’s)?