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DESCRIPTION:
When underactive adrenal glands produce insufficient amounts of corticosteroids, the result is an adrenal insufficiency, also known as subclinical hypocortisolism. Often confused with even rarer Addison’s disease, this condition affects 4 out of every 100,000 people. Males and females are equally affected, and it can occur at any age.
How does an adrenal insufficiency develop?
Cancer, amyloidosis, an infection such as tuberculosis or another identifiable disease such as diabetes insipdus can be the cause of an adrenal insufficiency in many afflicted individuals. Insufficient production of corticosteroids may also be the result of taking medications such as prednisone (a steroid often prescribed by modern medical physicians for treating adrenal insufficiency!) and anti-fungal drugs such as ketoconazole. According to natural medicine specialists, adrenal insufficiency is most often due to undergoing stress for long periods of time, which eventually causes the adrenal gland to give out. This implies that the condition may be a result of a prolonged state of high cortisol levels, similar to fibromyalgia.
A corticosteroid deficiency can lead to low levels of sodium and high levels of potassium in the blood, which can cause excessive urination. This can lead to a reduced blood volume and shock. A corticosteroid deficiency also results in extreme insulin sensitivity, which creates dangerously low blood sugar. This deficiency prevents the body from manufacturing carbohydrates from protein, healing wounds and fighting infections. Muscles, including the heart, also weaken and stop performing properly.
What are the symptoms of an adrenal insufficiency?
An adrenal insufficiency usually makes a person feel weak, dizzy and tired when lying down or when standing up after sitting. The skin tends to darken all over. Black freckles may develop on the forehead, face and shoulders. The nipples, lips, mouth, rectum, scrotum or vagina may develop a bluish-black discoloration. Weight loss, dehydration, appetite loss, muscle aches, vomiting, itchy eyes and a runny nose, skin rashes, a low resistance to infection, nausea and diarrhea are additional symptoms. In serious cases, cold becomes intolerable. Untreated, the disease can result in extreme abdominal pain, a very weak body, severely low blood pressure, kidney failure and shock, especially if the body is under severe stress. If left untreated, the condition can be fatal.
Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of an adrenal insufficiency, but they do not address the root of the problem. By addressing imbalances in the body, as natural medicine treatments do, an adrenal insufficiency may be alleviated permanently.
Discover why we believe that natural medicine treatments are the best way to treat an adrenal insufficiency.
Learn about the treatments for
Adrenal Insufficiency
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