Disease Conditions

Addison’s Disease and Role of Homeopathy

Introduction:

It is a rare condition with an estimated incidence in the developed world of 8 cases per million. Addison's disease is a condition in which your adrenal glands do not make enough of certain hormones. The condition is named after Dr. Addison who first described it in 1855.

Cause:

The adrenal glands are small hormone-secreting organs located on top of each kidney. They consist of the outer portion (called the cortex) and the inner portion (called the medulla).

The cortex produces 3 types of hormones:

Glucocorticoid hormones (such as cortisol) which maintain sugar control, decreases (suppress) immune response and help the body respond to stress

Mineralocorticoids: The aldosterone hormone regulates sodium and potassium balance and keeps the pressure normal. The sex hormones, androgens (male) and estrogens (female) affect sexual development and sex drive.

Primary adrenal insufficiency
Addison's disease results from damage to the adrenal cortex. Due to the damage the cortex produces less of its hormones. This condition is referred as Primary adrenal insufficiency.

Secondary adrenal insufficiency This can also occur if your pituitary gland is diseased. The pituitary gland makes a hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which stimulates the adrenal cortex to produce its hormones. Inadequate production of ACTH can lead to insufficient production of hormones normally produced by your adrenal glands, even though your adrenal glands aren't damaged.

When people who take corticosteroids for treatment of chronic conditions, such as asthma or arthritis, abruptly stop taking the corticosteroids secondary adrenal insufficiency can occur.

Other causes of adrenal gland failure may include:

  • Tuberculosis
  • Other infections of the adrenal glands
  • Fungal and cytomegalovirus infections
  • Bleeding into the adrenal glands
  • Metastatic carcinoma, lymphoma

Signs and Symptoms:

  • Weight loss
  • Malaise
  • Weakness
  • Loss of appetite
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Changes in blood pressure or heart rate
  • Chronic diarrhea or constipation
  • Pigmentation
  • Salt craving
  • Postural hypotension
  • Low blood sugar
  • Joint pains or muscular pains
  • Acute adrenal failure (addisonian crisis)
  • Sometimes, however, the signs and symptoms of Addison's disease may appear suddenly. In acute adrenal failure, the signs and symptoms may also include.
  • Other causes of adrenal gland failure may include:
  • Abdominal pain
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Reduced consciousness
  • Low blood pressure
  • Pain in your lower back, abdomen or legs
  • Severe vomiting and diarrhea, leading to dehydration
  • High potassium (hyperkalemia)

Diagnosis:

A detail medical history is taken. Following tests are advised to detect Addison's disease:

Blood test: Measuring your blood levels of sodium, potassium, cortisol and ACTH indicates of whether adrenal insufficiency may be causing your signs and symptoms. A blood test can also measure antibodies associated with autoimmune Addison's disease.

ACTH stimulation test: This test involves measuring the level of cortisol in your blood before and after an injection of synthetic ACTH

Other tests may include:

  • Abdominal X-ray
  • CT scan of abdomen

Your doctor may also suggest a CT scan or MRI scan of your pituitary gland if secondary adrenal insufficiency is detected.

Role of Homeopathy treatment for Addison’s disease :

As we know that the human body works on very complex mechanism. The hormones that are secreted in the body are even more complex and are very sensitive even to the slightest change that takes place in the body. If there is hormonal imbalance in the body it creates lot of problems.

When the carefully selected homeopathic remedy is administered it stimulates the body and the body in turn takes care of the problem. Homeopathic medicines help in correcting the imbalance that takes place when the body is in a diseased state. Homeopathic medicines act at the level of the psycho neuro endocrinal axis.

For finding the correct homeopathic remedy the patient has to give a complete case history including the emotional picture, ups and down in life, relationships, stress causing factors. If the patient co-operates in giving the correct information the case can be handled in an effective way.

Homoeopathy is a science based on sound logic and vast experimental data. Homoeopathy is the only medicinal science where data has been collected by proving on human beings. The principles of Homoeopathy have been derived and authenticated by vast clinical experiments and data.

The homoeopathic medicines are prepared in a standardized manner. The homoeopathic pharmacopoeia lists more than 3500 remedies, whose clinical efficiency has been proved in various clinical trials conducted all over the world. Various institutions and individuals are proving new medicines and increasing the scope of homoeopathic medicines.

When Homeopathy is administered to the patient, it works at the level of adrenal gland and stimulates adrenal gland to produce the hormone at the optimum level by removing the obstruction or the root cause of the disease without causing any side-effects.

As far as the secondary adrenal insufficiency is concerned, Homeopathy stimulates the pituitary gland thereby causing the production of ACTH hormone at normal level.

Therefore, Homeopathy can give a new ray of hope to the patients of Adrenal insufficiency.

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