Yes! It is true! I have been completely off all adrenal medicine (Hydrocortisone and Fludrucort) since June 28, 2015, nearly 6 weeks!. I wanted to make sure I could function well without the medicine, before I told you. I know you might be thinking that it is impossible to heal from Addison's Disease, but I am living proof that you can heal your adrenal glands. I was tested many years ago and the blood test showed that I had "no detectable level of cortisone". My adrenal glands were not functioning much at all. I was told that I had Addison's Disease, and I was put on a complete replacement dose of hydrocortisone. For twelve years I took hydrocortisone and fludrocort to keep me alive, and now my adrenal glands are managing on their own. How did this happen?
A friend asked me today, "So stress has made you so sick, not lack of adrenal function, sensitivity to plastics, perfumes and dyes. Wow and how did you figure it out then?" This is my answer.Stress, according to government data, is the cause of up to 90% of all primary care doctor visits. When you are under stress, the adrenal gland will produce more adrenaline and cortisone which will affect your blood sugar, blood pressure, your nerves, your muscles, and your immune system. Stress makes us sick! I know that this is true. Stress nearly killed me!
Stress causes your body to produce a lot of adrenal hormones such as adrenaline and cortisone (flight and fight response). If there is enough stress for a long enough time it causes the adrenal glands to lose their function or even quit (Addison's Disease). This is what happened to me. It is the same as when people eat too much sugar. They can over-tax their pancreas so that it can not produce enough insulin, and finally, none at all (Diabetes).
About 70% of the people who have Addison's disease have it because their immune system attacks and destroys the outer layer their adrenal glands. I thought this was what was causing my adrenal glands to fail since my family has a history of many autoimmune diseases. There are several other diseases in which the immune system attacks a part of your body such as Rheumatoid Arthritis where the immune system attacks the lining of the membranes that are around your joints. Also infections which last for a long time such as tuberculosis, HIV, and some fungal infections can damage the adrenal glands.
Since your adrenal glands control your immune system, when they fail you have more trouble with allergies and chemical sensitivities, which I did. My hay fever was severe. I developed sensitivities to most foods and had to carefully rotate foods to be able to eat, and I became more and more sensitive to chemicals.
Of course all of the allergies and chemical sensitivities caused more stress which made everything worse. My adrenal glands became more and more taxed as I became unable to go places and do things I wanted to do. I couldn't even care for my own home or go to the store. The stress kept building. I was unable to think well or remember -- stress. I was constantly tired-- stress. I was always in pain-- more stress.
This April I finally reached a point where I could barely walk across the room. I was still able to work on my computer, but I was having more trouble focusing. I feared that soon I would just be nothing more than a lump sitting there. I hoped that I would be able to care for myself. Things were getting pretty dark, then I felt that I should check my blood sugar. It soared after eating a regular balanced diabetic meal (meat, beans, vegie, and a little fruit). I was frightened, but I knew this indicated that my hydrocortisone was too high (it controls blood sugar).
Very slowly, with careful monitoring and under my doctor's direction, I dropped my hydrocortisone and fludrocort (don't just suddenly drop your hydrocortisone or cortisone dose; it can kill you!). After two and a half months, my adrenal glands were able to work all on their own.
Then I knew that I was one of the 30% of people whose adrenal glands had quit because of stress. I was not part of the 70% whose adrenal glands had been damaged by my immune system or by some virus or fungus.
It is like diabetes. If you have Type 1 your autoimmune system has destroyed many of your insulin producing cells. All that can be done is to give the diabetic replacement insulin. In Type 2 diabetes you may have the same symptoms and have trouble getting energy from your food, but the cause is stress. A diet high in refined carbohydrates, little exercise, and a genetic predisposition can lead to Type 2 diabetes. You pancreas is constantly stressed until it can no longer cope. Stress causes your adrenal glands to produce more cortisone which causes insulin resistance (the sugar will linger in the blood stream instead of going into the cells which helps in an emergency but is very destructive if continued day after day).
If your body is damaged by an autoimmune attack, virus, fungus or some other injury, then it is difficult or sometimes impossible to repair. If your body is just severely stressed. it can heal if you take the stress away. For instance, if you stop stressing your body by cutting out refined carbohydrates, then it will heal. If you cut out the things which cause your stress, your adrenal glands will heal, and that is what I did.