Addison s disease is known as adrenal insufficiency or hypocortisolism. It is a hormonal disorder which occurs when adrenal glands which are located just above the kidneys do not produce enough of the hormone. The hormones produced by adrenal glands include cortisol and aldosterone, which are essential for a healthy life.

The disease is characterized by weight loss, muscle weakness, fatigue, low blood pressure, and darkening of the skin also sometimes. Most cases of Addison's disease are caused by autoimmune disorders.
It is quite a rare condition. Only 1 in 1 lakh suffer from this condition. this condition can affect a person of any age group irrespective of sex. To live a normal life people, with this condition, a patient will be required to take their medication regularly.

Cortisol and Aldosterone - What do they do?
The most important function of the cortisol in the body is to respond to stress. It helps the body in using protein, carbohydrates, and fat. It maintains blood pressure, cardiovascular function; and controls inflammation. While as aldosterone helps kidneys in regulating the amount of salt and water in the body   which helps in regulating blood volume and keeping blood pressure under control.

Cause of Addison's Disease
Mostly Addison s disease occurs due to problems with adrenal glands themselves   which is known as primary adrenal insufficiency. While Autoimmune disease accounts for 70% of Addison s disease. In this condition, the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the adrenal glands. This attack destroys the outer layer of the glands.

Some long-term infections such as tuberculosis, HIV, and some fungal infections harm the adrenal glands. It is also caused by the cancer cells that spread from other parts of the body to the adrenal glands.
Less commonly, adrenal glands can also be affected by secondary adrenal insufficiency. It is caused by a problem with the pituitary gland or a problem with the hypothalamus, both located in the center of the brain.
These glands produce hormones that control the production of hormones in the rest of the body. A pituitary hormone called ACTH which turns on cortisol production in the adrenal gland. If ACTH levels are too low, the adrenal glands do not function.
One more cause of secondary adrenal insufficiency is also caused by the prolonged or abuse of steroid hormones such as prednisone.
Symptoms of Addison's disease
The symptoms of adrenal insufficiency grow gradually and the main characteristics are:

Chronic, worsening fatigue
Muscle weakness
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
About 50 percent of the time, one will notice:

Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea

A Quick Guide To Addison's Disease!

Are you suffering from diabetes? If yes, then it s time for you to be extra careful about your health. Diabetes may cause several other diseases as well. You must check your lifestyle and take medical efforts to get rid of diabetes as soon as possible. 


You are at risk of developing nerve damages (neuropathy), vascular injuries and other heart diseases, regardless of your age, sex or other external or internal factors. Diabetes patients must strive to maintain fasting blood glucose levels less than 110 mg/dL and hemoglobin HbA1C level less than 7%.  Also, diabetes patients should keep a check on blood pressure and cholesterol levels. 


Here s how diabetes can affect your overall health:
1. Check your heart: There is a correlation between blood pressure, cholesterol levels and diabetes. Researchers have found that high bad cholesterol levels act as a hindrance to insulin regulation. People with diabetes are more likely to develop heart-related diseases. About 60% diabetes patients die due to heart attacks. Diabetes is responsible for hardening of arteries or atherosclerosis. This situation is dangerous and can cause heart attacks, strokes or other chronic diseases.


2. Neuropathy: Diabetes leads to impaired nerve function. This is called neuropathy. This condition is of two types: Peripheral (which affects toes, feet, legs, hand and arms) and Autonomic (which affects digestion, bowel, bladder, heart and sexual activity). Symptoms of neuropathy include tingling, weakness, burning sensation, numbness in the limbs, digestive disorders, infection of the bladder and erectile dysfunction.


3. Nephropathy: Diabetes is responsible for causing damage to the kidneys as well. This is called nephropathy. In this condition, the filters in the kidney or glomeruli get damaged. As a result, there is a leakage of protein in the urine. Consequently, kidneys get damaged. Urine showing small amounts of protein is an indication of kidney damage. About 20-40% patients suffering from diabetes die due to renal failure. The symptoms of renal disorder due to diabetes include itching, fatigue, urine with protein, swelling of feet and ankles and pale skin colour.


4. Foot ulcers and amputations: Diabetes causes non-injury amputations as it affects the nerve in the limbs, especially foot. Usually, minor infections in the foot may lead to ulcers and later require amputation. In rare cases, Charcot joint or Charcot foot may also occur. This is called neuropathic arthropathy. The symptoms include swelling and reddening of the foot. The bones of the affected foot have a tendency to develop cracks, deforming the entire region.


5. Retinopathy: Diabetes leads to blindness in adults. The eye disorder caused due to diabetes is called retinopathy. Patients with diabetes develop cataract easily. The capillaries and blood vessels in the retina get damaged or obstructed, resulting in damage to the entire retina.

Diabetes: It Can be the Reason Behind Other Disorders

The thyroid gland is a stand out among the most important organs in the body. It is an organ with an extensive impact. It is one of the hormone-creating, endocrine organs, which fundamentally control the rate at which the body's different systems and organs work. It affects vitality levels, immunity, regulation of sugar and is the general controller of development, growth and metabolism of the entire body. During embryonic life, the thyroid gland moves downwards from the pharynx (portion of the throat which affects both digestion and respiration) to its position underneath the Adam's apple.

There are a number of remedies that are capable of treating the thyroid problems. Since homeopathy aims at treating the root cause of the problems, the treatment is stretched over a longer period of time. Additionally, homeopathy functions by stimulating the natural healing capabilities of the body. Some of the commonly used homeopathic treatments for thyroid diseases include Fucus vesiculosus, Calcarea carb, Iodine, Bromium, Lycopus, Calcarea phos, Lapis albus and Spongia. Some of them are discussed below:

    Fucus vesiculosus: Commonly known as Bladderwrack or sea kelp, this is a rich source of Iodine. The homeopathic medication utilizes the entire plant and is available in many dosage forms such as tablet, tincture and capsule. It helps in stimulating the production of thyroid hormones. It can be used to treat hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland), hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland) and cysts.
    Iodine and Bromium: The homeopathic form of Iodine is called Iodum and it is prepared from iodate salts extracted from seaweed. Diversion from the optimum levels of iodine in the body causes thyroid problems. Homeopaths recommend Iodum for treating thyroid problems. Similar characteristics are exhibited by Bromium, which is a homeopathic form of bromine.
    Lycopus: The entire flowering plant of Bugleweed is used to prepare Lycopus. It is recommended for treatment of hyperthyroidism and cysts.
    Calcarea Carbonica: Calcarea Carbonica is a Homeopathic medicine which is regarded as one of the best homeopathic remedies for thyroid problems. It is highly recommended for hypothyroid patients who experience excessive sweating on head. It is also utilized for hypothyroidism afflicted patients having certain peculiar eating habits such as boiled egg cravings, desire for indigestible things such as pencils, chalk, lime, etc. This homeopathic medicine can also help in relieving constipation in patients having thyroid disorders.

Homeopathic Remedies for Thyroid Problems

How to Prevent Your Child from Developing Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disorder that prevents the body from processing sugar or glucose. The disorder causes insufficient production of the hormone Insulin (responsible for regulating sugar into the different parts of your body); or the body's failure to respond to the hormone produced. Although no cure is available for T2DM, there are several ways in which you can help prevent Type 2 diabetes in your child. These are:

1. Get your child to indulge in some physical activity

Spending about 60 minutes of the day on physical activity can help your child to ward off Type 2 diabetes. In terms of screen time, it shouldn't be over 2 hours a day. By doing so, he or she ends up building his or her muscles as well as gets rid of extra fat from the body. An active life would also help your child to maintain an optimal body weight with obesity being a cause of this form of diabetes. Whether it's a sport like swimming, cricket or basketball, or even walking and dancing, physical activity in any form can help in preventing your child from developing Type 2 diabetes.

2. Plan a well-balanced diet for your child

Encouraging your child to have healthy foods and making right food choices can also lower his or her chances of getting this metabolic disorder. Foods high in fiber like whole grain cereals and bread, lentils, fruits, and vegetables should be consumed. Similarly, foods low in trans and saturated fats like lean meat, chicken, yogurt and cheese should be included in your child's diet. Processed foods, as well as sugary drinks, should be no-no when it comes to your child's diet.

3. Adopting proper eating habits

It is not only making the right food choices that are important but eating right as well is vital for preventing the onset of diabetes. Having meals with fix portion sizes is a habit that you need to develop in your child. Ideally, half the plate should be filled with vegetables and fruits; a quarter with lean protein like chicken; and the remaining with whole grain. To accompany the meal, make your child have one cup of no-fat or low-fat milk. Desserts like ice cream and cookies should be allowed only once or twice a week.



How to Prevent Your Child from Developing Type 2 Diabetes?

In simple terms, hyperglycemia is the medical term for abnormally high levels of sugar in the blood stream. The blood sugar level range is 65-110 mg/dl and can extend up to 120-140 mg/dl a few hours after eating. However, when a person has eaten no food, but has a blood sugar level of more than 126 mg/dl, that may be a symptom of diabetes mellitus.


Reasons Behind it
A person who is hyperglycemic is most likely to be diagnosed with diabetes, which may be type 1 or type 2.


Type 1 diabetes is caused when the immune system destroys the insulin secreting cells in the pancreas. The insulin production in the body stops, thereby, causing an enormous increase in the sugar levels. In such a situation, nothing, but external dose of insulin will be required to survive.
Type 2 diabetes is caused when the body stops responding to the insulin produced by the body and in a desperate attempt to maintain blood sugar level, the pancreas produce excess insulin. In this case, changing lifestyle, food-habits and taking proper medication can be the only way out for a healthy life.


Therefore, the major causes leading to increase in blood sugar level might be:
Inadequate supply of insulin
Slow or no reaction of the body to the insulin produced by the body


Tips to manage hyperglycemia
Here are some important tips that could help individuals regulate their blood sugar levels:
As we know, the carbohydrates break down into glucose, which is absorbed by the body cells with the help of insulin. So, in case of hyperglycemia, individuals should manage or better, cut off, carbohydrate intake in their meals.
Another important element to be highly monitored is the blood cholesterol level. For this, you must curb eating oily and spicy food.
It is very important that individuals limit their alcohol intake because alcohol contains huge amount of calories and carbs, which might lead to sky-rocketing blood-sugar levels.
The diet should contain adequate portions of nuts and olive oil.
Eating fatty milk products and fatty food should be strictly avoided.
Each and every food should be inspected for sugar because even a slight bit of sugar can mess up the entire process of managing the sugar level.
Individuals should try stress-free mild work out, as heavy work out could cause the blood-sugar level to rise in case of type 2 diabetes.
Anxiety, tension and stress would not help the process in anyway.


Proper medication and check-ups are necessary. It is important to be fit and healthy.

Hyperglycemia - 10 Tips to Manage it

The body has multiple chemicals called hormones, which regulate many of its functions. Increased or decreased levels of these hormones affect various functions including metabolism, growth and sexual functions. Thyroxin produced by the thyroid (situated in the front of the neck) is one such hormone, which has a significant role to play in metabolism.

Graves  disease is one of the main causes of hyperthyroidism, where there is excessive production of thyroid hormones. Graves  disease is an autoimmune disorder, wherein the body reacts against its own tissues. It is very common in women than men, especially after 20 years of age. Family history also has a strong correlation in developing Graves  disease. The high levels of thyroid hormone increase the rate of metabolism, thereby altering weight, mental energy levels, physical stamina, and also mood.

Thyroid hormone is related to metabolism and more amount of it lead to higher metabolism. This causes the following symptoms.

    Intolerance to heat
    Excessive sweating
    Nervousness and anxiety
    Inability sleep, as the mind is always excited
    Increased appetite (sometimes despite weight loss) due to higher metabolism
    Irregular menstrual cycles
    Palpitations (rapid, loud heartbeat)
    Irregular heartbeats (tachyarrhythmia)
    Fine tremors of the extended arms
    Breast enlargement in men, known as gynecomastia
    Extreme moodiness, causing irritability and anger
    Inability to focus and concentrate
    General fatigue and shortness of breath with any exertion
    Increased frequency of bowel movements

In addition, the eye symptoms are quite diagnostic including:

    Protrusion of the eyes (exophthalmos), giving an impression that they are going to fall out
    Double vision
    Excessive tearing
    Increased irritation in the eyes

Diagnosis: The first symptom would be the presence of an enlarged thyroid gland (front of the neck above the collarbone), and the some of the above symptoms would be present.
In addition, tests to check for thyroid gland functioning including T3 and T4 levels would reveal increased amounts of hormone in the blood stream.
As a confirmatory test, the radioactive iodine uptake test also is done, which will indicate increased uptake by the thyroid gland. This indicates that the gland is functioning at an increased pace and requires additional iodine for the production of thyroid hormones.

Treatment: There are two approaches to it, one to control the symptoms and the other to control the thyroid gland per se.

    Beta blockers are very useful in controlling rapid heart rate and anxiety.
    Prednisone may be used to control eye irritation and swelling
    Antithyroid drugs are used to control the production of thyroid
    Radioactive iodine is given orally to control excessive thyroid production
    In severe cases, thyroid gland may be surgically removed partially or completely

Graves  disease is not life-threatening and once symptoms are controlled, the patient s quality of life improves drastically.

Graves' Disease - Things You Should Know About It

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