Does Anybody Have Celiac And Addison's Disease?

[susanm]

I have Addison's disease and sensitivity to gluten, though I have yet to be tested for celiac. I've heard that there is a link between celiac and adrenal problems or other autoimmune diseases.

Does anybody else have this?

[sickchick]

No I don't have Addison's but I do have severe Adrenal Exhaustion.

Yes Celiac is kind of a spurrer of other Autoimmune diseases, or vice versa

[Ursa Major]

I have adrenal insufficiency, which is one form of Addison's. My problem is, that a doctor in Germany diagnosed me last year (when I was so low on energy that I really couldn't do anything any more), but the idiot doctors here in Canada refuse to acknowledge his diagnosis, and refuse to prescribe the medications I need (which he prescribed in Germany, and have helped me tremendously). So, I have to order them (not entirely legal in Canada) through the Internet. I am always afraid they won't make it through customs, and I will be really ill as a result.

I don't know if officially I'd be a celiac, as I self-diagnosed. Almost my whole family (all my kids and most of my nine grandchildren, as well as my six brothers and sister) are gluten intolerant. My mother and father both died of liver cancer (they both had symptoms of celiac disease and adrenal insufficiency, my dad's blood pressure was so low, that he drank several POTS of coffee a day, 'prescribed' by is idiot doctor) and my grandmother died of stomach cancer when she was only in her forties.

[sickchick]

WOW, Ursa!

I just take raw adrenal complex, magnesium stearate and loads of vitamin c.

I totally can sympathise with the barely being able to function. Do you get the dark circles under your eyes and crave salt too? My biggest complaint is when I get the teeeniest bit 'stressed' or even excited my body doesn't put out the proper 'adrenal' hormones and it just throws me for days. I can't fly or even drive at all because my body doesn't recover properly.

Do you have any problems traveling too?

lovelove

[Ursa Major]

WOW, Ursa!

I just take raw adrenal complex, magnesium stearate and loads of vitamin c.

I totally can sympathise with the barely being able to function. Do you get the dark circles under your eyes and crave salt too? My biggest complaint is when I get the teeeniest bit 'stressed' or even excited my body doesn't put out the proper 'adrenal' hormones and it just throws me for days. I can't fly or even drive at all because my body doesn't recover properly.

Do you have any problems traveling too?

lovelove

Yes, travelling is really tiring to me. Any little stresses throw me, too. My dental cleaning was too stressful for me! I was shaking and had to take extra hydrocortisone before I could walk.

I fell down the stairs (didn't see the last two steps in the dark) a couple of weeks ago, and was so weak that I was unable to walk (after barely making it to the couch) for several hours, and it took me days to recover.

[sickchick]

OH yes, it's been about 2 years since my last dental visit! LOL!!!

[YoloGx]

My ex boyfriend has had both celiac and adrenal exhaustion as well as a low thyroid and a tendency toward RH if he eats the wrong things (sugar, fried foods etc.)(after which he then takes the detox herbs which really do help against the RH).

Now that he is on the anti gluten diet etc. his low thyroid problem has greatly lessened although he is still taking a half dose of thyroxin. The spots on his legs have gone away too. However he still has trouble sleeping and easily gets exhausted if he does not exercise vigorously enough. Of course that is usually the last thing he wants to do since he is so exhausted, however it actually makes him feel much better--plus it makes it so he can sleep!

I figured it out since he has such a yang personality even though he is so extremely sensitive plus I read about this political figure who had to constantly exercise to be "nice" or else he had a crabby personality. My friend blows himself out so to speak. I believe he is one of those people with celiac who is basically a hunter warrior type. If he doesn't get the vigorous exertion each day the excess adrenaline in his body attacks him since it has nowhere to go.

My eldest sister is the same way. I am partly like that but not nearly to the same extreme. Its like those German Shepards or even Greyhounds or Afghans. Like with these dogs, the genes require this type of person to move and be on the hunt! Or else eventually they become ill. High strung with no off button if you know what I mean. Just being quiet doesn't do it, even though my friend thinks he "should" be (just quiet that is since that is what everyone has always told him--that he needs to keep all that energy clamped down to be socially acceptable) in order to be more spiritual. Unfortunately he isn't plugged into how his body feels however to actually motivate him... The vigorous exercise then makes the quiet mind possible afterwards...

I convinced him to get one of those small home air stepper machines. He started with just doing 2 minutes a day. Now (when he keeps up with it and isn't depressed from going on a binge) he does 20 to 25 minutes at a time. The big deal now is to keep him motivated since he's so used to being exhausted. The "chase" I guess needs to seem real on some level to be interesting. I suggested he make a collage of something he wants or is inspired by and post it in front of him on the wall to help motivate him. For me I use music--but music usually makes his ears ring (he still has tinittus).

I don't know if this would help any of you, however it could. It really is amazing how vigorous exercise can really help. The main thing is to start doing it gradually and find a way to keep motivated.

Herbs and supplements can also help--and they too are helping him; however that is another story.

Bea

[Ursa Major]

Actually, vigorous exercise is the worst thing to do for adrenal exhaustion! For people with adrenal exhaustion, exercise will deplete the adrenal glands further, which will eventually lead to collapse, and even death. Yes, you can whip them to produce adrenalin, but eventually it will backfire.

He will feel less exhausted temporarily with exercise. The next day he will feel more exhausted, and makes himself feel better by exercise, at the same time depleting the adrenals further........ it becomes a vicious cycle.

The way to deal with it, is to cut out ALL sugar and most carbohydrates, rest, rest and rest more, walking should be the only allowed exercise if he must do something. And he should take medicine for the adrenals (it might be enough to take naturopathic remedies, but if it is severe, hydrocortisone is needed, at least for a while).

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Myths about adrenal burnout:

Vigorous exercise is good for burnout: Vigorous exercise can be attractive to those in burnout. Exercise temporarily makes them feel better. While it may provide a boost, in the long run vigorous exercise further exhausts their bodies. People in burnout need to reduce exercise, often to a minimum in order to conserve their energy and allow their adrenals to rebuild. Exercise requires energy and adrenal reserves that people in burnout do not have.

[susanm]

What is the difference between adrenal exhaustion and Addison's? With Addison's, you are exhausted, you crave salt, and your skin gets darker. If you need hydrocortisone to function, it seems to me it's Addison's, but I'm not a doctor. Either way, it seems like some people here have both celiac and adrenal exhaustion, so there is likely a correlation.

Another wrench in my health story is that I also had Lyme disease. I think with the stress of gluten intolerance and Lyme, my adrenals just packed their bags and said, "I'm outa here".

[Ursa Major]

What is the difference between adrenal exhaustion and Addison's? With Addison's, you are exhausted, you crave salt, and your skin gets darker. If you need hydrocortisone to function, it seems to me it's Addison's, but I'm not a doctor. Either way, it seems like some people here have both celiac and adrenal exhaustion, so there is likely a correlation.

Another wrench in my health story is that I also had Lyme disease. I think with the stress of gluten intolerance and Lyme, my adrenals just packed their bags and said, "I'm outa here".

Well, the doctor in Germany diagnosed me with Addison's. But my adrenal antibody test came back negative (in the meantime I've heard that it can become negative after a while if you have had undiagnosed Addison's for a long time), so I don't know what is causing mine. Adrenal exhaustion is also called Addison's, but the cause is different. No antibodies, just complete burnout for whatever reason.

I've tried weaning off the hydrocortisone, but I am unable to, as I stop functioning altogether if I lower the dose by even a little (I take 20 mg a day now).

I am also taking fludrocortisone (0.5 mg a day) because my aldosterone was extremely low, causing my blood pressure to fall to unacceptably low levels. And I am on desiccated thyroid (called Armour in the States) for hypothyroidism. Fortunately I was at least able to convince my doctor to prescribe that.

My skin didn't get darker, that is a possible symptom, but not everybody gets it.

[sickchick]

See my adrenal test came back negative too.... so which is why ND said it's severe exhaustion.

I have never tried hydrcortisone, is it a pill, Sweetheart or a shot?

hmm

OOH! Good article... I just bought this guy's book the other day.

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[YoloGx]

Actually, vigorous exercise is the worst thing to do for adrenal exhaustion! For people with adrenal exhaustion, exercise will deplete the adrenal glands further, which will eventually lead to collapse, and even death. Yes, you can whip them to produce adrenalin, but eventually it will backfire.

He will feel less exhausted temporarily with exercise. The next day he will feel more exhausted, and makes himself feel better by exercise, at the same time depleting the adrenals further........ it becomes a vicious cycle.

The way to deal with it, is to cut out ALL sugar and most carbohydrates, rest, rest and rest more, walking should be the only allowed exercise if he must do something. And he should take medicine for the adrenals (it might be enough to take naturopathic remedies, but if it is severe, hydrocortisone is needed, at least for a while).

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Hi Ursa,

So how do you describe a person that never really relaxes and doesn't sleep? My friend did the Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome officially for a couple of years and still uses herbs. He has been checked and they find his adrenals are OK. He finds he must still take thyroid medicine but at a reduced dose. All I am suggesting is that in a case like that, exercise is key, since then he can sleep since otherwise he just doesn't sleep much at all--which is hard on anyone carried far enough along--like in his case, for years.

Nevertheless he started the exercise out slow. Just walking a couple of blocks at first before gradually getting to long walks, and then just 2 minutes on the machine a day. It took some months before he began to exercise vigorously. And yes he is and has been taking naturopathic remedies for low adrenals even though it didn't show on the tests. The result is that while he stays motivated he obviously has more energy and feels better. This isn't just for a day or two. He was feeling better for over a month but then had girlfriend difficulties which put him in a funk and into eating junk food and old behaviours. He is now going in a more positive direction again. HOw many of us is this like?

Its all a balancing act and one has to see what is what with the actual person. Nevertheless I suspect there are others like him who are of the hunter/gatherer warrior type out there who have celiac who need to gradually get to the point where they can exercise vigorously just to be OK.

I would think if one had true adrenal exhaustion, being able to sleep would not be an issue--though maybe you can educate me on that one. I agree though that for my friend and really for many of us who have celiac, eating sugar is really bad, plus eating a lot of carbs in general can be very hard on the body even if they are gluten-free carbs. I certainly can't do it since I tend to get candida overgrowth way too easily.

Bea