Today is Addison’s Disease Day, and if you’ve never heard of it, that’s part of the issue. Addison’s disease is a rare, life-threatening disorder where the adrenal glands fail to produce enough cortisol and aldosterone—hormones your body relies on to function.
Without cortisol, your blood pressure crashes, your sodium plummets, and your body loses its ability to respond to even minor stress. An untreated adrenal crisis can kill you in hours.
Symptoms to watch for:
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Severe fatigue
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Unexplained weight loss
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Low blood pressure
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Dizziness, especially when standing
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Skin darkening around scars or skin folds
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Salt cravings
Most people with Addison’s are misdiagnosed for months or years. They’re told it’s stress, depression, or that they just need more sleep. Meanwhile, their body is slowly shutting down.
Here’s what’s critical to understand:
You either have adrenal insufficiency or you don’t. This is not a spectrum. It’s not something you manage with vibes and supplements. It is a medical emergency when undiagnosed and untreated.
There is no such thing as “adrenal fatigue.” That term is not recognized by any major medical body. If your cortisol is low, there is a reason—and it needs a workup by a board-certified endocrinologist. Period.
So today, stop scrolling past the rare diseases. Addison’s isn’t common, but for those living with it, awareness can be the difference between life and death. Learn the signs. Share the facts. And for the love of science, stop listening to anyone without an MD or DO after their name when it comes to hormones.
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