For those that don't know what the HPA axis is:
"The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA axis or HTPA axis) is a complex set of direct influences and feedback interactions among three endocrine glands: the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland (a pea-shaped structure located below the hypothalamus), and the adrenal (also called "suprarenal") glands (small, conical organs on top of the kidneys).
These organs and their interactions constitute the HPA axis, a major neuroendocrine system that controls reactions to stress and regulates many body processes, including digestion, the immune system, mood and emotions, sexuality, and energy storage and expenditure. It is the common mechanism for interactions among glands, hormones, and parts of the midbrain that mediate the general adaptation syndrome (GAS)."
/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothalamic%E2%80%93pituitary%E2%80%93adrenal_axisYes, it's a documented thing with Lyme:
"Late stage neuropsychiatric Lyme disease can best be conceptualized as a disseminated and progressive, (predominately sub-cortical), encephalopathy. Animal studies and autopsies have contributed to our understanding of the disease process. (25,26,27,28). As symptoms progress, additional symptoms occur and increase in severity.
These symptoms may be categorized in the following manner:
1. Brain Stem
Cranial Nerve symptoms
Autonomic symptoms. Dysautonomia may be the result of involvement of brain stem, involvement of other parts of the autonomic nervous system, or end organ pathology - i.e.: migraine, temperature dysregulation, sexual dysfunction, bright light sensitivity, mitral valve prolapse, irregular pulse, neutrally mediated hypotension, asthma, non-ulcerative dyspepsia, irritable bowel, and irritable bladder
Hormonal symptoms: From the result of either hypothalamus or end organ involvement, i.e., thyroid disease, HPA axis dysregulation, decline of sex hormone functioning, hypoglycemia
Long track disconnection syndromes (very late in the progression of the disease)
Cerebellar symptoms
2. Limbic system, greater limbic system, extended amygdala
Altered attention, emotional, and behavioral modulation
Pathological psychiatric syndromes
3. Cortical (May be from either cortical or sub-cortical nuclei involvement)
Signature syndromes
Processing difficulties
4. Peripheral Neuropathy "
www.mentalhealthandillness.com/tnaold.htmlAnd with proper support of the organs affected (hypothalamus, pituitary, & adrenals) when needed, we have to assume that they will recover. But this all depends on how long they went unsupported and if they get the support they need, and how badly "damaged" they may get before effective treatments start.
My personal experience has been adrenal exhaustion during my first set of infections, and healed with moderate support. Then I went through a very stressful time with my FIL with Alzheimer's moving in with us during the last months of his life, plus some more stress from my Mom living very near to us and being needy (LOL, but true!), and I ended up with my adrenals crashing yet again, but to a much lower level - I was "one step" from being diagnosed with Addison's, according to the doc that I saw that specialized in thyroid and adrenal treatments. I'm on good, solid treatment for not only my infections, but for my thyroid and adrenals now (again) and am healing, slowly.
No matter what you take (herbs or pharma or other) you must be sure that you only take what you really need. "over revving" the adrenals is very, very hard on them, so if someone has low adrenals and takes too much to support them, it can actually lead to them crashing. If they are already low and someone takes things to lower it further, that too will crash them, so always double and triple check what you are about
to start to be sure that it's doing what your body needs it to do - and of course, you need to have GOOD testing, not the "normal" that most doctors are willing to offer.