Cushing’s Syndrome

What is Cushing's Syndrome?

Cushing's syndrome is the condition that results when the body is exposed to too much cortisol or other glucocorticoid hormones over a long time.^{[1, 2]} It is a medical disease that needs specialist diagnosis and treatment, and complementary care cannot treat its cause.

Common symptoms

Typical signs include easy bruising, a flushed face, purple stretch marks, and extra fat in the face, the back of the neck and the abdomen.^[2] High blood sugar and high blood pressure are common, and so are changes in thinking and mood.^[2]

• Thin skin and slow wound healing
• Muscle weakness, especially in the arms and thighs
• Bone thinning and a higher risk of fractures
• Depression, anxiety or irritability
• Irregular periods and increased facial or body hair in women

Not every person has every sign, and many of these symptoms also occur in other conditions, which is one reason diagnosis is difficult.^[1]

Causes and risk factors

The most common cause is taking glucocorticoid medicines such as prednisone for another illness.^[2] When the body itself overproduces cortisol, about 60% to 70% of cases are Cushing disease, caused by a benign pituitary tumor that releases corticotropin (ACTH).^[2] Other causes include adrenal tumors and, less often, tumors elsewhere in the body that make ACTH.^[1]

Endogenous Cushing's syndrome is rare, affecting an estimated 2 to 8 people per million each year.^[2]

How it is diagnosed and treated conventionally

Doctors first rule out steroid medicines, then screen with a 24-hour urine cortisol test, a late-night saliva cortisol test or a dexamethasone suppression test.^[2] Blood ACTH levels and imaging of the pituitary, adrenal glands or body help find the source.^[2]

For endogenous Cushing's syndrome, surgery to remove the source of excess cortisol is the preferred treatment for all causes.^[3] When steroid medicines are the cause, the prescriber manages any change to them. Many people also need medicines that block cortisol production or its effects, radiation, or removal of both adrenal glands.^[2] Some problems can persist after cortisol levels return to normal and can affect quality of life.^[3]

Why Cushing's Syndrome calls for a whole-person approach

Cushing's syndrome affects many body systems at once, so care usually involves more than one specialist. Excess cortisol is linked to high blood sugar, high blood pressure, immune suppression, changes in thinking and mood disorders.^[2]

Supportive care can address some of the symptoms that people live with during diagnosis, treatment and recovery. It does not address the hormone excess itself.

Mood, stress and thinking

Cortisol excess is associated with neurocognitive changes and mood disorders.^[2] Stress, depression and poorly controlled diabetes can also raise cortisol temporarily and mimic Cushing's syndrome, which is another reason testing should be done by a physician.^[1]

Blood sugar and blood pressure

High blood sugar and high blood pressure are part of the condition and need medical monitoring.^[2] Any complementary therapy should be viewed as secondary to this monitoring.

Lasting effects after treatment

Some comorbidities remain even after a person is in remission and can reduce quality of life.^[3] This is where supportive care for sleep, stress and well-being may be most relevant.

Acupuncture as supportive care in Cushing's Syndrome

What the research shows

No clinical trials of acupuncture for Cushing's syndrome in people were found in PubMed. A 2026 narrative review of traditional Chinese medicine in Cushing's syndrome described acupuncture and herbal formulas but concluded that high-quality clinical research is lacking.^[4] The evidence below is for symptoms that people with Cushing's syndrome may share with others, not for the disease. A 2025 meta-analysis of 60 trials in adults with mild to moderate major depression found low-certainty evidence that acupuncture may reduce depression severity compared with antidepressants and ease insomnia, with mild and brief side effects, and rated the overall certainty as very low.^[5] A 2021 meta-analysis of 24 trials found that acupuncture improved sleep scores compared with medication, with improvement appearing after about three weeks.^[6]

For blood pressure, a Cochrane review of 22 trials found no evidence of a sustained blood pressure lowering effect of acupuncture and only very low quality evidence of a short-term effect.^[7] Acupuncture should not be used as a substitute for blood pressure care.

How acupuncture may work

For Cushing's syndrome no mechanism has been tested. The 2026 review describes dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, the hormone system that controls cortisol, as central to the disease, and it reports that the mechanisms by which traditional Chinese medicine might act still require investigation.^[4] Any effect on this system is a hypothesis, not an established effect.

What treatment involves

Treatment uses fine, sterile, single-use needles placed at points chosen for the symptoms being addressed, usually left in place for about 20 to 40 minutes. A short course of visits is followed by reassessment of whether it is helping.

In prospective studies, about 9 in 100 patients had a minor reaction such as bleeding, pain or redness at a needle site, and serious events occurred in about 1 in 10,000 patients.^[8] Because Cushing's syndrome can cause easy bruising, thin skin, slow wound healing and a weakened immune system, tell the practitioner about this, and about any blood thinners, pregnancy or pacemaker, before treatment.^[2]

Ayurvedic medicine as supportive care in Cushing's Syndrome

The Ayurvedic view

Ayurveda has no classical condition that matches Cushing's syndrome. Practitioners may describe the weight gain, fatigue and mood changes in terms of imbalanced doshas or impaired digestion (agni), but these are traditional frameworks and not a medical diagnosis.

Therapies that may be used

Care is individualized and may include:

• Regular meals and sleep and wake times, and gentle daily movement
• Stress-reduction practices such as breathing exercises and meditation
• Warm oil massage for relaxation
• Individually prescribed herbs after review of your medicines, from tested sources because some Ayurvedic products sold online contain lead, mercury or arsenic^[9]

Panchakarma cleansing procedures are not appropriate in pregnancy, acute illness or frailty, and we would not use them for someone with the fragile skin, bone thinning or recent surgery that can accompany Cushing's syndrome.

What the research shows

No studies of Ayurvedic treatment for Cushing's syndrome were found. For stress and anxiety in general, two meta-analyses of randomized trials of ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) found lower stress and anxiety scores than placebo, and one reported lower serum cortisol. Both described low certainty or a need for longer-term safety data.^{[10, 11]}

That finding is not a reason for people with Cushing's syndrome to take ashwagandha. A herb that changes cortisol could interfere with testing or with medicines that control cortisol, so it should only be considered with your endocrinologist's knowledge.

Herbal medicine as supportive care in Cushing's Syndrome

Herbs and formulas that have been studied

No trials of herbs for Cushing's syndrome were found. The 2026 traditional Chinese medicine review mentions formulas such as Buzhong Yiqi decoction and modified Xiaoyao powder, and concludes that their value for this condition is not established.^[4]

What the research shows

There is no reliable clinical evidence that any herb helps Cushing's syndrome itself. The only herbal research relevant to the condition is about risk, covered below.

Safety and herb-drug interactions

For this condition, herbal safety is the main concern. A review of steroid activity in traditional Chinese medicine found that few herbs have well-established steroid-like effects. Liquorice root can cause pseudoaldosteronism, and illegal products sold as traditional medicines are sometimes adulterated with glucocorticoids.^[12] A case report described hypercortisolism after long-term use of a plant-based skin cream, with laboratory work suggesting glucocorticoid-like activity of the plant extract.^[13]

Herbs can also interact with prescribed medicines. Reviews describe bleeding with warfarin and several herbs, and a range of other serious interactions.^{[14, 15]} Herbal and dietary supplements account for a notable share of drug-induced liver injury in the United States.^[16] About one fifth of Ayurvedic medicines bought online contained detectable lead, mercury or arsenic.^[9]

Tell us about every medicine you take, including cortisol-lowering drugs, diabetes and blood pressure medicines and any steroid, and about pregnancy, breastfeeding, and liver or kidney disease. Herbs are prescribed individually and are not a replacement for medicines.

Translating traditional medicine into modern biological language

This section is interpretation, not equivalence. Traditional Chinese medicine descriptions that practitioners may apply to the symptoms of Cushing's syndrome, such as kidney, liver or spleen imbalances, are patterns of symptoms and not measured hormone levels. The 2026 review notes that the mechanisms and standardized protocols for traditional Chinese medicine in this condition still need investigation.^[4]

Ayurvedic ideas such as disturbed agni or dosha balance are likewise explanatory frameworks. No study has shown that they correspond to the changes in cortisol, ACTH or adrenal function that define Cushing's syndrome.

How this care fits with your medical care

Supportive care comes after the condition is being managed by your physicians, and with their knowledge. For a condition like this, we ask that you are under a physician's care for it and that your treating team knows you are receiving complementary care.

Do not stop, reduce or change steroid or cortisol-lowering medicines on your own. Stopping them suddenly can be dangerous, and changes must be made by your prescriber. We do not diagnose Cushing's syndrome or manage the hormone problem.

Please bring your diagnosis, recent cortisol and blood sugar results, a full list of medicines and supplements, and details of any surgery or radiation.

When to seek urgent medical care

Some symptoms of Cushing's syndrome and its treatment need prompt medical attention.

• Severe weakness, dizziness, vomiting or confusion, especially after stopping or missing a steroid or cortisol-lowering medicine
• Sudden severe headache or new vision loss
• Chest pain, shortness of breath or a swollen, painful leg
• Very high blood sugar with extreme thirst, frequent urination or drowsiness
• Thoughts of harming yourself; call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline)
• A new fracture or sudden severe back pain
• Fever or signs of infection, since high cortisol suppresses the immune system

For emergencies, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.