The adrenal stress test tells us the health of the adrenal glands. Adrenal disorders are at the root of many chronic medical and psychiatric conditions like insomnia, depression, anxiety, high blood pressure, addiction, gastrointestinal disorders, chronic fatigue, dysautonomia, adhd, headaches, violence, heart disease, ulcers, adrenal burnout or exhaustion and many more. It is sometimes referred to as an adrenal fatigue test, adrenal insufficiency test, cortisol test, or cortisol saliva test.
This test measures the levels of cortisol and DHEA, two important hormones for adrenal health. The levels of these hormones will tell us how the glands are functioning.
Adrenals need to be tested with saliva -- not blood. Saliva tests for free levels of hormones. In a blood test, cortisol gets bound to serum proteins and doesn't provide us with accurate levels.
Most tests typically measure the cortisol saliva levels 4 times a day and the DHEA once.
You'll collect a saliva sample at each one of these times for a total of 4 saliva samples. However, if someone is having a lot of symptoms through the night, then cortisol may be tested through the night as well.
There are three primary states that occur in these hormones that cause degeneration in health:
high cortisol
low cortisol
low DHEA
High cortisol means the adrenal glands are working overtime and there is an excessive demand for cortisol, if this pattern continues unchecked it leads to low cortisol. Low cortisol means the adrenal glands have burnt out, they can no longer produce enough cortisol to function adequately. Low DHEA occurs when the demands for cortisol are excessively high and there are no precursors left over to make DHEA.
People with high cortisol have high levels of insomnia, fear, panic, anxiety or even mania and tend to be drawn sedatives to calm them down. They feel hyped up and can't relax. While people with low cortisol ten to have high levels of exhaustion, chronic fatigue, weakness and depression and are often drawn to stimulants to pep them up. Low DHEA usually begins to occur when there is high cortisol and will continue to decline if cortisol demands remain high.
Individuals may be at one end of the spectrum or anywhere in between. For example, one person may have high cortisol at all time periods throughout the day, while another person has low cortisol in the morning, noon and afternoon, but high cortisol in the evening.
Where you are in this range is very important for determining your recovery plan. You can't know which direction to go if you don't haven't tested. You don’ want to take supplements or pharmaceuticals that increase cortisol if it’s high and you don't want take supplements that lower cortisol when it’s low.
Additionally, the numbers in the cortisol saliva test, tell you whether you have adrenal fatigue, insuffiency or burnout, or whether you are on your way to developing them, which allows you to intervene appropriately and monitor your progress throughout the healing process.
If your numbers are starting to decline, then you know that immediate action must be taken to prevent them from going any lower. If numbers are high, then you know that steps must be taken to bring it down.
Where to Get the Adrenal Stress Test (Cortisol Saliva Test)
The Adrenal Stress Test or Cortisol Saliva Test is an easy, do it yourself, kit that you can perform at your own convenience in the privacy of your own home. No visit to the lab or doctor's office is needed.
A simple kit will be mailed to your home. You'll collect your saliva four times throughout the day and place it in the tubes provided in your kit and send back to the lab in the prepaid Fedex mailer. Your results, which provide an easy to read chart, will arrive electronically in your email, as well as a hard copy through regular mail. The whole process is fast, practically effortless and pain free.
Your test is performed by the Metametrix lab, a leader in the field of functional medicine testing for more than 25 years, trusted and respected by health care professionals around the globe.
Contact me today for a link to purchase the test, go over specific details and answer any questions you may have.
Learn more about adrenal fatigue in the Adrenal Recovery Basics Video.
The information acquired in the Adrenal Stress Test or Cortisol Saliva Test is another tool that can be used to identify the underlying biochemical causes of chronic medical and psychiatric disorder and know which changes in diet, lifestyle and nutritional supplements are needed to develop a path for healing that fits your unique biochemical needs.
References
Metametrix
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Cynthia Perkins, M.Ed. is an author, holistic health counselor and sobriety coach. She holds a bachelor's degree in psychology, a master's degree in counseling and has researched the role of diet, nutrition and environmental toxins on our physical and mental health for more than two decades. Talk with Cynthia One-on-One.
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