Should You Get an Adrenal Function Test to Check Your Cortisol Levels?
Are you tired all the time? Do you feel run down or fatigued? Do you NEED Coffee to get going in the morning, are you feeling stressed, have insomnia, have a chronic illness, or are you just not feeling as energetic as you used to feel? These are all symptoms of adrenal gland dysfunction. And adrenal dysfunction can be a result of either high or low cortisol levels.If you do have adrenal dysfunction, an Adrenal Function Test , which is the same as a cortisol test, is the ONLY way to accurately find out your cortisol levels. And a salivary adrenal test, like this one, is the best and most accurate cortisol test on the market. And that includes the blood or urinary adrenal tests that a doctor might do, as will soon be explained.
If you do have adrenal dysfunction, an Adrenal Function Test , which is the same as a cortisol test, is the ONLY way to accurately find out your cortisol levels. And a salivary adrenal test, like this one, is the best and most accurate cortisol test on the market. And that includes the blood or urinary adrenal tests that a doctor might do, as will soon be explained.
“…Salivary cortisol is a more appropriate measure
for the clinical assessment of adrenocortical
function than is serum cortisol.”
‘Salivary cortisol: a better measure of adrenal cortical function than serum cortisol’ Vining, et al.
The Adrenal Gland Hormones are responsible for your stress response and produce the hormone cortisol whenever you get stressed. These hardworking glands manage your stress day in and day out for your entire life. But, just like you, they can get tired too- especially if you have had a lot of stress in your life. Once they begin to be overworked, a condition called Adrenal Gland Fatigue, then YOU get fatigued too! Take a look at a sample result:
And unless you do something about it, you’re going to start feeling as if you are Falling Apart. You see, the adrenal glands consider ANY STRESS as a life or death situation and will attempt to produce their stress hormones, and they will do it at any cost to you.
In the process, they can “Steal” the PRECURSOR HORMONES to:
- Estrogen
- Testosterone
- Thyroid
- Melatonin
in a phenomenon called Pregnenolone Steal– which could lead to symptoms like:
- Low sex drive
- Early Menopause or Andropause
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Hypothyroid
- Insomnia
- Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
- Not to mention tiredness and fatigue
“The Measurement of steroid levels in
saliva provide a useful and practical tool
to evaluate adrenal functions, which are
essential for clinical diagnosis”
‘Salivary cortisol and DHEA levels in the Korean population’ Ahn, et al
That’s where an Adrenal Function Test and Cortisol Test comes in. If you are more fatigued than you think that you should be, and especially if you have any of the other symptoms- you could have adrenal gland fatigue, or even high cortisol levels. But you’ll never know for sure unless you get an Adrenal Function Test.
In-Home Salivary Adrenal Test
Painless, In Home Test
Includes 4 Cortisol and 2 DHEA Levels
Just $167.00
How it Works
1) A Test Kit is Mailed To You
2) You Collect Saliva at the Stated Times
3) You Mail the Kit back to the lab
4) I’ll send you the results via email
5) You get a free 15 minute consultation to discuss your results
Why Get a Cortisol Test?
An adrenal function test is important because your adrenal function is a marker of your immune health! Since the adrenal glands control the stress response, and stress controls your immune system. So, cortisol levels have a DIRECT effect on your Immune Health! If you get frequent colds, the flu or infections- then you should get an adrenal test! Colds and flu are the first signs of a weakened immune system and is a sign that something is not right. And it’s likely that what’s not right is your adrenal gland function.
If you’re feeling tired all the time, or you are feeling overly stressed then an adrenal function test is Essential because, unless you have an obvious problem like anemia, its unlikely that your doctor is going to find out why you are tired! And your doctor just isn’t going to even LOOK FOR adrenal gland fatigue.
In fact, most doctors don’t even have the knowledge or ability to diagnose Adrenal Gland Fatigue! As crazy as that may sound- he really will not look to see if your Adrenal Gland Hormones are out of balance, or if your cortisol levels are within the proper range- and even if he checked a cortisol level, he would not know how to help you to feel better if there was a problem! But there are SIMPLE strategies and common over the counter supplements that anyone can buy.
What are the Adrenal Glands
The Adrenal Glands are two small glands about the size of a pea, each positioned directly above your kidneys in your mid to lower back. But don’t let their small size fool you. They are almost completely responsible for the stress response of the body. The adrenal gland hormones- cortisol and DHEA- are vital for your health, immune system and energy levels.
Cortisol levels that are too high or too low could indicate overwhelming stress that can lead to fatigue, hormonal imbalance, leaky gut syndrome, weight gain and immune system problems. The adrenal glands are absolutely VITAL to your health. Even more than that, they are critical to your day to day functioning. Without your adrenal glands working properly, YOU don’t work properly. Just getting up in the morning is going to be a struggle.
How to do an adrenal function test
A cortisol test is an easy and accurate test that your doctor SHOULD know about, but just simply doesn’t- despite the research that is out there saying that it is useful and accurate. And you don’t need a prescription!
With a salivary cortisol test, there is no blood draw, no pain, no taking time out of your day to get to a doctor’s office. It’s really that simple. Next, you’ll receive your results by Email with a preliminary explanation of what your Adrenal Function Test results mean. Then, you’ll get a chance to PERSONALLY speak with a Functional Medicine Practitioner who will explain your results to you. There are no blood or urine adrenal tests that can show you the functioning of your adrenal gland hormones like this kit can.
You’ll find out:
- How your cortisol level rises and falls throughout the day. A critical, but overlooked aspect of adrenal gland functioning
- How well you are producing the anti-aging hormone DHEA. Lots of people take this hormone to make them look and feel young. But we all produce it naturally. See how you stack up with how well you ‘should’ be doing- and what to do about it if you don’t.
- If high cortisol levels are affecting your sleep
You COULD ask your Doctor for a cortisol test…
But he wouldn’t even know what you were talking about. And even if he decided to do a blood or urinary cortisol test, the information would be worthless to YOU and to your doctor. This in-home Adrenal Function Test Kit has SO many advantages over a cortisol level done in a lab. To get the same information, you would have to have your blood drawn 4 times in the same day. But, if you could talk your doctor in to ordering a cortisol level, he’ll order ONE SINGLE random sampling. But one sample is completely worthless because it won’t show you:
- Your total daily production of cortisol
- Your daily production of DHEA
- Your cortisol Rhythm
- Your Cortisol to DHEA RATIO
Anyway, Your Blood Test Will Be Wrong
I’m not saying that blood test are inaccurate. They are very accurate. But having your blood drawn is stressful, and your cortisol level goes UP if you are under stress. That’s why these saliva tests were developed in the first place. Researchers who were studying cortisol levels needed to find a way to accurately record cortisol levels multiple times per day without the stress of the blood draw interfering with their results.
Thus Salivary Adrenal Function Testing was born. And researchers find it to be an extremely accurate reflection of cortisol levels- WITHOUT causing adrenal gland hormone levels to go up from the stress of taking a blood test! It couldn’t be easier to get an Adrenal Function Test and to keep track of your overall health! No prescription required.
In-Home Salivary Adrenal Test
Painless, In Home Test
Includes 4 Cortisol and 2 DHEA Levels
Just $167.00
How it Works
1) A Test Kit is Mailed To You
2) You Collect Saliva at the Stated Times
3) You Mail the Kit back to the lab
4) I’ll send you the results via email
5) You get a 15 minute consultation to discuss your results
Can this test be done with children?
No, there is generally no need to test children, as they have not ‘worn out’ their adrenal function yet, and the ‘solution’ to low adrenals is hormone replacement, which is ‘generally’ not done with children without the supervision of a pediatric endocrinologist. There are many other tests that I would do on children, such as food allergy tests, stool tests for parasites, porphyrin urine testing, and genetic testing for Celiac and MTHFR, among others.
If my cottisol levels are low, indicating adrenal dysfunction, exactly how much & for how long should specific (you tell me!) OTC products containing exactly what should I take. How can I find out?
You’d need to make an appointment for a consult. A) I’d have to take a look at your adrenal results and B) Unless you have Addison’s disease, then low adrenal function is not a primary problem, meaning that something else is causing it that needs to be discovered and addressed.
I don’t give out supplements without addressing the cause of the adrenal dysfunction, as that would be a disservice to you. You can see my consultation page here:
http://www.easy-immune-health.com/Functional-Medicine.html