Adrenal fatigue

[robertin75]

Shelley:

Do you know if saliva tests for adrenal insufficiency are reliable?

I have heard that blood is a better way to diagnose adrenal fatigue but I would like to hear your opinion.

I was tested for blood cortisol in both AM and PM as well as electrolytes (sodium, potassium and chloride) and all of them came back normal.

Thanks for your help,
Roberto

[shelley]

Hi Roberto!

From what I've read, because of how the adrenals secrete their hormones based on natural biorhythms, unless the adrenals are severely weakened the issue is not likely to appear on most tests. The proponents of saliva tests say theirs is the better test, the ones who offer blood tests say theirs is the better test, it's a mess out there with all those doctor egos and profit margins getting in the way of the real truth.

Since there's really no pharmeceutical solution to adrenal fatigue, you can just go by your symptoms. If you have really wonky sleep patterns and fit the profile (high-stress life, attitudes), just assume your adrenals need a little bit of help and take some ginseng, licorice root, gotu kola, and Bieler Broth. That's pretty safe intervention so you don't need a really clear-cut diagnosis to just go for it and see how you do. I found it very helpful with getting my strength back after candida.