Have you ever wondered what all the stress in your life does to your body? You may already experience symptoms of chronic stress such as fatigue, trouble sleeping, frequent colds and flu, digestive problems and weight gain especially around the abdomen and hips. I also find that people that are hypothyroid, diabetic and/or have other hormonal imbalances such as menopausal symptoms tend to have cortisol imbalances (see below). If you have any of these conditions you are a candidate for taking the Adrenal Stress Index test.

Stress comes in many forms and includes: 1) Physical stress such as trauma (accident or injury), poor diet, lack of exercise/sedentary lifestyle and environmental toxins, and 2) Mental/emotional stress such as work stress, family stress, driving in traffic and having too much to do and too little time to do it. When the body is exposed to stress long-term, chronic conditions and diseases can occur or current chronic conditions can worsen. Doing the Adrenal Stress Index measures the body's hormonal reaction and gives me as a doctor a place to start treatment.

The adrenal glands, which are on top of your kidneys, are the main organs that produce cortisol; therefore the adrenals are the main organs that respond to stress. The adrenal glands are designed to help the body cope with stress for a short amount of time but when the stress continues long-term they can get fatigued. Fatigued adrenals is what leads to chronic stress symptoms such as those listed above (e.g. fatigue, trouble sleeping, etc.).

The test is simple and involves you taking a salivary sample four times throughout the day and mailing in the results directly to the laboratory. I receive the results and then go over them with you, including treatment ideas for the adrenals.

What the Test Measures

• Cortisol, four times throughout the day: Cortisol is the main stress hormone produced by the adrenals. Cortisol helps the body get ready for "fight or flight" by doing actions such as increasing blood flow to muscles and away from the digestive system, increasing blood pressure and heart rate, increasing blood sugar for muscles and suppressing the immune system. Cortisol is a necessary hormone that should be a little higher in the morning so that the body is ready to start the day and should become less as the day goes on to prepare the body for sleep at night.
• Progesterone and DHEA: Progesterone and DHEA are precursors for cortisol (i.e. needed for the body to make cortisol). Low levels of progesterone and DHEA means that the body is running out of the ability to make cortisol (as well as other hormones such as estrogen and testosterone).
• Insulin, Fasting & Post-Prandial: Insulin is produced in larger amounts after meals to signal to the cells that there are large amounts of blood sugar for the cells to take up. Excessive cortisol blocks the actions of insulin and can lead to blood sugar dysregulation.
• Total Salivary SIgA: There are different parts to the immune system, the first being on mucus membrane surfaces such as in the nose, mouth and ears. Since cortisol opposes the body's immunity, this test measures how well the surface immune system is operating.
• Anti-gliadin Antibody: Gliadin is the protein in most grains including wheat. Chronic stress in some people can cause food sensitivities. This test measures one possible common food sensitivity.

I have found the Adrenal Stress Index test to be one of the most useful tests in my practice. Since I specialize in chronic conditions and disease and since we live in such a stressful world, utilizing a test for chronic stress in my practice makes sense. It is often one of the first tests I do for many chronic conditions. When the adrenals are successfully treated often chronic problems improve. Also, the specific treatments for chronic conditions work more effectively when the adrenals are treated.