Adrenal Hormone Profile
The Adrenal Hormone Profile is a non-invasive saliva test which monitors the levels of the adrenal stress hormones – Cortisol and DHEA-s, as well as Melatonin if required. This is an important test to determine adrenal function in patients presenting with symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, depression, mood swings, insomnia, headaches, stress, hormonal imbalance and poor immune function.
What does an adrenal hormone profile test for
Altered levels of Cortisol and DHEA-s are indicative of acute and/or chronic stress. Prolonged stress causes increased secretion of Cortisol and can eventually lead to suboptimal adrenal function, adrenal exhaustion and immune suppression.
DHEA-s is the main androgen in both men and women and its levels decline with age. Reduced levels of this hormone may result in fatigue, poor immune function, weight gain, increased ageing, memory loss and poor concentration.
Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland. Melatonin is secreted in a distinct circadian rhythm, which is stimulated by darkness. The body’s circadian rhythm is influenced by day length (increasing in the winter and decreasing in spring as the light becomes longer) or artificial light.
The levels of melatonin in the body tend to decrease with certain health conditions like stress and anxiety, as well as with age. Low levels of melatonin may result in sleep disturbances such as insomnia, poor immune function, depression and other mood disorders.
Who should have an adrenal hormone profile
At Remède, we commonly test patient’s adrenal hormones when they present with the following:
- Fatigue
- Stress
- Adrenal exhaustion
- Insomnia and other sleep problems
- Poor immune function such as repeated infections
- Depression and other mood disorders
- Weight gain
- Poor concentration
- Accelerated ageing
Common adrenal profile patterns
- Anxiety – high cortisol, low DHEA
- Fatigue – low cortisol, low DHEA
- Depression – low cortisol, low progesterone, low testosterone, thyroid imbalance
- Insomnia – low melatonin, high cortisol, low progesterone