Hi
I wonder if any of you goid people can help me deal with my cortisol results I've had back from Genova please??
They have come back and they've been interpreted as
HIGH (only slightly above range)
Low
High
High
I have been told to take Holy Basil an hour before the 2nd & 3rd high.
Any help from anyone with experience of this will be greatly appreciated.
Rose
Hi Rose, did you do this on your own? Your levels must not have been too far off the mark if that was the only recommendation. But I hope someone who has been treating high cortisol can help you. I've been posting a very good video about thyroid and adrenals which are much more powerful than I ever thought. If you haven't seen it:
youtube.com/watch?v=T_Re4ja...
I have just joined the community and came across this video. WOW! It has literally reduced me to tears! I am currently trying to get to the route cause of what I now believe to be a lifetime of health issues associated with my thyroid/adrenals and endocrine system. I am about to be referred to an endocrinologist for a synacthen test due to low cortisol from a recent 9am blood test. (272 nmo/L) I am showing all the signs of hypothyroid, adrenal fatigue, B12 deficiency, D3 deficiency, Dairy intolerant from recent allergy tests. I have been a chronic migraine sufferer for the last 13 years, always blaming menopause. I no longer believe this to be the case. This video is very powerful indeed.
Hi Suzy, I've watched many of Dr. Bergman's videos and realize few conventional doctors look at this side of health. Your metabolism is so essential and the effects on the brain are very evident....depression, anxiety, pain among the symptoms. Doctors only seem to want to treat symptoms.
Your dairy intolerance may have led to leaky gut and your hypothyroidism causes slow digestion and also contributes as you have found....... low B12, low D3.
You Tube has many more of his videos.
The saliva test is preferable for active cortisol count throughout the day. Keep educating yourself.
This video is only five minutes and he also looks at the thyroid in a holistic way which is the key to understanding. There are 24 reasons for low thyroid as he states. This is #1.
Suzy, try to get prints of all test results. If you have ever had female hormones tested, progesterone should be 25 times that of estrogen.
So what if you're 13 years clear of menopause. ?
Hormones are bound to be very low then.
True, but you are still a female and getting estrogens through the food you eat since estrogen based insecticides are used unless it is organically grown, eating beef and poultry which are treated with hormones to get ready for market. Estrogens are cancer causers, progesterone fights cancer.
Estrogen dominance is very prevalent.
Hi yes I do have figures.
Sample 1. 35.6(7.45-32.56)
Sample 2. 8.00(2.76-11.31)
Sample 3. 10.42(1.38-7.45)
Sample 4. 2.57(0.83-3.86)
Hope this helps
Thanks
I would have said :
slightly high
normal
high
normal
Hi greygoose
I was told slightly high morning but not too much to be concerned about.
Lunchtime low should be mid range.
Teatime high. Should be bottom 1/4 of range
Nighttime. High should be right at very bottom of the range.(so 0.83.) mine is 2.57
Rose
Thanks greygoose.
So many different interpretations.
I was advised to take Holy Basil at teatime and bedtime.
I'm afraid I Don't know anything about Holy Basil. By the time I got my cortisol tested, it was very low so went straight onto HC.
I think your results are the beginning of adrenal fatigue - but I could be wrong, of course. Make sure you get plenty of vit C, and Don't skimp on the salt.
Hello.again greygoose.
Well I am taking 750mg vit C. High 5 B complex. 1000in sublingual B12. Multivitamin. 650mg magnesium.
Also taking iron.
I am on t4 t3 combo too.
I can't see how anyone has perfect adrenals these days.
So if I get these highs lowered how will I know when they're getting better? Will I get signs that they are on the mend?
Nice to chat again greygoose
Rose 🌹
Nice to chat with you, too, Rose! Sorry you've got problems again.
Well, to be honest, I haven't experienced high cortisol - to my knowledge. But it probably went high for a while before it went low. It usually does.
But, I can tell you what it's like when the HC kicks in... It's great! I feel happy, and all the anxiety disappears. That's the worst for me, when my cortisol is low, the anxiety.
750 isn't a huge dose of vit C. You could increase it. I take from 1000 to 3000 a day, depending on how I feel. So, you could try increasing it. Just see how it goes.
I have an anxious worried type feeling. Im told this is because of high cortisol and my ft3 is still lowish.
I can't take more than 750 vit C as it gives me really lose bowels.
I also take 650mg magnesium. High 5 vit b complex. Multivitamin and sublingual B12.
I get a banging heart at night. It's not fast, just hard.
I also occasionally drink the adrenal cocktail. But I'm confused as I'm now nit sure if I should now I've had these results back.
Xx
Yes, it is confusing, isn't it. But I know what you mean about the vit C! Can have that effect. Does the magnesium not do that to you?
Is this the first time you've had your adrenals tested?
No magnesium doesn't do it to me. I've been on it many years and found the chelated one is fine. I think it helped though with the constipation I got from be hypo.
I had my adrenals tested first time in August last year.
At that time they were
Low
Good
High
High
So the a.m.one that was low is now over top of range.
I thought maybe it was because Id been taking my levo at night since September. So I've started taking it in the mornings again.
Did you see my blood results on my other post?
If you didn't would you mind taking a look please
Rose 🌹 x
That's the sort of results I would expect. I Wonder why they changed? I've never heard of taking Levo at night having that sort of effect. Very strange. I'm afraid I can't help with that. 
I have no idea why they've changed.
I was surprised when I got latest results.
In all my 30 years being hypo ( and for 28 years felt 100% healthy) I'd never taken levo at night.
( used to take in morning with all my other pills and with a cup of tea)
Then I learnt take on empty stomach, so I did that.
Then I was told to give night time a try.
I've done that for 3 months but now last 4 days gone back to mornings again.
Hoping the levo increase was right thing to do???
Thanks greygoose
Well, on the other hand, they might be sorting themselves out. Perhaps, if you continue taking the Levo at night, they might become normal. After all, the second results weren't really that high, were they.
I stopped taking the levo at night a few days ago because I thought it might be that which was making me restless at night.
My second results???
How do you mean they were that bad??
Aug 2014
A.M low
Nov 2015
A M HIGH
Aug 2014
Lunch Good
Nov 2015
Lunch Low
Aug 2014
Teatime High
Nov 2015
Teatime High(but higher than 2014)
Aug 2014
Bedtime High
Nov 2015
Bedtime High
(but lower than 2014)
I don't know if you'd know, but, I've just had two steroid injections and I am feeling jittery!!!
Could the injections do this??
Thanks for your help greygoose
Rose 🌹
I'm sorry, I'm confused now. Where did I say 'they were that bad'?
Oh gosh. Sorry greygoose. It should gave read "weren't that bad"
So sorry
ah ok! lol I couldn't work it out. No, I Don't think they were that bad, considering what they were before. Seems like an improvement to me. But I could be wrong.
Oh dear.
The teatime one this time is higher than the high previously.
The morning one previously was 13.6 it's now 35.11 so gone up a lot.
Apparently 32 is optimal in the morning so I was low then and high now.
The teatime Obe was 7.4 it's now 10.46
The night one should be 0.83 it's now 2.86
I am worried as people keep saying cortisol goes UP before it comes down and then you end up in adrenal fatigue.
Paul Robinson said looking at these I am in stage 2.
Yes, usually it does. But yours was the other way round.
Who told you that the evening one should be 0.83, when the reference range goes up to 3.86? That sounds rather strange to me.
Paul Robinson may say that about your present results, but did he see the first ones?
I did put them on RWT3 fb group last year. I can't remember what his answer was at that time.
Paul Robinson has said stage 2 Adrenal fatigue. But also he said, more importantly I need to do something about dhea being low.
But on the report the comment said cortisol to dhea ratio is normal.
What I dont understand is if your in the green bit of the graph why do the groups says levels are wrong???
I know for sure that #1 is above the graph and so is #3 quite a way above the top.
Thanks for you help.
Would you think OK to Take Holy Basil at #3 and #4???
Just so that I can feel calm and sleepy at bedtime.
Im fed up with my heart banging all evening and when I'm trying to get to sleep
Thanks again
Rose
I have no idea if it will suit you, but it does suit some people. The only way to find out is to try it and see. I doubt it can do much harm.
Oh, and I know nothing about Paul Robinson and his forum. And nothing about the graph you mentioned. What did he suggest you do about your DHEA?
He suggested I take dhea. But after reading the side effects I won't be trying it. Too many horrible effects listed.
Thanks greygoose.
Nice chatting to you
Lots of people do take DHEA without any problems.
Anyway, nice chatting to you, too. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Hope you find some solutions to your problems soon. x
Hi, With that kind of result, they should follow it up with an ACTH test. Simple blood draw at 8am. Can you please ask them to do that ASAP.
You need to know if you're over-secreting ACTH which triggers your adrenal gland to secrete more cortisol than you need.
Stage one of Adrenal fatigue involves an upswing of cortisol. It's usually a pattern where the patient has experienced a stressful event or is under stress, the body compensates by secreting more cortisol to deal with the stress. As this goes on, the adrenals eventually poop out and thereafter become fatigued and then you get low cortisol. It's a process that takes some time to get to, the fatigued stage, stage 4.
Holy Basil definitely lowers your cortisol. I took it but it made me feel really bad, but some people like it. There are other things that lower cortisol. You could buy Holy Basil tea and drink it very early in the morning.
How are your thyroid labs?
What time did you spit in saliva tube #3 & #4?
I did spit #3 at 5.25 and spit #4 at 10.25
Yeah, it is a bit high at 5:30 and 10:25pm. The diurnal pattern is highest in the morning and then reducing to practically flatline at 11pm, and in the middle of the night around 3am our adrenals begin to produce cortisol.
Def get your ACTH tested. You need to know why your cortisol is high. Sometimes just by eating lots of carbs, our cortisol goes up. And DHEA is another good test to get. DHEA counters cortisol. Maybe you're low.
I have posted thyroid labs on a different post as was advised to do so not to confuse things.
I've had 24hr urine done and endo said all was fine
Rosr
Your 4-tube saliva for Cortisol is the best. AM Blood draw and 24hr urine are "ok" but not really. High cortisol is no fun. You gain weight in all the wrong places, you feel sluggish, blood pressure goes up, it's just a terrible place to be as is low cortisol. Same w/thyroid, high makes you feel bad and so does low.
These Endo's, we have to wonder what they mean by "all is fine" Really? Are they in your body? Do they know/care how you feel? 9 times out of 10 the answer is no : \
Hi.
Well I certainly don't feel sluggish.
Haven't put on weight.
Just have bodily anxiety symptoms.
I can't get the ACTH test done. I did ask for it but endo said no need as I don't have Addisons so I asked my Dr and he said it's a test that only endo can arrange.
He said my urine tests were fine. It was to test to see if I had Addisons or to see if I had a benign tumour. Came back negative.
X
I'm.thinking I replied tortoise elsewhere, but I can't get the ACTH test done.
I did ask for it a while ago but endo said no need as the urine test was fine. He said I do not have Addisons nor do I have a benign tumour on the adrenals.
I asked my gp if he could arrange one and he said not without endo authority.
I've been discharged from endo
Yes I am on t4/t3 combo.
Just had t4 increased
How about your DHEA? Sometimes a small supplement of DHEA will counteract the high cortisol.
Oh my goodness.
I looked up dhea and it had some terrible side effects.
Plus it's nit recommended for some of the other conditions I have or have had.
Thanks fir reply though.
On the saliva /dhea report it said dhea was normal in ratio. No action
Furthermore, as I have posted many times, DHEA is actually a Controlled Drug and even possession is illegal - unless prescribed.
[We might argue about this classification, but it is as it is.]
Oh yes, that's true, I forgot that is not for sale in certain countries. Here in the US you can buy it at all vitamin shops. Many body builders use it. It is def a 'feel good' hormone, but the problem is nobody should take it unless they are proven by blood test to be low, and I think that is the reason it is not for sale in those countries. People who do test low DHEA Serum take it, and like it very much. But as for me, I do not take it anymore because I'm low cortisol, nor do I take it's usable metabolite Keto-7 which I believe is available to UK and other countries.
Even if I am low on DHEA I don't take it for now. High DHEA is also a sign of other problems, like PCOS. People really need to get tested though before they supplement.
Understood.
We take the default position that what is posted applies in the UK - unless expressly stated otherwise. Something to do with being Thyroid UK, methinks. 
I've read all the side effects and they sound terrible.
You can't even get 7 keto dhea anymore in the UK.
Mine is in the green.bit of the graph and comment is cortisol/dhea ratio normal. Age related No action.
Hello 130396,
I haven't supplemented Holy Basil (Tulsi) so can't comment but have got high cortisol levels.
Sample one is elevated but should be the highest of the day showing a normal circadian activity. If you are waking several times during the night it could be adrenal issues caused by fluctuating blood sugar levels. As a lack of sleep may raise cortisol levels further it is important to stabilise your blood sugar levels from the time you eat dinner to the time you go to bed. A balanced meal of protein, low glycemic carbohydrates and fats is important and a bedtime snack if desired. Some take a snack to bed with them or an "adrenal cocktail". ( I haven't tried this but many swear by it. Google "adrenal cocktail".
Sample three is elevated and may (again) be the result of blood sugar issues as this sample is to show the glycemic control so many hours after eating lunch.
Diet is massive as cortisol causes gluconeogenesis, the production of sugar from non-carb sources. (Elevated cortisol may increase your blood sugar levels ).
DHEA is a precursor to sex hormones and relates to adrenal function. It is useful to know your cortisol : DHEA ratio ( although I can't remember what an ideal is). Perhaps others will help? Also because the adrenals manufacture a number of hormones, such as cortisol, adrenaline, aldosterone, estrogen and testosterone you may have other imbalances.
Adrenal function can be improved with optimal levels of Vit B12, Vit D, folate and ferritin and also supplementing a Vit B Complex, Vit C (with bioflavonoids which helps it to be metabolised ), Vit E, Fish Oil.
Have you read "Adrenal Fatigue. The 21st century stress syndrome by Dr Wilson.?
Flower
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Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.
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I have huge difficulties getting off to sleep but only wake up if I need to go to the loo.
I don't think I sleep as deeply as I used to though.
Rose
Rose, Are you a night owl? Do you get a '2nd wind' at 11pm and feel like you need to get some coffee and do laundry?? LOL When our sleep pattern gets messed up from cortisol, you CAN help that by defying that 2nd wind feeling and make it a point to go no caffeine, no or low carb after 5pm and drink some Holy Basil tea or capsule. Eat dinner, then around 9:30 or 10pm, eat a banana then get ready for bed. Gives you some potassium and helps with the cortisol/sugar metabolism. Fight that nighttime cortisol. You don't need but a smidgen late at night. Force the rhythm to change. It can happen. I didn't think I'd ever get over the 11pm 2nd wind, but I sure did when I changed my bedtime by force. It was hard and felt strange at first, but it really did help.
I do get a second wind. I really struggle to get to sleep but also I never feel at all tired in the day even though I am hypo.
Just had another dose increase as trying to get my ft3 higher in range.
Im on combo and ft4 is nearly at bottom of range and ft3 is barley mid range. Tsh is <0.03
IDK, if you are not tired during the day maybe you should just leave it as is. Maybe a cup of Holy Basil towards the evening is better for you. It is rather yummy tea, too.
Trouble is I never feel tired now.
Used to like a nap as a treat and sleep soundly all night
So I'm.thinking I probably do need the holy basil to bring things down.
Hi flower
I do take all of those supplements and have done do for last three months.
I also take 650mg magnesium. 1000in sublingual B12. Vit C vit D.
Can't take omega 3 as it's a blood thinner and I'm already on one and chemo for a rare blood condition.
I've been advised to try holy basil beforehand ladt two highs.
Im also on t4/t3 combo.
I've just had two steroid injections and have been feeling jittery since having them on Wed
I have found that the most effective way of lowering cortisol levels is to use Seriphos 1-2 at bedtime, if necessary combined with bio active milk peptide
For daytime control ashwaganda, holy basil,meditation
Docbernie
I tried Seriphos and it gave me tremendous brain fog. SamE also gave me brain fog, along w/NDAH??NADH? Something like that.
Are there side effects to Serious?? Does it take long to work?
How would I know when it's time to stop?
Saliva cortisol test results please help 
Saliva/ Cortisol results 
help with interpreting saliva cortisol results
Am I hypothyroid?
Cortisol Results
