Help with Interpretation of Adrenal Saliva Results Please

[Rainbow100]

I had a adrenal stress plus profile saliva test done by Genova in March '15 and I was under the impression that everything was ok despite a few slight deviations from the norm, however I would like to double check this and would appreciate some input please. I am confused about their 2 different ref ranges but I have included both of them - can't seem to attach photos/docs btw)

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Adrenal Saliva Results March '15:

1)(i) Cortisol AM = 15.5 nM (low,high 4 - 21 / 95% range 2.4 - 33.7)

(ii) Cortisol Noon = 11.3 nM (low,high 2 - 9 / 95% range 1.2 - 17.8)

(iii) Cortisol PM = 2.5 nM (low,high 1 - 5 / 95% range 0.5 - 12.1)

(iv) Cortisol MN = 1.3 nM (low,high 0.4 - 3.6 / 95% range 0.3 - 11)

(v) Total Cortisol = 30.6 nM (low,high 11 - 35, 95% range 8 - 51)

(2) DHEA noon/PM average = 2.2 ng/mol (high, low 1.2 - 4.6 / 95% 1 - 8)

(3) Antigliadin IgA = undetectable

(4) Secretory IgA = 36 mcg/mL (high, low 25 - 209. 95% range 14 - 259)

The MAIN QUESTION I am asking here is does the saliva test indicate everything pretty much ok with adrenals as I had previously thought ? If not, what should I do ?

TIA :o)

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Hi Rainbow100 I seem to have a mental block with adrenal tests unless I can see a picture of the actual graph. Did you try 'Add a photo', you can scan your result and save as a document and upload from your document storage on your PC, or you can take a photo and upload from your camera.

Anyway, that test I've not seen before, I've only done cortisol/DHEA, not the IGA ones as well. I've also not seen the two different ranges so I don't understand them.

But I notice that you've put the date as March 2015. Unfortunately that's too long ago for those results to be reliable now. Things could be very different from what they were 16 months ago. I've had a few adrenal tests over the last 16 years and they've never been identical. Sometimes the cortisol has been low, DHEA normal, sometimes cortisol normal DHEA normal, last test earlier this year I had highish cortisol but low/under range DHEA. It just depends on certain things at the time eg stress can cause high cortisol.

You'd really need an up to date test to know what's going on at the moment and to see whether you need to address any problems.

[Rainbow100 in reply to SeasideSusie]

thanks susie, i assumed adrenal tests were a generally reliable guide over the short-medium term but i guess they're a bit like thyroid tests. i was unable to attach photo btw, when i did get it to work the text was far to small read.

[radd]

Rainbow,

There are two different ranges because your adrenal production of cortisol should ideally lie within. It is easier to consider results on a graph because we can easily see where your line of 24 hours cortisol results is plotted within the other two lines.

These results are far too old to comment on. You need to conduct a new saliva stress test if you feel unwell or thyroid hormones aren't working well.

[Rainbow100]

thanks radd. so adrenal tests are similar to thyroid tests in that they really need regular updates ? btw, i was unable to attach the actual tests here, i tried to do that to show the graph but it just didn't work.

[humanbean]

The narrower of the two ranges in each test result is the range that Genova considered to be optimal. The wider range is what they get from the middle 95% of healthy people who do the test. However, since the only people who are likely to do adrenal saliva tests are sick, I'm not sure where they get their reference ranges from.

[Rainbow100]

thanks humanbean. in my fogged out state i didn't realise the obvious, that the narrow range is optimal and the 95% has the usual meaning. the only result outside of optimal is the cortisol noon, mine was 11.3 on an optimal range of 1.9 - 8.7, and the 95% max is 17.8 so looks like i've been stressing over nothing - a speciality of mine ! ;o)

[humanbean in reply to Rainbow100]

You might find this link helpful :

stopthethyroidmadness.com/l...

Take a look at the section on "24-HOUR CORTISOL SALIVA"

If you have any results that are not optimal it means there are probably things you can do to improve things.

[Rainbow100]

thanks again humanbean. i didn't take any action after that test in march '15 but a few months ago i started on nutri adrenal extra, i've not noticed any difference but it seems sensible to continue them.

[shaws Administrator]

Hi Rainbow, you've had a thorough test. I am unable to comment as I know little about Adrenals/Cortisol, although I did have high cortiol levels. I saw two doctors, one who prescribed Adrenal supplements but I stopped taking them as I was having a bad time and thought it might be the supplements but, in fact, I think it was levo and not Adrenal support. The other doctor I saw said that once thyroid hormone replacement was at an optimum level, the adrenals sorted themselves out.

So just to complicate things more, one is for Adrenal Support and many members have found the benefit and the other that when on optimum things should resolve. Sorry I cannot be more helpful.