You may notice that we use labs that measure salivary cortisol levels, not blood. If you have had your cortisol level checked by your doctor, and he/she has questions about the use of saliva samples, you may be wondering what’s best.

Since 1983, over 2,500 research articles and papers have been published with regards to salivary diagnostic tests, and these clearly demonstrate that saliva is a useful diagnostic tool for the measurement of steroid hormones. Salivary concentration represents the free form of a particular hormone, thus it is a true reflection of its bioactivity.

So why not just use blood? To begin with, it is more expensive. Secondly, we like to see a range of cortisol activity throughout the day, so it wouldn’t make sense (or feel too good) to go to a clinic to have your blood drawn multiple times per day. With the Adrenal Stress Index test, you can take 4 samples in 1 day from the convenience of your own home. Additionally, we can measure other important physiologic (cellular) markers such as DHEA and sIgA which can tell us more information, some of which can be detected before it shows up in the blood, thereby identifying a potential disease process in its earlier stages. At around $100, it is quite a value.