In Functional Medicine, treating the body and restoring its proper function relies heavily on lab testing. We test the various body systems in the same order as we treat them, which happens to be the same order as they breakdown. The first and often most important test we run is the Adrenal Stress Test. Once we know the status of your body’s stress response we can then test your GI System, which is where most of your immune system resides and is critical to the uptake of nutrients and the elimination of waste. Third, we focus on your Liver and Detox Systems, which are critical in removing toxins from the body. So lets take a look at the adrenal stress test, why we start with it and how it relates to restoring your health here at Vital Health and Body.

There are three main instigators of disease; Emotional, Dietary or Inflammatory stress. These cause an incredible amount of damage to your body and are front and center in almost every disease process. We use adrenal testing to measure your body’s response to these factors. We respond to stress of any kind through the adrenal gland, and specifically through the production and release of Cortisol, the so called “stress” hormone. Our bodies are very good at responding to stress in the short term. We responds to the lion chasing us in an orchestrated and efficient manner, but when that stress continues on a daily basis our bodies lose their ability to respond in a healthy manner. This is when your body starts working against itself. Chronic inflammation sets in, we lose the ability to process energy through insulin resistance, oxidation occurs, and your body becomes catabolic, meaning it starts to break down. Disease is often not far behind. So restoring the stress response is critical to our health.

The levels of Cortisol and DHEA tells us how well we are responding to the big three causes of stress: “Emotional, Dietary or Inflammatory stress”. It also gives us insight into your body’s ability to process glucose and whether or not you may have an insulin resistance (common in people battling a weight issue, suffering from fatigue or fluctuations in energy throughout the day). Dysfunction in the ability to produce and use cortisol has an effect on nearly every process in the body and by testing for levels at specific times during the day we can address and normalize its production.
When there is dysfunction in the Cortisol level, it can cause:

• Chronic high blood sugar
• Increase in abdominal fat
• Decrease in bone density
• Anxiety, irritability and poor moods
• Increase anti-body production
• Decreases white blood cell levels
• Decreases thyroid function
• Weight gain
• Decreased immune response

Adrenal lab tests also measure the total amount of DHEA in you body. DHEA is an important precursor (a precursor is a compound that participates in a chemical reaction that produces another compound) to many important hormones and chemicals that the body produces and is critical for its normal function. We often find it necessary to normalize the DHEA levels as well as the Cortisol levels.

Many of us are too far into adrenal exhaustion to function normally, and must address the cause of the dysfunction before we’re able to fully heal. Knowing the exact levels of Cortisol and DHEA in your body allows us to use natural supplements and hormones to reset your normal function.