Symptomatology and Diagnostic Options
Estradiol / Progesterone
Imbalance
Female - Common Symptoms
- Decreased Libido
- Cystic Ovaries
- Cold Body Temperature
- Sugar Cravings
- Weight Gain
- Irritable
- Vaginal Dryness
- Tearful/Depressed
- Elevated Triglycerides
- Water Retention
- Night Sweats
- Headaches
- Memory Lapses
- Uterine Fibroids
- Mood Swings (PMS)
- Bleeding Changes
- Incontinence
- Bone Loss
- Anxious/Nervous
- Sleep Disturbances
- Tender/Fibrocystic Breasts
- Heart Palpitations
- Foggy Thinking
- Hot Flashes
Male - Common Symptoms
- Prostate Problems
- Hot Flashes
- Decreased Urine Flow
- Nervous
- Depressed
- Apathy
- Night Sweats
- Irritable
- Increased Urinary Urge
- Weight Gain
- Anxious
- Fatigue
- Foggy Thinking
- Decreased Libido
- Sleep Disturbances
- Bone Loss
- Headaches
Testosterone / DHEA Imbalance
Female - Common Symptoms
- Thinning Skin
- Vaginal Dryness
- Increased Facial / Body Hair
- Incontinence
- Memory Lapses
- Nervous
- Loss of Scalp Hair
- Acne /Oily Skin
- Elevated Triglycerides
- Irritable
- Fibromyalgia
- Anxious
- Aches / Pains
- Bone Loss
- Decreased Muscle Mass
- Depressed
- Foggy Thinking
- Fatigue
- Decreased Libido
- Heart Palpitations
- Sleep Disturbances
- Headaches
- Ovarian Cysts
Male - Common Symptoms
- Decreased Libido
- Heart Palpitations
- Decreased Mental Sharpness
- Fatigue
- Depressed
- Nervous
- Decreased Flexibility
- Decreased Stamina
- Decreased Muscle Mass
- Aggression
- Prostate Problems
- Anxious
- Decreased Erections
- Burned Out Feeling
- Increased Urinary Urge
- Aches / Pains
- Foggy Thinking
- Irritable
- Increased Joint Pain
- Sleep Disturbances
- Decreased Urine Flow
- Thinning Skin
- Acne / Oily Skin
Adrenal Imbalance
Male and Female - Common Symptoms
- Fatigue
- Anxious
- Hair Loss
- Chemical Sensitivity
- Palpitations
- Low Libido
- Depressed
- Acne
- Irritable
- Weight Gain – Waist
- Sleeping Issues
- Joint Pain
- Memory Lapses
- Headaches
- Stress
- Cold Body Temperature
- Sugar Cravings
- Muscle Loss
- Thinning Skin
- Bone Loss
- Allergies
- Increased Facial/Body Hair
- Sleep Disturbances
- Aches / Pains
Salivary Testing
Steroid hormones play such a vital role in maintenance of health. Knowledge of an imbalance in any one or more hormones can help illuminate the cause of health problems and provide a rational basis for correcting the imbalance through diet, exercise, or hormone supplementation. When the various glands manufacture the steroids they are released into the bloodstream bound to carrier proteins. Only a small fraction (1-5%) of a given amount of steroid hormone breaks loose from the carrier protein in the bloodstream and is free to enter target tissues. This free or unbound hormone is what we want to measure, since it is active or bioavailable to the target tissues such as the breast, uterus, brain, and skin.
Many studies in the scientific literature have shown that there is a strong correlation between the level hormones in saliva and the free levels of hormones in serum. The amount of steroid hormone that enters the salivary ducts, then saliva, is representative of the fraction of steroids in the bloodstream that are bioavailable to other tissues in the body. Saliva collection is easy, can be done anywhere, any time and at a much lower cost. Serum hormone testing is stressful, and the stress of a blood draw can sometimes alter the result. Blood must be drawn by a lab or a health care practitioner, and it is more difficult to obtain samples at the desired times (e.g. early am), multiple times through the day or late evening. There is also an extra cost involved in drawing blood, independent of the cost for the test itself. Hormones in saliva are exceptionally stable, allowing greater latitude in collection and shipment time. Samples can be stored at room temperature for at least a week without loss of activity, so samples can be shipped to the testing facility by regular mail. Online Blood, on the other hand, must be kept cool on ice packs, increasing costs for shipping as well as the likelihood of error Physician due to improper handling.
Informative Link: www.salivatest.com
Saliva References: http://www.salivatest.com/journals/saliva_ref.html
Other Methods of Diagnostic Testing:
- Serum Testing (Recommend FREE levels be assayed)
- Urine Testing
- Blood Spot
