Saliva tests are the most common lab tests we do here at The Remedy Pharm and we especially recommend it when you get blood work done.
Saliva Test vs. Blood Test – Results from the blood work shows your results at an exact spot in time regarding hormones, and the saliva test tells you about your hormones throughout the course of a full day. It also gives you an idea of your cortisol levels and how they fluctuate throughout the day, so that’s the test for the adrenal glands.
Cortisol is also a hormone, but many people think of hormones as sex hormones (estrogens progesterone, and testosterone). Cortisol is your stress hormone and it's important with the whole concept of sex hormones including your thyroid. It affects everything such as weight gain and sleep, and it should be high in the morning to give you energy when you wake up while melatonin is high at night.
However, if you're stressed, the cortisol kicks up which is going to wake you up and keep you from sleeping. A lot of people also don't realize it’s a fat storage home so people who have high cortisol levels have a really hard time losing weight/ fat.
It's really important to know where your levels are with the cortisol and what they're doing through the day so we can try and address that right at the root cause.
Your sex hormones go along with that because your cortisol can pull some of your sex hormones in imbalance as well. That’s why it's really important to know all of them across the board.
How do I get the Saliva Test?
You can come into the pharmacy for the saliva test and we will guide you on how to use it. You can take it home to use and then bring it back and we'll mail it out. Results take about two weeks to come in.
Another benefit of Saliva Tests: We have hormone receptors throughout our body, not just in the blood, so if you're doing just a blood test, you're not getting the hormones that are in other places, and the ones that are free are the ones that are being taken up by the cells and the tissues which are where they have the effect.
Would it be a good idea to get both the Saliva Test and Blood Test?
There are, a few different ways to look at this – blood work is often covered by your insurance but if you're at a point where you did the blood work and started some type of treatment or therapy but you’re not seeing results after several months, then the saliva test may be right for you (for both men and women)! If you’re unsure and want to speak with our nutritionist to learn more about the saliva test and determine if it’s the right test for you, schedule a free 15-min appointment here.
Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYt3hfFEpG4
