Adrenal fatigue is a medical condition experienced by people
who have poor working adrenal glands due to emotional, physical and mental
stress. Unfortunately, such condition cannot be diagnosed accurately through
traditional blood tests. As such, one has to undergo Adrenocortex Stress test
or more popularly known as saliva test for adrenal fatigue.
Adrenocortex stress test is done to gauge one’s DHEA and
Cortisol. It is carried out 4 different times in a day to effectively measure
how a person responds to stress. The collection process may take 10-20 minutes.
Here are some important notes when collecting saliva
specimen for this test:
- On the day of the collection: No caffeine, alcohol, as well as nicotine intake.
- Two hours before: No eating, flossing or brushing of teeth. Use of mouthwash is also prohibited. Patient may drink water but only in small amount.
- One hour prior to collection: No smoking (as mentioned above).
- Before starting with the collection process, you should wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water.
- Make sure you stay hydrated all through the day in order for your saliva production to be at its best. You can run your tongue around your checks, smell some food or yawn to escalate your saliva flow.