Feeling run down, brain fogged, or “tired but wired” and wondering if adrenal fatigue is to blame? It’s possible. After all, these are hallmark signs of adrenal fatigue, a form of chronic stress. The problem? These symptoms can point to many other conditions, too.
Testing for adrenal fatigue can help provide clarity. As a functional medicine doctor in Orland Park, I know symptoms alone don’t tell the whole story. That’s why at Anchored in Health, we use targeted labs to assess how stress is affecting your body. Based on those results, we create a personalized treatment plan to restore balance to your body.
This article will give you a snapshot of adrenal fatigue testing in functional medicine. But to understand better, let’s take a quick look at the HPA axis and how it works.
What is the HPA Axis?
Simply put, the HPA axis (short for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis) is your body’s stress response system.1 This complex network of glands sends signals between your brain and adrenal glands. These communications regulate how you respond to stress.
When your nervous system perceives a threat, it sends the “danger” signal to your brain’s hypothalamus. It then relays the message to your pituitary gland, which triggers your adrenals to release stress hormones, like cortisol.
As cortisol rises, it activates your sympathetic nervous system, also known as your body’s “fight or flight” response. This prepares your body to either attack or flee to safety. Digestion slows, blood flow increases, and your heart rate and breathing speed up.
Once the threat passes, your parasympathetic nervous system reactivates. Your stress hormones drop, digestion resumes, and your body returns to baseline. The problem? Chronic stress can cause you to get stuck in “fight or flight.”
What is Adrenal Fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is a term often used in functional medicine to describe a pattern of stress-related symptoms. But the name is a bit misleading. It doesn’t mean your adrenal glands are failing or “burned out.”
A more accurate description is HPA axis dysfunction. As mentioned, your HPA axis controls how your body responds to stress. When stress is constant, whether from work, illness, or relationship issues, this system can get dysregulated.2 This can throw off your body’s natural cortisol rhythm.
Cortisol levels are meant to follow a curve-like pattern. They peak in the morning to energize you for the day and fall at night to help you sleep.
But when stress lingers, it can alter how cortisol is produced and released. Levels may be too high, too low, or mistimed throughout the day. This can leave you feeling restless, run down, and stuck in survival mode, even when basic labs come back as “normal.”
For treatment to be effective, you need a clear picture of what’s going on first. And that’s where functional testing comes in.
Testing for adrenal fatigue gives a better sense of how stress is affecting your body. This can help pinpoint the root cause of your health concerns, allowing for more personalized treatment. Instead of one-size-fits-all protocols, you get recommendations tailored just for your body.
The Best Functional Lab Tests for Adrenal Fatigue
The best tests for adrenal fatigue depend on each patient’s symptoms and their health history. That said, here are some of the most common tests I use with patients with signs of adrenal fatigue in our Orland Park functional medicine clinic:
Salivary Cortisol Testing
Salivary cortisol testing is one of the top tests for assessing HPA axis dysfunction. As the name suggests, it measures levels of the stress hormone cortisol in your spit.
Since cortisol levels fluctuate throughout the day, saliva samples are taken at various times on the same day. Typically, this happens when you wake up, midday, in the afternoon, and right before bed.
This test helps assess your body’s natural diurnal rhythms and cortisol awakening response. As mentioned, cortisol is normally high in the morning and low at night. But if your HPA axis is dysregulated due to chronic stress, it can lead to abnormal cortisol patterns.
For example, if cortisol doesn’t drop in the evening, it could lead to restlessness and insomnia. And if your cortisol curve looks flat, your energy and mood may feel flatlined, too. Abnormal results suggest your HPA-axis could use support.
DUTCH Test
Hormones operate on a delicate balance, working together like a symphony. So when cortisol gets out of sync, it can throw off other hormones, too. This can contribute to hormone imbalances like estrogen dominance, low progesterone, PCOS, and low testosterone.
And that’s where the DUTCH test comes in. The DUTCH test is a comprehensive hormone panel – and a favorite in functional medicine because it covers so much ground. It evaluates sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone and their metabolites. But it also measures adrenal hormones like cortisol and DHEA.
DHEA is a precursor for sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone. If adrenal health is poor and DHEA is low, hormone production can suffer.
Cortisol and progesterone are also made of the same building blocks: pregnenolone. When you’re living with chronic stress, cortisol production becomes a top priority. This can lead to low progesterone levels (known as the “cortisol steal”), which can amp up symptoms like anxiety and insomnia.
The DUTCH test also measures melatonin and comes with a targeted organic acids panel. This provides even more data to understand what’s driving symptoms, and what your body needs to rebalance.
Thyroid Testing
Many adrenal fatigue symptoms (e.g., fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, anxiety) mirror signs of thyroid imbalance. Because of this, thyroid testing may be helpful for some patients.
The adrenal and thyroid glands have a bidirectional relationship. Meaning, when one system is out of balance, it can affect the other. Chronic stress, in particular, can interfere with normal thyroid function.3 Research shows elevated cortisol levels are linked with thyroid conditions like hypothyroidism 4.
Low thyroid hormones can slow metabolism and reduce cortisol clearance. That can cause cortisol to stay elevated longer than it should. Over time, this can lead to fatigue, weight changes, and poor stress tolerance.
For patients with symptoms that suggest thyroid imbalance, thyroid testing may be beneficial. It can clarify whether thyroid function is contributing to symptoms and help guide next steps.
Other Helpful Tests for Adrenal Fatigue
Apart from the tests above, other labs can be valuable for some patients with stress-related symptoms. These aren’t always needed, but they can offer helpful insights when symptoms are unclear.
Basic blood tests, such as the complete blood count (CBC) or complete metabolic panel (CMP), are often a good starting point. These tests can help rule out other conditions linked to fatigue, like anemia or electrolyte imbalances. They also provide insight into liver and kidney function, which are affected by chronic stress.
Blood sugar testing may also be helpful for certain patients. Cortisol raises blood sugar and reduces insulin sensitivity. 5 As a result, long-term stress can lead to blood sugar swings, energy crashes, and cravings.
For some people, these tests can help paint a more complete picture and guide more targeted care.
How Functional Medicine Doctors Use Results
Functional medicine doctors use your results to create a personalized treatment plan tailored to your body. Your lab results act like a roadmap to guide the next steps based on what your body needs.
The goal is to restore balance so your body can do what it’s naturally designed to do: heal. Depending on your results, this may involve:
- Nutritional recommendations to balance your blood sugar, such as eating an adrenal fatigue-friendly diet
- Sleep strategies to help regulate cortisol and support your circadian rhythm
- Lifestyle tools to build stress resilience, like breathwork or vagus nerve exercises
- Exercise modifications that prioritize gentle activities like walking, yoga, and tai chi to promote recovery and well-being
- Targeted supplementation to support your adrenals, such as adaptogenic herbs or homeopathic remedies, based on your individual needs
Adrenal fatigue treatment done with functional medicine varies from person to person according to your unique needs. But the goal is the same: to reduce stress, restore hormonal balance, and nourish your body, so you can start feeling like you again.
Get Adrenal Fatigue Testing from a Functional Medicine Doctor in Orland Park, IL
Feeling exhausted doesn’t have to be your new normal. Testing for adrenal fatigue through functional medicine can uncover stress patterns and imbalances that may be contributing to symptoms.
Based on those results, our functional medicine doctor at Anchored in Health creates a personalized plan to get your body back on track. So you can feel better and get back to living life again!
Live in the Chicago area and ready to get your energy back? Follow these steps:
- Contact us with questions.
- Book your first appointment with our functional medicine doctor in Orland Park, IL
- Discover how functional testing can help you regain your energy and vitality!
Other Holistic Health Services Offered at Anchored in Health in Orland Park, IL
At Anchored in Health, we take a holistic approach to healthcare. That’s why, in addition to functional medicine to help with adrenal fatigue, we provide a wide variety of services to enhance your family’s health and well-being. This includes chiropractic care, acupuncture, massage therapy, and the Shape ReClaimed program. We also offer functional assessments like thermography, genetic testing, and Vibrant Wellness testing to gain important insights about your body and how to support it best.
If you live in the greater Chicago area and are struggling with symptoms of chronic stress, we’re here for you. Contact us to find out how we can support you.
Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the guidance of a qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.
Reading this blog does not establish a doctor-patient relationship between you and Anchored In Health or any of its practitioners. Reliance on any information provided in this blog is solely at your own risk.
Sources:
- The role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in neuroendocrine responses to stress | PMC
- An Integrative Approach to HPA Axis Dysfunction: From Recognition to Recovery | Science Direct
- Association of stress and primary hypothyroidism | PMC
- Assessment of Serum Cortisol Levels in Hypothyroidism Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study | PMC
- Cortisol Is Negatively Associated with Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight Latino Youth | PMC
