Thank you to Christina for the following:

There may be no need to spend a lot of money on having the 24 hour salivary adrenal test done if you do not actually have adrenal insufficiency. Here are some tests you can do at home to see whether you should then get properly tested for low cortisol and DHEA. Below are ‘home tests’: (I have taken these from “Adrenal Fatigue – the 21st century Stress Syndrome – by James K Wilson)

Test 1:  Iris contraction:

When exploring the pupil area reflex, I found that in the iris of those cases (adrenal insufficiency), although reacting readily to light, the contraction (of the iris) was flabby, lazy, in a word asthenia. By making the patient look at the light we see that immediately after the initial mitosis the pupil starts to dilate slowly as if it does not want to, seems to try to contract again but the dilation gains the upper hand and, after a fight between miosis and mydriasis lasting for about 40 seconds, the pupil remains dilated in spite of the persistence of the exciting agent (the light). This sign is consistent and present in all cases of hypoadrenia in all of its clinical forms. In the normal individual, it does not appear as I have investigated. All patients presenting this sign, which I should like to call asthenocaria, have been benefited by suprarenal medication (Arroyo, CF. Med Jour. and Rac., Jan 2, 1924)

The quote above, describes Dr Arroyo’s discovery in 1924 of a very useful method for detecting adrenal fatigue. You can do this test at home yourself. he only equipment you need is a chair, a small flashlight or penlight, a mirror, a watch with a second hand and a dark room. Darken the room and sit in a chair in from of a mirror . Then shin a flashlight across one eye (not directly into the eye) from the side of your head. Keep the light shining steadily across one eye and watch in the mirror with the other. You should see your pupil (the dark circle in the centre of the eye) contact immediately as the light h its your eye. This occurs because the iris, a tiny circular muscle composed of small muscle fibres, contracts and dilates the pupil in response to light. Just like any muscle, after it has been exercised beyond normal capacity, it likes to have a rest.

The pupil normally remains contracted in the increased light,. But, if you have some form of hypoadrenia, the pupil will not be able to hold its contraction and will dilate despite the light shining on it. his dilation will take place within 2 minutes and will last for about 30 – 45 seconds before it recovers and contracts again,. time how long the dilation lasts with the second hand on the watch and record it along with the date. After you do this once, let the eyes rest,. If you have any difficulty doing this on yourself, do it with a friend. Have a friend shin the light across your eye while both of you watch the pupil size.

Retest monthly. If your eye indicates you are suffering from adrenal fatigue, this also serves as an indicator of recovery. s you recover from adrenal fatigue, the iris will h old its contraction and the pupil will remain small for longer. This diminished ability of the iris to remain contracted is present in moderate to severe adrenal fatigue, but may not be present in mild cases.

Test 2:  Low Blood Pressure and Postural Low Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is an important indicator of adrenal function. Although there are other causes associated with low blood pressure, low adrenal function is probably the most common and the most neglected by doctors.

If your blood pressure drops when you stand up from a lying position, this almost always indicates low adrenals. This drop in blood pressure upon rising is called postural hypotension and can easily be measured at home. All you need is a blood pressure gauge from a local drug store. Get the type that takes your BP for you without requiring a separate stethoscope. Some also have convenient printed readouts. after you know how to use your blood pressure measuring device, lie down quietly for about 10 minutes and then take your blood pressure while still lying down. Next, stand up and measure your blood pressure right after you stand. Normally, BP will rise 10-2- mmHg, just from standing up. If it drops when you stand up, you likely have some form of hypoadrenia or you may be dehydrated. If so, try it again on a day when you have had plenty of water. it will not work to just drink a glass of water and then try again right away because your tissues take a while to re-hydrate after drinking. If it still drops 10-20 points or more when you are sure you are not dehydrated, you probably have some form of hypoadrenia. The more severe the drop is, the more severe is the hypoadrenia. An associated dizziness or light-headedness may also be present when you stand, sol do this test with somebody beside you or have something you can grab on to in case you become dizzy. (Note: if you are a complete vegetarian, your blood pressure may normally be around 95/65. If so, then your lower overall blood pressure does not necessarily mean you have hypoadrenia. However, a drop in blood pressure upon standing up from a lying position will still indicate hypoadrenia.

Test 3:  Sergent’s White Line (present in about 40% of people with adrenal fatigue)

This test was first described in 1917 by a French physician named Emile Sergent, as a simple test for low adrenal function that is still useful today. To do this test, simply take the dull end of a ballpoint pen and lightly stroke the skin of your abdomen, making a mark about 6″ long. Within a few seconds a line will appear. In a normal reaction, the mark made by the pen is initially white but reddens within a few seconds. If you have hypoadrenia, the line will stay white for about two minutes and will also widen. his test, although not always positive in people with hypoadrenia (about 40% of cases), is a slam dunk confirmation of the presence of hypoadrenia.

It is best to do all these three tests: the iris contraction, blood pressure lying and standing, and Sergent’s white line test. The first two are reliable indicators found in nearly every moderate to severe case of adrenal fatigue but often not in mild cases. Sergent’s white line is only present in moderate to severe hypoadrenia and, in borderline cases, may only be present when the adrenals are at low ebb. The adrenal questionnaire found in our files can be your guide, especially in mild cases because symptoms of adrenal fatigue usually precede signs.

Test 5:

You can determine your thyroid and adrenal status by following Dr. Rind with a temperature graph. You simply take your temp 3 times a day, starting three hours after you wake up, and every three hours after that, to equal three temps. (If you have eaten or exercised right before it’s time to take your temp, wait 20 more minutes.) Then average them for that day. Do this for several days. If your averaged temp is fluctuating from day to day more than -0.2 degrees, you need adrenal support. If it is fluctuating but overall low, you need more adrenal support and thyroid. If it is fluctuating but averaging 98.6, you just need adrenal support. If it is steady but low, you need more thyroid and adrenals are likely fine. (We note that mercury thermometers are the most accurate.)

And Even More Conclusive:

A 24-hour adrenal saliva test. Doctors tend to recommend a one-time blood test, or an ACTH STIM test, but patients have found both to be inadequate measures to discern sluggish adrenals. The ACTH will tell you how much stimulation your adrenals are getting, but not how much cortisol they are producing. Instead, we have relied on the 24 hour adrenal saliva test, which tests your cortisol levels at four different times of day and allows you to view your daily cyclic adrenal function. (And note that if you are very hypothyroid, you readings may actually be even lower than your saliva results will show, since being hypothyroid results in a slower clearance of cortisol from your body.)