SOLUTIONS FOR DISEASES OF MODERN CIVILIZATION
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ISSUE 6
Dr. Mark Rhodes Newsletter
4 September 2002
CONTENTS
Editorial - Why Saliva Is Better Than Serum For Testing Hormones
Editorial - Why Saliva Is Better Than Serum For Testing Hormones
Issue 6 — Dr. Mark Rhodes Newsletter, 4 September 2002
Measuring hormones in saliva makes a lot of sense if done properly.
First, and maybe most importantly, what we want to measure is the level of hormone actually affecting the tissues. Most of any circulating hormone is bound to protein. The small portion that is not bound is called the free fraction. It is this free fraction that is bio-available (affects tissue). And the salivary levels of hormone are very-highly correlated with the free fraction in the serum.
When most doctors want to measure your hormone levels, they order a measurement of total hormone in the serum. This level is pretty close to meaningless because almost all of the hormone is protein bound and really does not influence the tissues at all.
That is why salivary testing comes so close to matching up with symptoms, too.
Secondly, sampling with saliva is non-invasive to the patient. That means no needles or biological hazard of any kind. The test kit can be sent home. The patient can mail it to the lab because the hormones in saliva are quite stable for several days.
Next, salivary testing usually costs less, too. For example, I do a lot of testing for cycling women. We use 11 samples to map the whole hormonal cycle. There is no way a person wanting her complete cycle mapped would want to go into the clinic to get 11 blood draws. Nor would she likely be able to justify the money to process the tests. So, some doctors just take blood on a day of the cycle that they "think" will give them enough information to manage the whole cycle. This is a gross misunderstanding of how hormones cycle and the day-to-day variability of hormone levels (no woman follows the textbook exactly).
Finally, salivary testing is practical. The kit can be mailed to the patient. She can take the sample at home on a convenient day then mail it to the lab. This is especially true of the multiple-sample test panels.
I use the only accredited saliva lab in the country: Diagnos-Techs. They introduced saliva testing into routine practice. They also provide excellent technical support (M.D.'s and Ph.D.'s) for their practitioners.
Some labs will sell tests directly to patients. The problem here is that the patient gets test results but then cannot get help from that lab, nor can they get much help from their own health care provider because that person did not order the test and likely is not familiar with interpretation of the results.
Also, some labs change the reference ranges depending on the types of hormone supplements used by the patient. This just does not make sense because it still comes down to how much hormone is present in the free fraction to affect tissues.
USEFUL, NON-INVASIVE SALIVA TESTS THAT I ORDER FREQUENTLY
CLICK EACH LINK FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE TEST
NON-CYCLING WOMEN
- PHP1 - Short Post Menopause Hormone Panel (some men order this test)
- ePHP1 - Expanded Short Post Menopause Hormone Panel
- PHP2 - Long Post Menopause Hormone Panel
CYCLING WOMEN
MEN
- MHP - Male Hormone Panel (some women order this test)
- eMHP - Expanded Male Hormone Panel
ANYBODY
- ASI - Adrenal Stress Index
- STP - Short Thyroid Panel
- GI2 - Expanded Gastrointestinal Health Panel (saliva and stool)
- BH - Bone Health Panel (saliva and urine)
If you have a doctor who is willing, I can give him or her details on which tests to use, how to interpret results, and which form of therapy will be most likely to help. Please don't hesitate to have your doctor contact me. I teach doctors how to help their patients every day.
Or I can order tests for you if your own doctor can't or won't help. My main goal is to truly help you all.
Warm regards,
Dr. Mark Rhodes, Ph.D.
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