Hey ,

With low free saliva cortisol values it isn’t always the case that this reflects cortisol concentration at tissue levels. This test does show low urine metabolites of cortisol, telling that the body doesn’t break down cortisol, either because the body wants to keep cortisol or because cortisol is actually low.

In this case, it is hard to see directly how your tissue levels of cortisol were. Some indirect clues are there, for example, we see low testosterone (which the test results do show) can be caused by long-term exposure to stress, but it needs to be interpreted together with your life back then. Low testosterone can also be caused by
• a few nights of bad sleep
• a low caloric intake – for example, due to problems with getting enough food because of acid reflux.
• (simmering) infections
• and many more reasons of course

But anyway, these results are from november 2021. I wouldn’t lean on this data to make supplement choices for today.

You are right by the way about Cytozyme-AD, it does contain pork. And it can be used in low-cortisol situations. But this test doesn’t provide us with recent data, unfortunately.

Often when people in the morning need a cup of coffee to feel energized or if people feel they are getting more energy hours after waking up, this can be indicating a low cortisol awakening response (the peak of cortisol you are supposed to get 30 minutes after waking up that provides you with energy and alertness)

But it isn’t diagnostic (and sometimes even wrong). And it doesn’t provide you with information on what cortisol does during the rest of the day.

 as Daniel mentioned, it’s hard to draw conclusions from older tests however given that not much has changed for you in terms of energy levels, it’s probably safe to assume that your cortisol production is still low.

My clients with flat line levels like this often need glandular support for several months while working through their protocol to help turn the page. Just note however that coming off of it without having done any foundational work (gut healing, digestive support, immune support, emotional work, etc..) will likely cause a rebound effect and make a person feel worse. So it’s to be seen as a band-aid solution by temporarily giving the organ much needed support, but it can often be a lifeline when used appropriately.

I prefer Biotics Research for glandulars but for those who can’t do pork, Thorne has a bovine adrenal cortex supplement as well.