Identification of Leptin in Human Saliva
I had a patient the other day go to her ob/gyn office and see the nurse practitioner. This patient had shown a high DHEAs and low cortisol level on salivary panels. When she mentioned this to the NP, the NP said that DHEA was not a “medical test.” I’m still somewhat confused by the response of the NP, but what scares me is that DHEA is a major precursor to sex steroid hormones and this NP knew nothing about it. She did, however, recommend the pill for this patients’ symptoms; ironically, insulin resistance appears to be a major factor in this patient’s condition and BCP is known to adversely effect insulin resistance. The moral of this story? Salivary hormone profiles are valid, noninvasive diagnostic testing that is supported in the medical literature.
JCEM — Abstracts: Gröschl et al. 86 (11): 5234
