Sometimes a traditional diurnal cortisol test isn’t enough to properly evaluate a patient. With the DUTCH Plus, the cortisol awakening response (CAR) gives additional insight into your patient’s stress response. A “mini stress test” the CAR takes snapshots in the minutes and hours after waking to paint a clearer picture of HPA axis function.

In this episode of the DUTCH Podcast, Drs. Jaclyn Smeaton and Christina O’Brien discuss the value of the CAR in finding hidden points of dysregulation in patients. They cover typical cortisol testing procedure and dive into the benefits of measuring the CAR to enhance patient care.

Sections and Timestamps

00:00 Intro
01:57 What’s the typical cortisol test?
03:10 Why saliva for measuring the CAR?
07:15 The CAR can identify dysfunction missed by typical diurnal curve
10:00 Typical patterns of dysfunction on a CAR report
13:05 When should providers order the DUTCH Plus vs the DUTCH Complete
16:25 Conclusion

Additional Resources

DUTCH Complete

https://dutchtest.com/info-dutch-complete/

DUTCH Plus

https://dutchtest.com/info-dutch-plus/

Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR)

https://dutchtest.com/info-dutch-plus/#cortisol-awakening-response

The Brain/Adrenal Connection: Understanding the HPA axis with Dr. Christina O'Brien