icon notify 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS DAY 4 - DECK THE HALLS WITH BESTSELLERS

Two Tests for Adrenal Fatigue

author avatar Dr. Eric Berg 01/28/2024

Today, I'm going to show you two simple home tests for adrenal fatigue. You'll need a flashlight for #2.

The first test is the "holding your breath test".

holding breath test

Being able to hold your breath is directly related to the adrenal glands.

One good indication that you don't have adrenal fatigue is the ability to hold your breath for a long period of time. If you cannot, you probably have adrenal fatigue.

That's because the oxygen in your lungs is directly related to your adrenals.

If you cannot hold your breath for a minute or longer, then you probably have adrenal fatigue.

I have a patient who is 80 years old and he had the best adrenals I've ever seen in my life who could hold his breath for astounding lengths of time. I have a machine in my office, in fact, that measures adrenal strength and he got a perfect score on it.

So I asked him what he had done his entire life to stay so healthy and he was an Olympic water polo player. He could actually hold his breath for 3 minutes.

Adrenal fatigue sufferers are huffing and puffing. When running upstairs, they run out of air really quickly - they cannot hold their breath.

Number 2: The Iris Test

What is the iris?

The aperture of the eye - like the opening of a camera that allows the light to go in at a certain level.

The iris is the same thing. If there is a really bright light, the iris restricts the amount of light going in because it might be too harmful. If it's dark outside, it might be very open.

So, if I shine a light in my eye, the iris should contract. What's controlling that is something called the autonomic or sympathetic nervous system. That's the part of the nervous system directly connected to our 'fight or flight system'. The adrenals control that.

So, if there's a weakness with the adrenal and you shine a light into the eye, what will happen is it will contract or constrict, but it will not maintain that constriction.

iris test

It will hold it only for 5-10 seconds - you will actually see it fluctuate because it cannot hold that constriction. That's a weakened adrenal system.

If you can hold that constriction for at least one minute, then your adrenals are good.

In this next part, I'll show you a demo of how to do it.

1. First, shine a light into the eye. The little black part in the center is the pupil. The outer part, the colored part, is called the iris - that's contracting, constricting, and relaxing.

2. When the iris contracts, that makes the pupil, the little center part, get smaller or larger depending on light.

3. When you shine light there, the iris is supposed to contract and hold that position for 1 to 2 minutes.

4. If that contraction cannot occur, that means the adrenal glands are weak, and you'll start seeing the pupil get bigger and smaller like a wave or flickering. It won’t be able to maintain a tight contraction.

If you do have adrenal fatigue, here is a great kin I'm linking here that will really help you.

For a customized approach to improve your well-being, you can explore an online assessment that takes into account your unique body type, lifestyle, and health objectives. By doing so, you will receive personalized recommendations to optimize your health effectively.

Thanks for visiting and see you soon,

Dr. Eric Berg 

Healthy Keto Guide for Beginner

FREE Keto Diet Plan