Salivaomics, also known as saliva testing, is an impressive diagnostic technique that gathers saliva samples from patients for laboratory analysis.
Saliva testing has even been used to assess circadian rhythm shifts in astronauts and soldiers to find out if they are fit for duty. This diagnostic and screening test is easy, safe, and accurate. That leads to multiple advantages when selecting this method over traditional methods like blood tests.
Leftover saliva specimens can also be frozen and used at a later stage. Saliva testing has existed for decades, but our understanding of how best to perform the tests associated with saliva has dramatically increased in recent years.
The below article will highlight seven ways that getting your saliva tested for specific markers can save your life.
1. Allergy Testing
Saliva testing can be used to screen for and diagnose multiple conditions and diseases. One of these is food allergies. If left untreated, food allergies can be fatal.
These kits test your saliva for the presence of antibodies to the most common food allergens. Although the most way to test for allergies is with a skin test, saliva testing is a more comfortable and non-invasive diagnostic tool.
Skin allergy tests are done by scratching or pricking the surface of your skin, and adding tiny drops of common allergens to see how you will react – ouch!
2. COVID-19 Tests
Providing a saliva sample for a COVID-19 test is a more comfortable and convenient way to test for the virus when compared to the standard, outdated PCR test. Saliva samples can be self-collected and sent off for testing, or you can be assisted by a healthcare worker.
Researchers say that these tests are just as accurate as the throat and nasal swabs are at detecting the virus. Due to these tests being less painful and more convenient, it could help to increase the number of COVID-19 tests done and improve the accuracy of the results in each country.
3. Adrenal Diseases
Saliva testing can be used to detect several adrenal diseases and conditions, including Cushing’s disease and Addison’s disease. When you have an adrenal gland disorder, your body produces too much or too little of one or more hormones. That can have a disastrous effect on your body and can be fatal if left untreated.
Hormones are molecules produced by your endocrine system and they send messages to other parts of your body. Your hormones control nearly all of the processes in your body and help to coordinate your functions like metabolism, emotions, mood, and development.
4. Diabetes Detection
By using a saliva collection kit, your doctor or specialist can easily diagnose a number of conditions and diseases at a lightning-fast speed. Insulin resistance and diabetes can now be detected using saliva kits. Detecting these diseases and conditions is the first step in managing them correctly.
Managing diabetes is the only way to stop it from destroying your organs. Regular blood sugar monitoring is the most vital thing you can do to manage both types of diabetes. That way you can be sure of what foods, medicines, and activities affect your numbers.
5. Behavioural Research
Saliva testing has specific uses in clinical psychological settings. It has the impressive ability to provide insight into human behaviour and emotional development. It has been used to investigate behavioural conditions and psychological phenomena such as depression, anxiety, as well as PTSD in soldiers and others.
Saliva testing’s primary purpose in these settings is to test cortisol levels, which are indicative of stress and trauma. The higher an individual’s cortisol levels are, the higher their stress levels are. This diagnostic tool is non-invasive, which means that it will not place a patient under further stress that may otherwise affect results.
6. Menstrual Cycle Tests
Saliva kits are growing in popularity to test for altered female hormone states which affect their menstrual cycles. Conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), menopause and anovulation can be detected using these kits.
They aren’t only useful for diagnosing female hormonal conditions. Altered male hormone states can also be detected using them. Male andropause and hyperestrogenic states are also diagnosed through the detection of hormones present in saliva.
7. Cancer Detection
A saliva test can check for the presence or absence of mutated extra-cellular DNA and RNA. Tumour cells shed these into the circulation of the body and are detected in the saliva. Saliva testing provides unprecedented accuracy and can go a long way in preventing deaths caused by cancer.
There is no better time to get tested than today, so don’t waste more time!
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