@kjo1 I'm not aware of having issues with cortisol levels. At one time, I was going through horrible work stress and this functional medicine doctor tested that in saliva samples, and he had me take supplements for that to support adrenal function. He also balances female hormones and the allergy testing to optimize health. Stress sure did affect my allergies and made them worse, but they changed after that stress was over, and improved a bit. The allergy testing is what he called the maximum tolerated dose and they test individual things like a specific ragweed species (there are several all producing specific pollen). They had vials of different individual strengths and they inject it under your skin and wait 5 minutes and see if the wheal grows and measure it. If you react to that dose, they lower it on the next test injection. Each extract test vial strength goes up by 10 times, so they find the one that is highest that you don't react to for that specific pollen. A lot of allergy testing is to a standard mix of pollen, and they sometimes use a mix if they work well. My trees extract is a mix. If it's not working, they will need to test individual components. Then they make a vial for you that might have a dozen different extracts in it with your specific dosage for each and they trained me to administer my own allergy shots and I have 10 custom vials. It takes 2 to 3 hours for each test session and you might have 4 appointments to get through everything. I need to retest every 3-4 years or if the allergy shots stop working. He says that treating the allergies lowers inflammation. Getting the right doses on thyroid meds and female hormone replacement (after menopause) also lower inflammation. He optimizes vitamin D. I have lots of foods I have to avoid that I figured out with an elimination diet. He also says antihistamines will stop being effective as your body gets used to them. I also use a hepa filter with activated carbon in my home, and had duct work cleaned. I am very allergic to molds and it flares my asthma and sometimes when the spore count is really high, allergy shots are not enough and I take an antihistamine and stay inside with my filters. he tests the breakdown pathways for estrogen and progesterone and I have a supplement to take to aid that process because if your body doesn't detox that well, that is what can lead to increased risks for some hormone related cancers. It's for cardiovascular health. I take Methyl CpG from Ortho Molecular Labs with supports methylation detox pathways and is a mix of B vitamins. You can also lower inflammation with tumeric and Ortho Molecular has a supplement Traumeric that contains tumeric,quercitin, rutin,bromelian and vitamin C all of which helps lower inflammation. Cutting out sugar and refined carbohydrates also goes a long way to lower blood sugar, and sugar promotes inflammation. If I eat things with sugar, I can see fluid retention in my face the next day, and avoiding it makes me look younger. I'm not perfect, but I try my best. I find that many spices bother me or have gluten which causes breathing and gut problems, so I don't use them. I don't drink soda or use artificial sweeteners. I do use stevia which is natural and does not raise blood sugar. I was able to get off asthma inhalers some years ago by removing everything in my diet that caused breathing issues or phlegm, and we built our house with hardwood floors and no carpeting since I was chemically sensitive. After testing, recently I found out I was allergic to my cats, so I have an extract for that, use a hepa filter, wipe them with my wet hand to reduce dander (they are short hair), vacuum and wash the bed covers often, and I'm breathing just fine with the cats. I also use a lint roller on them to remove hair and dander, and they don't mind. This doctor looks at the biochemistry of what happens in the body and tries to fine tune that. He told me he's the only doctor in northern IL who does allergy testing like this. I makes sense to me and it really works.