Blog — Stress

By Margaret Grove, ZRT Laboratory. Sometimes you look back and wonder where all the time went. Let’s see - in my twenties, the younger, sexier me had been to University and embarked on a career in medical research, and I’d been very active in my leisure time – including hiking and skiing every year in the Alps. I was too invested in my career and hobbies to have children and wanted to put that off until the right time. In my thirties, I eventually realized it was time to start a family before it was too late. At age 35...

By Dr Kate Placzek, ZRT Laboratory We love talking about the sun! We grumble about it being hidden away behind heavy rain clouds for months at a time in the winter; we delight in the first breakthrough rays in the spring, realizing our pagan longing for it, watching, as if for the first time, as everything around us wakes up from a deep slumber; we marvel at its delightful, almost intoxicating warmth in the early summer; and yes, we find it irritating when the temperature goes a dash over 80 degrees, or if stays too hot for too long into...

O sleep, O gentle sleep, Nature's soft nurse, how have I frighted thee,That thou no more wilt weigh my eyelids downAnd steep my senses in forgetfulness? William Shakespeare, Henry IV A good night's sleep is important to health. During sleep the body is in an anabolic state when energy conservation, tissue repair and growth take over. The body temperature drops, growth hormone is secreted and immune cell production is increased. Thus sleep is essential for a healthy body and a peaceful mind. Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and affects roughly 50% of all adults. It...

Why are Mitochondria Important?  Mitochondria are organelles that are present in every cell of the body except red blood cells. About 20% of our body weight is mitochondria.  The accepted theory is that mitochondria were once bacterial cells that created a commensal relationship with eukaryotic cells, and gave the eukaryotic cells the energy to become multicellular. The eukaryotes gave mitochondria more machinery and structure. Working together, multicellular organisms were able to evolve. What Are the Mental Health Manifestations of Mitochondrial Function? I became interested in mitochondria a few years back, for I had noticed that a certain percentage of patients...

Posted by Dr. Allison Smith, ZRT Laboratory. GABA - Gamma-aminobutyric acid, is the neurotransmitter known for its affinity for GABA receptors throughout the central nervous system (CNS). It acts to inhibit excitatory processes – whether they be normal or pathological. It's synthesized from the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate in a process that requires vitamin B6 as a cofactor. The delicate balance in the brain between GABA and glutamate is orchestrated by shuttle systems from the Krebs Cycle, the presence of NMDA and GABA receptor modulators, enzyme cofactors, and reuptake mediators.   In the rest of the body, GABA plays a myriad of...