Hormone Health Hub: Expert Insights on Testing, Balance & Better Living — hormonal imbalance

By Dr. Tracy Tranchitella, ND Acute inflammation has a purpose and occurs when we are injured or sick and need to mobilize an efficient immune response to heal an injury or attack an infection. When all goes well, the response of the immune system is swift and complete. The job is done, the immune cells recede, and the clean-up crew disposes of the debris. Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, tends to linger without purpose or resolution. It may be the leftover remnant of an acute inflammatory process that never fully resolved, or it may exist as its own process...

 By Amen Clinics, ZRT Laboratory Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in the lower front part of your neck. Its job is to secrete hormones that control growth/development during childhood, regulate your metabolism and body temperature, and drive the production of many neurotransmitters in your brain. Specifically, the ones that help you feel good and enough have motivation to accomplish your goals: serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. It’s estimated that tens of millions of people worldwide have thyroid problems—anywhere from 5-25% of the world’s population. In the book, Thyroid Mind Power, it’s reported that, “the last 40 years have witnessed...

Eating well and reducing stress but still can’t shift the weight? You’re not alone — and hormones are very likely involved. In this Q&A, Hormone Health Educator Candace Burch of ZRT Laboratory answers the most common questions from women struggling with hormone-related weight gain: from persistently high cortisol and adrenal fatigue, to BHRT monitoring, how long results take, and why testing is essential for getting the dose just right.

Why does weight gain accelerate at menopause? Can estrogen dominance cause low cortisol? Is saliva testing better than blood? Hormone Health Educator Candace Burch of ZRT Laboratory answers the most common questions from women struggling with hormone-related weight gain — covering everything from adrenal fatigue and vitamin D deficiency to birth control, bioidentical progesterone and why “your hormones are fine” from a standard blood test may not tell the whole story.

When a patient with PCOS or weight issues is told “your blood sugar is normal,” the story is far from over. In this clinical article, Dr. Alison McAllister of ZRT Laboratory explains why insulin — not glucose — is the primary driver of PCOS symptoms, weight gain, testosterone and DHEAS excess, and cortisol dysfunction. Understanding the progression from insulin resistance to hyperinsulinemia to type 2 diabetes is essential for identifying and treating PCOS at the earliest possible stage.