Hormone Health Hub: Expert Insights on Testing, Balance & Better Living — transdermal estradiol

By Dr.Tracy Tranchitella, ND-ZRT Laboratory Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) has become a primary cause of chronic liver disease, impacting a large portion of the global population. NAFLD is characterized by the buildup of excess fat in the liver, unrelated to alcohol use, and is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome—a group of conditions that raise the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Factors contributing to metabolic syndrome may also play a role in the development of NAFLD, but underlying endocrine disorders can further drive the onset and progression of this widespread liver condition. Moreover, environmental and chemical toxins may...

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women, and the risk dramatically increases with menopause as estrogen levels decline. In this in-depth clinical article, Dr. Sherry LaBeck of ZRT Laboratory explains how estrogen protects the cardiovascular system through nitric oxide production, endothelial function, blood lipid regulation and anti-inflammatory mechanisms — and why the timing of estrogen replacement therapy is critical to its cardioprotective effect.

The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) trial cast a long shadow over hormone replacement therapy — but it enrolled women well over a decade past menopause. Two newer trials, ELITE and KEEPS, specifically studied HRT started early in the postmenopausal period. Their findings on cardiovascular health, sexual function, sleep, mood and cognition paint a more nuanced and encouraging picture. Here is what the latest research shows.

Perimenopause is far more than a reproductive transition — it is fundamentally neurological. As oestradiol declines, the brain’s bioenergetic system becomes compromised, neurotransmitter balance shifts, and the thermoneutral zone narrows, giving rise to hot flashes, mood instability, memory changes and sleep disruption. This article explores the neuroscience behind the menopausal transition and why hormone replacement therapy — timed correctly — may be the most effective intervention.