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

Dried urine testing is rapidly becoming the preferred method for neurotransmitter and hormone assessment — but collection timing is everything. In this clinical overview, Dr. Kate Placzek of ZRT Laboratory explains why a single morning urine sample cannot substitute for a 4-time-point collection, how neurotransmitters like epinephrine and norepinephrine follow distinct diurnal rhythms, and why interchanging the first and second morning voids can produce grossly inaccurate results.

If you’re doing everything right — eating well, exercising, taking your vitamins — but still can’t shift the weight, a hormone imbalance may be working against you. Hormone Health Educator Candace Burch of ZRT Laboratory breaks down the 8 most common hormonal culprits behind unexplained weight gain, from estrogen dominance and high cortisol to low vitamin D, disrupted sleep and a lack of strength training.

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.

Insomnia affects roughly 50% of all adults — and while sleep hygiene is important, herbal nervines offer a powerful, evidence-backed complement to any sleep support plan. Dr. Sherry LaBeck of ZRT Laboratory reviews 9 key botanical remedies for sleep disturbances and nervous system support, from the classic sedative valerian to the gentle tonic oatstraw, explaining the mechanisms behind each herb and the research supporting their use.

Weight management is a topic that generates a lot of questions — and hormone imbalance is one of the most common but overlooked causes. Hormone Health Educator Candace Burch of ZRT Laboratory answers the 10 most frequently asked questions about hormones and weight gain, covering everything from postmenopausal belly fat and estrogen dominance to vitamin D deficiency, thyroid imbalance and why standard blood tests often miss the picture.