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

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.

Cortisol can be measured in saliva, blood and urine — but each method tells a different story. Saliva reflects bioavailable cortisol, blood measures total output, and dried urine captures the full circadian pattern. This article explains the clinical differences and helps you choose the right test.

The latest research confirms what Dr. John Lee and Dr. David Zava argued decades ago: maintaining healthy progesterone levels in proper balance with oestrogen is one of the most powerful tools women have for preventing and recovering from breast cancer. This article outlines seven practical steps to restore hormone balance and reduce breast cancer risk.

Explore why many men on topical testosterone replacement therapy may be unintentionally over-dosed due to outdated serum testing methods and misunderstood dosing principles. Learn how saliva and dried blood spot testing better reflect bioavailable testosterone delivered to tissues, why physiological dosing matters, and how excessive testosterone may suppress natural hormone production, reduce receptor sensitivity, and negatively affect long-term symptom management and hormonal balance.

From the age of 45, most men experience a gradual decline in testosterone and DHEA — yet many put their symptoms down to “just getting old.” Andropause is real, measurable and manageable. Discover the symptoms, the truth about testosterone replacement therapy, and the lifestyle and testing strategies that help men age well rather than rapidly.