Blog — ZRT

Saliva Testing

Posted by Ben White on

Saliva testing is used for measuring hormones like cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, DHAES and testosterone, and its non-invasive collection asks patients to spit into a plastic tube. This sampling method allows patients to collect saliva at home at specific times, which is important for accurately measuring hormone levels. Why do we test hormones in saliva? Steroid hormones in the bloodstream are 95-99% bound to carrier proteins, and in this form are unavailable to target tissues. Saliva testing measures the amount of hormone available to target tissues – the bioavailable amount. For this reason, saliva testing better relates to specific symptoms of excess...

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It Might Be Heavy Metals In Your Lipstick Making You Sick

Posted by Ben White on

For millions of women the world over the transformative promise of cosmetics is that looking and feeling more beautiful translates into feeling better about ourselves.  But could the beauty products we rely on to build our confidence by hiding our flaws, also be hiding the potential to make us sick? FDA Doesn't Regulate Cosmetics Like most women I had always assumed that any beauty product on the shelves has undergone testing to verify its contents are safe - so much for assumptions! Once I did a little digging into the subject, I found out that unlike pharmaceuticals or pesticides, chemical...

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The Birth Control Pill Coin Flip – Heads or Tails?

Posted by Ben White on

Trusted and reliable contraception is a monumental achievement of the last century. It is very effective at preventing pregnancy, oral contraceptives, generally referred to as "the Pill," are commonly prescribed to women of reproductive age. Apart from contraceptive purposes, the Pill can also be used to treat gynecological disorders such as irregular or excessive bleeding, polycystic ovarian syndrome, severe menstrual cramping, acne, and endometriosis-associated pain, and their use has been associated with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer.  The small print – side effects Since its approval for contraceptive purposes 55 years ago, major changes have been implemented in the...

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Prostate Cancer Prevention – Identifying Areas of Susceptibility

Posted by Ben White on

In our current medical paradigm, screening for cancer is considered a preventive measure by virtue of providing an earlier diagnosis. Getting an early jump on a disease process like cancer makes treatment exponentially easier and outcomes generally better. Under the current guidelines, that early jump on prostate cancer starts at age 55 for men at low to moderate risk and 40-45 for men at high risk. It takes years for cancer to grow to a detectable point after the tumor's initial induction from a normal cell to a cancerous one. There's been a lot of research done to determine what...

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