Blog

By Dr. Kate Placzek, ZRT Laboratory When I turned 12, all of a sudden all of my friends were getting their periods, and I just couldn’t wait to get mine! I was so ready to join the ranks of glamorous women who had the privilege of being initiated into the menstruating club. I wanted to belong with them - everything about periods was synonymous with femininity for me at the time. I had to endure witnessing so many of my classmates get the special treatment and be sent home to deal with their cramps, meanwhile staying behind to suffer through...

By Dr. Allison Smith, ZRT Laboratory “Our sons were both diagnosed with ADHD by kindergarten. More than just dealing with the disciplinary and academic issues at school, my husband and I struggled to maintain a productive and nurturing household with the kids having regular meltdowns and outbursts. Our ability to connect with them became compromised. We were at our wits’ end considering medications and home school. We agonized over the long-term repercussions of both of those choices. We turned inward and analyzed our habits and routines. One thing we noticed with both the boys was that a strict routine in...

By ZRT Laboratory Doctors. We clinicians are always reading. When we aren’t on the phones or completing laboratory reports for you, we are constantly researching and reading. We read everything from the books that some of you are writing to articles on Pubmed and Medscape. We thought that it might be fun to tell you what is currently on our reading agenda. Dr. David Zava When asked to write in brief about what I am reading, the only thing that came to my mind was, “a lot”. I’m always reading scientific journal articles related to the tests and research (R of ZRT)...

By Lissa Gienty, ZRT Laboratory Quick Takeaway: Studies suggest high blood levels of 25-OH vitamin D may prevent melanoma [1] and appropriate D levels may affect the prognosis in both primary [2] and metastatic melanomas. [3] Keep your levels in blood between 50-80 ng/dL. Additionally, melatonin and its metabolites protect the skin from sun and help guard the DNA there when faced with the mixture of cancer-inducing ultraviolet rays and oxidation.  The Full Story Like so many, I figured it was never going to happen to me. Until the day that one of our docs (thank you, Dr. Alison McAllister) turned to me in a meeting and said: "I really don't like...

By Dr. Allison Smith, ZRT Laboratory I would like to thank everyone who joined in our webinar on the Role of Hormones in Sleep Disturbances!  There were a number of questions I wasn’t able to address due to time constraints but they were all excellent questions. I thought at least someone would be interested in a follow-up as I speak to the rest of the questions just as a little wrap-up. Q: Wouldn't it be nice to include Dried Urine Melatonin in your ZRT Comprehensive Profile, to be able to evaluate Morning Cortisol when low? Maybe it is low while Melatonin...