Insulin resistance, also known as syndrome X, refers to the failure of the tissues to respond to insulin and allow glucose uptake for energy production.  Insulin is produced in the pancreas and is responsible for carrying glucose from the blood … Continue reading →

Blood spot testing of TSH, free T3, free T4, and TPO antibodies, an indicator of an autoimmune response, is a simple, convenient method of identifying a dysfunctional thyroid. More than 10 million Americans have been diagnosed with thyroid disease, and another 13 million are estimated to have undiagnosed thyroid problems. But interestingly, women are at greatest risk, developing thyroid problems seven times more often than men. Continue reading →

The advantages of blood spot testing are many. It can be done in the privacy of your own home, eliminating the need for a phlebotomist, lab visit, or centrifuging, and is minimally invasive. Continue reading →

Uterine fibroids are present in 30 to 50 percent of women in the U.S. and usually diagnosed during their 30s or 40s.  While they are the most common reason for hysterectomy, most fibroids do not cause major problems, and women … Continue reading →

Enjoy this preview lecture from the 2011 A4M Anti-Aging conference in Las Vegas by ZRT’s David Zava, PhD. The session is titled A Metabolic Approach to Cardiovascular Health & Lab Testing. Visit DigiVisionMedia.com/A4M to purchase lectures with the video of … Continue reading →

More than 10 million Americans have been diagnosed with thyroid disease, and another 13 million people are estimated to have undiagnosed thyroid problems. Women however, are at greatest risk, developing thyroid problems seven times more than men do.  The thyroid … Continue reading →

Over the past several years there have been a number of changes in the recommendations for cancer screening tests. Cervical, breast and prostate are just a few of the cancers where recommendations for screening tests have been modified, although not without controversy. Continue reading →

Biochemical testing of dried blood spots on filter paper is a well-established technique that has been used to collect blood for public health purposes for over 50 years.  Dating back to the early 1960s, Dr. Robert Guthrie first used the … Continue reading →

Androstendedione, testosterone, and DHEA play an important role in tissue regeneration, especially of the skin, bones, and muscles.  The adrenal glands produce the principal androgen, dehydroepiandrosterone or DHEA, and nearly every cell in the body has receptor sites for this … Continue reading →

Men are not immune to midlife changes.  They too experience the so-called change of life as a result of declining hormones, specifically low testosterone, and is commonly seen beginning in the fourth decade of life.  This is often associated with … Continue reading →

In the years leading up to menopause, women’s menstrual cycles, which may once have been like clockwork, start to become more erratic. Bleeding becomes irregular, sometimes heavier than usual, sometimes scant.  In some months, there may not be any bleeding … Continue reading →

PMS differs from all other disorders because the diagnosis does not depend on the type of symptoms you suffer from, but strictly on the time when your symptoms appear and disappear.  The problems begin a week or ten days before … Continue reading →

Many women and men experience mood swings and depression as their hormones begin to fluctuate during menopause and andropause.  Unfortunately, far too many people are put on antidepressants when in fact, natural hormone supplementation to smooth out the roller coaster of waning … Continue reading →

Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are key players in the maintenance of body-wide functions such as circulation, nerve transmission, and cell division.  Because of this, it is easy to understand how an imbalance of these hormones can lead to changes in … Continue reading →

People in today’s society tend to lead frenetic, unbalanced lifestyles. Commonly, individuals experience continuous emotional and/or physical stressors without adequate recovery often causing elevations in adrenal hormone levels.  The adrenals are two small glands that sit on top of each … Continue reading →

The androgens, testosterone and DHEA play an important role in tissue regeneration, especially of the skin, bones, and muscles.  The principal androgen in both men and women is dehydroepiandrosterone, better known as DHEA, which is produced by the adrenal glands … Continue reading →

Progesterone can be thought of as a hormone balancer, particularly in regard to estrogen.  As Dr. John Lee, author of What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Menopause, puts it, the relationship of estradiol to progesterone is more like … Continue reading →

The estrogens, made up of estradiol, estriol, and estrone, are a family of hormones important for maintaining the health of the reproductive tissues, bones, skin, and the brain.  Estradiol is the most potent of the estrogens, and potentially dangerous when … Continue reading →