The ZRT Laboratory Blog

For the past 4 weeks, each morning for me starts with a cup of coffee and a side of news about the global health pandemic in which we’re living. Invading our world rapidly, forcing everything to look different today compared to just a month ago, COVID-19 has everyone on high alert! Throughout the rest of my day, I allow myself to be interrupted by articles about the virus, nurturing the feelings…

Tags: Adrenal and Cortisol, Androgen, Cortisol, Covid19, Estrogen, Hormone Testing, Hormone Balance, Immune System, Selenium, Stress, Zinc, Vitamin D

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In today’s scary world of rapidly spreading COVID-19 infections, most individuals are hesitant to have their health care provider, or worse, a stranger at a blood draw clinic, violate their mandated social space of 6 feet to allow them to stick a needle in their vein and draw blood for testing hormones. It is understandable why during the…

Tags: Blood Spot Testing, Cardiovascular Disease, Covid19, Hormone Testing, Heavy Metals, Vitamin D, Thyroid Health, Research, Menopause, Laboratory Quality

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Growing up, I never thought of myself as a runner, or really a good athlete in general. I played every sport possible as a kid growing up in Minnesota, but I was never great, which is why I never played high school sports (other than trying cross country skiing the one year we didn’t end up having any snow…). As an adult, I started playing team sports again and eventually was convinced to run a…

Tags: Athletes, Testosterone, Estrogen, Progesterone, Thyroid Health, Vitamin D, Neurotransmitters

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Here in the Pacific Northwest we have a large variety of choice wild edible mushrooms. Many of these mushrooms cannot be cultivated, making them rare delicacies that are only found if the soil, weather, elevation, trees, temperature, etc. are just right. After the rains fall, I head to the forests in search of delicious and nutritious edible fungi. Mushroom hunting is a hobby shared by…

Tags: Vitamin D, Nutrients, Iodine, Selenium, Essential Elements, Heavy Metals, Elements Testing

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Here in the Pacific Northwest we love talking about the sun! We grumble about it being hidden away behind heavy rain clouds for months at a time in the winter; we delight in the first breakthrough rays in the spring, realizing our pagan longing for it, watching, as if for the first time, as everything around us wakes up from a deep slumber; we marvel at its delightful, almost intoxicating warmth…

Tags: Vitamin D, Sleep, Depression, PMS and PMDD, Metabolic Health, Melatonin, Blood Spot Testing

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A symbol of femininity for so many women, our hair demands attention. Both deeply personal and superficially public, changes in the looks of our hair can inspire a range of emotions, driving us to willingly partake in its cutting, straightening, curling, bleaching, darkening, or other aggressive chemical treatments. Hair is part of who we are and how we present ourselves to the world. This is why…

Tags: Stress, Menopause, Cortisol, Progesterone, Estrogen, PCOS, Thyroid Health, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12

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We step into 2019 with open minds ready to make new discoveries to improve our overall health and wellness. But first, we would like to take a moment to look back at our most popular blogs of 2018 for patients. Vitamin D: What Level is Normal vs Optimal? If you have ever had your level of Vitamin D tested, depending on which lab you used, your report showing whether your level is low, normal, or…

Tags: Vitamin D, Sleep, PTSD, Testosterone

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If you have ever had your level of Vitamin D tested, depending on which lab you used, your report showing whether your level is low, normal, or high might have left you scratching your head. In fact, there are multiple agencies all with slightly different opinions on what levels are deficient, insufficient, sufficient, high, or toxic. When testing with ZRT, you will receive a result that is…

Tags: Vitamin D

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It feels like winter is officially looming now that we’ve all turned our clocks back and the days are getting shorter. In the Pacific Northwest, this also brings darkness and rain for many months and for some of us, it brings seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Whether or not symptoms of SAD eclipse your normal disposition, there’s a good chance the sun's vacation this time of year will affect four…

Tags: Vitamin D, SAD, Mental Health, Cortisol Awakening Response

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Quick Takeaway: Studies suggest high blood levels of 25-OH vitamin D may prevent melanoma and appropriate D levels may affect the prognosis in both primary and metastatic melanomas. 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…

Tags: Skin Vitality, Vitamin D, Melatonin, Cancer

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