Mercury is one of the most toxic heavy metals. There are numerous natural and man-made sources of mercury, but the most concerning are the ones we are exposed to daily. Mercury is known to affect the nervous, circulatory, immune, reproductive, and digestive systems, along with organs such as the kidneys, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract. Mercury primarily targets sulfhydryl groups (sulfur) and…

Tags: Dried Urine Testing, Heavy Metals, Mercury, Blood Spot Testing


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Five Common Sources of Mercury Exposure

Cadmium is a dangerous heavy metal and a known carcinogen. Even though daily exposure is usually relatively low compared to toxins like arsenic, cadmium bioaccumulates with a half-life in the body of 25-30 years. Essentially, the older you are, the more cadmium you have stored in your body. When cadmium exposure is high, it increases cellular oxidation products that deplete antioxidants like…

Tags: Dried Urine Testing, Heavy Metals, Cadmium, Fertility


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Cadmium’s Connection to Infertility and Reproduction

Influenced by our environment, we are constantly being exposed to elements, whether nutritional or toxic. They are a big contribution to the yin yang dualism of health and disease. With heavy metals, contamination is so extensive nowadays that it is no longer a question of whether exposure took place, but rather what the level of exposure was or continues to be. Toxicity from low levels of exposure…

Tags: Neurotransmitters, Mental Health, Heavy Metals, Elements Testing, Toxins, Arsenic, Mercury, Cadmium


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Heavy Metals, Nutrients & Mental Health

A couple years back, I wrote a blog about iodine deficiency in athletes resulting from excessive sweat loss. Later, while studying the kinetics of the iodine loading test which involves taking a 50-mg dose of iodine and collecting urine for 24 hours, I investigated the excretion of iodine in sweat along with urine. Surprisingly iodine levels in sweat tracked urine iodine excretion over a period of…

Tags: Dried Urine Testing, Heavy Metals, Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury


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Is Sweating a Good Bet for Heavy Metal Detox?

Lead is an incredibly dangerous heavy metal with no known beneficial use in the body. It mimics calcium, affecting all calcium-dependent biological processes, and is known to disturb the cardiovascular, renal, endocrine, and nervous systems. In children, the brain is the most sensitive target, as the blood brain barrier is less effective in children than in adults, potentially causing…

Tags: Dried Urine Testing, Heavy Metals, Lead


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Protecting Children from Lead Dust Exposure. Time for Change.

Is there anything more endearing than the photographs of your baby eating his or her first foods? Their faces squish-up, they are covered from head to toe, their tongues protrude to catch every bite or more often to try to get the revolting taste out of their mouths. Now, we parents are the ones squishing up our faces and showing huge grimaces of disgust at the latest report that our baby food is…

Tags: Toxins, Heavy Metals, Lead, Arsenic, Cadmium


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Keeping Your Child Safe From Toxic Baby Food

A recent news story reports that the Clean Label Project, a non-profit organization focused on health and transparency in consumer product labeling, tested 530 baby food products for toxic elements and chemicals. The results were not good. Sixty-five percent of products tested "positive" for arsenic, 36% for lead, 58% for cadmium, and the tests even showed high levels of BPA in “BPA Free”…

Tags: Toxins, Dried Urine Testing, Heavy Metals, Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury


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Toxic Baby Food: A Look Beyond the Labels

A recent study from researchers at the Mayo Clinic in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that people following a gluten-free diet have significantly higher arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury levels in urine and blood than those not following a gluten-free diet. Another similar study in 2006 revealed that vegans and vegetarians have an increased…

Tags: Toxins, Dried Urine Testing, Heavy Metals, Lead, Cadmium, Arsenic, Mercury


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Does Following a Gluten-Free, Vegetarian or Vegan Diet Result in Increased Heavy Metals Intake?

As a hormone testing lab, ZRT understands the importance of a well-balanced endocrine system in maintaining overall health. Hormone balance is achieved through multiple feedback mechanisms, and when any part of the system is thrown out of whack by forces beyond its control, there is a knock-on effect on the rest of the body systems that are under endocrine control. Such forces can include extreme or…

Tags: Hormone Balance, Xenoestrogens, Heavy Metals, Toxins, BPA, Lead, Mercury, Cadmium


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Endocrine Disruptors: What They Are & How To Avoid Them

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