Practice Takeaway: Providers should be aware that three different body fluids – saliva, blood or urine – can be used to assess adrenal gland function, and should know each method’s advantages and disadvantages, when deciding how to test patients. Inadequate or excessive production or disrupted circadian patterns of cortisol synthesis by the adrenal glands in response to stressors can eventually…

Tags: Dried Urine Testing, Saliva Testing, Blood Spot Testing, Stress, Adrenal and Cortisol


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Cortisol Testing in Saliva, Blood & Urine

I began the study of iodine because I believe it has benefits to human health. As a breast cancer researcher I believe that iodine protects the breasts and uterus against toxic and mutagenic estrogen metabolites that form in some people more than others. Thus, choosing the most reliable test to a) determine iodine status, and, b) supplementation to maintain levels seen in populations with lowest…

Tags: Iodine, Dried Urine Testing, Mineral Imbalances


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Flaws in the Iodine Loading Dose Urine Test

Did you know that the amount of arsenic in your public water supply is strictly regulated by the FDA, and must test below 10 ppb* total arsenic? Ironically, the food we eat has no such regulations on arsenic content, and some staple foods such as rice may contain high levels of arsenic. Arsenic is a natural element found in soil and water at different concentrations throughout the world. There are…

Tags: Dried Urine Testing, Elements Testing, Arsenic


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Arsenic Exposure from Rice and Rice-Based Breakfast Cereals

Practical Takeaway: The liver's ability to properly metabolize estrogens has been found to affect the risk of breast cancer. Depending on which of the metabolic pathways predominate, too much of certain harmful estrogen metabolites (e.g., 4-hydroxy estrogens) can build up - and these have been found to correlate with breast and other hormone-dependent cancers.…

Tags: Dried Urine Testing, Breast Cancer, Estrogen, Estrogen Metabolism, Metabolites


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Why Should We Care About Estrogen Metabolites?

Iodine is an essential component of thyroid hormone (T3 & T4) and important for normal thyroid functioning. It also functions as an antioxidant, an anti-infective agent, and is protective in certain cystic conditions like fibrocystic breast disease and ovarian cysts. Higher levels of iodine intake have been shown to be protective against benign breast changes such as fibrocystic breast disease.…

Tags: Iodine, Thyroid Health, Dried Urine Testing, Mineral Imbalances


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How to Get Enough Iodine through Your Diet

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