The nervous system and its communication with peripheral organs is under the continuous dynamic influence of hormones, neuroactive steroids, and neurotransmitters. This is why the underlying pathology of mood disorders can often be varied and complex. The hormonal piece is critical to our understanding of the imbalances when it comes to the complete neurotransmitter assessment. Hormones regulate…
Tags: Neurotransmitters, Dried Urine Testing, Hormone Balance, HPA Axis
ZRT's senior research scientist Dr. Kate Placzek presented a webinar about the neurotransmitter testing ZRT began offering last year. Neurotransmitter testing is a natural progression of the wellness testing options that ZRT has developed and offered over the years, and in some ways encompasses many aspects of the testing in other areas such as steroid hormone and metabolite testing, adrenal and…
Tags: Neurotransmitters
Everything we do, feel, think – it all starts with the brain. A balanced, healthy brain helps lay the essential foundation for optimal wellbeing. A small but significant aspect of brain health is regulated by a specific class of steroid molecules called neurosteroids. That the brain is a steroidogenic organ is widely accepted, and neurosteroids are woven into its very fabric. In fact, the term…
Tags: Neurotransmitters, DHEA, Hormone Balance, Mental Health
We're in a new year now and it seems like everyone's weighing in on the 5 or 10 or 20 things you and I should be doing to improve our health and wellness this year. It is January, after all, and it’s time to start setting priorities. There are tons of great ideas out there! Here are my top 5 for 2017. If you want to improve brain health, you need to make sure it gets enough oxygen, nutrition, and…
Tags: Neurotransmitters, Mental Health
Stress has become a synonymous, integral even, accompaniment of life in our fast-paced world. Generally regarded as "distress," our bodies struggle to re-establish physiological integrity at certain times, such as after working long hours, or when we have insufficient exercise, sleep and nutrition. Driven by persistent exposure to stressors, the body begins to lose its dynamic resilience and fails…
Tags: Neurotransmitters, Sleep, Stress, HPA Axis
With the holidays ahead, it is an important time to take a closer look at the stress response, food and mood. The holidays, for many, can trigger stress and food behaviors that set off a cascade of hormones and neurochemicals. The emotional stress that the holidays can elicit for many people, paired with the excess foods and libations that abound, can set us up for trouble. Understanding the…
Practical Takeaway: A recent study found the risk of depression with contraceptive use decreased with increasing age, and was highest in the youngest age group studied, namely teenagers aged 15-19, than in the women aged 20-34. These findings are from a new Danish study suggesting that hormonal contraception might increase risk of depression, and that previous studies may not have highlighted…
Tags: Fertility, Mental Health, Contraceptives, Neurotransmitters, Depression
It’s well understood that the food we eat provides the amino acids, micronutrients (eg., vitamins and minerals) and macronutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) we need to sustain our lives. However, it may come as a surprise to know that some foods contain more than just the amino acid precursors to neurotransmitters and actually contain high levels of some neurotransmitters themselves like…
Tags: Neurotransmitters
The brain orchestrates the delicate interplay between the body and the mind. Structural brain units, the neurons, discharge neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters provide a communication platform for the brain to fuel internal systems with information. Anything the body senses, feels, hears, smells, touches, or ingests serves as an input that prompts an astoundingly fast…
Tags: Neurotransmitters
As the 2016 Olympic games play out in Rio, you might be feeling inspired to get moving yourself. While some sports admittedly look pretty dangerous, and we cringe at the sight of a cyclist skidding into the curb on a wet road and landing on her head, there are others that simply make us marvel at the agility and strength of the human body. For me, when I watch those swimmers cutting through the…
Tags: Neurotransmitters, Mental Health, Fitness
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