Anxiety, ADHD & Chronic Stress: Test Your Neurotransmitters and Find Your Root Cause
By Adalys E. Diaz, L.Ac.
You know something is off. Maybe it's your child - struggling in school, unable to sit still, anxious before every social situation, melting down over things that seem small. Maybe it's you - exhausted, overwhelmed, unable to focus, running on empty no matter how much you rest. Or maybe it's someone you love, and you've watched them try medication after medication without ever feeling truly like themselves.
The frustration is real. And so is this: most anxiety and ADHD treatment never looks at the root cause.
At Díaz Acupuncture & Integrative Health in Palm Beach Gardens, we do. As an authorized ZRT Laboratory provider, we have these specialty tests available for you - that way we can stop guessing and start addressing what is actually driving the symptoms.
Why Brain Chemistry Matters
Your neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers that control how you, or your child, thinks, focuses, feels, and sleeps. When they are in balance, the nervous system is calm, focused, and resilient. When they are not, anxiety, ADHD, mood swings, poor sleep, and emotional dysregulation follow.
The key is that no two people have the same imbalance. One child's ADHD is driven by low dopamine. Another is driven by a combination of low norepinephrine and high glutamate. An adult's anxiety may come from low GABA, low serotonin, or a dysregulated stress hormone pattern, or all three at once.
Without testing, treatment is educated guesswork. With testing, you have a clear, personalized roadmap.
Test 1: Neurotransmitters Testing-LCMS ($297)
What It Measures
The ZRT Neurotransmitters LCMS panel uses a simple urine collection done at home and measures 28 markers - one of the most comprehensive neurotransmitter profiles available. This includes the neurotransmitters themselves, their metabolites, and the upstream precursors that show whether the body has the raw materials to produce them in the first place.
Key markers include:
Serotonin: calm, emotional stability, and contentment; low levels drive worry, rumination, and social anxiety
Dopamine + metabolites (DOPAC & HVA): motivation, focus, and reward; the most common driver of ADHD symptoms when low
GABA: the brain's natural "off switch"; when low, the mind cannot stop racing
Glutamate: the main excitatory neurotransmitter; when too high relative to GABA, it creates overstimulation, sensory overwhelm, and anxiety
Norepinephrine & Epinephrine: alertness and the fight-or-flight response; imbalances affect attention and emotional regulation
NE/Epi Ratio: how balanced the stress activation system is
Phenylethylamine (PEA): focus and mood elevation; often low in ADHD and depression
Tryptophan & Tyrosine: the precursors that show whether the body can even make serotonin and dopamine
Histamine: linked to brain fog, sleep disruption, and anxiety
Plus additional supporting markers including taurine, glycine, glutamine, and kynurenine pathway markers that reflect inflammation's impact on brain function
This Test Is Right For You or Your Child If There Are:
Difficulty focusing, sitting still, or completing tasks
Anxiety, excessive worry, or racing thoughts
Emotional outbursts, irritability, or mood swings
Poor sleep, trouble falling asleep or waking through the night
Low motivation, flat mood, or signs of depression
Brain fog, forgetfulness, or mental fatigue
Sensory sensitivity or overwhelm
ADHD diagnosis with inconsistent response to medication or a desire to explore natural alternatives
Test 2: ZRT 4-Point Cortisol Profile ($157)
What It Measures
Cortisol is the body's primary stress hormone. It follows a natural daily rhythm, highest in the morning, gradually declining through the day, and low at night. When chronic stress disrupts this rhythm, everything is affected: energy, sleep, mood, immune function, weight, and even the brain's ability to produce neurotransmitters.
The ZRT 4-Point Cortisol Saliva Profile measures cortisol at four specific times throughout the day - morning, noon, afternoon, and evening - giving us a complete picture of how the stress response is functioning from morning to night. A single cortisol reading tells us very little. The full daily curve tells us everything.
This Test Is Right For You or Your Child If There Are:
Chronic stress, overwhelm, or emotional burnout
Fatigue that doesn't improve with rest - especially difficulty getting going in the morning
The "wired but tired" feeling - exhausted but unable to wind down at night
Afternoon energy crashes
Anxiety that feels more physical - racing heart, chest tightness, constant tension in the body
Frequent illness or slow recovery
Weight changes despite no change in diet or exercise
A child who is emotionally dysregulated, has frequent meltdowns, or struggles to recover after stressful events
Who Should Get Both Tests (Bundle $397)
The brain and the adrenal stress system are deeply connected, and in many patients, especially children with ADHD and anxiety, both are dysregulated at the same time.
Chronic stress directly depletes serotonin and dopamine production. This means that no matter how well you address neurotransmitter imbalances, if the cortisol pattern is not also corrected, the brain cannot fully rebalance. Here both tests will give us the complete picture.
Consider both tests if you or your child:
Experience anxiety and chronic fatigue or burnout together
Have ADHD symptoms and signs of emotional depletion or stress overload
Feel mentally unfocused and physically exhausted
Have been under prolonged stress and noticed that mood, sleep, and focus have all declined together
Have tried supplements or medications without consistent results
Have both ADHD and anxiety with physical stress symptoms like stomachaches, headaches, or frequent illness
Neurotransmitter Imbalances Can Happen at Any Age
This is not a condition reserved for adults or for children, it can affect anyone at any stage of life, and the patterns are rarely the same.
A 12-year-old struggling with ADHD and emotional outbursts, a 21-year-old dealing with anxiety and inability to focus in college, and a 45-year-old experiencing burnout, brain fog, and chronic stress may all share overlapping symptoms, but their neurotransmitter profiles are often completely different. What helps one person can actually worsen symptoms in another. A protocol that works beautifully for a child may be entirely wrong for a middle-aged adult under chronic stress. This is exactly why testing matters at any age, and why a personalized assessment is always the right first step before any intervention.
How It Works
Getting your kit is simple. As an authorized ZRT Laboratory provider, we have the kits available at our clinic in Palm Beach Gardens - you can pick yours up in person or have it mailed directly to you. Both the neurotransmitter and cortisol tests are collected at home - urine for neurotransmitters, saliva for cortisol - and mailed directly to ZRT Laboratory using a prepaid envelope. Click here for Order Form
About your results. Once they arrive, you will have a detailed picture of your neurotransmitter and cortisol levels. Some patients review their results independently and use them to guide conversations with their existing healthcare providers.
Our Analysis & Recommendations Report ($50). We offer a dedicated Results Analysis & Individualized Supplementation Protocol Report where we analyze every marker in plain language - what your levels mean, why you have been feeling the way you have, and what your body specifically needs to rebalance. Your individualized protocol may include:
Recommendations for Targeted nutritional supplementation: vitamins, minerals, amino acids, adaptogenic herbs, and botanical support selected specifically for your deficiencies and imbalances, never a generic one-size-fits-all approach
Recommendations for Acupuncture: with protocols designed to improve focus and attention, regulate the nervous system, calm the HPA axis, and support neurotransmitter balance
Dietary and lifestyle recommendations: because the gut produces 90% of the body's serotonin, and what we eat directly impacts brain chemistry
Follow-up testing recommendation: your report includes guidance on when to retest so you can confirm levels are improving and continue refining your protocol over time
This is what root-cause integrative care looks like in practice, for you, for your child, and for the people you love most.
Take the First Step
You do not have to keep guessing. The answers are in the chemistry, and we have the tools to help you find them. Contact us or click here for Order Form
Schedule Your Appointment: Call or Text (561) 895-1660
ABOUTAdalys E. Diaz, L.Ac.
Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Results may vary between individuals. Always consult with your healthcare provider about your specific condition.