Methyltetrahydrofolate Reductase? say what? PART 2 | Fitzee Foods

Testing and Treatment

Testing for MTHFR can be done through many labs?Labcorps, Spectracell, and several of the specialty labs, such as Genova.? It is a simple blood test that does not require a large amount of blood and can be ordered by your doctor.? In some cases, you may be able to order this test yourself.? For example, the MTHFR test from Spectracell, which is currently the most accurate, can be purchased without a doctor?s order and can be taken to your local lab for a blood draw.? Test results will reveal which form of the mutation that you have and whether you have one copy of the mutation(heterozygous) or two copies of the mutation(homozygous).??? As a general rule, the A1298C mutation is associated with a group of disorders that I refer to as Neuro-Immune Syndromes?conditions affecting both the nervous and immune systems.? These include autism, alzheimer?s, Parkinson?s disease, Multiple sclerosis, Rhematoid arthritis, lupus, and many others.? Traditional medicine is currently referring to all of those disorders by separate names (mostly for insurance and billing purposes).? However, each of the aforementioned syndromes/disorders have a great deal in common: chronic, systemic inflammation, a high viral load, significant heavy metal and environmental toxicity, immune abnormalities (immune deficiency in some aspects of the immune system and immune over-activity in other aspects), mood disturbances, and hormonal imbalances.? And(again, as a general rule), the C677T mutation is more closely related to cardiovascular disorders.? In practice, however, I have seen exceptions to both of these.? Homocysteine, an inflammatory marker that is often elevated in those with the C677T mutation, can lead to heart attacks, stroke and several other cardiac-related problems.? If you decide to undergo testing for this mutation and your results reveal that you have two copies of the gene (one from each parent), it?s very important to quickly inform your parents so that they can also pursue testing and treatment.

Enough with the biochemistry lesson!? How do I fix the problem you ask?? It?s relatively simple in many cases.? You will want to avoid any supplements and foods fortified with folic acid or folate, since you are unable to metabolize it.? The? most important step is taking L-5-methyltetrahydrofolate, or L-5-MTHF.? While some supplement companies have changed to this form, many are still using regular folic acid.? Many people jump straight to just taking large doses of this vitamin.? This is a HUGE mistake and can make you quite sick.? Because the methylation pathway is a primary method of detoxing heavy metals and environmental chemicals, taking a large dose of this nutrient right away will result? in toxins being dumped too quickly.? And if your gut and liver are not functioning properly, you may recirculate toxins, moving them around instead of out!? The older you are and the more toxins that you?ve been exposed to, the more slowly you must proceed with correcting your methylation pathways.? If you?ve been on several rounds of anti-biotics, either in adulthood or as a child, it?s important for you to supplement with a high-quality probiotic.? If you?re not having at least one bowel movement per day, you will want to not only supplement with a probiotic, but you should also likely pursue a stool test.? A stool test will indicate what level of each of the good bacteria that you have, if there are any pathological bacteria present in the large intestine, any yeast that may be present, as well as any parasite infections.? Why do you need this test?? You want the gut functioning at a high level and emptying twice/day preferably before beginning any methylation protocol.? As mentioned above, if this is not done, one will likely reabsorb toxins and experience an increase in symptoms.? While optimizing gut health deserves an entirely separate article, suffice it to say that this must be addressed before moving on to fixing methylation.? And remember, many times gut issues will not present as gastrointestinal symptoms, but may produce skin eruptions/rashes, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, etc.

Once you?re digestion has improved, you can begin with a small dose of L-5-MTHF, such as 400 mcg every other day.? An important note to make here is that methyl-folate and Vitamin B12 work together.? Therefore, it?s very important to begin taking B12 once you start the -Methylfolate.? A good starting dose for B12 is 500mcg to 1,000mcg(1 milligram) taken every day.? While methyl-B12 is a great form to use, some individuals will need to use more Hydroxy-B12 than methyl-B12.? This is due to another genetic mutation, known as COMT.? COMT is the enzyme that breaks down dopamine, other catecholamines, and estrogen.? If an individual has this mutation, too much methyl-B12 may be overly-stimulating and can cause side effects, such as mood swings. After supplementing 400 mcg of L-5-MTHF every other day for a few weeks, one can increase the frequency to everyday.? I typically recommend doubling the dose of the B12 when this is done as well.? Both hydroxyl and methyl-B12 are relatively inexpensive, so I often advise people to purchase both and see which form that you tolerate better.? If you want to eliminate any guesswork, Dr. Amy Yasko has a test known as a Methylation Pathway Assessment(MPA) that tests for 30 different mutations, including MTHFR and COMT.? This will allow you to tailor your supplement regimen to your specific genetics.? Depending on what your test results for MTHFR show, one will need to continue increasing the dosage of methyl-folate.? It?s impossible to give a final dosage, as this depends on your genetics, your current diet, sleep hygiene, and stress level, as increased stress burns up methyl groups.? Obviously, having two copies of the gene, known as homozygous, will require a much higher dosage than being heterozygous, or having one copy of the gene.

With an overwhelming amount of health and wellness information available, it?s important to ask yourself ?what can I do to make EVERYTHING else work better??? Fixing your methylation pathways is certainly at the top of that list!? As discussed above, sub-optimal methylation leads to issues with the immune system, detoxification, neurotransmitter and mood disturbances, hormonal dys-regulation, uncontrolled inflammation, and decreased energy levels.? An important point to remember is that depending on when that mutation gets turned on, it can manifest differently.? For example, if there are enough environmental insults and inflammatory triggers in early childhood, this mutation be turned on.? This is what occurs in kids on the Autism spectrum.? Remember, our genes are constantly turned on and off by the information being sent to them?how we eat, our sleep hygiene, stress levels, environmental exposures, etc.? It turns out that if the MTHFR mutation is turned on in early childhood, that child has a high probability of developing an Autism spectrum disorder.? However, there are hundreds of thousands of adults with MTHFR, but they don?t have autism.? Why not?? It?s all about the timing of the? mutation being turned on.? If MTHFR is turned on later in life, such as during late adulthood, there is a high probability of a neuro-immune syndrome, such as Alzheimer?s, Parkinson?s, ALS, etc.? In fact, it?s quite common to see kids on the autism spectrum that have grandparents or older relatives with MS, Parkinson?s, etc.? If MTHFR is turned on during early childhood, one will have to work much harder to correct the issue than if it were turned on during adulthood.? Obviously, the far-reaching effects of sub-optimal methylation are even more devastating during one?s developmental period.? Armed with this information, hopefully you can now take charge of your health and implement a supplement program based on the test findings.? Be forewarned, your doctor will likely not know about MTHFR; and, if your physician does claim to be knowledgeable, make sure that he/she doesn?t try to give you plain folic acid.

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To your health,

The FITzee Foods Team

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