My MTHFR Story…
Fourteen years ago we learned that my kids and I have MTHFR genetic variants. We had suffered most of our lives struggling with lots of health issues. My parents also had lots of health issues and my mother lost her gallbladder in her early 40’s and then died of a heart attack at age 47. My dad was diagnosed with MS at age 35 and died of cancer.
Figuring out that we had the variants explained a lot of things. By this point the doctors had taken the gallbladder out of my then 9 and 17 year olds and we were at our end. I was struggling with EBV, lyme, chronic infections, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, thyroid issues, depression and more. I was thankful to have some answers. Even though I always loved to cook and thought we were eating pretty healthy I realized that so much of our food in the US is really not good for us. Changing our diet and lifestyle had a huge positive impact on our lives. I will say that all of the functional medicine testing and retesting that we did was a huge disappointment. Thousands and thousands of dollars on testing and thousands and thousands more on supplements that just did not work.
I studied to become a health coach with the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, the Institute for Functional Medicine and then when things were still not great I did the Essential Oil Institute program which gave me the answers I needed to finally heal my gut and to support methylation and detoxification (and so much more) using essential oils along with super food powders and animal glandular. You can find my favorites along with my 12 hand crafted essential oil blends that I formulated over the last decade on the SHOP page of my website. I have gotten great results over the years and would love for you to check out my Google Reviews. I am excited to now have a social media presence where more people can find my products and this information.
Gallbladder & Liver Support
What is MTHFR?
MTHFR (Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) are genetic mutations or variants that are estimated to be present in 44-60% (some estimate as high as 70%) of the population. These genetic variants cause us to not “methylate” well which basically means we do not detoxify well and we do not turn our food into energy well. Methylation is the core process that occurs in every cell of our body to make biochemical conversions. Methylation impacts everything from brain chemistry to hormone balancing, digestive health, immune function and so much more.
Signs and symptoms that have been linked to MTHFR and poor methylation…
Autoimmunity
High histamine levels
Food allergies and sensitivities
Digestive issues, Gallbladder issues
IBS, IBD
Mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar/schizophrenia
Thyroid issues
Autism
Addictions: smoking, drugs, alcohol, sugar
Down syndrome
Frequent miscarriages
Male and female infertility
Pulmonary embolism and other blood clots
Fibromyalgia
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chemical sensitivity
Stroke
Hyperhomocysteinemia
Breast cancer
Atherosclerosis
Alzheimer’s
Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and other neurological disorders
Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
Methotrexate toxicity
Nitrous oxide toxicity
Cardiovascular diseases
Colon cancer
Acute leukemia
Nerve pain
Migraine headaches
Pregnancies with neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly
How do I know if I have these mutations?
There are two main variants of the gene which are C677T and A1298C. For each variant a person can have one mutation (heterozygous) or two mutations (homozygous) which may lead to more serious problems. These main variants can be tested by a medical doctor or third party testing such as 23 and Me (interpretation will be needed). There are many other variants of the gene that are not typically tested.
Homozygous: Occurs when the same gene is passed on from both parents, meaning both parents passed on either C677T or A1298C.
Heterozygous: One parent passed on a healthy normal gene, but the other parent passed on a mutated gene (either C677T or A1298C).
Compound Heterozygous: One parent passed on C677T, and the other parent passed on A1298C.
Natural MTHFR Support
1) Avoid synthetically made supplements, isolated mineral supplements, over the counter medications and anything with folic acid which is an inactive form of folate and can become toxic. Choose rather whole foods that are rich in folate and enzymes and if additional “folic acid” (FOLATE) is needed use whole supplements with natural forms of folate and B vitamins. Also choose natural pain relievers, and adaptogenic herbs to support health naturally. Check out my shop page for my favorites!
2) Avoid Drugs That Deplete or Block Absorption of Folate and B-12 (Never stop medications without the guidance of your doctor)
Birth control Pills
Methotrexate
Proton pump acid inhibitors
Antacids
Cholesterol binding drugs
Metformin
3) Watch my 30 Steps to Optimal Health Series to learn about addressing leaky gut, biofilms, decreasing toxin load, addressing nutrient deficiencies and more!
4) Eat a real whole food organic diet with plenty of leafy greens which are loaded with active forms of folate which the body can more easily process.
5) GET YOUR HISTAMINE UNDER CONTROL!!!
Eliminate or decrease caffeine intake. Caffeine hinders our DAO enzyne production which we need for clearing histamine from our bodies.
Bitter Herbs and antimicrobials—See the Rescue Me, Warrior Strong and Anointed blends. These blends are a game changer to stop the fermenting and rotting of food in the gut and help tremendously to get the histamine under control!
If you have identified certain foods that are triggering for you avoid those foods until you have done the detox protocol for about a month and then try incorporating those foods again. You should see that those foods are less or not at all problematic
6) Support digestion, detoxification, and the parasympathetic nervous system
Chew your food until it is liquified
See our SHOP PAGE for ancient botanicals in bulk such as Lions Mane Mushroom Powder, Reshi Mushroom Powder and Gelatanized Maca which have been used for more than 2,000 years for supporting wholistic health
Support the Parasympathetic Nervous System. This is our rest and digest state—See the night time blends and pick yours for FREE in the Must Have Starter Pack
Meditate, self care, acupressure (see videos to learn simple techniques on the video page)
7) Decrease your toxin load!
Eat a diet high in fiber to move out the toxins! Work on gut health first because often additional fiber in an unhealthy gut just causes more issues.
Choose organic food as much as possible
Avoid aluminum exposure in antiperspirants, canned goods and cookware
Have mercury amalgams removed by a biological dentist
Use natural and organic cleaning products
Use natural skin and hair care products
Drink high-quality filtered water (see companies I have researched on the RESOURCE page of my website)
Invest in a high quality air purifier for your bedroom. Eight hours of clean sleep can do wonders!
8) Schedule a one on one consultation if you need additional support. On the CONTACT page of my website you can fill out your health history form and I will review it before we do the consult. You can schedule there also.
Do I need to be tested ?
In my opinion testing really is not necessary because it does not give a total picture of what is going on. There are actually less common variants of the gene that are not tested and also many other genetic factors as well as so many additional things that play into our health and so many things that we CAN control. Therefore my approach is to focus on those things that we can control such as supporting our detox pathways, proper methylation, healthier diet, lifestyle, cleaning up toxin load, attention to self-care, addressing emotional trauma and nutrient deficiencies.
It is important to remember that having an MTHFR gene mutation does not necessarily cause disease. Having MTHFR does make you more susceptible to many diseases because it impedes your body’s ability to function properly. This is excellent news because it means YOU have the power to influence your own health.