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MTHFR mind map


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Cool way to look at all the facets that this issue touches!

 

Re: his stats - the stats on heterozygous C677T making you 55-70% efficient - I've seen estimates in the 40% range, but it's in the same ballpark. His estimate that you're only 10% efficient if you're homozygous agree with what I've read elsewhere. I haven't seen any estimates on how A1298 effects your efficiency. Tho it's studied, I never see as much understanding on what role A1298 plays or how to treat it. Yasko says you should use DMG/TMG/BH4 for the A1298 mutation and methylfolate for C677 mutations. But I haven't found as much research into A1298 (tho to be honest, it isn't the mutation we have in my family, so I haven't spent much time on that one)

 

Re: his stats that 98% of autistic kids have a MTHFR mutation - my guess is that this must come from one particular study where 98% of the participants have this. I don't know of any all-encompassing research that has found this to be true of the entire ASD population. Comments like this make you want to take everything he says with a grain of salt, IMO.

 

But I do agree with his mind map. It's a little simplistic - avoid bad chemicals and junk food - well, yeah. And I'm not sure the same supplements would apply to both mutations (C677 and A1298). I honestly don't know if you need to take methylfolate with A1298 or if you're good with just taking DMG. I haven't studied that piece well enough.

 

But I like the way he laid out the map - it gives you a path to follow. You just may need to customize it a bit based on your own particulars. Like if you have chronic infection or metals, which steps you take and in what order may be different. I do agree you need to fix the bowels before you do anything else, because if you're not regular, then all the toxins you start shedding stay in the body and get reabsorbed. It's a strange experience to go to an LLMD or integrative and in your first meeting with this stranger, talk in depth about your bowels and graphically discuss what happens every day. But the conveyor belt has to work well before you can get rid of built up garbage. A few years ago, SFMom starting going on about detox and I thought she was nuts. Now I get what she meant. And going slow is what I've found too. When I've gotten impatient, I've paid the price with mood issues.

 

I have to say, I'm starting to feel like this map and the whole topic applies to just about everyone, even those without an MTHFR mutation. Obviously, those without MTHFR mutations only need folate, not methylfolate. But the concept of testing in the map's upper left corner is good advice for everyone. My DH has been struggling with fatigue and other issues for about a year now. His PCP shrugged. His integrative MD is proving to be only mildly helpful, ruling things out but not offering much else. So out of frustration, I had him start taking 1 Core a few weeks ago. And he felt better. The other day, his integrative called with lab results and wants him taking 10,000 IUs of D3. This morning, he says he feels better than he has in a long time. So this confirms to me that his real problem is some combination of deficiencies and that doing a combo of supplements and detox is what's going to turn things around for him. Now I just need to find a new integrative to help us get there. DH said he's ok just following Dr Laura's pill-popping advice, but I'd feel better having a doc draw a few more pints of blood as a guide.

 

Both my kids had hand-foot-mouth disease last week - 103 fevers. Both recovered pretty quickly and without any mood/Pandas issues. I honestly believe it's all the focus on "methylation" support (and I use the term broadly). Now, DD has a loose tooth and we've seen that typical erratic behavior for the past few days. So I upped some magnesium (to keep BMs going) and tryptophan and methylfolate and she woke up happy as a clam this morning, even with the tooth still stubbornly dangling from its socket.

 

I wish it were an easier topic to discuss, because for my family, it's been "the" thing that's turned everything around. Thanks for the map. Going to bookmark it.

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Thank YOU for all that info.

 

Do you mind telling me, where are you geographically?

 

Cool way to look at all the facets that this issue touches!

 

Re: his stats - the stats on heterozygous C677T making you 55-70% efficient - I've seen estimates in the 40% range, but it's in the same ballpark. His estimate that you're only 10% efficient if you're homozygous agree with what I've read elsewhere. I haven't seen any estimates on how A1298 effects your efficiency. Tho it's studied, I never see as much understanding on what role A1298 plays or how to treat it. Yasko says you should use DMG/TMG/BH4 for the A1298 mutation and methylfolate for C677 mutations. But I haven't found as much research into A1298 (tho to be honest, it isn't the mutation we have in my family, so I haven't spent much time on that one)

 

Re: his stats that 98% of autistic kids have a MTHFR mutation - my guess is that this must come from one particular study where 98% of the participants have this. I don't know of any all-encompassing research that has found this to be true of the entire ASD population. Comments like this make you want to take everything he says with a grain of salt, IMO.

 

But I do agree with his mind map. It's a little simplistic - avoid bad chemicals and junk food - well, yeah. And I'm not sure the same supplements would apply to both mutations (C677 and A1298). I honestly don't know if you need to take methylfolate with A1298 or if you're good with just taking DMG. I haven't studied that piece well enough.

 

But I like the way he laid out the map - it gives you a path to follow. You just may need to customize it a bit based on your own particulars. Like if you have chronic infection or metals, which steps you take and in what order may be different. I do agree you need to fix the bowels before you do anything else, because if you're not regular, then all the toxins you start shedding stay in the body and get reabsorbed. It's a strange experience to go to an LLMD or integrative and in your first meeting with this stranger, talk in depth about your bowels and graphically discuss what happens every day. But the conveyor belt has to work well before you can get rid of built up garbage. A few years ago, SFMom starting going on about detox and I thought she was nuts. Now I get what she meant. And going slow is what I've found too. When I've gotten impatient, I've paid the price with mood issues.

 

I have to say, I'm starting to feel like this map and the whole topic applies to just about everyone, even those without an MTHFR mutation. Obviously, those without MTHFR mutations only need folate, not methylfolate. But the concept of testing in the map's upper left corner is good advice for everyone. My DH has been struggling with fatigue and other issues for about a year now. His PCP shrugged. His integrative MD is proving to be only mildly helpful, ruling things out but not offering much else. So out of frustration, I had him start taking 1 Core a few weeks ago. And he felt better. The other day, his integrative called with lab results and wants him taking 10,000 IUs of D3. This morning, he says he feels better than he has in a long time. So this confirms to me that his real problem is some combination of deficiencies and that doing a combo of supplements and detox is what's going to turn things around for him. Now I just need to find a new integrative to help us get there. DH said he's ok just following Dr Laura's pill-popping advice, but I'd feel better having a doc draw a few more pints of blood as a guide.

 

Both my kids had hand-foot-mouth disease last week - 103 fevers. Both recovered pretty quickly and without any mood/Pandas issues. I honestly believe it's all the focus on "methylation" support (and I use the term broadly). Now, DD has a loose tooth and we've seen that typical erratic behavior for the past few days. So I upped some magnesium (to keep BMs going) and tryptophan and methylfolate and she woke up happy as a clam this morning, even with the tooth still stubbornly dangling from its socket.

 

I wish it were an easier topic to discuss, because for my family, it's been "the" thing that's turned everything around. Thanks for the map. Going to bookmark it.

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I am wondering how much of a role the COMT gene plays, since that affects methylation as well. Does it add another more complex layer to repairing the cycle? Has anyone tested COMT for mutations?

Edited by NancyD
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