How do I treat my MTHFR genetic mutation?
There are some simple things you can do and then there are some more involved steps you might want to take. You may have heard there’s a lot to it, but if you just take care to do one thing at a time, it’s not that overwhelming. Try to remember this is your life and so it’s about the quality of lifestyle you want to cultivate, and that’s what will be most valuable to your long-term health. Think marathon instead of sprint. Stay with me through the end of this video and we’ll cover the specific nutrients you may want to take if you have MTHFR, some of the key things you’ll want to avoid, and some lifestyle changes you might need to make in your home.
Our Customer Success Story:
"I have been treating my MTHFR since 2011, long before most people had ever even heard of it. I learned about one of its main nutrients for treatment, methylfolate, through an OBGYN who was able to save his son’s life using that key vitamin. I was convinced not only by the science I learned from Dr. Rawlins, but also by my own personal journey as well as the overwhelmingly positive responses my customers have had with the methylfolate. Many have sent testimonials telling us how powerful this specific form of folate has been for their mood levels and quality of life. And I know the right kind of folate totally changed my life which is why I became a methylfolate expert and am obsessed with ensuring the methylfolate I take every day has the best chemistry, quality and is the purest on the planet."
So where will you want to start with your MTHFR therapy?
First easy things first, what NOT to take, folic acid – specifically I’m talking about the synthetic folic acid you get from a vitamin supplement or from fortified foods. This particular form of folate does not convert well in the body of an individual with MTHFR and therefore you can’t properly absorb or use it, and in fact, it may actually be causing problems for you. So just avoid taking folic acid as much as you can.
Secondly, consider preparing your body for the active ingredient, methylfolate which will actually bypass the MTHFR gene mutation you have and directly give you the form of folate your body needs to absorb and use. And so by prepare, I mean take some nutrients that ensure your biopathways have the supporting nutrients your methylfolate will need to do all of its downstream jobs.
The general recommendation is to start by taking a multivitamin that does not have any methylfolate or B12 in it at all – start there with a mild dose, if you’re feeling good then assume you can add another important supporting nutrient, magnesium, into your daily routine – but be sure you get a very bio-available form, consider Sucrosomial® magnesium.
TriMethyllGlycine (or TMG) is another nutrient that some folks will want to take, especially if they know they have high hom*ocysteine levels (you will only know this if a doctor has tested you – anything above a 9 for hom*ocysteine is typically considered elevated).
And lastly, we suggest you strongly consider adding some active B12 into your routine. For most hydroxocobalamin will be the one that’s best tolerated (but it’s also typically the hardest one to find). Some folks might already know they tolerate one of the other forms, like methylcobalamin which works directly with methylfolate, so those may be helpful. But you need a good active B12 that will work along with the methylfolate to support the methylation and also prevent the methylfolate from masking a B12 deficiency.
But DO NOT take cyanocobalamin, it’s a non-converted form and most folks cannot convert it, so it’s not helpful for them and in some cases can make one sick. Once a doctor gave me a B12 shot, it was a high dose of cyanocobalamin, and I had a lot of horrible symptoms for a couple days because I later learned that my body can’t convert cyanocobalamin.
Now you get to the big step, which is totake some methylfolate. This is the active ingredient that actually gets around the MTHFR mutation and gives your body that much needed burst of life-force which comes from having the correct form of folate hitting your cells.
Now you may have some additional questions like: how much methylfolate should I start with? or what dose should I target taking on a daily basis long term? or are there any side effects that come with taking methylfolate, if so, what are they? All good questions. We have a Methylfolate Dosage video as well as a Methylfolate Side Effects video you should watch to get some specific details about exactly how to get started and what to watch out for.
So since I have already made those videos, I’m going to suggest you take the time to watch them, and in this video, I’ll move on to the next thing you’ll want to consider when treating MTHFR.
Try to ‘clean up’ your lifestyle a little more. Why do I say this and what the heck do I mean by it?
Well, one of the big issues MTHFR causes is a reduced ability for the body to detoxify itself from the bad things that we start to accumulate more and more of overtime.
For instance, heavy metals, BPAs, phthalates, glyphosate (Round-Up), environmental toxins (chlorine/chloramine), VOCs (from newer buildings that are super-insulated and don’t ‘breathe’), gas fumes, bacterial and mold toxins, etc. So you kinda get the idea, right? The bad stuff that our bodies are taking on faster than we can get rid of? So how do we ‘clean up’ from all of these things?
Some of the most common symptoms of histamine intolerance to be aware of include:
- Start first by avoiding the things you don’t want to be accumulating, so stay away from the metals, don’t put your foods in the bad plastic containers (use glass or other safe alternatives), don’t spray your yard with weed killers that contain glyphosate (when this stuff becomes airborne, you’re susceptible – stay inside if you see your neighbors are doing it), do what you can to make sure your house can breathe, and if it’s super-insulated, consider a whole-house system like EZBreathe to help move the ‘bad’ air out and away, use a good water filter in your home that can filter out the chlorine and the chloramine for your drinking and cooking water, consider using an electric stove instead of gas, don’t stand next to the gas tank as you pump gas into your car, when you’re behind a truck or bus that’s spewing exhaust, use your recirculating fan so that black stuff isn’t going into your body.
- Consider diet changes. Eat more natural organic whole foods, like fruits and veggies. Try to lessen the amount of processed foods you eat regularly. Avoid antibiotic and hormone fed meats. Eat smaller meals more often and eliminate inflammatory foods.
- And here’s a tough one, kick gluten and dairy to the curb – get them completely out of your diet. It’s a hard one to do, but many who have MTHFR also have significant issues with dairy and gluten. Gluten and dairy can cause leaky gut which then creates antibodies in the bloodstream and immune reactions which bring inflammation (because your body thinks it’s got to protect you from these invaders).
- Probiotics can be a big help with leaky gut, so if you’re not on a good one, consider a spore-based probiotic, they are incredibly effective. But stop inviting these inflammatory invaders to the table, tell them you know you’ll be okay (not just okay, actually good and even better) if you don’t have them. No matter how they call to you through your cravings, be strong and ‘just say no’. Antibodies from dairy can actually fight with folate for receptor access, so just leave these bad guys behind and see how you do for a couple months, completely free of both.
You might be amazed at how well you feel when you look back. I realize this is one of the hardest things to do. But if you try it and find you feel so much better, then you can decide, do I want to eat what I love or do I want to feel better? And then you’ll be making an informed choice.
Personally, I’ve found the only way to go off gluten and dairy is to have some solid alternatives in place, and psychologically, it might take a couple weeks to prepare yourself for the undertaking.
Take the time you need and give it a shot – your health and quality of life will thank you!
Okay, we’ve gone through a lot of the ‘what to avoid’ so we can reduce toxic build up, now how do we get rid of the ‘toxic burden’ you already have on-board?
- One great way to detox is by sweating, you can do this through exercise, infra-red saunas or biomats, but this is something that people with MTHFR don’t naturally do much of and they really need to do more.
- Obviously, when you’re sweating out the bad stuff, you want to be replenishing with ‘clean chlorine free and chloramine free’ water as well as adding back in those electrolytes and trace minerals you will be sweating out. Some use Himalayan pink salt as a salt source rich in electrolytes.
- Other things to consider, do I have mercury fillings in my teeth? If so, you should heavily consider having a qualified dentist remove and replace them for you.
- If you have carpets, they are magnets for germs, molds, mildew and many other not so healthy contaminates that can affect the body, maybe you want to replace those with wood or tile. And consider an air purifier as well as an EZBreathe unit especially for your sleeping spaces.
- Lastly, there are some additional supporting nutrients that are suggested for folks who have MTHFR which can help them detoxify their burden and/or just feel better. Please note, not everyone can take them, so try them one at a time for a number of days before you switch anything up to see if any cause you trouble or grief and if so, assume it’s not for you or maybe you need to try a much smaller amount to start.
Here are some additional nutrients helpful for detoxification and supporting methylation/MTHFR:
- N-acetylcysteine (NAC)
- Vitamin E
- Probiotics
- DHA/EPA
- Vitamin C
- Glutathione
- Silymarin (Milk Thistle)
- Curcumin
- Vitamin D3
- Zinc
- Citicoline
- Nattokinase
- Riboflavin-5-Phosphate
