The Healthy ME Summit: Overcoming Depression and Anxiety runs Jan 7-17, 2016. Here are some snippets from the excellent interview with Carolyn Ledowsky, Naturopath, Herbalist, Nutritionist: MTHFR, Depression & Anxiety.
MTHFR is a gene that helps the conversion of folate to the active form. When you eat leafy greens the body goes through many metabolic processes to change the folate to an active folate and this active folate is what we call a methyl group.
It’s this methyl group that acts as a master switch in really important processes in our body… it helps detoxify chemicals and heavy metals, and really importantly it helps us make glutathione (our major antioxidant that protects us from free radical damage), it helps to process hormones and it’s really important in the stress response.
Stress uses up a lot of our methyl groups and some people use up all their methyl groups when they are really stressed. They can turn the stress response on but then they don’t have enough to turn it off so they stay in this hyper-stress state.
If you have a lack of methyfolate or methyl groups then you don’t have enough components to generate neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
I would say 80% of people with MTHFR who come to our clinic would experience anxiety or depression and for some of them it’s had a huge impact on their lives and they just can’t function.
Carolyn shares some of the early research on folate and depression, psychosis and schizophrenia; how SAMe is the distributor of all these really important methyl groups to every part of the body; the importance of vitamin B12, zinc, vitamin B6 and how elevated homocysteine is neurotoxic and has a massive impact on mood; how the mutations in the COMT gene can make you less able to tolerate methylfolate; why a vegan or vegetarian diet can be a big factor with anxiety and depression.
She also covers pyroluria (and low zinc and low vitamin B6) as well as high copper and infections:
You can actually get a copper toxicity depression (even without pyroluria). You can have high copper with estrogen dominance, low iron, low molybdenum and one of the key strategies is to balance copper and zinc (and look at why zinc is low to start with)
Strep infections can increase excitatory receptor activity, decreasing GABA levels and impairing speech in kids with autism
It’s a really excellent interview and not to be missed!
Here are more details about the Healthy ME Summit: Overcoming Depression and Anxiety, January 7-17, 2016.
You will discover 50 of the brightest and most brilliant minds in the field of mental health and wellness. The interviews are a collection of experts, as well as individuals sharing their inspirational personal experiences. The culmination of both of these points of view provides you the listener with the answers and solutions to your mental health challenges.
Here are a few of the other excellent speakers and topics:
- Nicole Bijlsma, Author, Naturopath, Acupuncturist: Mould The New Asbestos [this is the Australian spelling of mold]
- Therese Kerr, Author, Speaker, Health Ambassador: Chemicals in Cosmetics to Avoid
- Amy Myers, MD, Author: The Autoimmune Solution for Mental Health
- Reed Davis, Functional Nutritionist: Addressing Metabolic Chaos
I’m thrilled to be included in this line-up of experts and I’ll be sharing Nutritional Solutions for Anxiety – and will cover the amino acids GABA and tryptophan, and the social anxiety condition pyroluria.
Hope you can join us! You can learn more and register here:
http://overcomingdepressionandanxiety.com/infuisonsoft.php?p=TrudyScott&w=hme
I’m excited about this summit!
So this is probably one of the easiest questions you’ll get, but it’s bugging me… is “ME” an acronym for something? Or is it just “Me”?!!
Carla
Glad you’re excited – it’s a great line-up! It’s simply “Me”
In previous articles there was a mention once of “over methylation,” but there was no discussion of just what this is. What are the symptoms and/or consequences of being over methylated? This is important to me as I have the MTHFR gene and take supplements, including methylated B vitamins, SAMe, MSM, etc. On more than a few instances, I end up feeling very “wired” and anxious by the end of the day. Are there specific articles on this topic of over methylation that I can access?
Jo Ann
Too many methyl groups can make you feel anxious and/or wired. Dr. Carolyn Ledowsky does address this in her interview.
We also discussed this during my interview with Dr. Ben Lynch on the Anxiety Summit https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/anxiety-summit-methylfolate-anxiety/
Trudy,
I am quite overwhelmed with more and more things to combat anxiety, so I’m not sure I’ll be listening next month. Can you tell me this: even is one doesn’t have the genetic variation, can you take the methyl forms of Vitamin B if you feel you’ve been depleted after a stressful event? If so, do you have a specific recommendation about which supplement(s) to take? A B-multi, or individual supplements?
And you already alluded to this, but what are the main side effects of either taking too much, or (if this can even happen) taking the methyl forms and not being able to break them down. Thank you for any help you can provide!
Good for you just taking in what you feel comfortable with!
You can have these symptoms: more anxiety, irritability, insomnia, anger issues
I like DFH Twice daily multi and/or a good B complex with at least 50mg (here is my supplements blog https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-pyroluria-supplements/)
I just gave myself the gift of this summit and can hardly wait. I have this week off, and wondered if there is any way that I can get the recordings earlier while I have the time to learn this (very important to me) information. Merry Christmas!
Darlene
How wonderful to gift yourself this series! I’m not sure when they will be delivering the videos to those who have purchased but I will check and let you know here
Merry Christmas to you too!
I heard back – the material will be delivered January 5th via email. So you get to chill out! Or check out one of the Anxiety Summits http://www.theanxietysummit.com/s3/purchase/ (you’ll get the digital versions delivered via email immediately)
How does one find out if they have this gene?
I like the saliva gene testing that https://www.23andme.com/ offers. It’s now $199 for this MTHFR gene and many others that may also impact mood (like COMT, MAOA, VDR, MTRR etc)
The 23andme website warns that canadians don’t have any protection against genetic discrimination. I would like to have this test done, but don’t want to worry about problems later in life when it comes to life insurance. What are your thoughts on this?
Amy
This is always a potential concern with any testing and should always be considered. It’s really up to each person to decide. I personally want to know so I have control over my own health.
You could possibly use an alias for the testing. I know some people do that.I don’t know if that is a solution but maybe worth considering.
Trudy
I saw two studies on the justification for the diagnosis and testing of pyroluria on your site or another. I took the two documents to my PCP and she began to think that there is something to this…unusual for allopathic medicine unfortunately.But since then I can’t find the info and someone else wants them. I think the explanations for why the testing and diagnosis was thought to be erroneous had to do with how the testing was done. These papers explained those problems that took place back then and showed how testing today can duplicate those earlier results. The reports might have been from outside the US. Do you know of what papers I am referring or do you need more information from me to understand? I am getting a bit desperate to find them. Thanks.
Candy
How wonderful that your PCP wants to learn more!
It may be the 2 studies on this blog https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/pyroluria-mauve-pyrrole-malvaria-kryptopyrroles-social-anxiety/ Discerning the Mauve Factor, Part 1 and Discerning the Mauve Factor, Part 2.
If not and you do find it please share here as I’d love to know too
Thank you so much for the head’s up on this interview, Trudy! I only have time to catch a couple of them a day and am so glad this was one of them. My question is: My B12 has been normal on all my blood work–would that be the case if I was positive for MTHFR?
Ann
Glad you enjoyed it! B12, B6 and folate can all be in good range with or without MTHFR mutations. Just having the gene doesn’t mean its expressing and cause a deficiency. Keep in mind B12 should be 450 to 500 and above. Even then also testing methylmalonic acid and homocysteine together with B12 is more reliable.
Thank you Trudy! I caught your interview today and loved it as always. You always bring it! I’m always inspired and have something new in my tool belt after listening to you.
Super Ann!
Hello Trudy!
Thank you for your awesome work on the ongoing summits. Question on MTHFR gene….could a higher level of B12 be indicative of the body’s inability to absorb it, or would B12 just be low if it was a malabsorption issue due to MTHFR issue?