With Nutrigenomic testing, the goal is to fill the genetic gaps and supplement what you cannot make and build a “Multi-Vitamin” specific for your genes. When we do this, your body is at its most functional – and we see a higher immune response and many ailments suppress. We will learn if you have defects in the following areas causing illness, fatigue, and other chronic issues:
Methylation (MTHFR)
Neurotransmitter Processing
Mitochondrial Function
Detoxification
Inflammatory Potential
MTHFR has become a buzzword! Do we test for the MTHFR gene? Yes, we do! But it is only 2 of 12 genes we test in the Methylation pathway.
Why is the MTHFR gene so important?
MTHFR is a gene and like all genes, it acts as a light switch – turning on or turning off various body processes. In this matter, MTHFR takes folate (vitamin B9) and methylates (converts) it into methylfolate (5-methylTHF). This is a huge barrier to healing for many people including autistic children, sufferers of Lymes disease, and Chronic Fatigue. If you belong to an Autism, Lyme, Pandas, or Chronic Fatigue support group, Methylation (MTHFR) is the buzzword.
Over the past decade, MTHFR has been studied in terms of cardiovascular disease and cancer, but there is so much more. It also shows up often in children with developmental, neurological or behavioral symptoms and for those fighting chronic infections to no avail. If you study the methylation diagram below you can get an idea of why methylation is vital to disease prevention. Think of methylation as a kind of metabolism. Imagine the insides of a clock with many cogs, each cog regulating specific chemical reactions.
These biochemical reactions occur in our bodies billions of times per second. If you look at the middle of the picture you will see that the MTHFR gene sits at a critical point. In the diagram above you can see the MTHFR gene is a vital catalyst. It creates the reaction and conversion of one chemical to the other. If you have a glitch that keeps this gene from doing its job, the reactions/conversions don’t happen properly or at all. Instead of the light switch being on or off, it becomes stuck in some sort of dimmer switch mode, functioning, but not nearly as well as it should be. This, not coincidently, is how a lot of people with the MTHFR defect feel – dim.
