MTHFR mutations slow down your ability to make methyl groups, those one-carbon, three-hydrogen molecules that are so important for the function of your body. When you are making sufficient methyl groups, your immune system kicks in to help you stay well, you get fewer lab results that keep your unwitting doctor guessing and testing, and your detox system function improves.
Methyl groups are involved in the formation and deactivation of neurotransmitters. Beyond that, the methylation of the phospholipids in your nerve cells enhance their function. Methyl groups are necessary for the deactivation of histamine. This is important when you have disorders that produce high histamine.
Methyl groups are also critical to cardiovascular function. They have an impact on every system in your body because they are genetic regulators. They modify the function of your genes. At any given time, 80% of your genes should not be expressing. Methyl groups silence genes. When you have too few methyl groups, genes express in an aberrant fashion. This leads to autoimmune disorders, among other problems. Methyl groups are central to your wellbeing.
If you have an MTHFR mutation, you most likely need to increase your methyl group production. The fastest, least complicated way to do this is to activate your BHMT pathway. Look at the BHMT pathway in the diagram below. It is in cycle #4, the methionine cycle. It goes from homocysteine back to methionine, and it frees up methyl groups as it does this so your body can use them to function. It is not your main methyl group producing pathway, but it gets the job done.
There are a few substances that activate the BHMT pathway.
One is the fish oil docosahexaenoic acid, DHA. You need only 200 to 300 IU per day of fish oil for this purpose. You don’t want to overload on this lipid because lipids slow down the activity of the NOS enzyme which is important for detoxification. You can see where NOS acts all the way over in the urea cycle, cycle #1 in the pathway above.
Another activator of the BHMT pathway is Phosphatidyl Serine Complex. The complex form of this supplement contains not just phosphatidyl serine, but a number of related substances that also contribute to the function of the BHMT pathway. If your body has been functioning with too few methyl groups and it starts to be supplied with more, symptoms can result. You may have experienced this if you suddenly started to supplement with methyl B12 or methyl folate.
The pathway above needs to function in a balanced fashion. To work well, it needs many vitamins and minerals that are not pictured in this very simplified diagram. Suddenly producing or supplementing with methyl groups may not be a welcome event for your body. Even a supplement that is a good idea, one that you need, may make you feel bad. It takes some experience to know which direction is up and what to do about a reaction to a supplement.
I can help here. I work with more MTHFR patients than any other doctor in the US. I focus exclusively on the MTHFR mutation and the other mutations surrounding it in the methyl group producing pathway. I can help you to remove the road blocks put up by these mutations and get your body to work for you. This area of your biology is not simple. You need the right supplements in the right amounts started in the right order, just like the computer you are looking at this on now.
In order for your computer to work well and show you this information, you had to click the right buttons in the right order. If you did not do that, you would not be seeing this material. It would not have been because your computer is broken, the world is against you, etc., it would have been because you did not have the right information to get what you wanted. It is the same with your body. You need the right information to get the healing you want.
I have a free, downloadable ebook that you can opt in for at NancyMullanMD.com that gives you further detail about these issues. Click here to get your free ebook.
Have an Exploratory Conversation with me.
It is a no obligation half hour conference in which I will hear your story, listen to what you have tried, look at your test results and give you some direction. It will get you unstuck. It does not involve becoming my patient or filling out any long intake forms. My fee for this time is $129. I can clarify a lot of confusion and put you on the road to recovery. Just contact me at NancyMullanMD@aol.com and let me know that you want an Exploratory Conversation.
What people like you are saying about Dr. Mullan’s work:
I shudder at the thought of what my family would be like without Dr. Mullan. Thankfully, with her help, we have stopped my husband's chronic 30 year battle with kidney stones. He is no longer forming them and is stone free. My thyroid is now working normally, my body temperature is almost normal and my hair has grown back. My oldest daughter's Autism is in the process of being reversed and her hair pulling has stopped. The greatest blessing from our good health is the birth of my second daughter Ava, now one-year-old. At 50 years old I carried her to term. One of my doctors commented to me saying “ you are carrying this baby like a 22-year-old.” Yes, I am because of Dr. Mullan and working on my methylation pathway. One by one she is knocking off symptoms and bringing us back to health. The future is bright! Thank you, Dr. Mullan, for the work you do.
JVW
Wow. I feel great. Thank you for your help. It's amazing really. Like a light turned on. Curious to see what the next tests show. To ride this peak indefinitely is my goal. Ha. I have energy again. Yay!
Really grateful,
DG
I am so relieved. My daughter is doing SO WELL since we started with you! We have been to so many doctors and tried so many things.Now I can start working on my own program with you....
GV
So excellent! I literally learn something every single time and I get clarification on things that have been lingering in my mind… VB
You are giving people a huge gift by empowering them… It’s about helping the patient become their own healer by taking them to a higher level of consciousness… AL
Thank you so much, Dr. Mullan. Thank you so, so much for everything you do. MS
Wow! I have to tell you, this was such an uplifting session. It’s so nice to hear good news, especially about a child. Anxiety, OCD and a host of other mental/psychiatric symptoms have been a huge hurdle for me. So to hear this story of all those awful symptoms totally going away is such a bright light for me!!!! TR
Fantastic, caring, smart, savvy doc. I worked with Dr. Mullan for a couple of years to help MTHFR mutations and their associating expressions! To say the least! She's brilliant. At that time she had weekly calls for her patients - free - where we could ask questions and she would reply. What doctors do this? She does. She's also an animal lover and is right on about the way she practices medicine. I highly recommend her. In good health!
MG
"Dr. Nancy Mullan is a beautiful person. She is an expert in her field and has helped our family so much. I am very grateful to her. She came highly recommended and I know why. I would recommend her and her website for information re: healing from a genetic point of view. Thank you, Dr. Mullan, for everything.”
GD
"Dr.Mullan has helped me with issues that I have struggled with for years. She is knowledgable and practical. I would recommend her to others.”
BC