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23andme results help

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10
Hi guys,

I would love some help with interpreting my 23andme results. Here they are. There is much conflicting advice about what to do. Should I start with CBS? I read here that its CBS isn’t big deal so skip it? Or should I get sulphur and ammonia levels checked first? Where do I start? I really have no idea.

Thanks heaps guys.

Chris
 
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chrismac.jpg
 
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15,786
I would love some help with interpreting my 23andme results. Here they are. There is much conflicting advice about what to do. Should I start with CBS? I read here that its CBS isn’t big deal so skip it? Or should I get sulphur and ammonia levels checked first? Where do I start? I really have no idea.
Your heterozygous CBS SNP doesn't affect gene functioning at all, so there's no reason to think there's any dysfunction based on these results.

Being heterozygous for COMT means you don't have the fast or slow versions for breaking down catecholamines, but are somewhere in the middle. With those being "normal" and the fast version of MAOA, they shouldn't be causing any problems with you tolerating methyl groups (methyfolate or methylB12).

VDR Taq being TT suggests that you're slow in producing catecholamines.

MTHFR C677T being AA means that you are very slow in producing methylfolate - going at about 30% of the normal rate. Hence supplementing methylfolate may be essential for you.

MTRR A66G results in higher homocysteine and lower methionine. B12 supplementation may help. If sensitive to methyl groups at all, hydroxoB12 should be a safer form than methylB12. If taking methylB12, be careful of potassium issues. MTRR A664A is irrelevant to gene functioning.

BHMT-08 has a minor impact on gene functioning, but that might not apply to the heterozygous version. The other BHMT SNPs are meaningless.

The AHCY SNPs are also meaningless.

SHMT1 can increase the malfunctioning of MTHFR C677T. This might only apply to AA, and not AG. In can indicate a need for folate and folinic acid.

SUMMARY:
Your MTHFR problem could be pretty severe. If you haven't had folate levels tested, it might be a good idea to do so. You almost certainly need to supplement methyfolate, and may need to avoid folic acid in the process (often added to breads, cereals, and other grains). You also might need some B12 and/or folinic acid.
 
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Thanks Valentijn, I really appreciate it...

I've been on fredds b12 protocol for about 6 months. Not very consistent an structured tho. So I've been taking methb12 and methylate and other supps. I have made some good progress but still have quite severe CFS...

If these were your results and you had CFS what exactly world you do?

Is there anything else of concern with my results? It doesn't seem like a lot wrong for the level of fatigue I have....
 
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I've been on fredds b12 protocol for about 6 months. Not very consistent an structured tho. So I've been taking methb12 and methylate and other supps. I have made some good progress but still have quite severe CFS...
Methylation won't cure ME/CFS - at best it can help things improve a bit.
If these were your results and you had CFS what exactly world you do?
The VDR Taq could indicate a problem generating dopamine (and thus norepinephrine and epinephrine). If I were you I'd get those tested somehow, either from urine or blood. If not able to do that, this site has advice for your combination (COMT -/- and VDR +/+ by their reckoning).
Is there anything else of concern with my results? It doesn't seem like a lot wrong for the level of fatigue I have....
Methylation probably isn't a central part of ME/CFS, but rather a peripheral or contributing problem. If your dopamine, norepinephrine, and/or epinephrine or low, those can cause pretty serious problems - my orthostatic intolerance, for example, seems connected to my low norepinephrine levels, and an NRI treats it very well. There also might be infections, or dysfunction with ATP (cellular energy) production, or central nervous system dysfunction, etc.
 
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That's interesting. I've read many times methylation problems can cause CFS. I thought Rich and Dr yasko held that assumption...Maybe I've misunderstood...My main problem is fatigue in my head, extremely tired/sore eyes, my brain hurts with fatigue. I find it easier doing physical exercise than reading a book or having a conversation or driving a car...Chemicals make it worse...I started methylb12 patches with folic acid, I got this nice burst of "normality" in my head, and felt much more normal, considering were I was at. This happened a few times but I could never get the same results back. I also tried glutathione precursors which gave me a "normalness" in my head. I was excited, but didn't last long...I then learnt folic acid and glutathione precursors should be avoided. I read the list of improved symptoms that Rich got with his methylation study, many improved symptoms caught my attention, such as, being be to drive a car long distances and more calm less fidgety etc...That's why I put my CFS down to mostly methylation (not that I would really know anyway). My doctor who treats CFS says its gut and bacteria and methylation (she thinks). she has sent me for a stool test, waiting to see her again..

Is there anything else I can do to make sure methylation is working properly? Have you experience treating CFS?
What are your thoughts?
 
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That's interesting. I've read many times methylation problems can cause CFS. I thought Rich and Dr yasko held that assumption...Maybe I've misunderstood...
Richvank questioned that assumption when people in his studies, and others, did not recover due to methylation support, or did not stay improved. My impression was that he thought methylation was quite important (possibly as a contributing factor to developing ME/CFS) and that fixing it might be very helpful.
My main problem is fatigue in my head, extremely tired/sore eyes, my brain hurts with fatigue. I find it easier doing physical exercise than reading a book or having a conversation or driving a car...Chemicals make it worse...
Then we might be talking about different illnesses. ME/CFS as defined by the CCC or ICC includes post-exertional malaise. This is probably good news, since very few ME/CFS patients recover after they've been sick a while. One thing you might want to look into is Orthostatic Intolerance, which can cause a lot of cognitive symptoms but is usually treatable to varying degrees.
That's why I put my CFS down to mostly methylation (not that I would really know anyway).
This happens pretty often ... starting on something new, which helps temporarily, then ceases to help as the body hits another road block or somehow "compensates" in a dysfunctional manner to return us to our crappy level of functioning.
My doctor who treats CFS says its gut and bacteria and methylation (she thinks). she has sent me for a stool test, waiting to see her again..
Without PEM, I think it's extremely premature to assume that is what you have. Looking for alternative diagnoses might be productive.
Is there anything else I can do to make sure methylation is working properly? Have you experience treating CFS?
What are your thoughts?
If money's not a big issue there is a lab in the US which runs a methylation panel - their website is at http://www.hdri-usa.com/ .

But with your symptoms and SNPs, I think neurotransmitter testing is a more useful direction to go. Your VDR suggests that you could be low in some things, some of which can cause orthostatic intolerance (and the associated cognitive dysfunction). And your symptoms seem suggestive of that as well. Many labs ofter urine tests, but there are also mainstream labs offering blood platelet tests of neurotransmitters.

I have had some benefit from supplementing B vitamins, especially with a high dose of hydroxoB12 included. It sucks a bit if I go off of them for a few days, but it doesn't make me less house-bound :p
 

Bluebell

Senior Member
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392
Wow, Valentijn's recommending Heartfixer doesn't happen every day! ;)

Chrismac, you might also check out the site of Dr. Ben Lynch, www.mthfr.net, which is mainly about C677T homozygosity.

Not to be a downer, but I just learned that MTRR A66G homozygous has a slightly higher odds of brain tumor - http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...ulating-or-down-regulating.24414/#post-373851

Do you assiduously avoid artificial folic acid in supplements and foods? That would be good to do, I think.

It's good to hear of someone who has been following Freddd's program for a relatively long time and who says it's working. I wish there were some succinct overviews of it, the way there are for Rich's. Maybe I just haven't looked around Phoenixrising's forum well enough - I did have to stop exploring, as I was getting overwhelmed. Is there a particular thread here that has good descriptions of what followers of the protocol are currently doing and currently happy with?
 
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Wow, Valentijn's recommending Heartfixer doesn't happen every day! ;)
Generally I don't recommend them! A lot of their interpretations are either wrong or based on assuming that every damned SNP is relevant to gene functioning (a la Yasko), when it isn't :p But they do have suggestions on fixing some problems, and in the case where those problems actually exist and aren't absurdly exaggerated, that advice does seem worth trying.