Thank you for that post. I've read as many of Freddds documents as I can and they are so contradictory and convoluted I can't seem to piece any protocol together. A few questions, if I may:
Do you not have to take mb12 at the same time as methyl folate to avoid methyl trapping? I was under the impression that you needed a higher amount of mb12 so I assumed you needed to take them at the same time.
Since you don't take mb12 at the same time, is that taken in accordance with food? Also wondering about the timing of LCF
Thanks for any help with this
Just to be clear, I don't speak for Freddd. I've chatted with him at length and read a good number of his posts, but even so, anything I say here about him or his protocol is only my impression and interpretation.
As I see it, Freddd never set out to provide a complete system that everyone could use to solve all their problems. He set out to discover what worked, to perhaps develop some theories that would serve him and others in healing. One of the many things that makes me respect Freddd's approach is his willingness to change his strategy when different information comes along. He is willing to say "I don't know", something I rarely hear from other methylation experts. I have seen him change his approach and theories when new information comes along. For him -- and for me -- results are what matter, not proving out a specific theory or approach or set of supplementations.
The Freddd posts you're seeing that seem contradictory may be more a matter of his changing his understanding -- of the evolution of his own research and testing and what he learns from others. His posts here span many years. So I recommend you check the dates and look for what's recent. I know that's tricky, and I'm completely sympathetic to that challenge, expecially here in the forums where things are all over the place, but there it is. (For example, when I joined not quite a year ago, I relied on an out-of-date post that recommended a specific B-complex which I then started taking daily. It had 100mg B1/Thiamin and caused me a number of problems for some time until I figured out that was way too much (10x). I now limit my daily B1/Thiamin consumption to no more than 10mg, and that's been tremendously helpful. Amount matters. Sometimes a lot.)
Re: methyltrapping: I am not going to attempt to explain methyltrapping theory or how you can prevent it -- there are lots of posts kicking around about that. I can tell you what I do now, and what works for me. My own protocol has evolved, too, based on my research and experimentation. (Which is, of course, N=1. I'm learning all the time -- my most recent significant improvement was only a month ago. We're all learning here.)
I take multiple rounds of L-MTHF throughout the day, followed by MeCbl. The amount depends on what seems to be working. (With MeCbl it's not just about amount; it also depends on brand and method of absorption/digestion/injection/whatever means you use to get it into your system; see the many long discussions on how hard it is to get MeCbl into the system and keep it a sufficient and consistent level. Getting MeCbl into the system is a really hard problem that many of us are trying to solve. At the moment, I use pills and nasal spray. Previously I was using vaping and injections. Many of us are experimenting with MeCbl, but most people still rely on tabs. Some day we will have a better mechanism. I hope.. MeCbl is tricky stuff to work with.)
Re: MeCbl and L-MTHF "at the same time". I sometimes do take them together and I sometimes don't. I take a lot of both, which may cover my lack of precision, or it may not matter. My goal is to keep the MeCbl at a high, steady state.
Re: MeCbl with or without Food: I take MeCbl both ways, though it's easier to have the tabs slowly dissolve in the gum if I'm not also eating.
Re: LCF with or without food: I take my LCF in the morning on an empty stomach, and sometimes also in the afternoon, between meals, because Freddd once told me that works better without food. My independant research on the matter is inconclusive.
I'll tell you what I think DOES matter a great deal: taking sufficient potassium. Bodies need this stuff, and if your methylation work is effective, you'll need more of it -- quite possibly a LOT more. And throughout the day. The body goes through it fast. I take between 500mg and 1gram each round, ideally (but not always) after the L-MTHF and the MeCbl, and some before bed.
I consume potassium entirely to address deficit symptoms, not to a specific amount. Those symptoms for me are: brainfog, a sudden tired, and a heavy heartbeat -- all at once. These three together is my signal to take more. If there's anything to be worried about not doing enough of, it's potassium. (Fear of potassium is more of a danger than taking too much potassium; if your kidneys are healthy it is nearly impossible to overdose on it. ) My sources are Now Foods brand Potassium Gluconate (powder, 1lb) and Potassium Citrate (tabs.)
Hope this helps.
