In
this recent poll on ME/CFS treatments, the methylation protocol came out poorly, with only
4% reporting major improvements from methylation (by comparison
50% reported major improvements from the antiviral Valcyte).
The items in your poll are not ice cream flavors, i.e., which is the most liked by the crowd? They are not equal in characteristics or impact.
As has been discussed by many researchers, there are subsets of patients. Younger, for example, with his infection and immune subsets. Naviaux, with the metabolomics study, where there was something like 30% the same, but the rest was unique from patient to patient.
I've worked with methylation protocols for 10 years, mapped out everyone in my family's SNPs and done annual nutrient testing on multiple family members, which demonstrated how methylation co factors change over time due to environmental factors. We were able to test out many of the theories we read about in real time and found that manipulating methylation can be quite powerful.
It is a LOT more than folate and B12.
B6, B2, B1, magnesium, potassium, molybdenum, serine, glycine, glutamine, cysteine, methionine, etc. all have roles, too.
Though, I learned a lot from RichvanK and Freddd, the problem many people have with trying methylation protocols is that, rather than starting with their own idiosyncrasies as a start, they take Freddd's protocol or Rich's Simplified Methylation Protocol or whatever some other patient on the Internet recommends, then start having symptoms and conclude that methylation doesn't work for them.
Methylation is important. It is essential to life. It drives many, many processes in our bodies, like neurotransmitter production, immune system function, DNA replication, and the development of cancers. Some of the cofactors are also used elsewhere. It is not a good assumption that we are all widgets and need the same amounts or ratios of methylation nutrients, or one risks getting into trouble of one kind or another.
Even with similar genes, as in my family, we've found some enormous differences in our needs over the past 10 years. Even in one single person, depending on outside environmental factors, needs can vary dramatically from year to year. There may be some underlying tendencies, but the actual needs vary a lot.
This is why only 4% of people think methylation works. They don't get tested, to find out what their individual needs are, they aren't attuned to these dynamics, and they get themselves out of balance and into trouble.
Over the past 10 years, I've had unbalanced methylation make me fatigued, depressed, anxious, headachy, sick feeling, etc. and seen how tweaking pieces of the protocol can make a dramatic difference with symptoms disappearing in as little as a couple of hours.
Methylation is a powerful tool. As a cancer survivor, I've found it can be dangerous if out of balance. It is worth understanding as well as we can - its too complex to know everything, but getting it under control can dramatically help symptoms.
It can help to reduce oxidative stress. It can help mitochondria to function better. It can get toxins out of our bodies that may be producing brain fog or impacting ATP production. It can improve our immune function, neurotransmitter function and DNA replication.
It is not a topic for some simplistic polling question, or some overly simplistic study saying its good or bad, but worth understanding and working with to find a balance that supports the body's needs, as there are many variables that can make a big difference in our symptoms.
I apologize for my rant here, but ME/CFS research has repeatedly identified methylation and its co factors and products as significant factors, and it is worth understanding that it must be individualized and cannot be some "one size fits all" solution.
Testing and customizing is the path to success. Shortcuts lead to trouble.
