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Methylation a problem but protocol doesn't help - what to do?

richvank

Senior Member
Messages
2,732
Hi Rich,
Thank you for the detailed explanation of histamine reactions and the scapegoat nature of blaming adrenals for body malfunctions. I am trying to utilize this information, along with my own anecdotal records, in moving forward with the methylation protocol. Since starting the protocol about 3 months ago, my histamine reactions and sulfite sensitivity have gotten much worse..........so...........based on your explanation of histamine which cofactor might be a next step? It may also be helpful to know that my lab tests do show low B6, and I have compound heterozygous MTHFR gene mutations (1298 and 677). I currently take 500 mcg Mb12, 2 mg adb12, 400 mcg Solgar Metafolin. I haven't found a b complex that I can tolerate yet (I did try Pure Encapsulation a couple of months ago...might give it another go now that excitotoxicty has calmed). I take separate B6, B5, B2, Biotin, Vit C, D3, E, A, magnesium, calcium, zinc, and molybdenum for sulfite issues after increasing folate. I would love to hear from Freddd and you both on next steps.

Hi, therron.

Molybdenum is the best I know of for sulfite sensitivity. Some have taken dosages up to 500 micrograms per day. If this doesn't correct the sulfite symptoms, then you may have upregulating SNPs in your CBS enzyme. You could consider Dr. Amy Yasko's socalled "ammonia program" for helping this. She describes it in her book Autism, Pathways to Recovery. I should note that I do not agree with lowering protein intake, which is one of her recommendations on this program. That hasn't turned out to be a good idea in ME/CFS, though it may be O.K. in autism.

For histamine, folinic acid, copper and B6 (together with B2) are the best measures I know of. The histamine situation should improve as the methylation cycle and the folate metabolism recover. Copper should not be overdone, and it's a good idea to take zinc with it, at a dosage of about 10 to 15 times as high as the copper. Too much copper can promote oxidative stress, but it is essential to have enough of it. I favor doing lab testing to see what the status of the minerals is. As always, I encourage you to be working with a physician.

Best regards,

Rich
 

Adster

Senior Member
Messages
600
Location
Australia
Hi, therron.... I favor doing lab testing to see what the status of the minerals is. As always, I encourage you to be working with a physician.

Best regards,

Rich

Rich, should one stop all supplements before lab mineral tests? Or do you then not know if you are over or under supplementing?
 

richvank

Senior Member
Messages
2,732
Rich, should one stop all supplements before lab mineral tests? Or do you then not know if you are over or under supplementing?

Hi, Adster.

I think that the lab kits usually specify what you should stop taking and for how long. If you can tolerate that, I think it's a good idea, because it will give your blood a chance to equilibrate with your cells, so that the test will be more representative of the status of the cells. However, if stopping supplements is intolerable, then I suggest just keeping track of what you were taking at the time of the tests, so that whoever will be interpreting the results will have this information.

Best regards,

Rich
 

Nina

Senior Member
Messages
222
Mary: Thanks for your input. I am slowly upping the potassium now. I used to take adrenal glandular extracts and that always helps to a certain degree but then usually gives me an intense "hyper" feeling that makes it impossible to continue. I still take B-vitamins and large doses of B5 and I would say the situation is stable right now. I can usually tell if my cortisol is much too low because it makes me jumpy and exacerbates hypoglycaemia and hyperacusis symptoms.

Vegas: Thanks to you, too! I didn't find Ribose helpful and discontinued it after a 3 moths trial. Re: the other supps I rarely had the impression they made me worse, just not better. Especially zinc and P-5-P made me worse in the beginning but that was easily solved by lowering the dose and then slowly increasing it again.

rich: Thank you, that is very helpful indeed. I have been taking methionine and SAM-e for the past week or so and some of my muscle strength seems to have returned! It's not a miracle, not enough to get me out of bed (yet) but it feels so much better and makes things like typing, brushing teeth etc a lot easier.

NAC is not an option unfortunately because of the histamine issue. It gives me migraines almost instantly. I'll be adding some riboflavine-5-phosphate and nadh.

The latest test result is a panel called "intracellular base buffer capacity". It shows alkalosis (ph 7.8) and low bicarbonate. The alkalosis is definitely not hyperventilation-related. I'll be curious what my doctor suggests for treating this.

Amino acids in the blood showed low cysteine, low taurine and low tryptophane.

On a not directly methylation related note, my EBV seems to have reactivated again and tnf-a is very high.
 

Lotus97

Senior Member
Messages
2,041
Location
United States
I found getting a lot of sleep (10+ hours a night) and limiting activities and sources of stress during the day helped a lot with symptoms I associated with adrenals. Limiting activities for me meant spending most of the day in bed. Since I didn't have much social interactions limiting sources of stress meant I stopped watching TV and movies for awhile. I was taking a lot of supplements too which I'm sure helped, but I think the sleep and rest during the day helped the most. Some of the adrenal supplements meant to increase energy can be counterproductive for people who need rest. ATP supplements such as vitamin C, carnitine, lipoic acid, magnesium, malic acid, malate, creatine, pyruvate, and coenzyme q10/ubiquinol would be better choices, but even these need to be used with caution as they can be overstimulating so they need to be increased gradually. Adaptogens are also good for adrenals. Many lower cortisol so they might not be good for people with low cortisol. For people who are very weak, methylation needs to be approached very cautiously.