worth getting Holistic Health Methylation Pathways, or just 23andme?

[mike1127]

I ordered the Holistic Health Methylation Pathways test ($495) yesterday because I really wanted the customized help that Dr. Yasko gives. She personally comments on any test run through her office.

However, since then I've noticed that I could run 23andme and get a lot of help in this forum.

Now I'm wondering if I should not use the Holistic Helath kit and try to get a refund, then do 23andme instead.

I feel like my case is difficult because I have bipolar and OCD, and I take a drug that's an antagonist to dopamine and I can't function without it. That suggests I have too much dopamine. When I tried methyl b12 a couple times, it made me very irritable, which is a sign I am not metabolizing dopamine effectively, suggesting the COMT mutations.

So because my case is difficult, I really wanted the customized help from Dr. Yasko.

But now I'm starting to wonder if she is really the best source of knowledge. For one thing, her suggestions all involve taking her supplements, and the number of supplements she recommends is BEYOND ABSURD. When I read her book, she seems to have no awareness that her protocol is totally impractical for anyone who's not a millionaire. How about single disabled people who live alone on a fixed income? We need help too.

Maybe I can get all the help I need from 23andme and the people on this forum.

Any ideas would be appreciated. I'm just trying to figure this out.

Mike

 

[Valentijn]

So because my case is difficult, I really wanted the customized help from Dr. Yasko.

But now I'm starting to wonder if she is really the best source of knowledge. For one thing, her suggestions all involve taking her supplements, and the number of supplements she recommends is BEYOND ABSURD. When I read her book, she seems to have no awareness that her protocol is totally impractical for anyone who's not a millionaire. How about single disabled people who live alone on a fixed income? We need help too.

First of all, Yasko isn't an MD, so can't give medical advice. Also, much of her advice lacks any research supporting it, at least in the area of SNPs. She also gears her test and non-medical advice toward autism, so how applicable her non-clinical experience is for patients with something other autism is rather questionable.

23andMe includes hundreds of useful SNPs (with research supporting their relevance) on the same genes where the Yasko test offers less than 20 relevant SNPs.

I'd suggest you cancel immediately if you can (you probably can via your credit card if necessary). If Yasko kicks up a fuss, feel free to point out the numerous misleading implications being made, since she's implying they're relevant when they really aren't, even if she never explicitly says that they're relevant to the gene functioning, or the rather misleading implication that she can offer medical advice if buying the test.

 

[mike1127]

Thanks very much! You are a helpful person. I notice you comment on people's SNPs and you seem to be very knowledgeable. That is wonderful.

 

[Sushi]

mike1127

You can also consider the methylation panel at http://www.europeanlaboratory.nl/ (branches in the US and Netherlands). This is not a genetic panel but gives the levels of most of the nutrients involved in methylation. If you can afford it, it gives you a baseline on your status to later check for improvements. There is a guide to interpreting it here:

http://phoenixrising.me/treating-cf...esults-of-the-methylation-pathways-panel-2011

Best wishes!
Sushi