Hi, all.
I just want to note that several studies have shown that carnitine is low in ME/CFS. I think the reason is that methylation is required to make carnitine in the body. One of the main roles of carnitine is to usher fatty acids into the mitochondria of cells to be burned as fuel. In the urine organic acids test results that many people have posted or sent to me, I usually find that the fatty acids markers are showing buildup of omega oxidation of fatty acids, which occurs when there is a carnitine deficiency. Under these conditions, it makes sense that your muscles would respond to carnitine supplementation, since it raises the supply of fuel to their mitochondria. When the methylation cycle partial block has been lifted, the cells should be able to make enough carnitine for themselves.
Best regards,
Rich
Hi Rich,
When the methylation cycle partial block has been lifted, the cells should be able to make enough carnitine for themselves.
Perhaps its time for Anna Russel SINGS AGAIN wherein she sings her own style of 4-part harmony Gilbert And Sullivan operetta singing "Things would be so different if they were not as they are ...".
My experience of starting l-carnitiine fumarate approximately 2 years after starting mb12 and having methylation startup, 18 months after starting SAM-e and having enhanced methylation, then 15 months after adenosylb12 and ATP startup it was l-carnitne fumarate that had the most massive startup of anything I took, that lasted longer than any other startup and immediately increased muscle work capcaity doubling my arobic exercise capacity overnight and causing immediate muscle growth and healing startup along with another drop in potassium. Funny, isn't it, that I was still desparately deficient of carnitine 2 years after having a MAJOR METHYLATION STARTUP, the partial methylation block 2 years gone and still way too little carnitine.
I used to think that too, that carnitine wasn't "essential" because the body made plenty. That assumption and others like it kept me sick for decades. I find that these kinds of assumptions and "shoulds" are very produuctive hunting grounds for finding supplements that work with a major difference.
I found that the more assumptions of that sort that I could act counter to, the more and faster I healed. So much for all those assumptions and shoulds, NONSENSE!
A couple of times after that I did experiement, discontinuing carnitine for a while, switiching forms and so on. Then when I had startup responses all over again and had to titrate again, but faster than the first time, it was obvious that my body wasn't able to make enough and likely never had been. Counting on any of the circular dependencies to work by leaving out those substances the body "should" make proved quite fallacious.
So we have to start methylation: mb12+ Metafolin+ TMG (sometimes). However, as individual trials have shown, mb12 and cofactors alone are not sufficient to start methylation in many people and "MB12 effect" but instead also have to have adb12 + L-carnitine-fumarate as many MB12 reactions also need ATP. So in order to have the methylation startup to supply methylation to supply carnitine one needs adb12 AND carnitine to supply ATP. So it appears that in many people one has to take l-carniitne to have enough carnitine for the Krebs cycle to make more carnitine.
There are some people in this group that don't have ANY startup until carnitine is taken. There are some in which it is even more delayed, they have to take TMG also to enable methylation startup needed to allow atp startup needed to allow methylation startup, all needed to make more carnitine.
Not questioning these assumptions will often keep people sick until they die.
On the other hand I do not suggest that anybody be taking all sorts of expensive things they may not need so retesting perodically is a good idea. Don't forget that it is usually combinations that make things work, not single substances. Also, discontinuance of carnitine might not show up as a deficiency that affects symtpoms for 6 months or more which seems to indicate that the difference between what is made and waht is needed may be only a small gap rather than a complete lack. In any case the degree of deficiency increases slowly in many so don't look for a 3 day change in everything.
In retesting, I was able to cut back l-carnitine fumarate to 500mg/day instead of the 1000mg/day I needed early on. The same time of occurrance happened with SAM-e. At fitst 400mg/day were beneficial. After several years of everything including l-carnitine, I was able to cut SAM-e back to 200mg/day. After everything is in place and working, rebalancing is frequently needed.