Hello readers of this thread,
I just wanted to post something because I know some of you find it a bit suspect that there are 'too many' problems listed for under/overmethylation. I propose that the reason for this is explained in the following podcast:
http://functionalforum.com/methylation-part-2-sustainable-solutions/ The methylation cycle does impact multiple different aspects of the body, and does involve neurotransmitters among other things.
You can also look up an image of methylation cycle pathways on google and you will see how many different areas are affected, it is quite complex (and this is not just a claim that is exclusively being made by Walsh). What I think he and Dr. Mensah try to do differently than other practitioners, is to test for the by-products of the methylation cycle rather than the genetics to find out where people actually sit.
Presence of a gene does not tell you whether it is active or not, or what the downstream effects might be. I've personally had the Walsh panel done, but I'm following that up with a SAMe/SAH ratio test for overmethylation to get secondary confirmation. I had two different types of test done to confirm copper overload (one on the Walsh panel, the other a Hair Mineral Analysis which is a cheap way to screen for deficiencies and overload in the full spectrum of minerals/heavy metals). So I say to anyone who is curious but skeptical of the results, get your tests done at two different labs to see if they are in agreement.
I also agree with what some people are saying here, it would be nice if there was a forum where people could report their success stories or personal testimonials with Walsh Protocols, so many of us would be able to assess from these whether the claims being made are true or not. I have seen a number of different testimonials in other discussion forums and webpages, where people literally say that his protocols have saved their life/family/child.
I know my Naturopath has seen the results herself in her practice - for ex. she has treated children with severe/extreme behavioral problems, these kids were able to go back to school again and function like normal children again. She had another patient who could not detox heavy metals, because it turned out he was severely undermethylated. One piece of advice she gave to me was that for maximum effectiveness, it is important to pair a nutrient therapeutics protocol with a gut-heal type of diet (like paleo, Wahl's protocol, GAPS diet, Specific Carbohydrate diet etc... they are all variants on the same thing, take your pick).
She doesn't think it is enough to just do a protocol stand-alone. Another strong testimonial comes from Sammy G - she's a nutritionist - and she discusses her recovery from copper toxicity and undermethylation, after probably a decade or more of other failed approaches. See her page for a lot of good articles:
https://www.samanthagilbert.com/methylation/ I spoke with her over the phone, and she explained to me that looking at the 'symptom lists' (which other people are criticizing here) is not actually all that useful, they are generalizations, so getting properly tested is the most important thing. People can easily have symptoms from both lists and that really confuses things. She says the following: "you
cannot determine methylation status without proper testing, and self-diagnosis and supplementation is not recommended. I’ve seen too many people get their biotype completely wrong, supplement with the wrong nutrients, and make things far worse."
Also, I want to point out that I don't think it is a matter have just having a few traits on each list. Walsh himself has said that overmethylation/undermethylation is common in many people and not inherently a bad thing, on either side of the spectrum there can actually be a lot of beneficial traits. You only want to get tested if you are actually manifesting the symptoms of mental illness or have a large number of the negative traits on the list.