Getting Started

[Shannon]

The plan:

Optimize your detoxification systems, and optimize your methylation process. This will clean up toxins in your body, and normalize neurotransmitter and hormone levels. This will allow your body to heal from hormone imbalances and improve your mental status.

First, you can try to maximize the detox pathways that are not touched by methylation:
Amino Acid Conjugation (glycine)
Acetylation (pantothenic acid, vitamin C, thiamine)
Glucuronidation (probiotics and calcium d-glucurate)

[Shannon]

Next comes the whole methylation process.

Remembering that I'm REALLY new at this...

Start by guessing your dopamine levels. Dopamine is associated with attention, and it inhibits prolactin. So low dopamine would mean ADD-like symptoms (trouble focusing on the outside world) and high milk supply if you're nursing.
I'm not as familiar with high dopamine levels, so I don't want to say anything about them.

Required to make dopamine are tyrosine, vitamin D, and BH4. Required to break down dopamine are COMT and methyl groups.

So if your dopamine is low, start by making sure your getting tyrosine and that your vitamin D levels are reasonable. Once those are normal, consider BH4.

If your dopamine is high, you'll look straight to increasing your methyl groups (I think. Remember, this isn't my pathway).

[Shannon]

And now everything is so customized and individual, your best bet is probably to start a thread for yourself here to get input from other members here.

[Pat Robinson]

I can't find a food source for BH4. Can the body create this in the presence of other amino acids, enzymes, vitamins???

Curious what happens with MTHFR under-methylated and low dopamine? If you add methyl, don't you decrease dopamine? But, they need more methyl. Thinking of dh here. :-/


Pat

[Shannon]

BH4 is an enzyme. It requires a form of folic acid, and so it relies in part on MTHFR. Mutation 1298 means you make less, and that's the primary factor in how much you have.

BH4 is used up in the processing of ammonia, which is made in the transsulfuration process.

BH4 is also needed to make serotonin and dopamine.

So if your vitamin D levels are good and you want to increase serotonin and dopamine, you would be looking to supplement the right form of folic acid and to minimize activity in the transsulfuration process - which means maximizing the methyl cycle.

[Pat Robinson]

How does one "minimize activity in the transsulfuration process - which means maximizing the methyl cycle." ??

Add methyl? or avoid methyl?
???


Pat