Stream of consciousness post...I have been reading a lot lately about methylation. It started out after I started to break out in a very itchy and uncomfortable heat rash. the consensus for heat rash is to, get hot less. Ha ha. But I was interested in two things...can diet affect rash status the same way it can have an affect on the bodies propensity to burn? And, why would I see an inflammatory reaction to the sun? The answer seems to be histamines. I wasn't reacting to the sun, but to my own sweat.
The reaction isn't an allergic reaction per se, but it meant that something in my sweat was causing an inflammatory response. Thanks to some knowledgeable people on a forum, someone steered me in the direction on histamines. Food histamines. So not another food allergy, but more on how foods can effect bodily responses, and how our bodies can and can't work efficiently enough to handle food chemicals. And not artificial chemicals, like actual compounds in foods.
So, there are certain foods that are high in biogenic amines (Like histamine), and when we eat too many, our bodies get flooded with the chemical. Most people can break down food histamines and never see issues. But some people are lacking the right enzymes to do this. Histamine receptors are all over our digestive tracts as well as in our brains. (Histamine acts like a neurotransmitter in our brains). So, the fact that I was reacting to histamines means that I am not able to break them down enough, and my body had been over exposed. This is a common issue with people who are undermethylated. Methylation is the process of adding a carbon group onto a molecule, and happens for cell communication...like signaling which genes are turning on and off. It's a huge part of cell signaling in general, and can manifest in many different ways.
People who have methylation issues tend to have a mutation called MTHFR. I had seen the term thrown around a lot, but hadn't thought too much about it. Until, again, in a forum, someone was asking about tongue and lip ties and how they contribute to the gut issues we see. People with ties usually have the MTHFR mutation, as "midline defects" are a physical symptom of the mutation. A has an upper lip tie. In fact most people in my Mother's family does.
This is huge! This means that I have a testable and therefore tangible diagnosis...and with that comes treatment instead of trying to fish around looking for the cause of all of our digestive issues. The best part is that the treatment for this mutation is simply supplying my body with the missing nutrients that will allow the methylation process to continue....Food still wins!!!
So, methylation relies on b vitamins to work, and if we are undermethylated, as being high in histamines would indicate, then, all I need to do is supplement with the right doses of the right vitamins and I should see a huge relief of symptoms. There are also some trace mineral deficiency or overabundance profiles that I will likely fit into, and will have to supplement and/or avoid those nutrients as well. (For example copper and zinc rations are a huge issue). this all comes together with a book/doctor that my Mom introduced me too my senior year of high school. Dr. William Walsh. Its fascinating and wonderful that these ideas are coming into the forefront and how this all comes together.
Now, I have ordered a DNA test from 23andMe, which will now only give ancestry information. But they also provide you with your raw genetic data, which I can have analyzed elsewhere to see if I do, in fact have this mutation, and which polymorphisms are present. Then I can have my blood tested for other markers and nutrients and then we should be well on our way to healing. And if this all works for me, then I can have the kids tested too, and besides supplementing and eating a clean diet, we should be able to feel normal! Hallelujah!
For right now, I need to be more aware of my histamine levels and high histamine foods. And nightshades (since they cause big problems for me too). It is exhausting to be this thoughtful about food. But on the other hand, I get so miserable when I don't. So I am hoping that this is the answer.
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