At Revive Wellness Clinic, our philosophy is to set a higher standard for our patients. That’s why both of our Starkville and Oxford office locations are implementing Functional Medicine services to make sure that we can provide the most comprehensive care when it comes to this rapidly growing specialty. A large part of Functional Medicine is being able to provide comprehensive lab testing to get to the root of your medical issues. We have partnered with RUPA Health, to get access to 100’s of lab tests to provide you with most comprehensive and objective evidence to drill down to the root of your problem. This month we would like to share with you some information about one of the current hot topics in functional medicine and laboratory testing: methylation. So here we go, lets discuss methylation testing; what is it, why its important, and when you should consider getting tested.
Methylation: The What?
Methylation is essentially a biochemical reaction that occurs in our body on a cellular level and has an important role in a variety of processes, including detoxification, gene regulation, and neurotransmitter release. In order for this reaction to take place, we must have properly functioning enzymes. However, when these enzymes don’t work properly due to genetic abnormalities these pathways can be imbalanced leading to a variety of disruptions in our body’s ability to regulate these processes. Poor methylation has been linked to heart disease, cancer, chronic fatigue, as well as many other chronic diseases. The most commonly known methylation defect involves a gene called ‘MTHFR’ which is responsible for production of folate (a must have for DNA repair and production) and regulation of an amino acid homocysteine, which in high levels has been closely linked to a wide number of diseases such as Coronary Artery Disease and Hypertension. There are several known mutations of the MTHFR gene ranging from very mild to severe. It is important to understand that there is still a lot to be learned about the full implications of these abnormal methylation processes and how treatment can help with disease prevention and management but to learn more about the when and why to get tested read on…….
Methylation: When to get tested???
There are many factors that can suggest the need to have methylation testing. Have you been suffering from chronic fatigue and feel tired all the time? Have you suffered from mood disorders such as anxiety or depression, or difficulty sleeping? Have you been recently diagnosed with a chronic inflammatory or autoimmune disease? Have you noticed that your metabolism and digestive tract has slowed? Do you have family history of cardiovascular disease or early death due to cardiac events?
If you answered yes to any above questions, you may benefit from methylation testing. Testing is performed usually through a blood sample and will help navigate a treatment plan to better optimize your ability to perform methylation if there is an imbalance. Your methylation process generates throughout your cells thousands of times a day. If there is ever a question that you need nutritional support such as amino acids, minerals, or supplementation of vitamins; methylation testing can help guide you and your functional medicine physician to the dietary and nutraceutical treatment plan. Being able to identify the specific imbalances in these nutrition factors can help prevent potential methylation defects and lead to a much healthier way of living.
Methylation Testing: Why do it?
Revive Wellness Clinics wants to help our patients achieve the best version of themselves. A foundation of our approach involves optimizing hormones and nutrition to ensure that all the way to the cellular level your body is able to function at its best. Methylation is an important part of this process and through our team of functional medicine providers and nutrition coaches we can help you determine how to adjust for any defects that you may have in this important detoxification process. If you are ready to see one of our providers and discuss how to take the next steps to see if you may benefit from methylation testing. Contact us today to schedule your visit!