B-Vitamins, Mood, and Methylation — It’s Complicated

JD! This is amazing. I’m always impressed when people have time for a blog but I’m grateful as hell when the blog is as useful and informative as yours are. I have developed asthma too (it’s minor and I mostly ignore it. But…). I know that I might need to deal with it at some point. The tips for cancer prevention are helpful too. My mom has had more cancer than you can imagine. She has nine lives apparently and manages to remain spunky and involved. Thanks again for generously and articulately sharing your research.

I have tested positive for the MTHFR Gene A12098/T677C as well both of my children. My sister and her 2 children have also tested positive for the same. My first cousin recently was tested and she has the double T677C!

I have a friend with undiagnosed mood disorders (depression, aggressiveness, peaks of childish joy). I taught her how to look at herself in a critical light to properly diagnose “symptoms”, and she eventually managed to accumulate a ton of B-related vitamin deficiency symptoms over 6 months.

Seeing as how she was already on a multi that I had recommended her (very high dosages) and did not see an improvement, I posited that MTHFR was a possible culprit. We tried MethylGuard PLUS from Thorne Research for her and it was miraculous. I hadn’t seen her for two weeks after giving her the bottle, and I thought it had been a gradual process, but no. She says the change happened on the very first day (which makes sense considering we’re talking about water-soluble vitamins), although a morning dose was better for her.

We’re in the process of getting her tested for the mutation and figuring out if low to medium dosages of methyltetrahydrofolate could be more economical. Bottom line: the impact this can have is real and massive.

Annie, You might want to find an Integrative Medical doctor and have him/her find out your levels withIN cells via SpectraCell Laboratories.
Also, you say things happened while on medications. Sometimes after fixing a problem, the same medications you used before may no longer be appropriate. Lastly – the body can change. Some people can start becoming paranoid and psychotic on medications used for that same thing (called a paradoxical reaction) or react that way even to asthma and allergy medication!
Best bet – see a doctor really knowledgeable in this area.

Just a correction. I didn’t mean to type vitamin D2. I meant vitamin D3. That is a very important distinction. The daughter who used to have “schizoaffective” not only needed extra vitamin D3 because of the polymorphism, but she also had low intestinal absorption of calcium and required a highly absorbable liquid form of it she got from the doctor’s office (although it is sold without a prescription).

Please look into this…I have been battling systemic candida for years, many conventional doctors do not research the correlation between chronic inflammation and parasites. The connection between parasites and asthma is astounding, along with the prevelance of toxic heavy metals, and lowered immunity, which in turn makes one susceptible to all forms of infestation. We are, after all, just organisms, and oftentimes people feign ignorance to the fact that with the plethora of enviromental toxins we are faced with daily, decreased nutrients in our food supply, and exposure to thousands of species of parasites via water sources, pets, etc. This is not just a “third world country” disease, parasites and worms are very prevalent today in America….however big pharma does not wish do shed light on this because to suggest so would mean the key to fighting many chronic and debilitating diseases. They would rather prescribe costly drugs that mask symptoms, not eradicate the root cause of the disease.

YOU HAVE WORMS

By Michael Biamonte, C.C.N.

The subject of intestinal worms is probably very frowned upon or avoided by most people, including doctors. The truth of the matter is, based on my current research, one out of six Americans has actual living worms inside his body.
There are many types of worms. There are tapeworms which are long, opaque, thin, ribbon-like sort of noodle-shaped things, which live in the intestines, can grow well over fifteen feet long, and specialize in consuming your food. This can cause you to be chronically hungry but not able to gain weight.

There are round worms that can grow sometimes up to a foot long and just look literally like a worm out of the garden. There are pinworms which are smaller worms which actually resemble a pin in shape and size. These are usually very close to the anal area and cause a lot of itching. There are even worms which live in your bladder which many times look like a fish with a head or a tail and can be expelled through the colon when taking the right medicine.

There are worms that live in the liver and actually can migrate to other parts of the body and take up residence there.

The typical symptoms of worms include all types of gastrointestinal stress, rectal itching, itching on the skin and throughout the body, all manner of digestive discomfort which could include constipation and diarrhea. A crawling feeling is very commonly reported by people who have worms.

There are other symptoms but the main ones would be: anemia, chronic fatigue, inability to gain or lose weight, insatiable appetite (hungry all the time but never satisfied), any general gastrointestinal distress such as bloating, burping and belching. Key signs are rectal itching, especially when it seems to be worse between one and three a.m.. Some patients also report a worsening of these symptoms that we’ve already mentioned when the moon is full! It seems that worms living in the body become more active when there’s a full moon. I guess if a wolf or dog howls, worms can be more active!

These are some of the key signs of worms. There are many others, but these tend to be the most outstanding.

How do I know that one out of six people have worms? In my practice we see many people who have chronic fatigue (which can be caused by a host of different viruses) and also chronic candida (a yeast infection in the intestines, vaginal, or genital area in men). Recently, we gave all the patients that we have with these conditions–which number in the hundreds–herbs which would expel worms if indeed these patients had them. To my amazement, 50% of those who took the herbs called up to tell us that they were seeing strange things in their feces. Very commonly, the scenario went like this: The patient took the herbs, then began to feel an increased amount of rectal itching or itching on the skin, increased amount of burning upon having a bowel movement, or an increase in some type of wet or moist feeling in the rectal area. This was then followed by abdominal cramps and pain upon which the person had to have an urgent bowel movement. Having the bowel movement, the patient reported seeing worms in their stool or in the toilet water. Some only saw a few, but one patient actually saw an entire handful! Luckily for these patients the worms were dead, as the herbs had killed them.

Statistically, after going over all the records, I found that it was just about half the patients. This tells me that 50% of all the people with chronic fatigue and candida have worms.

Loosely figuring, if one out of three people in this country has an overgrowth of candida or one of the viruses that are known to cause chronic fatigue, and if we conclude that half of all our patients with those conditions had worms, then we can compute that one out of six Americans probably has worms.

We can only guess how many people with gastrointestinal complaints, chronic fatigue, anemia, and the other symptoms I’ve mentioned, have worms–and it’s being completely overlooked by their doctors! In America, most physicians and health practitioners would consider that we’re too hygienically clean to ever have such a thing. Maybe in third world countries, but not here. Well, I’ve got news for all those practitioners and doctors. If they take a good walk down the streets in Manhattan and take a look at who’s handling the food we buy, they’ll find that it is mainly people from third world countries who are ignorant to our hygienic standards. So, it’s no wonder that American could be getting worms without having to travel to third world countries!

If we examine the common causes of why one would have worms, we find this: 1) eating sushi or improperly cooked meats will cause worms; 2) eating vegetables or fruits not properly washed could also cause worms if they are exposed to fecal matter, even in tiny amounts. 3) sexual practices which involve the rectal area and involve contacting feces can also pass worms.

Exactly how one would get worms is pretty simple. Someone eating improperly or raw cooked meat, fish, chicken or some other food that has had some contact with feces. The next step is that the food comes into your stomach and if your stomach does not make enough acid to destroy harmful bacteria in the food, worms or eggs which might already be present in the food will pass into the digestive tract where they begin to grow. Bacteria, mixing with improperly cooked flesh, will actually give rise to eggs of different types of worms. Beef, poultry, pork, fish, all individually have their own unique types of worms that will grow from them. Once these worms begin growing in the intestinal tract many of them will start to reproduce and lay eggs. Worms generally are male and female, so they literally reproduce and the female drops her eggs into the intestinal tract where they hatch. The next thing you know, you have a living colony of these things in your intestines. Then the symptoms begin.

Several factors have to be present for the person to be susceptible to worms. The stomach would be low in acid, the digestive juices that the body makes from the pancreas would be low, or the bile from the liver would be deficient. Normally, these juices aid in destroying organisms before they’re able to grow and mature. A weakened immune response also would be involved. Many times people with candida and other microscopic parasites already have the perfect home in their intestinal tract for worms to grow. (For our purposes in this article, parasites refer to organisms seen only with a microscope while worms can be seen with the naked eye.) The worms settle in and nest and multiply and soon they’re all living together in harmony, much to your dismay.

In order to properly eliminate worms from your system, one must first eliminate the other infections, whether they’re bacterial, fungal, yeast, viral or parasitic. Then you would take herbs that would literally purge the worms out. Fasting for at least a 24-hour period before taking the worm expellers is ideal. Veterinarians have done this for years, but many doctors don’t seem to utilize this. Once the worms are eliminated, herbs that would be able to destroy the eggs they leave behind should be taken for at least a month to make sure the worms don’t come back.

The worm purging should also be done every few weeks to kill any eggs that have grown into mature adults. Then we normalize the intestinal tract and digestive system to prevent the situation from ever reoccurring. You would need to take certain natural substances which can absorb any harmful toxins in the intestines and clean it and make it germ and poison free. The next step is taking natural substances to strengthen the digestive system and make sure you’re producing enough digestive juices so any future organisms that are ingested can be killed. Substances like FOS, which feed the friendly bacteria, need to be taken to build up the friendly bacteria and increase your own immune response. There are natural substances we now know of which do increase the immune response in addition to the friendly bacteria.

All these things need to be done to ensure the person has eliminated the worms and they won’t come back. When this is done we can start to correct vitamin deficiencies and boost the person’s overall immune system so that the problem doesn’t return.

A person who has had worms once in the past is definitely more susceptible to getting them again. The reason for that is most people who have had worms and eliminated them have not gone through these other steps after initially killing the worms.

Most of our patients who have expelled worms have reported the greatest increase in energy and well-being after the worms were eliminated; even more so than when their viruses or candida were eliminated, or any other infection! One by one, man or woman, they all reported the greatest improvements in their overall energy after they expelled worms. That really makes you wonder!

Michael Biamonte holds a Doctorate of Nutripathy, and is a New York State certified Clinical Nutritionist. He is a professional member of the International and American Association of Clinical Nutritionists,The American College of Nutrition and is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Clinical Nutrition Certification Board. He is listed in “The Directory of Distinguished Americans” for his research in Nutrition and Physiology.

For an appointment, contact our office at:

Michael Biamonte, C.C.N.
139 Fulton St.
Suite 507
New York, NY 10038
(877) 223-3066

©1997 – Current Year: MTB Management, Inc.
©1997 – Current Year: MTB Management, Inc.

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Check out these websites!!!! EYE OPENING!!!!
http://altered-states.net/barry/newsletter406/index.htm
The different ways that bacteria can affect the human body are:

An infection which weakens the immune system and allows other biocontaminants which would normally be under control to affect the human host.
An infection to a healthy immune system that has been transmitted by airborne inhalation. (Tuberculosis and Legionnaires Disease)
A contagious bacterial infection that can be found on any surface where an organism might grow or attach.
By being transmitted from the excrements of rats, squirrels, and birds. Often these bacteria will become airborne by attaching to tiny particles and moisture.
By causing or contributing to hypersensitivity pneumonitis, chronic fatigue, irritability, depression, dermatitis, respiratory infections, asthma, sinus infections, ear infections, skin infections, Legionnaire?s Disease, meningitis, tuberculosis (TB), pneumonia, allergic rhinitis, chronic bronchitis, humidifier fever, cold and flu-like symptoms, and many other conditions of compromised health.
By releasing endotoxins that are also infectious agents.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/vitamin-b9-000722.htm

Prednisone and cipro both deplete folate, as does b12. Perhaps that is why after high doses of b12 those meds induced adverse effects, whereas before they didn’t. High levels of B12 are also known to be antagonistic to iron.

Not sure about the link re folate during pregnancy causing asthma, there are other studies/claims that refute that (though who knows whether impartial or what have you). Though it is interesting to consider the timeline for rise in asthma vs folate supplementation, I’m mindful that correlation does not equal causation. It’s also interesting to consider the apparently not insignificant number of alpha-1-anti-trypsin deficiency cases that are mistakenly diagnosed as asthma.

Good article and interesting discussion in the comments. Testing in my country is archaic and I wouldn’t know where to start.

Interesting post. I’ve actually been going through a very similar process. Unwittingly and despite being treated for vitamin deficiency by my doctor, I’ve been ill to the point of severe malnutrition. I’ve managed to pull myself back from the brink with high doses of folic acid, L5-methyltetrahydrofolate, B12, fish oils and other vitamins and minerals. Prior to that I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, not realising that I had a severe folate deficiency and while being treated for B12 deficiency.

I think that folate deficiency is actually the main problem very many people have. It results in B12 deficiency, problems with the digestive tract and hence absorption of other vitamins and minerals and leads to, essentially, malnutrition. Obviously, folate and B12 deficiency result in macrocytic anaemia which should be straightforward for a doctor to diagnose. Unfortunately, however, diagnosis is often made difficult by the fact that folate and B12 deficiency often coincide with iron deficiency(or microcytic anaemia). Many doctors are unable to diagnose this either from blood tests(high MCH in a full blood count) or symptoms. Normalisation of the full blood count by reducing MCV, MCH and increasing RBC(conversely increasing MCV and MCH for those with just iron deficiency) will give the best platform for determining further intervention and supplementation.

I feel that the fundamental issue of anaemia is what must be addressed by people who are either borderline or completely anaemic. Once this is resolved by supplementing with folate, B12 and iron, they should ensure that their digestive tract is functioning normally and that their gut flora hasn’t been damaged by prescription antibiotic use. After that, they should ensure that their inflammation levels are reduced by measuring homocysteine and cholesterol. Levels can be reduced by omega 3/6 supplementation.

If you’re interested in my approach to improving full blood count parameters as a measure of progress, feel free to email.

FYI, the following is a great site to use for analysing your genetic Methylation data from 23andme:

http://geneticgenie.org/methylation-analysis/

& Dr. Amy Yasko is one of the Pioneers on this topic.

A wonderful detailed piece of scientific account about biomolecules. As a science teacher in third world part of this earth, i was looking for some information on the relationship between methylation and libido. Am so concerned because the school going children are “fed” with methyl-rich meals to lower their libido. Does this have any longterm effect on them?? Kindly reply. Disturbed teacher.

Just stopped by for the first time and have something to share. For those interested in getting more out of their 23andme results, check out geneticgenie.org. It will analyze the raw data and cross reference against the works of a well known methylation specialist. It’s free and well worth the effort.

@ Glen- How is your BHMT pathway? Supplementing with Trimethyglycine should help to lower the high homocysteine levels… Also- what happened when you took 1/2 (2.5 mgs) capsule of methylfolate? Maybe start with a much lower dose like 400 mcg’s and see how that effects you…

Supplimentation is more complicated than a particular one being good for you or not. It’s also about what the suppliment is made from and how it is absorbed. An example of this is B12, which often cannot be absorbed by some, especially older people who lack the cofactor in their stomach so need a suppliment in sublingual form. Also most B suppliments are made from yeast so, as I’m allergic to yeast, make me feel very ill. So alternatives have to be found. I recently took B2 to help with allergies and asthma. Later relised that it had been made from yeast even though the container stated yeast free. I realised something was wrong when my asthma suddenly got worse on the secord day. Your article is very helpful but you could try other suppliments to help with your asthma / allergies. Always buy the most pure form and where impurities have been filtered out. I find powdered MSM helps with detox, Pura EPA fish oils helps lower inflammation and depression, powdered dried milk thistle herb helps cleanse liver and detox and buffered Vit C. powder improves adrenal function and lowers inflammation.

@ Glenn- Lithium orotate will help usher B12 into the cells. You said after taking that much methylfolate you felt like you were going to die. What does that mean? What were the symptoms? Sounds like maybe you were having a reaction downstream in the methylation cycle when you jumpstarted it by adding the methylfolate. Not turning B12 into the active form could be problem in the MTR or MTRR Gene, or Lithium deficiency as lithium is required to get B12 inside the cell along with a carrier from the gut.Methy B12 is the active form of B12, have you tried that? Can you handle Methyl Donors ok? But the reaction leads me to believe you were deficient in Methylfolate and thus not methylating correctly and when you added the methylfolate it jumpstarted your methylation cycle and you either have a SNP later in the Cycle prolly COMT or MAO, as CBS would tend to drain the Homocysteine. Have you done your genetic profile?

This was fascinating and helpful. Thanks!! Soooo complicated…it makes my head spin. But at least you narrowed it down to simple points for those of us who can’t do the primary research.

About your asthma…have you heard about the Buteyko method? Look it up online. I searched it out recently when someone mentioned it, and it’s really, really interesting. I don’t have asthma but if I did, that would be my first thing to try.

I have been looking all over the internet for something like this for two weeks! My methylation page from genetic genie looks like a primary color rainbow (ok, not quite). Only eight are green, several are white (no call – whatever that means), most are yellow, and three are red. I have two full mutations of the COMT, including the 4680 (met/met). As I read the research on COMT, it suddenly explained a whole lot of my life. The depression and anxiety, focusing on negatives, etc.

After a physical and emotional crash a couple years ago, my naturopath put me on methylated B5, 6, and 12, just to give my system a jump start. About a year later, she told me that they weren’t for long term and to go back to a B complex. After three days, I knew it wasn’t working. After five, I wanted to crawl out of my skin. Thankfully, I had saved some of the methylated ones. After two days back on them, I was totally normal again. She then suggested MTHFR and 23andme.

After trial and error, the supplements I cannot live without are a very high quality liquid fish oil, evening primrose oil, methylated B5, 6, 12, Vitamin D3 in high doses (northern climate and VDR heterozygous mutation), and an herb blend to balance hormones.

I am currently doing a paper for college on the COMT mutations. I have hunted high and low for info, but have only been able to find out about the brain. I’m assuming that’s because people are willing to pay for research about schizophrenia or cancer, but not about what vitamins help who. Sigh.

My question is this. Why do I need the methylated Bs? Obviously my body is not capable of doing enough methylation. But WHERE does that happen? The liver? I know COMT works in the liver (soluable type). But I have been unable to find any kind of explanation of how in the scholarly journals and encyclopedias. Honestly, I’m fine with a “non-approved” study, but I can’t use those for school.

My best guess from what I have managed to find is that digestion has something to do with it, and the liver does the rest. But when the COMT isn’t working right, then it can’t process the Bs. And stress probably makes the COMT work less and less which would explain how I used to sort of manage life, but couldn’t after some major stressors. Anybody have any ideas?

I am a little confused about the amino acid methionine. I do best on a higher
protein/ low carb diet that includes animal protein. Recently, I went on a ketogenic diet staying in ketosis for about 6 months. However, my cancer markers started to increase. After researching diets I decided that I could eat
a diet low in methionine. I have had one or 2 panic attacks in the last 20 years. I am fearful that this type of diet might cause me to be prone to panic attacks. I could get my protein from pea plant protein and gelatin. Any thoughts on this subject (or this type of diet). You seem knowledgeable in this
area and information is hard to come by. Thanks for any information you
can give me.

I am an undermethylator (high histamine) and my copper is on the high side too. The ratio between my copper and zinc (zinc normal) are not too bad. My doc is Walsh trained. I have been taking B6, P5P (B6 diff kind),B12, Calcium, Mag, Vit E, Vit D, Moly, Selenium. Was asked to take L-Serine but felt worse after taking it and stopped. My homocysteine was at 11.9 when I started and 4 weeks later it was 11.4. That isn’t fast at all!! Since my doc has been too busy I researched and I found TMG might help my homocysteine decrease. I have been taking that for 3 weeks (1.5 g) and will have a blood draw tomorrow. I also found on my own http://www.lifeextention.com offers blood tests that are very very reasonable rate as compared to DHA costs. My copper was 144 when I began and it has dropped to 136 in 4 wks. I am concerned the TMG might slow or stop the copper detox but I should find out after tomorrow’s blood draw. Rather than sitting around and feeling sorry and depressed I have been researching and applying things myself. I’m sure my doc won’t like it but I dislike her unavailability (and my deep depressions.. at least this way I feel more in control) I have read numerous conflicting things about copper, zinc, and undermethy so I am sure it is a challenge to get the right combo.

If you want to sure your asthma, reach out to me. I have 30 years in this space and have cured asthma and many other things. If you decide to use my work to cure your asthma, we should talk about you writing for me. I only work with people who have the experience of my work for obvious reasons. I like your ethics, integrity, passion and discernment. http://www.AliciaKali.com

Great content!