Methylated Folate and Cobalamin

The Health Benefits of Methylated Folate (5-MTHF)

1. Supports DNA Synthesis and Repair: Methylated folate is critical for DNA and RNA synthesis, which is essential for cell division and repair. This supports overall cellular health and is particularly important during periods of rapid growth, such as pregnancy.

2. Promotes Homocysteine Metabolism: 5-MTHF helps convert homocysteine to methionine, an essential amino acid. Elevated homocysteine levels are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cognitive decline. By lowering homocysteine, methylated folate supports heart and brain health. 

3. Improves Cognitive Function:

Adequate folate levels are associated with improved cognitive function and a lower risk of neurodegenerative disorders, such as dementia. Methylated folate is more bioavailable, ensuring the brain gets the folate it needs for neurotransmitter synthesis and neural health.

4. Supports Mental Health: Methylated folate plays a role in producing neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Supplementing with 5-MTHF may help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, particularly in individuals with MTHFR mutations.

5. Enhances Pregnancy Outcomes: Folate is critical for fetal development, particularly in preventing neural tube defects. Methylated folate is more readily used by the body, making it a preferred choice for women with MTHFR mutations during pregnancy.

6. Reduces the Risk of Anemia: Folate is essential for the production of red blood cells. Methylated folate can help prevent megaloblastic anemia, a condition characterized by large immature red blood cells that impair oxygen transport.

7. Supports Detoxification: Methylated folate is involved in methylation, a biochemical process that supports detoxification, hormone regulation, and gene expression. Proper methylation is crucial for overall metabolic health.

Health Benefits of Methylated Cobalamin (Methylcobalamin)

1. Supports Nervous System Health: Methylcobalamin is a coenzyme for nerve function and repair. It supports the maintenance of the myelin sheath, which insulates nerve fibers, potentially reducing the risk of neuropathy and improving nerve-related conditions like tingling or numbness.

2. Aids in Homocysteine Metabolism: Like methylated folate, methylcobalamin helps convert homocysteine to methionine, supporting cardiovascular health and reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

3. Boosts Energy Production: Methylcobalamin is involved in the production of red blood cells and the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. This can help combat fatigue and improve energy levels, particularly in individuals with B12 deficiency.

4. Improves Cognitive and Mental Health: Methylcobalamin supports brain health by aiding in the production of neurotransmitters and protecting against cognitive decline. It may help with memory, focus, and mood regulation, and some studies suggest it could reduce symptoms of depression.

5. Supports Red Blood Cell Formation: Methylcobalamin is essential for producing healthy red blood cells, preventing pernicious anemia, a condition caused by B12 deficiency that leads to fatigue, weakness, and neurological issues.

6. Promotes Sleep Regulation: Methylcobalamin may help regulate circadian rhythms and improve sleep quality by supporting melatonin production, a hormone that controls sleep-wake cycles.

7. Supports Methylation and Detoxification: As a methyl donor, methylcobalamin supports the methylation cycle, which is crucial for detoxification, DNA repair, and gene expression. This is especially important for individuals with impaired methylation due to genetic variations.

Combined Benefits of Methylated Folate and Methylcobalamin

1. Synergistic Effects: Methylated folate and methylcobalamin work together in the methylation cycle, which is critical for many bodily processes, including DNA repair, gene expression, detoxification, and neurotransmitter synthesis. Taking them together ensures optimal functioning of this pathway.

2. Enhanced Absorption: For individuals with MTHFR mutations or other genetic variations, methylated forms bypass metabolic bottlenecks, ensuring the body can use these nutrients effectively.

3. Cardiovascular Health: Both nutrients lower homocysteine levels, reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke. Neurological and Mental Health Support: The combination supports brain health, mood regulation, and cognitive function, making it particularly beneficial for those with neurological conditions or mental health challenges.

4. Energy and Vitality: By supporting red blood cell production and energy metabolism, these nutrients can help combat fatigue and improve overall vitality.

Who May Benefit Most?

1. Individuals with MTHFR gene mutations, which impair the body’s ability to convert folic acid to its active form (5-MTHF).

2. People with B12 deficiency or those who struggle to convert cyanocobalamin to methylcobalamin.

3. Pregnant women, as folate is critical for fetal development.

4. Individuals with cardiovascular risks (e.g., high homocysteine levels).

5. Those with neurological or mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or neuropathy.

6. Vegans, vegetarians, or older adults who are at higher risk of B12 deficiency.

Always follow recommended dosages, as excessive intake of folate or B12 can mask deficiencies or cause side effects. Consult a healthcare provider for personalized advice.

B12 Testing: Before supplementing with high doses of folate, ensure B12 levels are adequate, as folate can mask B12 deficiency, potentially leading to neurological damage. These supplements may interact with certain medications (e.g., methotrexate, anticonvulsants). Consult a doctor if you’re on medication.

Choose high-quality supplements from reputable brands to ensure purity and potency. The one I take combines both methylated vitamins and is produced by Jarrow Formulas. They are chewable tablets, but I let them dissolve under my tongue (sublingually). Also note that the “cyano” of cyanocobalamin refers to cyanide. Yup, your commercial form of B12 is made by adding cyanide to vats of either methylcobalamin or adenosylcobalamin that are produced by a few different strains of bacteria. Sources of cyanide include gold & silver mining and industrial coke production. 

 

Vitamins MK-4 & MK-7 for Bone Health

Vitamins MK4 and MK7, forms of Vitamin K2, play a role in blood coagulation by supporting the activation of clotting factors in the liver. They help produce functional proteins like factors II (thrombin), VII, IX, and X, which are essential for the clotting cascade. However, their effects on coagulation are generally regulatory and not excessive in healthy individuals with normal vitamin K levels.

MK4: Rapidly absorbed, shorter half-life (less than 24 hours). It supports clotting factor activation but is less studied for coagulation impact compared to MK7.

MK7: Longer half-life (3 days), more stable in blood. Studies suggest it may slightly enhance coagulation in vitamin K-deficient individuals but doesn’t significantly increase clotting risk in healthy people.

In vitamin K deficiency, MK4 or MK7 supplementation can normalize coagulation, potentially increasing clotting compared to a deficient state. In healthy individuals, therapeutic doses (e.g., 45–200 mcg/day MK7) typically don’t cause hypercoagulation, as vitamin K’s role is tightly regulated.

High doses (e.g., >1 mg/day) or use with anticoagulants (like warfarin, which MK4 and MK7 can counteract) may increase clotting risk, requiring medical supervision.

People on anticoagulants should avoid MK4/MK7 supplements unless advised by a doctor, as they can interfere with therapy.

No strong evidence suggests MK4 or MK7 causes excessive clotting in healthy individuals at standard doses.

https://adobe.ly/4k7yE7H 

To Save a Life

 

Mythomania: A Psychodrama Revisited

Chapter 11

The Cost of a Life

 

Now, about that money the feds said was theirs.

This is a public confession. Admittedly, it isn’t much of a secret anymore, but I was still married to Cookie when Jonathon was born. He was conceived *Christmas Day 1999, but in my pitiful defense, Cookie had already filed for divorce. When Cookie’s attorney Denise Kuzniewski found out that Angie was pregnant, she really tightened the screws. I didn’t stand a chance in court afterwards. I would have fared better in divorce court if Angie had had an abortion, but that was never an option in our minds:

“I call heaven and earth to witness you today: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse — therefore CHOOSE LIFE!”

---Deut. 30:19

It wasn’t even an option after we found out that Spring that Jonathon had multiple birth defects that were “incompatible with life.” We had the ultrasound on Friday, April 28, 2000, and the obstetrician with the worst bedside manner in the world confronted us with the bad news on Monday, May 1st. He positioned himself between us and the door, probably hoping for a safe getaway. He said, “you have to face it. Your baby is going to die. You need to go home, conjugate the data, and wait for his death. Come back when he stops moving”. No compassion, empathy, or support. He left us without hope. But none of us, including Jon, was going to give up that easily. As an aside, you conjugate verbs, not nouns, which you decline.

My life would have been much easier if we had aborted him. But life is so precious to me that I couldn’t do it any other way. Despite all the subsequent losses in my life, I do NOT regret that we decided to fight. The bastards were NOT going to win.  You can read about our fight and our ultimate victory in Angie’s book A White Rose for Jonathon. It really is a Good Read.

 The first thing I did was to arrange for weekly high-risk ultrasounds. That is a euphemism for “high-cost ultrasounds.” Neither of us had medical insurance so I paid between $600 and $1000 each week, half of the money going to the specialist who read the ultrasounds. So, starting at 20 weeks gestation and lasting until Jon’s birth at week 38, that is between $10,800 and $18,000 I paid to keep Jon alive prenatally. Cash. I never asked for a receipt because who would have thought then that the government would come after me more than seven years later to get “their” money?

The prenatal care also included paying for a Geneticist and two Pediatric Cardiologists. Angie documented all of this in her book. She gave special agent Bielke a copy of the manuscript. Did he even read it? Did the judge read it? Angie didn’t write it to prove that I spent a lot of money to save Jon’s life. She wrote it to show the world how God blessed us. But in her own words, she proves my point:

“It was time to leave, and we went out front to pay. This was just the beginning of weekly ultrasounds.”

“We were spending over $2000 per month for Jonathon’s healthcare.”

“Mike and I weren’t eligible for any government assistance because of our monthly incomes. We trusted God for everything, including our finances. We had a scholarship in every child’s name at different colleges. Those had to go. Our savings account was quickly diminishing. And I hadn’t worked for a few months.”

Rereading this for the revision, I noticed something strange that I didn’t pick up when I first wrote it. Note that she first says, “We were spending...”, and later, “I hadn’t worked...” In other words, good old Dr. Mike was paying the bills himself! In fairness to her, she did find a job at St. Catherine’s Hospital in Kenosha one month before Jon was born, but her health insurance didn’t kick in until she had been there for a month. That’s our first miracle: 31 days after she signed her contract, Jonathon was born.

Most of his subsequent medical expenses were covered. Most of them. I still had to pay deductibles and copays. He had open-heart surgery when he was only 2 days old, abdominal surgery when he was 5 days old, and a repeat open-heart surgery when he was 10 months old. The total medical cost of his first year of life was over $750,000. That did not include travel expenses or babysitters for the other kids. Again, I have no record of how much I spent. I do know that it was a lot more than I “owed” in taxes. Note also that we did file taxes, despite Fox6 News in Milwaukee assertion that I didn’t.

I understand the government’s stance on this issue. I may not like it, but I understand it. I understand that special agents are trained to scare and intimidate people and that they delight in being clever bullies. I get it. I’m not stupid. I understand that people like Curtis Johnson do bad things to good people because they get scared. Angie didn’t deserve the pressure and intimidation, nor did my mother, my brother, other relatives, or my friends. I am so sorry anyone had to go through all of that.

What I really cannot understand is why Angie later refuted what she wrote in the book to the federal court.