Subscriber Exclusive: The Truth About MTHFR (No One Explains This)
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Hi Reader I don't know about you, but it seems like every time I open the internet lately, someone is blaming MTHFR for something. Anxiety? MTHFR. Detox issues? MTHFR. Hormones? Inflammation? Fill in the blank… also MTHFR. And while it sounds scientific and specific, it’s also incredibly misleading, because the body doesn’t work at the level of one gene.....it works at the level of systems. Today I want to talk about why we miss the forest for the trees when we myopically focus on MTHFR....and what actually matters when it comes to how your body responds to everything from HRT to peptides, supplements & even red light therapy! A couple announcements: Need extra help? Blueprint on Demand is now available! Get a custom program just for you & 6 weeks of lesson - click here for details 30 Day Rentals: Testing this out over the weekend only - click here to get 30 day access to Leptin Reset and save $200 - If you have been eyeing the program & you know you are ready to start NOW Fertility Signals Bundle still available - Click here for details (discount ends this weekend) New here? Free Product Guide - $7 Cortisol Course & MyCircadianApp Free trial with code SARAHK Today I want to pick apart the MTHFR is the root of all evil narrative.....and provide you with early access to my Q&A episode where I dive deeper into the topic and answer viewer questions (click here for early access to the Q&A - including why you shouldn't blindly supplement based on one gene) When it comes to HRT to peptides, supplements & even red light therapy - none of those things operate through a single pathway....and they all depend on capacity. For example: How your body sees an exogenous hormone like estrogen & actually smoothly integrates it into your body (or not) - depends on your terrain.....not one gene. Online conversations tend to oversimplify things like "detox" & "hormones", and the truth is that detox is not one enzyme, hormones aren’t just one switch, and brain chemistry isn’t one gene. These are layered, overlapping networks that depend on nutrients, minerals, sleep, light exposure, stress levels, and most of all…..energy. MTHFR is just one small step inside the methylation pathway, and can be thought of as one cog in a very big machine (not the boss). But again - the internet loves a simple villain (wouldn't it be easier if that were the case?), so it gets treated like the root cause of everything, which keeps people obsessing over one SNP while completely ignoring the environment the whole system runs in. I’ve watched this play out in my own life. In my teens and 20's, I had plenty of health issues: Bloating, weight loss resistance, depression, fatigue, painful cycles, skin issues - (generalized inflammation really). I already knew I carried several “detox” and methylation SNPs, including MTHFR, so it would’ve been easy to blame my genetics and call it a day. Instead, I fixed my inputs & supported my mitochondria through my light envionment, sleep, food quality (and timing), minerals, sunlight exposure & circadian health, and my health changed dramatically. For years I felt resilient, tolerated stress well, and I wasn’t constantly chasing symptoms. My genes didn't change at all, and I had a completely different experience. Which should point to: if one gene were truly the bottleneck, none of that would’ve worked to begin with! Then last year, in my mid-40s, life got a lot more challenging..... A small child - an older disabled child with health issues, sick parents, less sleep & more stress (compounded with inevitable hormone shifts that happen at this age). Even though I was still doing sunrise, red light, grounding, eating well - all the “right” things - little symptoms started creeping back in. Tinnitus (trust me that was annoying) Weird numbness and tingling in my fingers. More irritability. Less stress tolerance (I started a campaign to have leaf blowers outlawed in my neighborhood 😂). And this is where things clicked for me in a different way: My genes didn’t suddenly change, my energy did. Because methylation and “detox” aren’t traits....they’re jobs, and jobs require ATP. If your mitochondria are working beautifully & your hormones are at optimal levels, you can compensate for a lot of genetic quirks without ever noticing them. The system has enough buffer to adapt. That’s why plenty of people walk around with the exact same SNPs and feel totally fine for decades. But midlife plus modern life has a tendency to shrink that buffer. We naturally lose some mitochondrial capacity, and hormones shift.....combine that with extra stress and less sleep: Now you have the same genes… but less energy to run the system. That’s when the weak links show up, because your capacity dropped. And here’s the nuance that gets lost online: the answer isn’t “ignore genetics,” and it’s also not “take random methylated B vitamins & handfuls of mitochondrial supplements” Since I had made those major lifestyle and diet changes that had me feeling amazing for years- I had been pretty resistant to supplements because my lifestyle and mitochondria were solid. But when I went to my doctor and her answer was immediately to add estrogen to fix these issues - I paused & felt I needed more information. I also ran my own blood work and my homocysteine level was at a 12 (which isn’t terrible by conventional labs, but it’s higher than I like to see and usually points to sluggish methylation and higher inflammatory stress). That's when I met Kash Khan, and he had a deep look at my genetics, and built a targeted protocol - specific B vitamins, folate, boron, and a few precise supports - my tinnitus was gone within a week & the tingling in my fingers went away! A few months later when I ran my labs - my homocysteine was a 6. That wasn’t about “fixing MTHFR.” It was about identifying where my system needed a little extra help once my buffer got smaller. The good news? I haven't had any of those issues in almost a year now (although I do still hate leaf blowers 🫣). I also haven’t decided to start estrogen yet - not because I’m anti-HRT, but because I haven’t felt the need. And after reviewing my genetics and metabolism with Kash, I learned that my body tends to favor the more proliferative 16-OH estrogen pathway and doesn’t clear estrogen as efficiently, so supporting detox and methylation first has felt like the smarter move for me at this time. The overarching lesson about MTHFR & Health:What I learned was the order of operations is always: systems first & precision second.....and that's a very different approach than blaming one gene for everything. Most so-called “methylation problems” aren’t genetic defects, they're capacity issues, and capacity is shaped by your light, your sleep, your stress load, your mitochondria, and then - when needed - smart, targeted support that makes sense for you. That’s exactly what Kash and I talked about in our most recent podcast, and are going to unpack next Wednesday in our free webinar! We’re going deeper into methylation, genetics, detox, midlife physiology, and how to use this information intelligently instead of obsessively - so you can actually feel better without chasing every new supplement trend you see online. If you’ve ever felt stuck between “it’s just your genes” and “just fix your lifestyle,” this conversation will probably connect a lot of dots. You can register here and join us live. (you will be sent the replay if you register & cannot attend) I will also be giving my personal supplement protocol over on substack over the weekend - click here to make sure you are subscribed! New episode ⬇️Click here - or on the photo above for Youtube - Click here for Spotify & Click here for Apple Timestamps: 00:47 The Complexity of Health Solutions 03:46 Sarah's Health Journey and Metabolic Challenges 05:48 The Role of Diet in Metabolic Health 06:37 Cold Therapy and Pregnancy 08:47 Pregnancy Loss and IVF Decisions 11:42 The Impact of Cold Plunges on Fertility 13:03 A Miraculous Pregnancy at 42 14:31 Navigating Pregnancy with a History of Autism 17:58 The Importance of Red and Infrared Light 26:28 Childbirth Experiences and Hospital Policies 33:52 Informed Consent and the Medical System 36:02 Taking Responsibility for Your Health 36:22 Common Pregnancy Symptoms and Misconceptions 37:08 Personal Pregnancy Experience 38:15 Diet and Nutrition During Pregnancy 40:51 Blue Blockers and Circadian Rhythm 42:22 Insulin Resistance in Pregnancy 43:45 Cold Exposure Benefits During Pregnancy 45:08 Post-Pregnancy Health and Diet 49:15 Carnivore vs. Keto Diets 52:00 The Importance of Vitamin D 01:03:33 Nervous System and Health 01:12:18 Concluding Thoughts on Pregnancy and Health Enjoy the new episode & please share with a friend or family member who you think could benefit. 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In Health🌞, Sarah PS - This newsletter is not medical advice nor a substitute for 1:1 care with a trusted practitioner! |
