Anxiety is a MTHFR. No, seriously. Struggling with anxiety is closely connected to having an MTHFR variant. I'm not at all saying that everyone who has a clinical anxiety disorder was misdiagnosed. I'm also not saying that anyone should stop taking their prescribed anxiety medication without a doctor's supervision. However, there are countless stories of people whose anxiety was cured, or at least made manageable, once the real root of the problem was addressed.
When you have an MTHFR variant, you have impaired methylation, and thus a decreased ability to detox. Methylation is integral to every system of the body. When these pathways are not functioning properly, a wide variety of symptoms can manifest. Crippling anxiety is one of the symptoms that people with this genetic variant have been known to experience. In such a case, anti-anxiety medication may help to a degree, but it's a bit like putting a bandaid on a bullet wound. Anxiety that is manifesting due to impaired methylation can not be healed until the impaired methylation is addressed.
So how is impaired methylation addressed? The first step is to take a bioavailable B vitamin complex and remove sources of folic acid from diet and supplementation. A healthy diet that is rich in folate and includes minimal sugar, processing, and toxins should be adopted. Then, toxic load should be addressed and minimized. An overhaul of everything from your cleaning products to your cosmetics may be necessary. A lifestyle that supports ongoing detoxification, as well as adds minimal toxins in the process should be adopted. Consider diet, supplements, exercise, products used, sleep, stress, and more.
This is usually an ongoing process and can't be completed overnight! However, you're in the right place to get started. Many people who suffer with symptoms of anxiety find that they feel dramatically better after changing their lifestyle to accommodate having an MTHFR variant. Sometimes, anxiety really is a MTHFR!
To take a deeper, guided dive into how to thrive with an MTHFR variant, check out Hey MTHFR Academy. This 16-week online course will give you the tools you need to harness the power of epigenetics and befriend your MTHFR gene.