Migraines are genetic and there is nothing you can do about it. This is told to migraine sufferers every day—and it’s a lie, there is something you can do.
Now, it is true that if one parent suffers from migraines, his or her child is 40% likely to develop migraines and if both parents have migraines that number could be as high as 90% (Research link). Today we know why.
Watch the video for this article ↑↑ It’s Magnificent!
The migraine gene is a mutation of the MTHFR gene. This gene, in healthy individuals, converts folate into methylfolate. Methylfolate is the bioactive form of folate which is necessary for normal brain functioning and migraine prevention (Research link, Study link 1 2).
The mutated MTHFR gene slows down this conversion process and the end result is lower levels of methylfolate. If the migraine gene mutation is passed down from one parent, the gene loses 40 percent of its ability to perform this conversion process. If the gene is passed down from both parents, a 70% loss of function is the result. This means a lot less methylfolate and more migraines (study link).
The solution is to ingest more methylfolate, and you are in luck because it is easy to acquire. However, there are a few reasons why people fail to achieve optimum levels of methylfolate.
Problem One: Fake Supplements
Many supplements are fake, as GNC, Target, Walgreens and Walmart were kind enough to show us in early 2015. The New York State Attorney General’s office tested a number of supplements and found that most of them did not contain any of the herbs on their labels. The FDA doesn’t properly regulate supplements (FDA link), and the market is flooded with fake and potentially dangerous supplements.
Problem Two: Folic Acid
Most people consume the cheap synthetic version of folate called folic acid, which must first be converted by a limited number of enzymes called DHFR (Study link). Unnaturally depleting DHFR is bad because DHFR is meant to recycle folate in the brain to prevent severe neurological damage (Study link). High levels of folic acid may even block methylfolate from reaching the brain (Study link, Article) and is associated with an increase in colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer in lab rats, and a doubled risk for prostate cancer (study link 1, 2, news link).
This is horrifying news for migraine sufferers with low methylfolate production because folic acid is added to processed foods. In addition, the FDA has proposed banning the word “folate” from supplement labels, making it impossible to know if you’re consuming toxic folic acid or natural folate (FDA link, page 69).
Problem Three: Methylation Cycle
The MTHFR gene is part of this mess called the methylation cycle and is affected by numerous headache triggers. If one part of the system speeds up, such as producing stress or digesting food triggers, the entire system speeds up until the weakest link breaks—just as if it were a machine moving too fast for its gears. Obviously that weak link for many migraine sufferers is the MTHFR gene and a lack of methylfolate.
However, any part of the system spinning too fast could damage even healthy MTHFR genes. For example, hypothyroidism spins the methylation cycle by increasing stress, reducing Vitamin B2 and B12 (Study link), and severely reducing the MTHFR gene’s ability to create methylfolate (Study link). As expected, migraine sufferers are 3.5 times as likely to have hypothyroidism (Study link).
To slow down the Methylation cycle, read my article: Breathe Like a SEAL to Beat Migraines
Methylation represents the headache threshold and is responsible for regenerating cells as well as for producing energy, serotonin, dopamine, DAO and stress hormones. It is also responsible for controlling stress, glutamate, hypothyroidism, weight gain and biogenic amines as well as being involved in cleaning toxins, such as acetaldehyde and ammonia, out of the blood (Research, video). Reducing headache triggers that spin this system will prevent migraines and a loss of methylfolate.
Problem Four: Vitamin Deficiencies
Vitamin deficiencies are common in those with MTHFR mutations. The methylation cycle needs Vitamins B2, B6, B9 and B12. In fact, taking methylfolate (B9) without methylcobalamin (B12) can even be dangerous. According to Dr. Benjamin Lynch, a leading MTHFR gene expert, skipping past the MTHFR gene with a methylfolate supplement will spin the methylfolate (B9) to an area that requires methylcobalamin (B12). If the person doesn’t have enough methylcobalamin (B12), the methylfolate (B9) will become trapped (methyl trapping) and could grind the entire system to a halt—just like throwing a wrench into a set of moving gears.
How to Beat the Migraine Gene
We need both methylfolate (B9) and methylcobalamin (B12). A low-functioning MTHFR gene can result in poor digestion and vitamin absorption, which many migraine sufferers have. Dr. Lynch has solved this problem and successfully treated numerous patients with a fast-dissolving lozenge that rapidly delivers premium methylfolate and methylcobalamin.
This isn’t a drug that is simply masking the symptoms of migraine. It eliminates the problem and makes the genetic predisposition to migraine irrelevant. This is, in layman’s term, a “cure.” It works, and you can purchase it today.
(Seeking Health “active B12 with L-5-MTHF” containing 800mcg of methylfolate and 1000mcg of B12 (Amazon link).
You should have a doctor test your methylfolate levels so you know how much of Dr. Lynch’s medication to take. If you don’t have your methylfolate levels tested, Dr. Lynch recommends starting at half a tablet per day and increasing the dosage by half a tablet every seven days until you “feel really good”. He also recommends taking vitamin B3 (Niacin 50mg) if you have side effects or take too much methylfolate, as vitamin B3 is nature’s counter balance to folate.
Beat the Migraine Gene Naturally
The elimination diets mentioned in the 3-Day Headache “Cure” have been shown to be up to 100 percent successful at reducing or eliminating migraines. You can improve methylfolate levels and the entire headache threshold by reducing processed foods (with folic acid) and eating natural foods with B Vitamins.
To learn more about food triggers, read my article: The Biggest Migraine Trigger.
Dark leafy greens, broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, beets, beans, peas, lentils, lettuce, avocados, papaya, and numerous other fruits and vegetables are important to reducing or eliminating migraines. A number of nuts, seafood, livers, poultry, and meats also contain folate and can be helpful (research link).
How to Test for the Migraine Gene
Any mutation of the MTHFR gene may trigger migraines (study link) and there are two you can test for: MTHFR C677T and MTHFR A1298C (study link). You can even order a DNA kit from 23andme.com to do the test yourself. After you spit on a cotton swab and put it in the return envelope, they will email you the results, and geneticgenie.org will interpret those results for any genetic predispositions you may have.
For more info:
Visit Dr. Benjamin Lynch at MTHFR.net or watch his free eighty-minute video at 3dayheadachecure.com are the same ways to improve the functioning of the MTHFR gene.
