Yeast is a Beast – The MTHFR and Candida Connection

  Just the thought of candida growing wildly inside your body can make you sick. You’ve likely heard through books, blogs, and personal encounters just how many problems this yeast species can cause. You’ve heard about the chronic fatigue, the inflammation, the painful, bloated, smelly digestion it can cause….

ADD, ADHD, and Low Dopamine

  I’m excited to bring you a new video. I know it’s been quite a while since I was able to publish one. All I can say is it’s been an amazing year and we’ve been super busy with lots of growth in our practice and personally as well….

MTHFR and Viral Infections

  It is a mind-blowing fact that 40% of our DNA is considered “parasitic” DNA. This non-human DNA, which occupies 40% of our entire genetic code, comes from viruses and bacteria which implanted their genes into our DNA. I can’t say I am excited about the idea of having…

The FUT2 Genes – A Hidden Cause of Leaky Gut and Leaky Brain

  Researching methylation is a fascinating area of study that ties together many different systems of our body. While MTHFR, COMT, and MAO genes are very well-known, they are other lesser known genes that impact our health as well. In this video I am sharing with you my latest…

MTHFR and Digestion – Healing the Hiatal Hernia

  Our stomach is an amazing organ but it has an Achilles heel – it can develop a problem called a hiatal hernia.  This occurs when the stomach slides up (or herniates) through the diaphragm and into the chest cavity.  This puts the stomach in close contact with the…

Solving SIBO – 5 Strategies to Prevent and Eliminate SIBO Naturally

  Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth, or SIBO, is a growing problem in our society. SIBO is a problem where too much bacteria is living in the small intestine. It can impact everything from your mood, your sleep, your energy, your methylation cycle, and of course your digestion. Living with…

MTHFR and Digestion: Methylation Impacts Gallbladder Function

    Introduction One of the most common questions I get when working with patients is “Can my methylation problems cause digestion issues?”  This question has come up over and over again as many people with methylation issues also have gut problems at the same time.  It wouldn’t be…

The Tryptophan Steal – The Hidden Reason Stress Makes You Depressed

  Depression has to be one of the most misunderstood and poorly treated health conditions in our modern age.  Yet depression isn’t the monster it appears to be.  Depression like all health problems has a root cause; and once the root cause is addressed amazing things happen.  I know…

Programmed for Depression – Why We Get Depressed and the 5 Steps to Fix it Naturally

  Depression has to be one of the most misunderstood health problems in our society. Tens of millions of people live each day in a fog of depression, negativity and lack of enthusiasm for life. We all know someone who has struggled with depression and seen its negative impact…

MTHFR and Depression – The Folate and BH4 Connection

  Introduction Many people who are looking at their genetics are often motivated by the problem of depression.  Of course like many common health problems depression is now a big business in our society.  Pharmaceutical companies rake in billions of dollars producing drugs to try and treat this problem. …

The Down Side to High Oxalates – Problems with Sulfate, B6, Gut, and Methylation

  Before we get into down side of elevated oxalates it is important to repeat something I said my previous post titled Oxalates and MTHFR: Understanding the Gut-Kidney Axis – that oxalates in mild amounts are not a problem for the body. As long as the body can safely…

MTHFR and Pregnancy: Optimizing Genes for Better Births and Healthier Babies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKJI2nPHkr8   Deciding to start a family is one of the most important decisions in life. Its not only important to choose the right timing, its also necessary to optimize your health before starting a family. By learning simple, but powerful healthy concepts, you can make small changes today…

Infertility – What Every Woman Needs to Know

Infertility is a growing problem in our society. It is now estimated that up to 17% of couples are infertile, leading to a great deal of frustration, sadness, and confusion. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this informative video you will learn the root causes of…

Oxalates and MTHFR: Understanding the Gut-Kidney Axis

  No discussion of gut health and methylation would be complete without considering the problem of oxalates. I understand many of you reading this may not have heard of oxalates before. However, just because you haven’t heard of them doesn’t mean they aren’t a potential problem! Like many things…

2-Hour Gut-Methylation Seminar

Listen to this video where I present my latest information to a sold out crowd in Portland, OR. Learn about the genetics involved with anger, anxiety, pain, and insomnia and how the gut microbes influence our genes and our behaviors. This presentation is the result of years of work…

Organic Acid Test – An Essential Tool for Gut-Methylation Problems

  This article is a brief overview of why I think the Organic Acid Test from Great Plains Laboratory is the best test for gut & methylation issues.   It is important to point out that I am not in any way affiliated with Great Plains Lab – but…

Leaky Gut, Leaky Brain: How Gut Problems Create Brain Problems

  Whether you are suffering from depression, anxiety, insomnia, chronic pain, brain fog or other concerns, optimizing your gut function is key to restoring your health. Gut bacteria produce vitamins, neurotransmitters and other molecules that can impact every cell and organ in our body.  If our gut isn’t in…

Treating COMT and MAO: the Hormonal Cause of Stress and Anxiety

  Introduction Optimizing methylation pathways means going further than just deciding how much B12 or folate a person needs. Seeking to optimize methylation pathways means you must go far beyond just looking at MTHFR and see all the genes and biochemicals that are impacting our health. And we cannot…

Treating COMT and MAO: How COMT Influences the Brain

  Everyone has felt the negative effects of stress in their lives, yet not everyone responds to stress in the same way.  While our life experience has a great deal of influence on our perception of stress, certain genes make us more or less sensitive to stress.  One big…

Adrenal Fatigue: The 7 Signs of Adrenal Stress

  Adrenal fatigue is the most over-looked and unrecognized health condition in our society. Join Dr. Rostenberg for this information-packed presentation on how to identify the 7 Signs of Adrenal Stress. Symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, poor sleep, weak immune system, hormone imbalance, and blood sugar issues are all…

Hectic Hormones: How to Optimize Hormone Levels Naturally

  Hormones are the most powerful molecules in our bodies.  They influence how we feel, how we think, how we digest, how we look and how we grow.  Modern pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, and other toxins are interfering with our sex hormone system and putting us at risk for…

The Cholesterol Connection: Learn the Hidden Truth Behind this Amazing Molecule

  Whether you have methylation problems or a chronic disease of some kind, making sure your cholesterol levels are optimized is key for the healing process.  New science is challenging the idea that high cholesterol is bad and low cholesterol is good.  We’ve been “managing” cholesterol levels for 50…

How Blood Sugar Influences Dopamine/Adrenalin Levels – COMT and MAO

  I meet patients every day who have a good diet, but they are not getting better.  Despite their healthy diet and avoidance of many foods, they are unable to sleep better, lose weight, increase their energy and simply feel good.  This often happens because their digestive system and…

Adrenal Failure, Hypertension, Sepsis and Fatigue

Friday, March 13, 2015 Jolyn has suffered from chronic issues for several years.  She is finding relief in just a few weeks by following Dr. Rostenberg’s protocols for methylation and optimum health.   Before seeing Dr. Rostenberg she suffered from chronic adrenal stress that led to various diagnoses including

Optimizing Genes, Optimizing Lives – January 2015

There is a reason why people in this society are chronically ill and sick.  We all know that there is no shortage of drugs and surgeries in this country; we aren’t suffering from a lack of access to pharmaceutical drugs.  What we are dealing with is a lack of…

MTHFR and Acid Reflux: the Cause and the Cure

  Have you ever heard that we eat first with our eyes? Its true! The sight of food activates a series of neurological reflexes and pathways that primes our system for digestion. However just looking at food is not enough to digest it; we actually need to get all…

Fire in the Belly – The 7 Steps to Healthy Digestion

Digestive problems are among the most common health problems in our society.  Many people suffer daily from bloating, gas, pain, acid reflux, and abdominal discomfort.  Many people are unable to find relief, even with powerful and dangerous medications.   Its not what we eat but what we absorb that actually…

The Gut Origin of Methylation Problems

  Have you ever considered that gut bacteria can influence your genes?  That thought might sound strange, but that is exactly what the latest research is showing us.  It is becoming ever more apparent that who and what lives in our gut has a huge influence on our methylation…

Years of Insomnia and Adrenal Fatigue Fixed By Healing the Gut

Samantha called my office for help because she has been dealing with symptoms of yeast and adrenal fatigue for 40 years. She is a grandmother in her seventies who has battled the symptoms of rapid heartbeat, dizziness, blood sugar swings, weak immune system, and insomnia off and on for…

Jan 24, 2015

Sunday, August 18, 2014 From Sheila Corbin via Email: In 2002, at age 32, I had a brain stem stroke which resulted in a spontaneous vertebral artery dissection. Obviously brain stem strokes are different than hemispheric strokes. A BSS affects the part of the brain that is the main…

Monday, June 10, 2014 From Bobbi Allstott via Facebook: Just wanted to publically thank Dr. Rostenberg for helping me figure so much out this last year. This morning I went on the longest bike ride that I had in 4 years. There were days that I wondered if I…

A Genetic Cause of Pain and Anxiety – COMT, MAO and MTHFR

  Do you find yourself worrying excessively about the future,  about money or about fearful things in general?  Does a small amount of stress cause you to feel very stressed out?  Do you feel good while you exercise, but afterwards feel drained and worn out?  Are you easily agitated,…

MTHFR and SIBO Part II – The Three Causes of SIBO

  Have you ever heard that before you treat your methylation problem, that you must heal the gut first?  Well I am here to share with you more information that supports that idea. As you will see, SIBO is a problem that is caused by several major issues which…

MTHFR and SIBO – Part I

  The health of the gut determines the health of the body.  This is a well-known fact.  There are roughly 100 trillion cells inside our bodies, yet the there about 10x as many cells of bacteria living on our bodies.  This mass of bacteria lives in harmony with us…

Genotype – Haplotype – Phenotype

In the world of methylation and genetic testing things can become complicated very quickly.  I speak to patients on a daily basis who are more confused after they did their genetic test than they were before.  What we are seeing are thousands of patients testing their genetics to find…

Pain from the Grain – Going Gluten Free

Check out this video produced by Dr. Rostenberg where he explains the complex issues of gluten sensitivity in easy-to-understand language.  Gluten is not a fad, not a fluke, it is the real deal food poison that impacts MANY people, esp. those with chronic challenges like MTHFR, candida, etc. 

MTHFR and the Stress-Gut Connection – Part II

  Stress in our lives creates stress in our guts.  That is a known and predictable fact of science. What is less clear, and what is the focus of this investigation, is to uncover just how those effects of stress show up in other parts of our bodies.  I…

Are You Tired or Toxic? The 5 Steps to Natural Detoxification

  Are you tired or toxic? That is a fair question since many symptoms of toxic overload are commonly mislabeled as digestive issues, insomnia, chronic fatigue or even allergies.  Our bodies can detoxify the pollutants that exist in our modern world.  But in order to do that, our nutrition,…

MTHFR and Homocysteine – Part III

  Part III of the video series MTHFR and Homocysteine picks up where the parts I & parts II leave off.  In those previous videos, I’ve already outlined where homocysteine comes from and the multiple ways it can damage our bodies.  You can review those ideas anytime by watching…

MAO-A – Understanding the SNP

One of the best parts of researching methylation is meeting people who ask very good questions.  One very good question came up the other day about MAO-A and whether or not it was sped up or slowed down.  This question is important considering how much impact the MAO system…

MTHFR and the Stress-Gut Connection – Part 1

  This is a video series dedicated to answering two very important questions.  The first question is “How does our gut health influence the health of the rest of the body?“.  The second question is “Why do supplements, esp. methylation nutrients, make my symptoms WORSE?”  These are questions which…

Friday, June 6, 2014 I just wanted you to know as a busy family practice doctor who’s a naturopath at heart that I absolutely loved the videos you just did on methylation. I heard about them through a Twitter from Dr Rheum .

Wednesday, June 4, 2014 Dear Dr. Rostenberg: Just wanted to give you some feedback on my daughters Conley and Torey since we started working with you and they have been introduced to your protocols.  

Research Articles on Methylation

Good Morning, Today I am posting two published research articles about methylation that I have written in the last couple of years.  The first article is called Methylation and the Physical Exam.  It describes what to look for on the outside of the body if you suspect someone has…

MTHFR and Homocysteine – Part II

  In the first video the groundwork was laid in understanding where homocysteine comes from and how it impairs methylation, esp. in the brain. In Part II, Dr. Rostenberg goes deeper into the science and peer-reviewed research to throw light on how homocysteine acts as a toxin to disturb…

Adrenal Fatigue – How to Beat and Treat the Effects of Stress

This 2014 Memorial Day post is not exactly a methylation-based presentation, but still worth your thoughtful consideration.  Adrenal fatigue is a plague that impacts everyone whether we are genetically imbalanced or not.  We cannot live without stress, yet our world seems to be running wild with stressful situations.  It…

MTHFR and Homocysteine – Part I

  If you are reading this blog its likely that you have heard of homocysteine and know that is related to the methylation cycle.  And maybe you’ve even had your homocysteine levels tested recently.  But what you likely haven’t heard is what homocysteine actually DOES inside your body –…

Blood Sugar, Digestion and Methylation

  Listen to what Dr. Rostenberg has to say about how blood sugar and digestion impact the methylation cycle.  If you ever suffer from anxiety, depression, insomnia, moodiness, fatigue, etc. you need to pay close attention to your blood sugar and insulin levels.  You’ll see in the video how…

Estrogen, Choline and the Gallbladder

  Ever wonder why so many people are getting their gallbladder surgically removed?  What is causing all these gallbladders to fail?  Listen to Dr. Rostenberg expose the connection between estrogen, methyl imbalance, choline and gallbladder function.  You will be surprised once you start investigating how methylation impacts this issue! …

How to Balance COMT and MAO in the Brain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qezmdDnY0s   In our last video Dr. Rostenberg laid out the fundamentals of how COMT and MAO polymorphisms affect our brain.  This video expands on these ideas and explains why and how methylation nutrients can heal the imbalanced brain.  The peer-reviewed research is clear that proper methylation is needed…

COMT and MAO in the Brain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPsHxqBbACs   Have you ever noticed that people with methylation issues are usually very smart? It has a lot to do with having difficulty breaking down neurotransmitters. Having SNPs is not always a curse; it can bless you with attributes as well. COMT is a definitely contender for such…

Methylation: Optimize Your Genes, Optimize Your Life

In this video Dr. Rostenberg explains some of the very important basics of methylation, epigenetics and the value of genetic testing.  Whether you are young or old, chronically-ill or at the peak of health, learning about your genes can serve you well.  Dr. Rostenberg can help you learn how…

Estrogen, Methylation, and Choline Deficiency

Estrogen and Choline Deficiency Given the connection between low lipids and choline deficiency, it would be tempting to think that as long as someone has enough cholesterol and TG that they will be protected from choline deficiency.  Unfortunately this is not the case.  Having adequate lipids does indeed help…

Low Lipids, Low Cholesterol and Choline Deficiency

Low Lipids as a Common Cause of Choline Deficiency Choline is an amazing molecule and one that is very important for optimum health.  It has often been said that our health depends first and foremost on the health of our cell walls.  And if that is true then choline…

A Primer on Methylation

Ever heard of Methylation? Its okay if you never have…most doctors haven’t either! It is a big subject and connects the dots between your genes, the environment, and why some people get sick with chronic diseases and others don’t.

Physical Signs of Methylation Problems

  Have you ever wondered how to find out if someone has a methylation problem? Well you have probably heard to doing saliva or blood tests to see which genes a person was born with.  And that is certainly one way to figure out if someone has a methylation…

Understanding Methylation: Genotypes vs. Phenotypes

Phenotypes vs. Genotypes In order to understand methylation problems, we need to clarify the differences between genotype and phenotype.  When we talk about genotype we are speaking about nothing more than the unique set of genes you inherited – the one half from your mother and the other half…