Could MTHFR Be Amplifying ADHD, Anxiety, and Dysregulation?

MTHFR and the stress-response puzzle 0:00

What if some of your child's struggles aren't about effort, discipline, or parenting at all, but how their body processes stress at a biological level? Let's get one thing straight, right up front. Genes can amplify vulnerability when the nervous system is already understressed. Know that MTFR is not a diagnosis, it's a piece of the regulation puzzle. What is MTVR? HFR? Well, it's a gene involved in methylation, a process the body uses to detoxify stress chemicals, make neurotransmitters that are really important for mental health like dopamine and serotonin, It regulates inflammation, it supports energy and brain functioning.

When MTHFR isn't working efficiently, which happens a lot in our neurodivergent population, I have Mthfr, single mutation. When it's not working efficiently, the brain may struggle. Clear stress signals, maintaining that calm focus, recovery after emotional overload is a problem. It doesn't cause dysregulation, it lowers the margin of safety. it starts chipping away at that nervous system capacity that I'm always talking about. Our kids, we need space in our nervous system to be able to tolerate stress.

How MTHFR affects regulation and symptoms 1:33

Always think about your stress cup. Is it full? MTHFR adds more to our stress cups. I hope that's helpful. Why does it show up so much in our neurodivergent population, anxiety, all these other things? I see it in my pans, pandas, kids. It's, I've only had two autistics. I used to for like 20 years be able to say one autistic. We recently had a second autistic that didn't have MTHFR, which is pretty darn common. So when a child has an Mthfr variant, and there's more than one, and chronic stress together.

Here's what you may see, heightened anxiety, emotional volatility, or frustration tolerance. All of those things that we talked about the other episode that are really like danger warning signs about potential mental health issues. You could also see brain fog or chronic fatigue, sensitivity to supplements or medications, all types of medications. If you're a poor methylator, you are going to struggle to detoxify and remember all medications all psychiatric medications have some type of toxicity associated with them, even when they're beneficial.

And so that's why it's really important to check to see if you have this MTHFR. You're also going to slow recovery after meltdowns. Dr. Roe, you're telling me all the symptoms that we're seeing. Yeah, there's a lot of overlap with kids whose nervous systems are already activated. But what we know is people with this gene, they're more likely to activate. What's the nervous system connection? A nervous under stress produces cortisol, adrenaline, inflammatory byproducts, and MTHFR helps to clear those.

Why stress lingers in a sensitive nervous system 3:28

When methylation is sluggish, stress lingers longer than it should, the brain stays on alert, and regulation is just simply going to take more effort. The same school day for another kid, maybe they're having a tough day, they can shrug it off. and complete, but this for a kid with MTHFR can just overload their system. Again, another variable in that stress cup. So Mthfr does not mean your child is doomed or you need some extreme protocols because holy cow and some of these Facebook groups are some extremely protocols.

I had to get out of the main group because it was scary. Supplements alone doesn't mean that that's going to fix everything or that genes may increase sensitivity, but regulation decides how the brain respond. So even if you have this MTHFR, I hope your takeaway here is that you've got to regulate because it's gonna help you even with genetic variants. And this isn't the only one, it is one of the most common. Let's get into it, let's talk about what you should do, and I'm gonna tell you things about MTHFR that you have not heard.

And if you're looking for more support, you always wanna take my nervous system pattern analysis and take our solution matcher, go to drrosanne.com, forward slash help, it's great. So step number one, what are you gonna do people? I've already said it. You're gonna calm the nervous systems first.

What to do first: regulate before supplementing 5:07

No amount of methylation support. helps a brain stuck in survival. The way it works is this from biology. Yes. And plus I've worked with thousands of people. I know this works. Regulation, safety, recovery. Always in that order. It's just the way. Okay? Number two, when you have MTHFR, go back and listen to the whole other episode that I did on Mthfr, but it's pretty easy to test for it. There's lots of genetic testing that you can just do online. Number 2, we're going to support the brain gently.

Some kids and individuals with MTHFR, they need lower and slower supplementation. Go slow and low. That's what I'll write on my stuff. They might react strongly. There might be too much intensity to different things. Supplement stacking is a hot term in the biohacking world. Not with my MTHFR people. Number three, reduce the load. Reduce that stress load, it matters more than adding things. That includes what can you do? Predictable routines, you know, less pressure, better sleep, and try not to engage as many power struggles.

And remember, when you're following my comms, we're not getting into power struggle in the same way because we are both regulating first. And this gives kids nervous system room to breathe. That cup isn't as full. Number four, think systems. Not magic wands. MTHFR is one factor among many. Regulation, sleep, nutrition, and support still matter the most. No single gene explains a child, but it can explain why some kids struggle harder, lesser, successful with different supplements or medications or different treatments.

Support strategies and reducing the stress load 6:54

It's a factor. I mean, it's something that as somebody who is MTHFR and is a very poor detoxifier, that's why I do PEMF every day. Always see me on, I don't have it on today. Don't know why don t have on it today, gotta go find it. it s why i do my multi-mag brain formula. We need magnesium for detoxification, I have parsley and cilantro every day, i do my electrolytes. I focus on detoxication and it has made a world of difference and i also do tai chi multiple times a day. i'm talking multiple, already did it two or three times today.

What's normal versus not? We have to look deeper. And when dysregulation is there, sensitivity can be extreme. Progress can stall despite good support. When I have somebody, I'm like, you've been going and getting good treatment. Has somebody tested this variant? Anybody in our one-to-one program, it's just part of what I recommend. So we're not looking to label people. We're really looking at clarity. Because understanding if somebody has this, Really can make a huge positive difference. It's not like a horrible sentence or anything like that.

MTHR doesn't cause dysregulation, it magnifies stress in a sensitive system, right? And that clarity is going to change everything. If your child is always struggling uphill and it's, not a character flaw, It's biology, it's the nervous system under strain and parents understand that.

Looking deeper at biology instead of blame 8:23

We stop blaming behavior and we start changing outcomes and hopefully we're putting our own oxygen mask on and regulating first because my gosh, we need it more than ever. If you're trying to understand what's amplifying your child, ADHD, anxiety, emotional dysregulation, whatever is going on, then if you haven't taken my solution matcher, please do because it helps identify the biological patterns of the nervous system and what's really happening and blocking your child really from regulating. So go to DrRoseanne.com forward slash help and remember Take one step towards regulating first.

You're going to change everything for your kid, your family, and all the generations that come.