The Methyl Scale™

It can be difficult to determine your methylation level using only a few blogs detailing symptoms and a single MTHFR-gene test. The Methyl Scale™ changes that by taking a whole-system approach that makes up the entire methylation pathway. A DNA test (genotyped or sequenced) will help you discover what your "genetic baseline" for methylation is, also called the "methyl supply" since that's what your body has to work with for DNA repair and reading, neurotransmitter production, detox, and much more. The genetic baseline is what the body is constantly trying to revert back to. At each stage of biological maturity—childhood, reproductive / teens, adulthood, and postmenopause for women—your genetic baseline points out your default methyl supply level, whether it’s methyl saturation (commonly called “overmethylation”) or methyl starvation (“undermethylation”).

How to read the results

Somaticode’s Methyl Scale™ is a quantified, validated scale between -8 and +8 that is based on over 15 major systemic factors of epigenetic methylation found through raw DNA analysis. Your score will show you where you're at, at your current stage of life, before any other factors influence it.

When an individual’s body is methyl-saturated (overmethylation), the associated feelings include increased sensitivity to stimuli, indecision, anxiety, sadness, guilt, and over-thinking the past and future. When an individual’s body is methyl-starved (undermethylation), the associated feelings include increased irritation, anger, competitiveness, oppositionality, desire to control, difficulty in empathizing, and blaming other people or factors. While these symptoms may remain the same on either side of the scale, their severity increases as individuals approach the extremes: -8 and +8.

Whether you're at your genetic baseline, or have taken supplements, medicine, or had some other environmental factor influence your score, the further away you depart from “0” on the scale (methyl-balanced), the more disruptive the symptoms listed above become. This is presented as “Disruption Severity” because of the negative mood and mental clarity impact your score has on your ability to effectively function emotionally.

Relative methylation

As individuals begin to methyl balance, they experience relative methylation symptoms. For example, if someone balances from +3 to 0, they feel relief and control over their mood (or at least relief from the mental noise). However, balancing from +5 to 0 is incredibly uncomfortable for most people. Instead, balancing from +5 to +2 for a period of 6 months allows the body to recover from the historical imbalance, then closing the gap to the -0.5/+0.5 balance threshold in the second 6-month phase is best.

Adjusting methyl supply through diet

With the methylation baseline in hand, individuals can then use specific food, drink, supplements, medication, or activities (like exercise) to determine how much of an effect each thing will have on their methyl supply. Even though each item in each of these categories has a different effect, a good number of them can quantified in their effect on an individual's methyl supply. And more research is being done to expand the list!

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