Everywhere you look just now on some platforms, there are posts and information about ADHD, mainly from adults and the things that affect their daily life having these types of symptoms.
Making us all feel that we are not the only ones suffering from the daily crazy of our Brains and trauma bonding over it, (5 million likes, when a symptom/behaviour is shared) yet it is a serious and debilitating condition for many and the promoting the superpower side of it- hyperfocusing often comes with a massive downslides soon after.
It is almost as if it has become a one stop shop to promote awareness of it's difficulties, yet when you take a further look online, there is little support for ADHD outside of some medication, tasks, tools, diaries, alarms for prompts etc....so that got me taking a deep dive!
* The gene that controls how much dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine- is the MTHFR gene (which makes the MTHFR enzyme) Methylfolate. It is needed for the above neurotransmitters that regulate mood, attention, and impulse control *
Some studies have suggested that methylation imbalances may play a role in some cases of ADHD.
( We will come back to this)
There is also a massive rise in children and adults being " diagnosed" based on symptoms and behaviour classified in the DSM-5.
(Released in 2013, updated to cover the above disorder, its a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the Bible released by the ASA, this criteria for diagnosing is for every single known human.....)
It's easy to find online of you want a read!
Just dropping this below because It is also important.
The American Psychiatric Association ( ASA) receives funding from various sources, including membership dues, publications, conferences, grants, donations, and industry. According to its 2019 annual report, the APA had a total revenue of $72.6 million, of which $14.4 million (19.8%) came from industry sources. Industry sources include pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and other health care organizations that pay for advertising in APA journals and websites, exhibit booths at APA meetings, sponsorships of APA programs and events, and continuing medical education activities.
The APA has been criticized for its financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry, which some critics argue may create conflicts of interest and influence the APA’s policies, guidelines, and publications, especially the DSM, which is widely used as a standard for diagnosing mental disorders. Some critics have also accused the APA of being influenced by industry to promote the medicalization of normal human experiences and behaviors, and to overprescribe psychiatric medications .( No shit sherlock, yet the goal of a prescription of ADHD and Depression medication will give you all of these in abundance, artificially and not without side effects, but no one is focused on the MTHFR Enzyme and the Environmental factors )
So, lets focus where they are not and look at maybe why our Brain function is not optimal and is their other support we can do by ourselves?
There is no definitive answer to whether ADHD is on the rise due to methylation issues in the body. ( I wonder why?)
ADHD is a complex disorder and the role of MTHFR and methylation in ADHD is not clear-cut and may depend on other factors, such as ethnicity, diet, and environmental exposures.
I have been exploring and reading about The MTHFR gene, as it is also connected with neural tube defects and this interested me due to having a Chiari malformation since birth and usually associated with Spina Bifida, which I do not have.
More information can be found here from a UK charity- MTHFR Gene - Shine (shinecharity.org.uk)
This link above has information from a top specialist in this field, is very clear on MTHFR and the role of Folate- not the Methlyfolate we spoke of above. We need to be clear on this, it is very important to what women have been guided towards for many years!
Moreover, methylation is not only influenced by genetics, but also by environmental and lifestyle factors, such as stress, nutrition, toxins, medications, and infections.
( So it is not always inherited from parents- You heard it right here!)
*These factors can alter the methylation patterns of DNA and affect gene function and expression. Therefore, it is possible that some of these factors may contribute to the rise of ADHD prevalence in recent decades, by affecting the methylation status of genes related to ADHD.*
However, more research is needed to confirm this hypothesis and to identify the specific factors and mechanisms involved. ( Could take a while as it may not suit the scratchy back thing between the big guys making the money)
So lets have a look at the other factors outside of Methylation that could be contributing to our Brains not working optimally:
1: Stress- Tick, the World gets crazier yearly!
2: Nutrition- Processed food and plastic packaging
3: Toxins- In our water, our air, our soil, cleaning products, make up, clothes etc, etc etc....
4: Medications- Starting on our smalls with the pokey schedule then the Financially based incentives to prescribe in a 5 minute GP appointment and made synthetically
5: Infections- The over use of antibiotics, chemicals and sanitizers depleting the good bacteria that are now non existent in our gut and skin flora and most of our soil, alongside lowered immune response from the gut as that is destroyed
So, could we all detox , from the stress, online and off, reduce the chemicals, clean up our internal systems through diet changes, balance our skin and gut flora and support our system with Methylfolate instead of Folate, with added B Vitamins and other minerals we lack then add on a route to balance our nervous systems that have been responding the effects of all of the above? PHEW......!
I know that seems like a lot and it could be easier to just accept it and take medication but its an option.
That decision lies with you and how you choose to support you or your families health....
I know what path we are on and I am happy to continue seeing massive changes in a short time personally.
We all have the ability to be able to go online and find what I have found.
If you want a further dive, then go research how the MTHFR gene mutation is also prevalent in many other health conditions that may be affecting you or your family.....They seem almost new since my grandad was a boy
x
Listed below:
Conditions associated to MTHFR gene mutations
ADD (attention deficit disorder) Addictive behavior ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) Alcohol withdrawal seizure Alcoholism Allergies Alzheimer’s disease Anxiety Autism Bipolar disorder Blood clotting Cancer Cardiovascular disease: thromboembolism, atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction Cervical cancer Cervical Dysplasia Chemical sensitivity Chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic viral infection Cleft palate Colorectal neoplasias Congenital heart defects Dementia and memory loss Depression Diabetes Down’s syndrome Drug interactions Electromagnetic hypersensitivity Elevated homocysteine Epilepsy Erectile dysfunction Fibromyalgia Homocysteine imbalance HPV (Human papillomavirus) Hypertenstion Immune deficiency Increased breast cancer risk (women >55 years of age) Insomnia Irritability Migraine MS (Multiple Sclerosis) Neural tube and other birth defects Neuropathy Parkinsons disease PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) Peripheral neuropathy Pulmonary Embolism Recurrent Miscarriage Reduced lean body mass and increased body fat Schizophrenia Spina bifida Stroke Thyroid Dysfunction Vitiligo