(NaturalHealth365) Is there really a lab test designed to help us avoid problems with our health?  The simple answer is “yes!”  In fact, it’s specifically a genetic test that your doctor may not be performing that can help you avoid thyroid disease and depression, according to several studies.

In addition, if you’re looking to avoid autoimmune disease, liver health issues or depression, this genetic test may prove to be quite useful to you.

Simply put, you may want to consider MTHFR (Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase) – the genetic test every doctor should be performing that could help save millions of dollars in healthcare costs by educating individuals about serious health issues before symptoms arise.

For example, recent studies show that discovering mutations in the MTHFR gene can predict depression – even in early childhood!

Too many people remain uninformed about the value of a good lab test

There are actually several studies that suggest a strong correlation between MTHFR mutations and early thyroid cancer detection.  Wouldn’t it be nice to have a medical test that could alert you to the importance of making significant changes in your lifestyle – before it’s too late?

While many studies show that MTHFR gene mutations play a significant role in explaining certain disease states, has your doctor suggested this test yet?  The good news is performing this simple and inexpensive test could save you and your children from battling health concerns that may be preventable by altering your epigenetic landscape or, as some may describe it, biological terrain.

Never forget the key point: Lifestyle habits can play a huge role in altering the expression of your genes.  In other words, it’s not always your destiny to get sick – especially if you know how to create positive changes in your eating habits and lifestyle.

Why your doctor isn’t performing this test

It’s no secret we live in the land of band-aid medicine. To date, no well-funded, large-scale studies exist to guide conventional healthcare providers toward preventive treatment options – when MTHFR gene mutations are discovered.

In reality, most healthcare providers only perform tests they can match up well with pharmaceutical “therapies.”  Unfortunately, “a pill for every ill” is the only thing they know.

The fact remains, conventionally-trained physicians are not well-educated about the value of diet and lifestyle changes – as a frontline intervention strategy for disease prevention.  This lack of education leaves millions of people wondering, for years, how to fix health issues – especially when drug therapies don’t seem to work.

So, what does MTFHR mean to you?

The MTHFR gene produces the MTHFR enzyme which enables methylation – the essential process responsible for using folate (B9) to break down 5, 10-methylenetetrahydrafolate to 5-methyltetrahydrafolate. This is vital because 5-methyltetrahydrafolate helps convert the amino acid homocysteine down into another crucial amino acid, methionine.

Why should you care about methionine?

Methionine is used to make proteins, assist the liver in breaking down fats and improve efficiency of antioxidants in the body. Methionine is then converted by the liver to SAM-e, a compound that helps produce then breakdown serotonin, dopamine and melatonin.

A faulty MTHFR gene that goes unchecked could:

• Increase the likelihood of developing depression
• Complicate thyroid issues
• Influence fertility
• Reduce the body’s capacity to eliminate inflammation related to autoimmune disease and other illnesses

Once you “de-code” MTFHR – diet, nutritional supplements and other lifestyle changes can be prescribed to help optimize health, if a mutation is detected. Discovering a mutation isn’t necessarily negative, but leaving it unchecked could be problematic.

Be sure to enlist a qualified practitioner to support integrative intervention strategies designed to improve your epigenetic status.

So, if you’re interested, the next step is to get tested

Ask your healthcare provider to perform this simple test. While the test is available online, it may be covered by your insurance when ordered by your doctor..

If your provider isn’t familiar with the test or won’t perform it, ask yourself if it’s time to create a team of providers who have your preventive healthcare needs in mind.  And remember, this is just one of the many health-promoting tests you can perform to ensure optimal wellness – all the years of your life.

About the author: Christine M. Dionese L.Ac, MSTOM is an integrative health expert, medical journalist and food writer. She’s dedicated her career to helping others understand the science of happiness and its powerful effects on everyday human health. Christine practices, writes and speaks on environmental functional medicine, epigenetics, food therapy and sustainable living.

Sources for this article include:

Researchgate.net
NIH.gov
NIH.gov
NIH.gov