Understanding genetics, genes and personalised medicine Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing identifies changes in chromosomes, genes, or proteins. We collect your DNA by using abuccal smear (using a small brush or cotton swab) to collect a sample of cells from the inside surface of the cheek. We can think about DNA as the library […]
MTHFR – Easier to Say than Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase!
The MTHFR gene, technically referred to as Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, is a key enzyme required to metabolise homocysteine. Mutations of the MTHFR gene may cause elevated (and toxic) blood levels of homocysteine. Read below for more information on this important chemical. We are all born with 2 MTHFR genes, one inherited from each parent. Some people have a genetic mutation […]
Understanding genetics, genes and personalised medicine
We can think about DNA as the library that tells our cell factory how to make the proteins that are essential for our very being. It is the proteins that do the work of the cell and ultimately dictate biological processes and cellular fates. The genetic material that we acquire from our parents consists of […]
Are You a Mutant? Anxiety and MTHFR
Ongoing research implicates MTHFR genetic mutations for not only mood disorders such as anxiety and depression but also in cases of multiple miscarriages, fibromyalgia, strokes, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, migraine, ADHD, Alzheimers Disease and even autism. In a honest and insightful article, journalist Elisa Black chronicled her journey with anxiety. With a life- long experience of crippling anxiety and poor […]
How a vitamin cured my anxiety: Elisa Black’s story of lifelong struggle and new hope for the future
Elisa Black, SA Weekend March 9, 2015 9:00pm MY anxiety is a wild beast. It has destroyed relationships, clawed at my insides until I was sick, left me cowering under blankets, plagued me with panic attacks and tipped me into post-natal depression following the birth of my first son. more I was nervous from the […]
The Gut-Brain Axis (GBA): The Missing Link in Depression
There is growing evidence that the trillions of microbes inhabiting our gastrointestinal tracts (commonly referred to as microbiome or gut microbiota) play a mysterious yet significant role in many aspects of our mental health—ranging from psychological resilience to neuropsychiatric disorders Research shows that the gut microbiota affects your mood, sleep and stress levels. The term microbiome refers to all microorganisms and […]