19Jan 2012 by Marjorie 2 Comments

Don’t take folic acid and methylfolate at the same time

interactions, supplements
Someone on a B12 deficiency discussion group mentioned that he'd found that if he took folic acid (the synthetic version of the naturally-occurring folate) at the same time as methylfolate (a much more bioavailable supplement of folate; AKA Metafolin), he would start to get folate deficiency symptoms, even though he was supplementing it like a crazy person. I experimented myself and found the same thing -- the folic acid cancels out the methylfolate. Folinic acid will do the same. Because nothing can be easy. I swear to you I found a PubMed article confirming that folic acid deactivates methylfolate if taken AT THE SAME TIME, but of course I lost it. But if you Google "folic acid blocks" you'll find all sorts of discussions about it. This is a separate…
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19Nov 2011 by Marjorie 1 Comment

A list of supplements that don’t work very well in the versions sold in the US

nutritional therapy, supplements
Updated October 22, 2020. Originally posted November 19, 2011. Over the years I've learned that some of the nutrient supplements on the shelves in the US don't work very well, either because a significant part of the population can't process them, or because the version used is poorly absorbed by the body, or because they are so cheaply formulated that the filler would make you sick before you could get enough of the active ingredient to resolve your deficiency. Here's everything I know so far. Needless to say, the better versions are more expensive and harder to find. Folic acid Processing this synthetic vitamin into its active form requires methyl groups and those of us who are methyl-challenged (low methylators) need to use the methylfolate version. Some sources say that…
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25May 2011 by Marjorie 7 Comments

The heartbreak of stupid fingernails

symptoms and conditions, treatments
February 7, 2013: I later had some success with vitamin D3. Updated February 6, 2012 Growing up I'd watch movies set in the heyday of the manicure, the 1930s to the 1950s, and then I'd look down at my own bendy, shallow, round nails and I'd think, whyyyyy? When I got my first full-time job I splurged on French-manicured, squoval artificial nails and enjoyed them thoroughly despite being laughed at by the guy giving me riding lessons. Eventually the cost of filling them every three weeks got to be too much, so I abandoned the habit. I'd bet those nail salon chemicals are still in my system, plotting their oncological revenge. Going gluten-free brought me no nail improvement. Over the years I did notice some of the classic nutritional correlations:…
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