23andme DNA results and other reports

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 8:10 pm

I did 23 and me a year and a half ago and did get their medical interpretation. It's not for the faint-hearted. You have to accept responsibility in order to open the Alzheimer's and breast cancer information. I gave some of the information to various doctors and most were receptive.

The medical predictions were all over the place, some fairly accurate and others not at all. I can understand how some people could be seriously freaked out. I am a carrier for two serious genetic diseases and that information could be invaluable when considering having children. There was excellent information about an atypical response to a drug.

I think you got a lot more information now than I did, Gabes.

Sheila W

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 8:45 pm

Tex
to do 23andme from countries outside the USA, there is no choice for transit options other than doing the DHL option, which was $90 both ways for Australia

Sheila
you could still put your 23andme data through the genetic genie website and get the methylation report that we have been talking about.

I have been sharing the reports /our learnings with my dear friend who is a naturopath. She said that the outputs are like 'scientific iridology'
iridology is similar, it gives indicators of conditions, but the naturopath is not able to ascertain how big a risk it will be or prioritise the issues that come up...
the reporting we are doing gives a means of 'prioritising' likely issues, and research the genetics linked to it...

long story short... the best way to minimise the risk of the health issues identified in the reports occurring,
keep inflammation minimised, avoid taking too many medications, avoid deficiencies, avoid excess stress / environmental impacts.

Post by **tex** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:07 pm

Sheila wrote:It's not for the faint-hearted. You have to accept responsibility in order to open the Alzheimer's and breast cancer information.

That's for sure.

Sheila wrote:There was excellent information about an atypical response to a drug.

I discovered that a drug that I've been taking for over 4 years, for stroke prevention, Plavix (clopidogrel), is probably not helping at all, because I can't metabolize it very well, because of a gene mutation.

I reckon I need to discuss that with my doctor.

Tex

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:09 pm

Tex, how much a month does the med cost you??

that money could be more beneficial if you spent it on good quality supplements!!

Post by **tex** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:20 pm

Gabes,

It cost around 80 bucks, until the generic became available. The generic is much cheaper.

The problem with spending the money on supplements and ignoring a blood thinner is that if I should have a stroke, most people would accuse me of making a bad choice.

I received my Neptune Krill Oil a week or so ago, but after reading all the dire warnings about how people taking blood thinners should not take krill oil (because it's a relatively potent natural blood thinner), I was afraid to take it. I'm beginning to wonder if it might not be a better treatment than taking clopidogrel. But since it doesn't require a prescription, I doubt that my doctor will go for it.

Tex

Lilja · Post by **Lilja** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 5:53 am

Gabes and Tex,

Thank you for explaining how this works. I will have to think about doing the test, maybe I'll get answers that I do not want to know. It's a bit scary

Lilja

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 8:10 am

The drug I was warned about is Warfarin (Coumadin), same type of drug that you don't metabolize well, Tex. I have to remember to tell my new doctor about that issue.

Celiac disease showed up as both more likely and less likely to effect me. I was informed that I was at much higher risk for celiac on the Summary portion of the report. I had a lower than average chance of getting Crohn's and a higher than average chance of acquiring ulcerative colitis. You could make yourself crazy trying to figure out how to protect yourself because of contradictions and conflicts. I think Gabe's is correct, lower inflammation as much as possible. Use common sense when you eat. If it makes you sick, don't eat it.

Sheila W

Thanks Gabes. I'll try to figure out how to get the methylation report.

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 8:35 am

Sheila wrote:. You could make yourself crazy trying to figure out how to protect yourself because of contradictions and conflicts. I think Gabe's is correct, lower inflammation as much as possible. Use common sense when you eat. If it makes you sick, don't eat it.

I seem to have no interest in doing this testing because it seems to me that the information I would get from it would lead me to the conclusions I have come to any way about what foods to eat and what supplements to take. It is not that I think that there is no information to be gleaned from the report. It is just that I have come to have a very pragmatic attitude towards health and eating. I try to maximize my intake of nutrients, minimize my intake of inflammatory foods and avoid those things that make me sick. Genes are turned on and off by environmental factors (food, toxins, stress etc) so I concentrate on the environmental part of things and let the genes take care of themselves.

Jean

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 1:30 pm

Shelia,
Genetic genie methylation report is easy,

Go to. Geneticgenie.org
Click on methylation report
Click on getting data from 23andme
It will prompt for your 23andme login & password
It will ask do you want to release information, click yes
Then viola you will have the methylation report.

Jean, because I have multiple issues, mc is not the major one, we knew them to be linked to methylation issues, this test and reporting has answered a lot of questions of 'why'. The interpretations from the testing will provide good info to fine tune my supplement protocol and I will get much better value for money from those supplements.
As I said in the original post, anyone with multiple issues, mast cell issues, or really struggling to get wellness, would very likely benefit.
As discussed in the other post about methylation issues, knowing which gene mutation you have for the vitamin D receptor gene, explains how you use Vit D3.
Some other genes and your mutation explain about B12. I have now learnt that I need both forms of B12.

But yes, the outcomes of the testing/reporting prove the importance of minimising inflammation and eating well.

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 3:44 pm

Thanks, Gabes. Clear, distinct directions that I can understand. You're an angel.

:bigbighug:

Sheila W

JFR · Post by **JFR** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 5:31 pm

Gabes,

I am glad that the testing has helped you. I am not convinced that it will do the same for me. For many years, long before I found this site, I knew that fiber was not my friend so I gave up eating vegetables and nuts, pretty much everything with fiber in it. I subsisted mostly on meat. I believe, along with Tex, that the nutritive value of meat is often underestimated but I do think my body was lacking in nutrients from a combination of a restricted intake and an inability to absorb them. Lately, over the past 6 months, perhaps a bit longer, I seem to be able to eat vegetables and nuts in quantity. I also eat liver and heart several times a week. My thinking is that if I maximize the nutritional density of the foods I eat, using Fitday to track the nutrient content of my meals and the World's Healthiest Foods site to find foods that give the most bang for the buck, I will provide my body with optimal nutrition. I also take supplements that I think will provide benefit. I guess I am taking a kitchen sink approach, throw lots of good stuff at my body so that it has what it needs to stay as healthy as possible. There seem to be multiple paths to take to wellness. Each of us has to find what works best for us.

Jean

Post by **tex** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 7:01 pm

There's a lot of truth and insight in what Jean says. I still have a long way to go in reading the report produced by the promethease program, but all in all, it (and the genetic genie report) seems to be pointing to the very things that I have gravitated to on my own, during the past few years. IOW, the reports are saying that the very things that I have found to work best for me, are pretty much what my genetics call for.

Of course the reports help to explain why these things work for me, which is always good to know, but so far I haven't seen any reason to make any significant changes in what I am doing (other than the issue raised by the report concerning my reduced ability to metabilize clopidogrel).

Tex

Vern · Post by **Vern** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 6:00 am

Good Mornin'

I also did my 23and me testing quite a while ago and the layers of information is astounding! I found it odd that my #1 health risk was gout... Then chrons disease. The challenge I had over the summer for over two months was a trapped kidney stone and meds that sent my CC over the top!

I did the 48 hour urinalysis and the results came back with high uric acid levels!! A perfect recipe for gout! I refer to my results once in a while and find it nothing less than amazing how "right on" it is....even with my traits that I get a charge out of....and some people think I'm nuts when I look at the light to be able to sneeze!!!!! Or how about the strong oder of asparagus in the urine immediately after eating asparagus??!!??

It is a useful tool and it will take me years to get anywhere near the end of the results or even be able to comprehend them. But definitely something to make your doctor aware of if you're going thru a medical issue and you know from your results that you will be sensitive to the meds.

Anyway.....have an awesome day.....

Vern

Sheila · Post by **Sheila** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 1:45 pm

Well, Gabes, I managed to download the Methylation Analysis and I'll be damned if I can understand much of it. I have 2 reds (COMT V158M & COMT H62h) and 10 yellows, including MTHFR A1298C.

Is there a site that explains what these results mean in plain English? I am fairly knowledgable when it comes to medical terminology but this stuff is gobbledygook. One seems to indicated that I'm an irritable pain in the ass.

Thanks for the instruction on downloading, Gabes. 23andme indicated that I am less likely to have Sjogren's syndrome and I'm anxiously awaiting the results of my blood test.

Sheila W

Gabes-Apg · Post by **Gabes-Apg** » Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:08 pm

Great news about the Sjorgrens! Tick!! -one thing off the list

The methylation analysis has info behind the coloured table, that will explain what your mutations mean for you...

having 1 adelle for MTHFR has some meaning and the report will have text explaining that

I have the same COMT mutations as you, and my report has text explaining that, it means we have issues with Methyl donors.

thus far, what some of us have learnt is that interrupted methylation cycle means, heightened risk for mast cell issues, the need for active forms of B12 and B6,

This post that i put up the other day...
http://www.perskyfarms.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=20701
if you go to the the link in this post, this will explain what is happening with your methylation cycle because of your gene mutations.

It will seem like gobblygook at first. Grab a cuppa, clear your mind and read slowly a couple of times.
leave it for 24 hours, then come back and reread. After the third read I was able to discern what applied to my results.
as there are so many variables across the 28 or so items in the methylation report, there is no black and white interpretation. What combo each individual has, changes the interpretation.

If you do a search on the archives for MTHFR, you will see previous discussions about MTHFR mutation namely the 1298 and links to fantastic information that explain it in layperson speak.

Unfortunately there are not many affordable practitioners that understand methylation. To get full analysis of your data costs $1100 or more!! Hence why I am taking my time, reading, rereading, taking notes and slowly it is making sense.

hope this helps