tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48605873672892114552024-03-13T11:57:23.016-07:00Whole Food FitnessTrying to do a little better. One day at a time. One pose at a time. One meal at a time.bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-78879940720764337112017-11-08T07:54:00.000-08:002017-11-08T07:54:48.614-08:00MTHFR gene mutation and thyroid conditionsSo I heard about MTHFR a couple weeks ago and it seemed a little hokey at first. I'm a skeptic and want scientific facts to look at before making changes to my medical care. So when my pharmacist passed some information on to me, even though she's got a doctorate in pharmacology, I wanted to really look into it and understand it before broaching the subject with my doctors.<br />
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<a href="https://wellnessmama.com/27148/mthfr-mutation/">This article broke it down some,</a> but wasn't going quite as deep as the video at the bottom of the article. I'll put that here so you can watch if you like. But what I did is take notes while watching the video, and I'm sharing that work with you here, because it makes a lot of sense, and I believe it can make positive change for many people!!<br />
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So here's what I printed off and am sharing with my doctors. You are welcome to do the same! Feel free to share far and wide. This is new information and it really really matters. Today's offering is just with regards to MTHFR and how it affects thyroid conditions. So without further ado, here's my crazy long notes session! The video link is in the first paragraph of text below, but here it is if you just want to watch here:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7WxQOn_CAHI" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Feel free to copy/paste, print, and share!<br />
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR Gene Mutation and Specifically How it Affects the Thyroid</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Alan Christianson and Dr. Ben Lynch explain the MTHFR genetic disorder, and why it matters. What specific problems does this genetic disorder cause, and what that means for these patients. The purpose of this video is to show the connection to a vast majority of thyroid disorders: </span><a href="https://youtu.be/7WxQOn_CAHI" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://youtu.be/7WxQOn_CAHI</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Lynch founded MTHFR.net and is the President/CEO of Seekinghealth.com </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are 3 tiers to nutritional status: There’s what we get in (Diet, supplements), there’s assimilation and there’s this genetic variability on activation. This (MTHFR and folic acid metabolism) can be the missing link for key nutrients, and it’s not for lack of availability, and it’s not for lack of absorption. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"The functions of folate in human physiology are relatively simple, but the implications of their activity (and dysfunction) can be profound and far-reaching." </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Functions of folate in the body:</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">synthesis of nucleic acids (DNA repair, tRNA)</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re not repairing and building your DNA on a daily basis, it will lead to problems, especially in the gut.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">single carbon metabolism (methylation) </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">turns on and off different genes</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">creatine, coq10, carnitine, phosphatidylcholine, (and more!) all require methylation for metabolism/use in the body</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">interconversion of amino acids (neurotransmitter production and detoxification)</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Neurotransmitters like Serotonin, melatonin, and certain compounds like histamine require methylation and folate </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">formation and maturation of RBC, WBC, and platelet production</span></div>
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<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blood cell creation</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Folate is CRITICAL</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On a fundamental chemical level, most every major reaction your body does depends upon folate, and if it’s not right, so many parts of our health can be impacted by that</span></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-e0d2d174-9c4d-b74c-57f5-4d75e8d7d1ae" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Folic acid” is NOT equal to “folate”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It's only ONE type of folate, and must undergo various transformations to be utilized. Be specific if discussing folic acid! Is it Folic acid, Folinic acid, or Methylfolate?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Folate” is the biological active form of what your body uses of the different types of folate.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Folic acid” is a synthetic man-made form.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Designed to be shelf-stable. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Intended to prevent neural tube defects, which it has</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For those with MTHFR (50% of the population!), however, it’s not the form to choose. It’s not found in nature, and it has to go through a whole bunch of different reactions in the body in order to be used properly. (image below)</span></div>
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</ul>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Folate” is an umbrella term, like “car” for “Honda”, “Volvo” etc</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What’s the difference between “Folic acid” and “5-Methyltetrahydrofolate” (or “Methylfolate”)? </span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: circle; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The little red circle, CH3, is the difference. This is the methyl group. The part that allows the methylation to occur. </span><img alt="Comparing+Folic+Acid+to+5-Methyltetrahydrofolate.jpg" height="468" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/sl36EISkD6NU9whVy9J6-BN4-S-Dy9PhcTswkZBthACXnj9AKRVpGoOF7EFm2pze0CJgRgBOB3Zeb1iwC1w5mLv-SshsvX1p5lya10AtDBLeurBLEQTLE1oylnS31oRR6nhMAgpp" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></div>
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<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How does a healthy body change Folic acid into methylfolate? </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the very top, we have Folic Acid. This comes from fortified foods and supplements.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><img alt="folic-acid-metabolism.png" height="522" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/tS5sZ3nuXUXseFIvqBukH3dIQV9rBBcf5O4IJOgq18UdOla8cEESrdpokbB24IU2PCiJlbQE1jhVzRKnNvki_prLIi5CWAEQKuxFZe8K2HbaQknomOb68Aq3m16k-5h8lZB4PmeX" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="404" /></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DHF, down one step, is another kind of folate, from the diet, in the form of natural (not enriched) foods like uncooked leafy greens and beans </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Simply skipping supplements and intaking dietary folate makes a big difference</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The process to change Folic Acid to DHF is a very slow dramatic process, so it can accumulate in the blood. The problem with this is Unmetabolized Folic Acid, down to the right from Folic Acid. But this UMFA can inhibit part of your natural immune system, specifically the natural killer cells</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Neither the speed of the conversion nor the UMFA build up in the blood are good for our bodies. And while Dietary folate is far superior to supplemental folate, in that it won’t build up in the blood like the supplemental form can, it still isn’t going to be enough to create methylfolate if the MTHFR enzyme is defective. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The other enzymatic steps (not detailed in the video) lead to the end-product, 5-MTHF (methylfolate). Just above this is MTHFR, the enzyme Dr Lynch has been focused on since 2010. It’s been such a big focus because it is showing itself to be a big deal! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">See the B2 sticking on MTHFR? This is a very specific form of Riboflavin. It is a required cofactor for conversion of the dietary folate to the final usable form, methylfolate. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br /></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Conversion from Folic acid to methylfolate requires the following: </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Two functioning enzymes</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFD1</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span></div>
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</ol>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vitamins, Minerals, and PH</span></div>
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<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">B2</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">B3</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">B6</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">B12</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Vitamin C</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zinc</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: lower-alpha; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Acidic environment (for absorption~ NO ANTACIDS!)</span></div>
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</ol>
</ol>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are the risks that come with taking/consuming fortified foods with Folic Acid if you have MTHFR genetic defect?</span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">UMFA, leading to immunity issues (lowered numbers of natural killer cells)</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Too much folic acid is linked to higher risk of colo-rectal cancer.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It can mask B-12 deficiency, which can cause DNA methylation problems</span></div>
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</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few different versions of MTHFR enzyme issues:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">heterozygous: 1 copy of the gene from either parent</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">homozygous: 1 copy of the gene from each parent</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR C677T heterozygous: 40% loss of function to convert from folate to methylfolate</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR C677T homozygous: 70% loss of function to convert from folate to methylfolate</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR A1298C heterozygous: no detectable loss of function to convert from folate to methylfolate</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR A1298C homozygous: slightly decreased methylation </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFr C677T & A1298C compound heterozygous: 50% loss of function to convert from folate to methylfolate</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Riboflavin (B2) more rapidly disassociates (falls off) from the altered (C677T) MTHFR enzyme, rendering it unstable. The means the enzyme won’t work very well, and it can produce the methylation problem.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTFHR Defects:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The following are SOME conditions they cause (a fraction of issues that is known to be connected). This is everywhere, folate metabolism often seems to affect something or other downstream in the body, because it is so central to our biochemistry. This is why the MTHFR defect affects so much else in the body. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Diabetes</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cancer</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pulmonary Embolisms</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cleft Palate</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spina Bifida</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Autism</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Parkinson’s</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Neural Tube Defects</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Atherosclerosis</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Immune Deficiency</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ADD/ADHD</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Multiple Sclerosis</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alzheimer’s</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dementia</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chemical Sensitivity</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Congenital Heart Defects</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fibromyalgia</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chronic Fatigue Syndrome</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Depression</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alcoholism</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Addictive Behaviours</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Insomnia</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Down’s Syndrome</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chronic Viral Infection</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thyroid Dysfunction</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Neuropathy</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recurrent Miscarriages</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Infertility</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anxiery</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Schizophrenia</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bipolar</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Allergies</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Who is at risk? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mexicans, Italians, Northern Chinese, and Hispanics have a much higher chance of having these variants. Spanish, French, Hungarian, white USA population, Israelites, Southern Chinese, white Australians, Russians, Canadian whites, Finns (Finland), black USA population</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Approximately 45% of the world population has 1 copy of MTHFR C677T. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many studies show it’s only something to treat if you have elevated levels of homocysteine. But this is not accurate because MTHFR is only one path to lower homocysteine levels. There are many ways available to test for the MTHFR gene mutation (as of 2013): </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spectracell</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quest</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LabCorp</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Baylor Research Institute is an excellent out of pocket option if insurance does not cover</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">23andMe provides only raw data which must be interpreted. Interpretation is available through </span><a href="http://www.mthfrsupport.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.MTHFRSupport.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or </span><a href="http://www.geneticgenie.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.geneticgenie.org</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Any Lab Test Now </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Life extension foundation might (they weren’t sure at the time of the video)</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Insurance MAY cover (as of 2013) IF one has experienced:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Drug sensitivity - especially to methotrexate or nitrous oxide</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recurrent blood clots</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elevated homocysteine levels</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recurrent miscarriage</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are drugs to help treat this, mostly those that contain the methylated form of the vitamins that the MTHFR-affected body cannot metabolize properly. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></b><br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Methylation Process and why this all matters:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="MethylationProcess.jpg" height="481" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/OABQwwNO4EciFtEsu0xOp7v57dMhEvK3UMJakDWtFSDJV69HbmUvgGFD0asO2Myuo89saXePRS49nUZP8_RmsWBDKwhuV5d0SqOtOt5cGsx7Ynt_h1qgZkoD1KkzImeONvZ2KpT-" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the left circle, you’ll see the 5-MTHF reductase. And where that left circle intersects with the big circle, you see B-12 in various forms. It connects to an enzyme called Methionine synthase on the bigger circle. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are like 2 gears that need each other to work properly to turn the circles. If one side has isn’t turning, the other side stays still too. Folic acid is incredibly important here, as is B-12, to make that left side turn.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The SAM in the upper right side in the right circle is SAM-E, a popular supplement for decreasing pain, and supporting depression, and this is how we make our own! Glutathione (bottom of the bigger circle, all the way right) is also made by these processes. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR in thyroid disorder (pulled chart info from screen on video):</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="margin-left: 0pt;">
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; width: 468pt;"><colgroup><col width="*"></col><col width="*"></col><col width="*"></col><col width="*"></col><col width="*"></col><col width="*"></col></colgroup><tbody>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Graves’ Disease</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Graves’ Disease</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hashimoto’s Disease</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hashimoto’s Disease</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><br /></td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Intractable</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Remission</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Severe</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mild</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rs1801133</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+677C/T</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CC</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">27 (36-5%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">13 (27-7%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">15 (40-5%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">25 (45-5%)</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rs1801133</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+677C/T</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CT</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">36% (48-6%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">25 (53-2%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">18 (48-7%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">28 (50-9%)</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rs1801133</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+677C/T</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TT</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">11 (14-9%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9 (19-1%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 (10-8%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 (3-6%)</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rs1801133</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+677C/T</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C Allele</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">90 (60-8%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">45 (59-2%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">58 (61-7%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">78 (71-0%)</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rs1801133</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+677C/T</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T Allele</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">58 (39-2%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">31 (40-8%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">36 (38-3%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: yellow; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">32 (29-0%)</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rs1801131</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+1298A/C</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AA</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">43 (55-1%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">28 (62-2%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">26 (57-8%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">29 (63-0%)</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rs1801131</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+1298A/C</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AC</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">34 (43-6%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">17 (37-8%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">18 (40-0%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">15 (32-6%)</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rs1801131</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+1298A/C</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CC</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 (1-3%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">0 (0-0%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1 (2-2%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2 (4-4%)</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rs1801131</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+1298A/C</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Allele</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">120 (76-9%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">73 (75-7%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">48 (80-0%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">73 (79-3%)</span></div>
</td></tr>
<tr style="height: 0pt;"><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">rs1801131</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+1298A/C</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">C Allele</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">36 (23-1%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">17 (24-3%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12 (20-0%)</span></div>
</td><td style="border-bottom: solid #000000 1pt; border-left: solid #000000 1pt; border-right: solid #000000 1pt; border-top: solid #000000 1pt; padding: 5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt; vertical-align: top;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">19 (20-7%)</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">677 variant: CC/CT. C is good, T is bad. One T is bad, 2 T’s are even worse. </span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One copy being bad is roughly 50% of the population. Adding the percentages for mild (50%) and severe (48%) adds up to nearly 100% of all Hashimoto's’ patients. Adding the Intractable (48%) and remission (53%) is also nearly 100%. The overall total of thyroid disease patients and MTHFR is 99.9% of all thyroid patients. There is an incredibly strong link here. If you have any type of thyroid disorder, you most likely have MTHFR gene mutation.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back to B2, Riboflavin! With the 677 variant it’s difficult for the B2 (Riboflavin) to attach itself to the defective MTHFR enzyme, thus it doesn’t work well. You end up needing higher levels of riboflavin for the MTHFR to stabilize if you have the mutation. “Studies showed that the MTHFR cofactor, FAD (the most active form of Riboflavin) could protect the mutant enzyme from destabilization, suggesting that Riboflavin, the precursor of FAD, should be considered as a modifier in enzymatic activity, and consequently, high levels of blood homocysteine.“ </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Riboflavin as FAD for MTHFR, Demonstrating Effectiveness</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Riboflavin supplementation targeted at hypertensive individuals with MTHFR 677TT genotype can decrease BP more effectively than treatment with current antihypertensive drugs only” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So insufficiency of riboflavin would make the other MTHFR problems even more pronounced.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nutritiondata.self.com for more info on how to be sure to get enough riboflavin in the diet. Some options include: liver, yeast extract, almonds, cheese, wheat bran, fish, sesame seeds, and tomatoes.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just like, to convert Folic Acid to Methylfolate, the body needs B2 and MTHFR, and to methylate, the body needs B12, MTHFR, and folate, the conversion from Riboflavin to the usable FAD requires thyroxine. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Thyroxine (T4) regulates the conversion of riboflavin to riboflavin mononucleotide and flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)... Thyroxine therapy resulted in normal levels of this enzyme... Thyroid hormone regulates the enzymatic conversion of riboflavin to its active coenzyme forms in the human adult”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have untreated thyroid disorder, you need more FAD, but you cannot form it. So you’re in double-trouble with thyroid and MTHFR. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is a physiologic need for Thyroxine (T4), as opposed to just T3 or T2. While there’s been argument on having replacement therapy on just T3, and Dr. Christianson likes to have all the bases covered, this is an argument for being the only therapy. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In many cases T4 is considered to be just the source of the other hormones but there are things that suggest it is needed by itself, and this is another thing to add to that list. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those that have been on T3 only therapies may need to reconsider their regimen, with this new information in mind, with regards to the importance of T4 to Riboflavin to FAD conversion. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Expression of MTHFR and FAD availability in Thyroid Disorders</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The present (2013) study indicates that thyroid status affects the phenotypic expression of the MTHFR677CT polymorphism by modifying FAD (riboflavin) synthesis. This mechanism could partly explain how thyroid dysfunction affects the metabolism of folates and homocysteine. The thyroid hormone itself affects the MTHFR enzyme. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Danger of Excess </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have a LOT of Thyroxine (Grave’s Disease) you’ll be producing MORE FAD, and if you have more active riboflavin, then you are going to be pushing the MTHFR enzyme faster, and you’re going to have a potentially reduced homocysteine levels. You do need homocysteine, at the right levels, to produce Sam-E, glutathione, etc. If you have too LITTLE Thyroxine (Hashimoto’s) you will produce everything else much slower. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And! If you have Thyroid Disorder of any kid, even if you do NOT have MTHFR defect, you still have an MTHFR-like inhibition by having reduced thyroxine. If you’re in that low % of people who do not have the MTHFR genetic defect, you still need to treat it like you do have it. This brings the thyroid disorder need to treat all the way up to 100%. Sam-E is another important piece of this puzzle. It’s your main methyl-donor in the body, and if you don’t have methylation happening properly, it means you’re not turning on and off your genes properly. You’re not repairing the cells throughout the body, setting the body up for inflammatory disorders, and cancer. This is how MTHFR is connected to thyroid cancers.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As you push MTHFR to work, you’re converting homocysteine to methionine, which is great. Methionine (MET) converts to Sam-E (upper right on the big circle) which is a principle contributor of DNA Methylation. It helps control a few important enzymes in the body:</span><img alt="MTHFRThyroidConnection.jpg" height="375" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/GitVclIXSNVALNnZqWkjZRWxUdG2mp8didhO2kqv5b72htyIhL7GTJEEU_FKkiTOwWStQvITvRzFAiOIbvNLmGIE2qr4PMNL6uxv091rgm4_bMaYw2CDr744USsWbiBUxFbqllKH" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the left, near the SAM-E in the DNA Methylation area, you’ll see DNMT1, DNMT3a, and DNMT3b. These are DNA methyltransferase enzymes, and all very important for embryological development and in preventing cancers. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MTHFR c677T and thyroid cancer</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Study: Increased T-allele frequency of 677 C>T polymorphism in the methylentetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene in differentiated thyroid carcinoma. (How MTHFR C677T gene mutation plays a role in thyroid cancers)</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you have MTHFR C677T, you have a higher risk of thyroid cancer. But it’s nothing to be crazy worried about, just be proactive with your doctor about screenings. If you haven’t had an ultrasound done, get one done, even if you feel okay on your current treatment. Get regular followups to compare to that original ultrasound, to watch your thyroid more carefully!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Positive Ending: Knowledge is power. Just optimize your environment and your diet and supplements. And be proactive with the known increased risk factors of this issue. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So where do we go from here? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Test for MTHFR to see if you have it and if you do, which type is it? </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watch your thyroid hormones. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Get your thyroid ultrasounds started and keep them up to date</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watch your B2 (riboflavin), methylfolate, B12 and other nutrients through a quality multivitamin. Find a physician who will work with you and your biochemistry. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And you have to optimize your lifestyle to maintain good health. Be proactive. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let food be thy medicine. Read labels. Restrict your synthetic folic acid, and if you have a medical need for it, switch to methylfolate and folinic acid.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More resources and information:</span></div>
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<a href="http://mthfr.net/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://mthfr.net</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<a href="http://go.dirtygenes.com/book" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://go.dirtygenes.com/book</span></a></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All information was pulled from this video: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WxQOn_CAHI" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WxQOn_CAHI</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Their resources and some more information is in the info area under the video as well. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notes compiled by Rebecca J Harris on 11-7-17. The notes are all taken while watching this video, none of this content is my intellectual property.</span></div>
<br />bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-64856759708814307632014-05-25T11:58:00.001-07:002014-05-25T11:58:21.279-07:00TED Talk, weight loss and dietingI'm just going to leave this here. It's an excellent video about dieting and weight loss, and what we can do to change the views we have... and help along the next generation. <br /><br />Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you're full. Listen to your body. It's trying to tell you something. <br /><br />
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How great would it be if we could pass on this wisdom to our kids? How much better would things be for the next generation, health-wise, if we could get this right? I'd rather like to find out.</div>
bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-28401842355872717962014-05-05T08:34:00.001-07:002014-05-05T08:34:10.686-07:00My current squat & plank challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAzWNlAZqZaGzTR_KJNIftQcC3P1zv-q4W1cVv76MyDhSeBmb7Ym1P5ydcGV0qvFoLrDdkaXS09D6HnfE8IGcuhq-EWe15qFe31oSgmeQXbqAi-8Ya7_6tqddYym4Ouskn6_vznCKJq0/s1600/iphone+back+up+5-4-14+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwAzWNlAZqZaGzTR_KJNIftQcC3P1zv-q4W1cVv76MyDhSeBmb7Ym1P5ydcGV0qvFoLrDdkaXS09D6HnfE8IGcuhq-EWe15qFe31oSgmeQXbqAi-8Ya7_6tqddYym4Ouskn6_vznCKJq0/s1600/iphone+back+up+5-4-14+032.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><br /></div>
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So, I've been a bit out of practice, after an over-rotation of my right hip led to a slight dislocation. And lots of pain. I'm coming off my lengthy rest period, where I did gentle stretching to stay loose, but didn't aggravate the hip too much... and now it's time to start back into it. I'm about 4 days in with this, and figured I'd share! </div>
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<br />Not sure where the original image, above, came from, since it's super wide-spread now... but this is the plank challenge. It starts off nice and slow, and eases you into longer holding of the pose. It's harder than it looks.<br /><br />I've been doing both the <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/2463" target="_blank">dolphin plank</a> shown above as well as a <a href="http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/470" target="_blank">basic plank</a>, hands and feet, top of a push-up style. My shoulder may not make it for the forearm ones, but I want to at least get back into toning up my core again. <br /><br />I am currently able to get the plank done without a rest break, but if I need a rest break between 30 or 60 second stretches, later, that's fine. The total number of minutes/seconds per day is what matters in the end.<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2toXAsVmO7tQQ03OpEO8wWAp8IfHPU8UzxW6GTxgQJftO3Ce4rGy16WSVvCjq6pCxacx3hiaBWL451v04ZjhjsZP5HPCgkw1JMd5fuqk5WecTHLo6YR1fRf2b5FrJbRQM1CYFVmCbH8/s1600/goddess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn2toXAsVmO7tQQ03OpEO8wWAp8IfHPU8UzxW6GTxgQJftO3Ce4rGy16WSVvCjq6pCxacx3hiaBWL451v04ZjhjsZP5HPCgkw1JMd5fuqk5WecTHLo6YR1fRf2b5FrJbRQM1CYFVmCbH8/s1600/goddess.jpg" /></a></div>
<i style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666;">Image taken from Goddess Pose article, linked below</span></i><br />
<br />Beyond this, I'm also doing a squat challenge. I started with 20/day, since I know that's relatively easy for me, and have added 5 extra squats every day. By the end of the 30 days, that means I'll be at 165 squats in one day. If I can keep it up. Might stop at 150 or something, though. We will see how I feel at the time. I just did 35 this morning, for today's batch. <br /><br />The squat I've been doing is a yoga squat called <a href="http://www.yogaoutlet.com/guides/how-to-do-goddess-squat-in-yoga" target="_blank">Goddess Pose</a>, feet a little wider than mat's width apart, toes and knees in line. Squat down until thighs are parallel to the ground, then back up. I try to keep by back as straight as possible, and get them all done in a single sitting. <br /><br />Follow any of the links to see more in-depth detail for how to hold your body when in the pose, and how to get in and out of it, which can be helpful. If you join me, feel free to complain about how hard it is! It certainly LOOKS easier than it is, overall! <br /><br />But, I guarantee, by the end of it all, we won't regret it! Happy self-challenge! If you're doing something different right now, share! We'd love to try something new!<br />
<br />bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-59333904548831578512014-05-04T08:05:00.002-07:002014-05-04T08:21:51.466-07:00Fad dieting, and why it doesn't work<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzNueDznXm4k_WQvK5dKTvxeg9YDOHyti69qL1Ahsdywq601Hvnnefu2EWYFYv0S4FhiOSb9OFfjZ1Y08oON-y2AegWXC-jsHiMq5m2qp1Q98xlyN4KIFsWqa_oZ8ipGP1qeiqyIvwdE/s1600/Fad-Diets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmzNueDznXm4k_WQvK5dKTvxeg9YDOHyti69qL1Ahsdywq601Hvnnefu2EWYFYv0S4FhiOSb9OFfjZ1Y08oON-y2AegWXC-jsHiMq5m2qp1Q98xlyN4KIFsWqa_oZ8ipGP1qeiqyIvwdE/s1600/Fad-Diets.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
We've discussed dieting before. Talking about how it should be a life style change, rather than a short thing just to lose a little weight. Fad diets are the ones with a name, or really strict rules, and unless your medical doctor is okay with it and is monitoring you, they are not healthy ways to treat out bodies. <br />
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That's the goal, isn't it? Healthy? We want strong muscles, lean fatty areas, energy to keep up with our kids or animals, and a strong heart for a long and healthy life. Just losing that pesky 5lb around your butt/hips/belly/whatever? That's incidental, and really honestly will come if you change your view on dieting, stop starving yourselves, giving up, and going right back to crap food again. People who diet this way seem to just get bigger and less healthy over time. Depriving your body of necessary nutrients is not the way to go. <br />
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I just say... If you make the bulk of your diet real food, healthy food, eat what you crave , and you will do well. Not to say if you are craving sugar you should have a candy bar. But sugar craving means your body needs carbs, so give it complex ones. Whole grains. Craving protein? Give your body easy to assimilate proteins, like nuts, seeds, or beans. <br />
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In general, eat healthy foods, whole foods. Have lots of fruit and veg, as fresh as possible. Go easy on animal products in general, if not cutting them out, and you will do well. Light cheese, occasional eggs, small meat portions. A deck of cards is about the size of a proper adult meat portion! Sure, you can juice and you'll feel great, because it's lots of fruit and veg. But living on juice forever is not a good plan, of course! <br />
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If you eat real food (can read all ingredients, and know exactly what they are/could make it from scratch if you wanted), you have a much harder time going wrong. Balance is the key. I know, it's hard to switch to this kind of eating if you're used to processed foods regularly. It takes work, meal times need to be planned out more... but there are some convenience items that can bridge the gap as you ease into cooking more, and help out when you're on the go, so you don't feel the need to stop for fast food.<br />
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On the "fad diet" side of things... <a href="http://blogs.plos.org/publichealth/2014/04/29/easy-believe-food-toxic/" target="_blank">This article about fad diets and what is often behind them</a> was really eye-opening. Lots of good stuff here. Well worth the read.<br />
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Be well, my friends. Namaste! bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-3858737137677593562014-04-19T12:36:00.005-07:002014-04-19T12:56:02.723-07:00Becca vs. the Egg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWzuow0WByIM56yUKFMXz7lUh-K08KMoo0u541LAzh8R18k60XTjIFnRAcwr7nO6SsngPddGHaKDFjeJSi6M41ABTIAvoJU9GoEosLWX9eAzekbkA7t-xPcHJb2azzxodrYoFzyeIYwA/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWzuow0WByIM56yUKFMXz7lUh-K08KMoo0u541LAzh8R18k60XTjIFnRAcwr7nO6SsngPddGHaKDFjeJSi6M41ABTIAvoJU9GoEosLWX9eAzekbkA7t-xPcHJb2azzxodrYoFzyeIYwA/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+045.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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I have been having the hardest time with hard boiled eggs in this lovely high altitude. I'm around 6000 feet above sea level, and water boils at a different temperature, so it doesn't work in the same way. Boiling noodles takes longer, and eggs need to be handled carefully.</div>
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So! I've learned how to hard boil until cooked... But sometimes end up with green edges on the yolk, or it goes grey, or whatever. I cannot cook an egg perfectly AND get the shell off easy. I want to be able to make the perfect peeled cooked egg. Because it's driving me crazy not knowing how.</div>
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So, today, the day before Easter, I decide it's time. I need to do this. And because I am me, I documented it all for you. Your cook time may vary by altitude, but I hope this is helpful! <br /><br />All eggs are from the same batch, same brand, same expiration date. </div>
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Round 1: steam, 10 minutes, no additives in the water. Cold water bath immediately afterward, about 8 min. </div>
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Results: Soft boil. Dark firm yolk. Easy-ish to peel, mostly good there. Needs more time.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjL5Hi8JajL2JbTUQLlkj32CZ1nXmp_RIDFc2kuH7KGSuqhEytQnmz5U3OodmZEzp1G67oaBQUU5DmcQt3UrX581Opa1D68Jf6tm8bfR0VJ_R-lGlhGy-bHv0UOA32nHyTaeg4PqebqQ/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjL5Hi8JajL2JbTUQLlkj32CZ1nXmp_RIDFc2kuH7KGSuqhEytQnmz5U3OodmZEzp1G67oaBQUU5DmcQt3UrX581Opa1D68Jf6tm8bfR0VJ_R-lGlhGy-bHv0UOA32nHyTaeg4PqebqQ/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+041.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Round 2: boil. Add salt and baking soda to cold water, enough to cover cold eggs 1". Bring to a boil, cover, turn off heat, and allow to sit 20min. Cold water bath afterward.</div>
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Results: Sulfer smell. 1 peeled easy, but had a green edge on the yolk. The other was hard to peel, but had the perfect fluffy yolk.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDEaTDVTjZo761wJ9F_Z0845W4tyPvw-WCKytBPg5HCGDHsFncgJ2nhHcjNCvR_rCpk-38U06T-KiIXyxHLpsSwEW8AqbioI-ddAC44XvgGtMZY2uBVMqHJdouk5qlmC3u2_dYO08mUY/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDEaTDVTjZo761wJ9F_Z0845W4tyPvw-WCKytBPg5HCGDHsFncgJ2nhHcjNCvR_rCpk-38U06T-KiIXyxHLpsSwEW8AqbioI-ddAC44XvgGtMZY2uBVMqHJdouk5qlmC3u2_dYO08mUY/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+042.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Round 3: steam, no additives, 15 min, then cold water bath.</div>
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Results: hard boil. Fluffy-ish yolk, lighter color. About average peeling difficulty. Harder to peel than first steam attempt.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_KHehLc5XQsnZPV1NJF-tPUGY8VJiBXDNJsegODw9a8W6RoZDZC3YhefH02sis9RQlpEaujoGxUT3z8eGYZEaFUT1mviLW9jdYaYoTqXMOdIQboJg-cyDdFwUbV9jJN306CfIyZXOrs/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk_KHehLc5XQsnZPV1NJF-tPUGY8VJiBXDNJsegODw9a8W6RoZDZC3YhefH02sis9RQlpEaujoGxUT3z8eGYZEaFUT1mviLW9jdYaYoTqXMOdIQboJg-cyDdFwUbV9jJN306CfIyZXOrs/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+043.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Round 4: Boil, add salt and vinegar. Cold water start, bring to a boil, turn off heat, cover and sit 20 min. Cold water bath afterward.</div>
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Results: sulfery smell again, but not as bad as the first boiled version. Peely shell outside, hard boiled. Fluff-potential in yolk. Was about average for peeling. Ok, not great.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L_lZRKshsxhMcbxFyZSz7MgWLtGYRsKlig-dI2V1gz4ulwvzDU3xS_GemRNseQ9vHjUTSMvXHqvcbthZ8JSHn3Mm3Q49SXynCxJF-H6AwmHGHEyOg9l0MY9Fdqf-FyjviQb_eIy3eGs/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L_lZRKshsxhMcbxFyZSz7MgWLtGYRsKlig-dI2V1gz4ulwvzDU3xS_GemRNseQ9vHjUTSMvXHqvcbthZ8JSHn3Mm3Q49SXynCxJF-H6AwmHGHEyOg9l0MY9Fdqf-FyjviQb_eIy3eGs/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+044.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Test 5: steam with no additives, 20 min and straight into cold water bath.</div>
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Results: PERFECT. They slid right out of their shells, had fluffy and yellow yolks. Easiest time peeling an egg, ever. Hands down.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DItevw4jDY8Y7GCUVyHYbZyXXOMsF6sm0ws4D7msJ8afEiQ8wo1FOM0kcs73etdPrILlZve4MzgvUxGQDXuBHc0X8sxHapzzSDnwLzvlP5XoOCB09GsA9jT6hzT1XrZPwCgqhAp_FO0/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DItevw4jDY8Y7GCUVyHYbZyXXOMsF6sm0ws4D7msJ8afEiQ8wo1FOM0kcs73etdPrILlZve4MzgvUxGQDXuBHc0X8sxHapzzSDnwLzvlP5XoOCB09GsA9jT6hzT1XrZPwCgqhAp_FO0/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+047.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Round 6: boil, salt, baking soda, and vinegar in cold water. Bring to boil, and let sit 20min. Cold water bath immediately afterward.</div>
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Results: peely shell again. Light faint Sulfer smell. Almost undetectable. Hard boiled, fluffy light colored yolk, and best peel of the boiled versions.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhFkAZqcKp9SJBYU5Yyp0w6ZdGufBz4yloDJdyPSg3s7N3wf4iM2OGDmfd-Ok-jLeGMcjwpV2WCi5V9t0d4uuXHv_ZmAz922BlJ_MuXwVrTf3tCzJAGE2l6F3BJ-HpGSf_clTAxofa0s/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhFkAZqcKp9SJBYU5Yyp0w6ZdGufBz4yloDJdyPSg3s7N3wf4iM2OGDmfd-Ok-jLeGMcjwpV2WCi5V9t0d4uuXHv_ZmAz922BlJ_MuXwVrTf3tCzJAGE2l6F3BJ-HpGSf_clTAxofa0s/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJhFkAZqcKp9SJBYU5Yyp0w6ZdGufBz4yloDJdyPSg3s7N3wf4iM2OGDmfd-Ok-jLeGMcjwpV2WCi5V9t0d4uuXHv_ZmAz922BlJ_MuXwVrTf3tCzJAGE2l6F3BJ-HpGSf_clTAxofa0s/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+051.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Overall, no vinegar in the water. Peely weird. Add baking soda for lighter color fluffy yolks. For perfect peeling, for deviled eggs, steam the same amount of time you would boil for your altitude. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fmPhF-xoWYc3V5iK7J2ZSJ7bB7MiEw0fmeOr-bEqrnYrUhPKN_PYH8OpPvVDRYwP0qoYgKGARVwV-zZ_XIj6MF81a-6fehtY1aX-FLZR5-Pkl0wimMQVDmnTHxoQaWPrlZ2JFcRgCME/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6fmPhF-xoWYc3V5iK7J2ZSJ7bB7MiEw0fmeOr-bEqrnYrUhPKN_PYH8OpPvVDRYwP0qoYgKGARVwV-zZ_XIj6MF81a-6fehtY1aX-FLZR5-Pkl0wimMQVDmnTHxoQaWPrlZ2JFcRgCME/s1600/iphone+back+up+4-19-14+049.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Hope that helps!!</div>
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I am a little curious why the yolks are lighter yellow with boiling vs. steaming! Maybe a tiny bit longer on the steaming would achieve both?</div>
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Steaming on left vs. boiled on right. Odd, eh? </div>
bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-3718382884251222492013-12-03T08:51:00.003-08:002013-12-03T08:52:48.102-08:00Find what you love!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been somewhat MIA for a while, and thought I'd check in! Things are still going well on this end, and the weight and inches that have come off are still off, which is good. But I've had a few things come to me in the past few weeks & months that I thought I'd share with you.<br />
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First and foremost, if your exercise feels like work, you are much less likely to want to do it. If it feels like FUN, you will be excited to get back to it and do it again tomorrow. So, find what you love to do. <br />
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<ul>
<li>Do you enjoy a leisurely bike ride? Try cycling, and push yourself. </li>
<li>Do you enjoy swimming for fun? Try doing some laps and see if you can get from one end of the pool to the other! It's harder than it looks, but it's also a better workout than you could imagine!</li>
<li>Do you think skateboarding or riding a scooter is fun? See if you have a local skate park to go play at! My kids both picked up skating this fall, and we've all had great fun riding boards around. I won't lie and say I haven't fallen and given myself some excellent bruises, but I also feel like they were 100% worth it! Google helped us find several in our area, and trying them all out helped us find our favorite one.</li>
<li>Do you like rock climbing? Find a wall or a climbing gym and try out their punch card to see if it's right for you before getting a full membership.</li>
<li>Racquetball?</li>
<li>Tennis?</li>
<li>Running?</li>
<li>Stretching out? Try yoga!</li>
<li>Walking around scenic areas, and pushing your pace! My friend and I love walking Garden of the Gods and Red Rocks Canyon, since we're here in Colorado Springs. It's great fun, is an awesome work out, and doesn't feel like work. There are hiking spots just about anywhere, just look for them!</li>
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Really, ANY kind of activity can be beneficial to your health. Just find something you like to do, and get out there and DO it. Move your body, in any way you see fit. Dance around to your favorite album for a while. Walk up the stairs instead of taking the elevator, or walk up the escalator even if it's moving beneath you. Walk the kids to school instead of driving them (within reason, of course!). <br />
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But, in the end, if you find what you enjoy, it won't be work. And if it's not work, and it's helping you achieve your goals? You're well on your way! </div>
bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-38295394421270094102013-03-13T07:17:00.000-07:002013-03-13T07:17:34.963-07:00Moving from Darkness into the Light<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is something most people don't know about me. There have been pretty dark moments in my life, and I chose to deal with them poorly. My choices affected me for far too long, and I am choosing to break free. I wish the same for you, so I share my story:<br />
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While I felt out of control with so many things in life, I took control of one thing I could: my food. I could control how much to eat. When. What. It became a problem, and I was unhealthy in my habits. I would push down the feelings of hunger all day long, and when it was finally dinner time, I would pick at my food, acting like I'd eaten all day, so I just wasn't hungry. And the worst part was, I was great at hiding it, and my body responded by letting me lose muscle mass and holding onto the fat stores I had.<br />
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As a result of my eating disorder habits, and my ability to hide it, and my body's odd response, nobody ever really knew. So there was nobody to stop me from my destructive tendencies. And it ruined things for me. I lost my ability to tell when I was hungry. When I was full. So I could restrict all day long and when I finally ate, I would eat and eat, not stopping until I was overly full. It didn't take a lot to fill me up, mind you, but that is no way to fuel a body. You wouldn't let your car run on fumes and only fill it up a tiny bit, would you? Of course not.<br />
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I found, though, in order to let go of my destructive habits, and move on, I had to address the reasons I was holding on to them. I had to get to the root of the problem. Realize I was ruining my body, and for what? For control over something? I have control over every aspect of my life. I realize that now. That concept was foreign back when these habits began.<br />
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So, for me, I had to acknowledge the reasons behind my habits, let go of them, and choose to move forward. That means, for me, with the eating disorder stuff, and being scale-obsessive, I cannot: own a scale, count calories (even to be sure I am having "enough"), take diet pills, restrict my eating habits in any kind of strict diet where I have excuses not to eat (how my vegetarianism started). I need to listen to my body. But in my body's current state, that was almost impossible.<br />
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I had to teach myself what "hungry" felt like again. I didn't have that sensor for so long, I thought I would never get it back. So I would eat when I knew I should eat, wouldn't let myself fill up on water or coffee, and would eat small amounts over the course of the day. And I had to learn to stop eating before I hit that "stuffed!!" feeling. Another reason for the small meals through the day.<br />
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One of the best things that helped with that was something I read in a Yoga Journal, about food. At the end of a proper meal, one's stomach should be 50% full of food, 25% full of water, with 25% room left. With a stomach the size of a fist, that is really not a lot of food in one sitting. But as it turns out, if it's healthy food, it sticks with you for a few hours, and it is an appropriate amount. I have healthy snacks between meals if I need them, but this has been a very helpful guideline, and since following it, I am happy to report my sensors are back on. <br />
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And so, I step back into the light. A person who can follow her body's cues again. Eat when hungry. Stop when I've eaten enough. And I leave those poor habits behind. Including the reasons I started restricting in the first place. Those things have no place in my life. Any. More. So, I hereby release them into the ether. They've haunted me long enough.<br />
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Your journey may be different, but the same principles apply. Find the reasons why you do what you do. Work on those. The rest will follow. I promise. bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-13650129803220038672013-03-12T13:47:00.001-07:002013-03-12T13:47:15.690-07:00Goals. What are yours, and why?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYZmEI7114sHGbwWNanIvDKoRgY1KAFCk-inw2W204awuKDAboV9YQ99RTT_Cw7frf-Yzo1O_QIKItYg0rTI6CgFHVqswRSNXPrXkhjwLmIugjzGUsO-1NJKNaysHLvrhyphenhyphenWbR7uDkqoI/s1600/goal-setting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixYZmEI7114sHGbwWNanIvDKoRgY1KAFCk-inw2W204awuKDAboV9YQ99RTT_Cw7frf-Yzo1O_QIKItYg0rTI6CgFHVqswRSNXPrXkhjwLmIugjzGUsO-1NJKNaysHLvrhyphenhyphenWbR7uDkqoI/s320/goal-setting.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In order to achieve something, we must have goals. Otherwise, we're just on a road, heading wherever it takes us. Now, there's nothing to say that's bad. But there's something about having a destination in mind that gives us something to shoot for.<br /><br />Now, that means there's a chance of failure. But without that chance of failure, there's less feeling of awe in yourself at what you have done, when you do not fail. And failure does not mean you cannot try again. <br /><br />Every day is a new day, filled with new chances to make new choices, and better yourself. Take them for what they are. And remember, your bad choices do not ruin the good ones. Yes, you can have that chocolate cake. Just don't forget the kale and strawberries too! <br /><br />So anyway, beyond WHAT goals you set (losing Xlbs, or fitting into that size X dress, being able to do X in my class or the weight room, etc)... think about WHY you are setting that goal. What is your motivation? And is that motivation coming from a healthy place?<br /><br />We need to change our bodies, yes. But we need to change how we view ourselves, our bodies, our successes, and our failures. We are all beautiful. We need to allow ourselves to see it, and to be happy with each and every step in our journey. It's okay to be on your way somewhere. And when you get there, to look forward to the next goal. <br /><br />But if you're doing this just to be thin because you hate yourself? That needs to be addressed. Being thin won't make you happy. Being happy won't make you thin. But being happy with yourself on your road to being healthy? That's where you want to be. <br /><br />Thin does not equal healthy. Healthy does not equal thin. Aim for good things. And let health be your reward. Whatever size it may come in. bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-63510737476807391792013-03-11T07:44:00.000-07:002013-03-11T07:44:51.766-07:00Love Yourself First.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPEF8TRP0o_z8fymWg8dDJN9RwRcWeOJt3lU711jy9cluzyTOHvzl8Qs66_6ytmNyXnI_Y_Hlz82WHKOZrffwtN-63gzVyW7ZvNgVoMlpTa-LmuEBbyXyNqenj63RZwh6huZqhffClmk/s1600/loveyourselffirst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPEF8TRP0o_z8fymWg8dDJN9RwRcWeOJt3lU711jy9cluzyTOHvzl8Qs66_6ytmNyXnI_Y_Hlz82WHKOZrffwtN-63gzVyW7ZvNgVoMlpTa-LmuEBbyXyNqenj63RZwh6huZqhffClmk/s400/loveyourselffirst.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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Saw this floating around on facebook yesterday. Snagged it, because it spoke to me.<br />
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It is easy to be angry at your current state. It's easy to be discouraged when you're not having an easy time of it. It's easy to be hard on yourself for not being perfect.<br />
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Newsflash. You are not, never have been, and never will be perfect. There is no such thing. <br />
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Accept where you are. Accept what got you there. Accept that it will take time to move forward. <br />
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Accept the journey. And accept the results as they happen, for what they are. The achy muscles. The need to buy new clothing.<br />
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It's not easy. This will not be fast. But it WILL be worth it. Just you wait and see.bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-22405181136653774762013-03-10T10:43:00.001-07:002013-03-10T10:43:24.243-07:00Day 49, Still Doing Fine! ;)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwFMiguitzJBMpXSFJIJk9lid53mQT3JSonJBJu7eFO8hftnJKw4KBjOquVJQudt-ne1_dU5n6q4AQhyphenhyphen7Z5lSu1t2WKJidgO8WCRhcM74vxdMW0phhPasRBzNCzjZTQnnr4O2DRElF1o/s1600/meaurements.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwFMiguitzJBMpXSFJIJk9lid53mQT3JSonJBJu7eFO8hftnJKw4KBjOquVJQudt-ne1_dU5n6q4AQhyphenhyphen7Z5lSu1t2WKJidgO8WCRhcM74vxdMW0phhPasRBzNCzjZTQnnr4O2DRElF1o/s400/meaurements.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<br /><br />Woke up this morning and realized I haven't been counting the days anymore. I've just been going. And going. And going some more. And trying to put others first as much as I can. Giving away my yoga strap during class, to someone who needed it more. Being patient with the rude person at work, and still going out of my way for them when I really didn't want to. Taking time to make breakfast for the kids when I'd rather be relaxing before work. Helping the instructor carry extra yoga balls to the class room from the supply closet. Just a little something, every day, trying to do the right thing. Do a little more.<br /><br />My last thyroid level check said my levels went DOWN, instead of up, for once. This means my yoga is healing my thyroid. It's helping it work properly, or at least it is being more active. I like when my numbers go down. :) Means my dose decreases and maybe, just maybe, I can get off these meds some day. I don't hold my breath too hard, but one can hope. <br /><br />I have taken measurements occasionally and pics less frequently, to track my progress. Looking in the mirror, I tend to see what I have always seen, so this helps me see that there really is progress. Comparing photos back to back, and seeing inches drop on my list. Good stuff.<br /><br />So! For my progress! I have lost only 4lb according to the YMCA's scale from the first time I checked to yesterday... BUT, weight is not a big thing for me. It can stay the same, number-wise, while everything else changes. <br /><br />Inches show a lot more for me, so here we go. I have lost, so far:<br /><br />
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<li>4" in the true waist</li>
<li>2.75" where my jeans sit</li>
<li>5.5" in my hips (dude!!!)</li>
<li>4" in the bum</li>
<li>.5" in the thigh </li>
<li>.75" in the calf</li>
<li>1" in the bicep (flabby triceps are shaping up!)</li>
<li>forearms remain the same</li>
<li>2.5" in the bust</li>
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Overall, very pleased! Things are starting to become more proportional. What is odd, to me, is that things don't look smaller, they just look more in proportion with each other. Pics, showing progress:</div>
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Before, what started me on my journey. I was 2 years postpartum, and had recently weaned. I didn't know what a normal portion was anymore, and had gained at least 30lb from my pre-baby days. I saw these pictures, my 14s were getting tight, and knew I needed to do something.<br /></div>
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January 27th, a week in, and today.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUe2ONcdRvL1szA-Wyk_-9eJ1jOfigConodV7wmCt9iX5q1caw8xnsMM_U5SLtFBWSFnve0COXPMyBqtO0yLQwqzAbYoBim5ap1FA0T5Hy4-T_zmhpGsb_pKPv_bsR7E_wRrThQjsIcs/s1600/jan27-feb8-mar10Side.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUe2ONcdRvL1szA-Wyk_-9eJ1jOfigConodV7wmCt9iX5q1caw8xnsMM_U5SLtFBWSFnve0COXPMyBqtO0yLQwqzAbYoBim5ap1FA0T5Hy4-T_zmhpGsb_pKPv_bsR7E_wRrThQjsIcs/s320/jan27-feb8-mar10Side.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />January 27th, Feb 8th, and today.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-D3vXLJUd_Nvoz5A5gVq4Jq-YYPLKDlaJOgzLi4Uz5BjwHTn0kT6JHMXXRIh3J7oQFYU9pmqOnhW9waQaRma7fsdNxJFybD_uPRgo0xke1HX92f9OlQhwKmz9TdSEMPWNcKpJ5niMN4/s1600/jan26-mar10Face.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ-D3vXLJUd_Nvoz5A5gVq4Jq-YYPLKDlaJOgzLi4Uz5BjwHTn0kT6JHMXXRIh3J7oQFYU9pmqOnhW9waQaRma7fsdNxJFybD_uPRgo0xke1HX92f9OlQhwKmz9TdSEMPWNcKpJ5niMN4/s320/jan26-mar10Face.jpg" width="263" /></a><br />January 26th and today, to see the face changes.<br /></div>
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So far, so good! Just need to keep it up, continue to tone, and I'll keep going down this road! :) <br /><br />How are you all doing? How do you track your progress? </div>
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bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-6702970557973626292013-02-26T15:24:00.002-08:002013-02-26T15:24:27.686-08:00Day 37, and still going!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Day 37. Still moving right along! How are you all?<br /><br />It's been a few days since I last posted, sorry about that! Life got a little hectic, and priorities were food and making it to work and class and school on time. The blog got pushed to the side.<br /><br />But! I need to let you know what's going on with the next leg of the challenge! We're going to officially start this on March 1st, to make it fit between now and the April Yoga Challenge... but that's right around the corner! So, here goes.<br /><br />Do Something Challenge, Phase 2: Giving Back.<br /><br />In addition to your 15 minutes a day for yourself, to make good choices and continue good habits, I challenge you to find something, every day, that you can do for the good of others.<br /><br />It could be taking time to make a healthy meal or snack for your kids. Taking them on a walk to explore the emerging spring or late winter world. Taking a moment to help an elderly person cross the street or load their car with groceries. Finding a shell to offer to a child building a sand castle. A kind word, offered to someone who needs a smile today. <br /><br />Anything is fine. Just offer it with intention. With the good of others in mind. <br /><br />We can focus on ourselves a lot when we are trying to make life changes, like getting back in the habit of working out. But after we have turned so much attention within, it is good to turn our gaze outward again. See this world through our new eyes, and find a way to offer back whatever it is that we can. <br /><br />So. March 1st, officially. You can start now if you like, of course! And remember, it is going while continuing our daily 15 minute challenge. As always, more is fine, but you can ALWAYS find 15 minutes to do something, every day. Always. <br /><br />Happy Tuesday, all!bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-34071433347415981962013-02-19T15:19:00.002-08:002013-02-19T15:19:32.257-08:00Day 30, Do Something!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Here we are, on our last official day of this first month! We come down our little path to the fork in the road, and are faced with our choice of where to go from here.<br /><br />Will you fall into your old habits again? Or will you stick it out with me, and see if we can make this a permanent change? I sure do hope you'll join me!<br /><br />I'm achy from my double practice Monday (morning and afternoon class!), my joints are upset with me, and my muscles groan. But I know the best thing for them is to get out there and move again tonight. So that's what I'm going to do. <br /><br />Between tomorrow and the first of March, I'll continue the typical Do Something challenge, without the days involved, offering encouragement and support... but, March will be dedicated to a little something more.<br />
<br />Do Something, but not just for yourself. Do something for yourself, yes, but also do something for others. <br /><br />I mentioned it in passing the other day, and will go into details tomorrow, but know this is not the end. <br /><br />And as last year, April will be set aside for a 30 day yoga challenge. I'd love to see you join me! :) <br /><br />As always, I hope you've had a wonderful day, and make good choices for yourself and your family tonight. <br /><br />Much love! bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-75061067122405924752013-02-18T07:57:00.002-08:002013-02-18T07:57:39.948-08:00Do Something, Day 29<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Gentleness. That was the focus of this morning's practice. Gentleness. To yourself, and to others.<br /><br />As we flowed from one pose to the next, the focus for the day helped me let go when I couldn't do something "just right". It's okay to not be perfect. It's okay to make mistakes, or be weak sometimes. <br /><br />We work on it, sure, but when those moments of weakness hit, when we make those mistakes? We need to take a breath, and accept our humanity. Allow ourselves a little slack, and move on. <br /><br />So today, I give you permission. Give yourself a break when you can't get something just right. Be kind to others today. Put yourself in their shoes, take a breath, step back, and treat them with gentleness. With kindness. With love. You might just be surprised how the mindset changes you. bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-21766884927940913502013-02-18T07:43:00.003-08:002013-02-18T07:43:48.484-08:00Do Something, Day 28<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Finding your place of peace. It's not always easy. Especially when you arrive to a class and discover it's your least favorite instructor. <br /><br />There is always a choice. Turn around and walk out that door, or stick it out, and discover... your least favorite? Still not all that bad.<br />
<br />There is a place of peace, a silver lining, in every situation. Today, I encourage you to find it, as you find your "something" to do. bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-39497510255648152252013-02-16T07:38:00.001-08:002013-02-16T07:38:19.963-08:00Do something, day 27<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Challenges. We all face them, every single day. To make yourself get out of bed and go to the gym. Whether or not to get angry with the elderly driver in front of you for being slow. To take a moment and be kind to someone in need, whether you know them or not. <br /><br />We look at the task ahead and decide if it is worth it or not. Make our choice. And move on. <br /><br />May we take the time to make the good choices. To look at the challenge before us and rise to the occasion. Do the right thing. Be a better person. <br /><br />And when we've done just that, and life continues on... look back, and see just how far you've come. <br /><br />There is a beautiful soul within each and every one of us. Let us realize the potential within. And inspire others to discover their own. Namaste.</div>
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<br />bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-42289803569315854702013-02-16T07:32:00.001-08:002013-02-16T07:32:27.134-08:00Do something, Day 26<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Transformation. Do you feel it? The shift, within? I do, on several levels. <br /><br />In body, I feel stronger. I have more confidence, and was able to do things in class yesterday that I wouldn't have thought possible. <br /><br />In mind, I feel more in control of things. I can decide how to respond to my situations. I have choices. I can remain calm, even in the midst of the storms in life. <br /><br />In spirit, I feel like I'm finally becoming "me". I am finally being true to myself. To what I want, to what I need. <br /><br />That's not to say things are easy, choices are easy, or continuing down this path is easy. But I can tell you it is worthwhile. <br /><br />As this challenge finds its way to a close, I have been asked if I am continuing with another challenge. April is set aside for yoga challenge, as it was last year, but when this is done, up until then, I think we will continue.<br /><br />Doing something, but not just something good for our bodies and our health. But trying to find ways to do something good for the world around us. I saw a challenge in an article, 30 days of giving. It can be whatever you are able to give. A seashell to a child on the beach, building a sand castle. A kind word to a friend. Taking time to declutter your home/a room, for your family. You choose what you are doing each day, as we continue doing things for ourselves... but give back while we are at it. <br /><br />It just seems like a fitting place to move, from here. <br /><br />bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-48143448636065942972013-02-14T08:06:00.000-08:002013-02-14T08:06:00.701-08:00Do Something!! Day 25<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Thursday. Surprise day off. Was going to have to do yet another home practice this week... I've not made it to the gym since Sunday, but I have done a home practice every single day since then. But, because I'm off today, I can make the evening class that work would have forced me to miss. <br /><br />It will be nice, getting into a crowded room of people again. It is surprising to me how little I liked the idea of sharing my practice, before, and how I look forward to it now. <br /><br />Was it really only 25 days ago that this started? It feels like a lifetime. <br /><br />Take time today to absorb the affects of your hard work this last few weeks. These last 25 days. Appreciate the changes you have made in your body. Be grateful you are healthy and able to make those changes. And give thanks.<br /><br />Today will be a practice of gratitude. I am thankful for the insurance to cover my daughter's upcoming surgery. I am thankful for my job, even on the days I don't want to go. I am thankful my body is healing, even though it tweaks sometimes and I have to back off of things to support the shoulder. I am thankful for my car, and my house, my family and their overall health. <br /><br />There may be bad things going on. There is always something. But there is more to be grateful for. Make that your focus. Namaste.bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-19044905602361438362013-02-14T07:51:00.001-08:002013-02-14T07:51:14.750-08:00Day 24, Do something. Even when you really don't want to.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bad news. The girl needs surgery. Those bright shiny eyes of hers? They don't work together, and the muscles need correction. No other options. Patches won't work. Lowering her glasses strength doesn't work. So. Surgery.<br /><br />That was my news first thing yesterday. It tainted everything. I know this is routine stuff. I know it will be fine. But I don't want my daughter's eyes cut into. I don't want her to be vision impaired (more than she already is) for a few days. But, this is what needs to happen so she can see. She's excited about maybe not seeing double anymore... but I'm not excited about how it has to happen.<br /><br />So, when 10pm hit, kids were in bed, I still wasn't terribly thrilled with life... I really did NOT want to get up and change and do my practice. I wanted to sit around, mope, go to bed early, and maybe eat some ice cream. <br /><br />But I did not allow it. This is not how we handle things. Suck it up, Harris. <br /><br />So I grudgingly got out on that mat. I turned on some music, and just started to move. Breathing. Flowing, not thinking about what I was doing too much. Just do it.<br /><br />And I fell asleep on the mat during savasana, woke up and meditated for a bit. <br /><br />You know what? I feel a lot better. My perspective changed, there, on that purple mat of mine. This is an investment. For future depth perception injuries, like her fractured teeth and broken foot were. This is a good thing. This will be fine. <br /><br />So. If today is a day when you really just don't want to? I feel your pain. But I offer no excuses. Just do it. You'll thank me later. bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-57154508642138543172013-02-12T19:45:00.001-08:002013-02-12T19:45:42.183-08:00Do Something, Day 23<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Day 23. Down to the last week. We move, we breathe, we struggle, we feel. Push ourselves, find new limits, and discover truths about ourselves. <br /><br />This has been a great little experiment, eh? <br /><br />The kid just went to bed, so I'm going to go get ready for my practice tonight... with plans to hopefully hit class in the morning. There's an early appointment for a kiddo, though, so I might need to do home practice tomorrow too. A reply from the man should let me know what to plan. <br /><br />In any case, on I move. Time to warm the muscles up and breathe. That's what it's all about in the end. Breathe. Take time out. Just be. <br /><br />It's harder than it sounds. And easier than you know. bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-21874894020796583212013-02-12T07:06:00.003-08:002013-02-12T07:06:53.689-08:00Do Something, Day 22<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />I woke to snow. Beautiful lovely snow. That makes everyone on the roads crazy. Which meant I couldn't go to my class before the day started. There was no way I would make it back in time. Sigh. So I will do a home practice tonight. Back to sleep. Acceptance.<br /><br />When it was time to get up and get kids ready, we did so. I got the car warming up so the windows scraped easy, and scooped the drive and walk way. Kids joined me at the car and we left. E light came on. Of course. I don't have time for this. Acceptance. <br /><br />Kids dropped off with instructions for after school, and up to the gas station. Cars blocking the road so I couldn't turn. Deep breaths. I am leaving early. It will be okay. Acceptance.<br /><br />The road opened up and I made it through to the pump. Standing outside on a cold snowy day to fill your tank is not the best thing ever. But it must be done. Acceptance.<br /><br />Made it to work early, because the streets were not as bad as I'd envisioned. I grew up in Nebraska and they have a whole different level of snow than Colorado does. I was expecting Nebraska bad. Not so. Good stuff. I sat and read an old Yoga Journal until it was time to go in. Chose not to be irritated that I'd rushed there and wasted time I could have spent cleaning my kitchen. Acceptance.<br /><br />Monday is busy at work, and the morning flew by until it was time for lunch. And I realized my lunch, purchased before my return to vegetarian ways, had chicken stock in it. I had already opened it. Couldn't take it home with me. It was either give it away, but nobody wanted it, or throw it away and be wasteful, or accept that I made a mistake, eat what I brought with me, and not kick myself over the label ignorance that morning. Acceptance.<br /><br />And after I got home and made dinner, we had bedtime, and I took a long hot bath to soak away the cold of the day... I started thinking about that yoga practice I was planning. Would I follow a disc? Do my own thing? But above all, what was my focus going to be? And it hit me. Of course. It's been coming to me all day. Acceptance.<br /><br />I was having one of those days where everything feels wrong. I was feeling huge and gross, was being hormonal and easily irritated. But feeling like this happens sometimes, and I can either get upset at myself over it, or accept my imperfections and move on. <br /><br />I am not perfect. You are not perfect. We all have our crappy days. And that's okay. We have extra squish. Can't hold that pose as long as we wanted. Our routines got messed up. We forget to post the day's blog post until the next morning. But that's okay. Accept it. And move forward.<br /><br />I will leave you with this wonderful quote I saw this morning. It just is so fitting, and is what spurred me here to make my post from yesterday. I wish you acceptance today. Of the flaws in your life. And peace will come to fill the space that is left behind. Namaste.<br /><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">For every unexpected bump, turn, or squiggle on the path of life, you pretty much have two choices:</span><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">~Accept it as if you yourself had meticulously planned it and as if you're being watched by 10,000 cheering angels who love you so much, you're pretty much all they ever sing about. </span><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">~Or, accept it, kicking and screaming, as if it were some freak accident or random mistake that had befallen you by chance. </span><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;" /><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">I know which I would choose,</span><br style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; line-height: 18px;">The Universe</span></span></span></blockquote>
bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-3684609226306359012013-02-10T07:10:00.000-08:002013-02-10T07:10:14.162-08:00Do Something Challenge, Day 21~ The golden rule.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(click to see full size)<br /><br />During my challenge so far, I have been trying to tap into my mindsets more, and watch how I view things. Change that view or attitude when it's not a good one. <br /><br />For example, just following a nice relaxing class where I want to be calm and slow and meander home, but I really do have to get going for the rest of the day... someone being slow on the road can irritate me. But just following a peaceful class? Where should my mind be? Not irritated with the other driver, who could very well be terrified driving on the interstate, and is therefore driving slowly.... but on how I can accommodate that other person. Go around them rather than getting too close for comfort. Wish them a good day, as I pass, because they're just another human, and they are no more perfect than I am.<br /><br />It was shocking to me how often things like this happened and I had to change my outlook. And it made me realize just how often I was allowing people to affect me and how I feel about my day. <br /><br />It is not slow driver's fault I am in a hurry. It is not coupon lady's fault I took too long at the store and need to rush this part of my trip. It is not the little girl counting her pennies' fault that school is almost out, and I need to get there... <br /><br />Always in a rush. Always in a hurry. Always somewhere to be. <br /><br />I'm beginning to understand how people in a calmer more relaxed society see how we are, and it's a little sad.<br /><br />Now, this doesn't mean I don't have places to be, and can be late to work or late picking kids up. It means I need to be more mindful and watch my times better while I'm out, rather than trying to rush the end of that time to get somewhere. That's just our society, and how things run. It's rude to be late, can get you fired, etc. But we don't have to push negative energy on other people for MAKING us late... that is our own fault, not theirs. <br /><br />So anyway... just a random thought, and when I came across the poster above, it just seemed fitting. <br /><br />If we are running low on gas and driving slowly to conserve it, I bet that bothers other people. We have been in the slow driver's shoes before. We have lost our card, or had to fish for cash at the register before, and I'm sure that bothered the people behind us. We have been in slow consumer's shoes before. We have been that little kid, counting out the change to buy something with our very own money. <br /><br />Try and remember that we are all human. We all make mistakes. Give each other a break. Check that attitude, that mindset. And if it were you in those shoes, how would you want someone to react? To treat you? To think toward you? Act accordingly. <br /><br />This is an easy thing, when it comes to not saying mean things to each other, or not hitting, like we teach our kids. The mindset side is decidedly more difficult. But absolutely worth striving for. <br />
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Namaste. <br />
(and since this also fits... a definition of that word for you, if you are not familiar:)<br />
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<a href="" name="top" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><div class="centered" style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<img alt="namaste' heading" height="47" src="http://www.taketheleap.com/graphics/namaste_header.gif" width="280" /></div>
<div class="centered" style="color: red; text-align: center;">
<img alt="namaste' defined" height="38" src="http://www.taketheleap.com/graphics/namaste.gif" width="395" /></div>
<div class="one" style="font-size: 0.95em; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #274e13;">"I honor the place in you where Spirit lives.<br />I honor the place in you which is<br />of Love, of Truth, of Light, of Peace.<br />When you are in that place in you,<br />and I am in that place in me,<br />then we are One."</span></div>
</a></blockquote>
bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-40834301984019675592013-02-09T09:29:00.000-08:002013-02-09T09:29:04.762-08:00Do Something, Day 20<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hitting the home stretch now. End is in sight, if 30 days is your goal. :) <br /><br />So, how do you feel? Do you think you will keep this up, most days, if not all? Have you met your goals you set for yourself?<br /><br />I know I am feeling great, other than my sore muscles from an intense class yesterday. They are sore and tight, but that's not unusual, and it doesn't really *hurt*. It just is that achy feeling. So I took it easy today and that is good.<br /><br />In any case, it's time to start thinking about your future plans and goals. I know I plan to continue with this. I feel too good not to. I'm so grateful for a healthy body that can handle the movement, and am taking advantage of that. <br /><br />Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! :)bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-7811337310450919002013-02-08T07:00:00.000-08:002013-02-08T07:00:05.254-08:00Do Something, Day 19<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />That which is worth doing? It comes with a price. That might be time. It might be pain or discomfort. It might be money. Or something else. But anything worth doing will not be easy. It will come with it's own personal catch.<br /><br />Priorities is what it's all about. What is important to you? You will find time for it. You will get up early or stay up late to make it happen. It's all about re-setting our priorities to accommodate our good habits we want to cultivate. <br /><br />It might be harder at first, and that's both normal and totally okay. But it will get easier the longer you keep it up. Just like our little Do Something challenge has showed us. It's a little easier every day to get up and do what we need to do, eh? <br /><br />For me and the yoga classes, getting to and from, takes time. 2 hours a class, most days. Half an hour to get ready and get there, an hour there, and half an hour to get home and on with the rest of the day. It also costs money, for the membership to the Y... but mostly, time. Especially if kids come along to swim or play. That takes more like 3 hours per day, and not every day is equipped with an extra 3 hours. <br /><br />The clothes to work out in take money. The laundry those clothes create take time to clean. And the discomfort from strengthening muscles makes for interesting days sometimes. <br /><br />But is it worth it? You bet your cinnamon buns it is! <br /><br />I'm only 19 days into this thing, but I can't see an end in sight. I don't want to stop when I hit day 30. I might add swimming in on some days where it fits the schedule better than a yoga class... and when my foot stops cramping up on me randomly. That's no fun, and I'd really rather avoid it. But I can see continuing this challenge into the unforeseen future. <br /><br />In fact, in April, I plan to host another 30 day yoga challenge! That's only a few weeks away, and at this rate, it will be here before we know it! :) Consider joining me! This yoga thing is contagious... can you tell? :) </span>bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-38383863737714600072013-02-07T20:42:00.000-08:002013-02-07T20:42:38.863-08:00Do something, day 18<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br /><br />Up too late last night. Wanted to do a 90 minute home practice this morning, but only had time for 60, and barely that. Can tell I'm strengthening up, as many things that would simply have been too hard to hold before are getting easier, so that's something.<br /><br />I find that since I am focusing on health and strength this time around, rather than skinniness or fitting into a certain size, or weighing a certain amount, I am actually reaching my goals, more and more. <br /><br />Hold that pose for 3 breaths this time. Hold this other one for 15. Lift up into supported head stand with core strength instead of kicking up and hoping for momentum to get me there. <br /><br />I definitely need to work on core strength, and am doing that as much as I can. But I still need to be careful not to overdo it, so I don't strain the shoulder or something else again. It's a fun balance to find, and not always easy.<br /><br />It's frustrating to know I need to stick with knees down in plank, but the knees up makes for too much shoulder strain. I remind myself I'm listening to my body, and am trying to call it "good". I am accepting where I am, every day, and doing my best. That's all anyone can hope for, eh?<br /><br />Little victories tell me I'm on the right track. I held wheel for 4 full breaths today. I haven't even tried it in ages, because it scared me. Last time I did it was day 3, I believe? Running my own practice when the teacher was ill, in the room with the mirrors. I didn't hold it for very long, and really it was just a test to see if I could. <br /><br />One step at a time. One pose at a time. We will get where we want to go. We can do this. I wish you peace, and the courage to push yourself in appropriate ways, tomorrow. Namaste.bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4860587367289211455.post-1758360008317833392013-02-06T08:37:00.003-08:002013-02-06T08:37:58.359-08:00Do Something, Day 17<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is no easy button. Some days, it is HARD to just get up and get moving and do something, like we know we should. We want to stay in bed, under the warm covers, in the dark, pretending to not hear that alarm going off. We don't WANT to get up and move. We don't WANT to go out into the cold morning air to get to the gym for that work out or class.<br /><br />But. When we do, when we make ourselves get up, silence that alarm, brush those teeth, and pull on those yoga pants, we know we are making the right call. The cold air might slap us in the face on the way to the car. We might think about taking a trip to a coffee shop and pretending we went to class like we were supposed to. But when we pull into that parking lot and take the steps into the building and get moving? So much better.<br /><br />This morning was one of those mornings for me. I had a foggy head, felt like I was coming down with a little cold, just didn't want to move. Last night's practice left me creaky and tight this morning, but while it seems counter-productive, I knew another practice was just what I needed to get that worked out. And I know Wednesday classes are restorative. That isn't to say they're easy. We have to hold poses for so much longer than I'm used to, and it challenges the body, but they are calm and relaxing, and I always leave feeling refreshed.<br /><br />Today during class, our instructor, Brian, was talking about pushing ourselves in the right way. The mind sometimes says, "No, I don't want to, I can't do this anymore, I want to quit!" in the middle of a difficult pose, or after holding one for a a while. That is something to push through. Push those thoughts away, and DO it. Do it as long as you can, and then for another couple breaths. Because we have longer boundaries than we think, and we really can do it.<br /><br />But when it is the body saying, "Ouch!!!", that is a different sort of thing, and it is something to listen to. We need to be able to tell the difference between our minds and our bodies, and figure out if it's time to continue pushing, or time to ease back into something more accessible to us today. <br /><br />Something they like to talk about in yoga is "finding your edge." It means to find that place where you are getting a good stretch, are pushing yourself, up to the edge of pain, but not over it. You want a little discomfort if you are trying to push your limits. Discomfort is okay, but pain is not. You need to find that place where it isn't easy anymore, and hold it there. As long as you can. And then two more breaths. <br /><br />Sometimes in a pose, when you've settled into it for a bit, that edge changes, so we change with it. That is good. That is listening to the body, and that's exactly what you want to be doing. <br /><br />Inhale, lift the spine long, exhale relax into a deeper fold, inhale lift, exhale relax. Longer and deeper with each breath. This goes for forward folds, and twists are a similar feeling. Inhale, lift, and exhale, twist. But listening to your body all the while, and not taking it further than is safe for you. <br /><br />And that might change from one day to the next. From morning to night. That's fine. Our bodies are always changing. We need to be willing to listen to them, and change accordingly. Our bodies are very smart things, and they know what they can handle. All we have to do is tap into them, listen, and respond accordingly.<br /><br />Today, I wish for you peace, calmness in the midst of your hardest moments, and for the courage to press through to the other side. No easy button. This is your pose. Breathe through it. Namaste.bekajoihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02462693876273420806noreply@blogger.com0