Methylation http://learntruehealth.com/methylation/ Methylation And Its Importance   Methylation is something that not many people are knowledgeable about. It is a scientific process wherein it affects our mental health, immunity, and inflammation. To educate us more about this, Nutritional Sciences expert Chris Masterjohn will thoroughly expound on why we should take methylation seriously.    Early Years   Chris Masterjohn’s interest in pursuing a career in Nutrition goes way back during his teenage years.  Witnessing how his mother suffered from fibromyalgia, she often experienced chronic pain.    Diving into multi-level marketing for herbal products and water filters during his late teenage years, it was also around this time that Chris Masterjohn got interested in the Zone diet.  From then on, his diet primarily consisted of 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, 30% fat, low omega 6 and high omega 3.   “I was into radical politics, and I wanted to liberate everyone including the animals. That got me into veganism. When I was vegan, I got interested in the Zone diet and ate a lot of soy to get my protein up to 30% of my calories,” recalls Chris Masterjohn.   However, Chris Masterjohn encountered several problems while he was on a diet.  He had a weak digestion and was often in pain due to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, overproduction of gas, vulnerable to tooth decay and prone to anxiety.    Weston A. Price   When Chris Masterjohn went on to college, he was working part-time at the campus dining hall. One day, his boss, Wayne, gave him a pamphlet about raw milk. That brochure also mentioned the work of Weston A. Price.   In the 1930s, Weston A. Price cited several causes of tooth decay. Decided on collecting more data to support the link between nutrition and tooth decay, Weston A. Price left his laboratory job.   Travelling far and wide in search of populations that had less tooth decay, Weston A. Price soon discovered the adverse effects of flour.  He was one of the first experts to study traditional diets and lifestyles of people from all walks of life. That led him to write a book about nutrition and physical degeneration, leading him to be known as the pioneer of nutritional anthropology.    “Weston A. Price said that people with less tooth decay didn’t eat refined foods but rather focused on consuming nutrient-dense foods,” shares Chris Masterjohn. “Because of the book, I learned how to help myself. When I got better, I wanted to pay it forward. That is why I went on to medical school and studied chemistry.”   What are Methylation and Demethylation   One of Chris Masterjohn’s field of expertise is studying about methylation. In a nutshell, methylation involves one carbon and three hydrogen atoms combining to form another molecule. Demethylation, on the other hand, means the removal of the carbon and atoms.    How the molecules work in our body is called methylation and demethylation. When a methylation cycle is not working well, we could get sick.  Consequently, if our methylation is imbalanced, it causes a lot of autoimmune conditions.   “Methylation plays the same role in mental health in anyone. Every piece of Biology is all based on carbon. Our body is primarily composed of carbon and hydrogen with a few other things thrown in,” said Chris Masterjohn. “Methylation in the scientific literature is often referred to as one-carbon metabolism.”   How Methylation Works   Chris Masterjohn says methylation controls the levels of dopamine in our brain.  Methylation influences how ‘sticky’ our brain is versus to how fluid it is. Essentially, our primary goal is to have a nice balance. Because if our brain is too fluid, we can’t focus on anything. However, if our brain is too rigid, we tend to focus on all the wrong things.    “Methylation inside the brain has a very powerful influence on the ‘stickiness’ of your mind. If you’re afraid of something, that fearful thought enters your mind. If your mind is not too ‘sticky,’