My Journey With Genomics

Years ago, I did what many people have done—I sent off a sample to 23andMe and waited for the results. When they came back, one finding stood out immediately: I carried a variant in the now widely recognized MTHFR gene.

At the time, this meant something fairly straightforward.

• Take methylated B vitamins.

• Support methylation.

• Reduce the risk of depression, stroke, and a handful of other conditions that show up in the literature.

I followed the recommendations, checked the box, and moved on.

Nothing dramatic happened, and honestly, I didn’t expect it to.

Years later, curiosity pulled me deeper.

I decided to go beyond surface-level genetics and explore a more advanced analysis through IntellxxDNA. What I found changed the way I think about the brain, supplements, and precision medicine altogether.

It turns out the story wasn’t just about methylation.

Yes, I needed methylated folate, but that wasn’t the whole picture.
My brain also required folinic acid in order to properly utilize folate at the central nervous system level.

That was not something I would have guessed.
Not something I was taught.
Not something I could feel my way into.

But I made a simple change: I added a low dose of folinic acid.

Within days, something shifted.

Not subtly. Not theoretically. Viscerally.

My ability to focus sharpened.
Complex cognitive tasks felt… easier.
There was a fluidity to my thinking that hadn’t been there before.

And what struck me most was this: I didn’t realize anything was missing.

I thought my brain was working well.

But suddenly, it felt like I had access to 25% more capacity - more clarity, more efficiency, more mental stamina.

I’ve taken supplements for years, like many of my patients, largely as a form of “nutritional insurance.”
Helpful, perhaps. Supportive, maybe.
But rarely something you feel.

This was different.

This was the first time a targeted intervention produced a clear, immediate, and undeniable cognitive shift.

And I would never have found it on my own.

I would never have thought to add folinic acid.
I would never have considered that I might have a mild, functionally relevant cerebral folate deficiency.

Since then, I’ve used this same testing approach with patients.

And again and again, we uncover insights that simply wouldn’t have been accessible through conventional evaluation—clues hidden in plain sight within their biology.

As a physician, I am constantly exposed to marketing - new tests, new treatments, bold claims.

I am, by nature, skeptical.

But this is different.

I’m not just persuaded by the theory.
I’m not just impressed by the science.

I’m convinced because I experienced it. And it changed what I thought was possible.