Dr. Nicole Cain explains SAM-e, a supplement that works through three metabolic pathways to support mood, pain, and histamine breakdown. It's most helpful for people with COMT or MTHFR genetic variants, typically dosed 800-1200 mg daily, though depression studies used up to 3200 mg.
Questions this video answers
3200 mg per day.
Around 200 mg (start low and titrate up).
Approximately 800–1200 mg per day.
The MET allele (reported as causing a 25% decrease in COMT enzyme activity).
She states some studies show SAM-e works as well as NSAIDs/ibuprofen for pain and is as effective or better than tricyclic antidepressants for major depression (WebMD cited).
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Welcome to my podcast. I'm Dr. Nicole Cain, a naturopathic doctor with a master's in clinical psychology and a former anxiety sufferer turned anxiety Freedom rebel. Hi, this is Dr. Nicole and today we're going to talk about same. Same, short for S Adenosylmethionine, is one of those nutrients that just might completely change your life. In this video we are going to talk about what SAME can do for you, how to dose same to achieve optimal benefit, and we'll even dive into some of the physiology of how SAME works. Let's get started by talking about how awesome SAME is. Same is a pain killing wonder drug. SAME has been used therapeutically to help body pains from head to toe, but it has found to be especially helpful in the treatment of pain due to osteoarthritis. In fact, SAME is so effective at managing pain that some studies have declared that SAME works as well as NSAIDs or ibuprofen. While it takes longer to take effect, it does not have the side effects that NSAIDs do, which is another huge benefit. SAMM is also a useful antidepressant and some research has demonstrated that SAME is as effective or better than tricyclic antidepressants in relieving major depression. This is from WebMD. Same can be safely used with antidepressant medications and a particularly important consideration to bear in mind. The efficacy of SAME in treating depression is in part due to its ability to target depression at the root. Epigenetics and Hormones before we talk about who is going to benefit the most from same, we first need to know a little bit more about how SAME works. SAME is a chemical that's made by your cells from methionine. Methionine is an amino acid that is made by breaking down the harmful chemical homocysteine. Methionine is one of the building blocks of your organs and tissues and it plays many roles in your phys physiology. I have a chart in the blog below. Once your body makes same, it is then used by three main pathways in your transmethylation, transulfuration and aminopropylation. Let's talk about these in more detail. Transmethylation is an organic chemical process by which a methyl group is transferred from one compound to another. This is seen when the body converts homocysteine into methionine. In transmethylation, SAME donates methyl groups to other compounds. This activates a cascade of other processes. The transulfuration pathway is a metabolic pathway where cysteine is made from homocysteine Same with the help of B vitamin, folate, pyridoxine and cobalamin. Aids in this process by transferring a sulfur atom from methionine to serine. This transferring creates something called cysteine. Cysteine is needed by the body to make glutathione, which is one of our most important antioxidants. So thank goodness for same, right? Aminopropulation is a process by which the body makes polyamines. Polyamines are important for health. They're involved in cellular healing, growth and survival. As you can see, same is important in the process of making your organs tiss cell proteins. It is used to reduce inflammation, push metabolic pathways and control levels of hormones and neurotransmitters. Now let's talk about who will benefit from SAME supplementation the most. This is going to involve genetics and estrogen. Are you ready? There's a genetic mutation called a COM T genetic mutation. That's of particular importance when it comes to SAME supplementation. The COM T gene is responsible for making an enzy. We call that catechol O methyltransferase. This job is to break down neurotransmitters, norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine, as well as hormones like estrogen. If there's a mutation of comt, you may suffer from symptoms related to anxiety, paranoia, insomnia, menstrual irregularities, mood swings, and so much more. Depending on the type of mutation, the the COM T may function differently. And treating the cause at its root is important in you achieving best results. There are two main types of mutations we see with comt. They're depicted on your genetic report as VAL or met. And because you have two chromosomes, you will have two reports which may look like the val, val, val, met or met. A VAL allele is associated with an increase of COMT activity, resulting in reductions of dopamine and estrogen. The metall causes a 25% decrease in COMT enzyme activity, which may result in elevations of dopamine and estrogen. Same is especially effective if you have a genetic COMT mutation at the MET allele because the MET allele reduces COMT activity. And SAME counteracts this by improving COM T function by working as a methyl donor for COM T. This should result in better breakdown and clearance of dopamine, estrogen and other products associated with COM T metabolism issues. Now let's talk about SAME and the MTHFR genetic mutation. MTHFR stands for methyltetrahydrofolate. MTHFR is an enzyme that's involved in a process called methylation, which is the addition of a methyl group to a compound in a chemical pathway. Methylation is needed for many important biochemical processes, including and especially the process of making neurotransmitters like serotonin. If you have an MTHFR mutation, your body may struggle making serotonin. If you have an MTHFR mutation, your body may struggle with methylation, which may result in issues ranging from mood instability, infertility as well as many other symptoms. Treatment should include supporting methylation with appropriate methylfolate or folinic acid and adding SAME will further enhance this process. SAME aids in methylation and supplementation with SAME may reduce dosage requirements for other methylators and thus reduce the side effects and improve medication efficacy. Now let's talk about SAME and estrogen imbalances. In addition to genetic testing showing the need for same, another indicator that you might benefit from SAME is if you have estrogen imbalances. A particular estrogen imbalance is if you have a high ratio of 1602:OH. 16:OH is considered more estrogenic and is essential associated with estrogen dominant cancers and menstrual abnormalities. The next topic is SAME and Histamine elevations. Histamine is an inflammatory compound that is involved in the immune response. When histamine is elevated, symptoms can range from headaches to a stuffy nose, cough, rash, mood swings with depression, panic attacks and even severe gastrointestinal symptoms. Our bodies produce histamine and we can also ingest histamine. Having adequate amounts of histamine is important for your body's overall function, but issues arise when histamine is not kept in check and inflammation rises. Histamine is broken down by two key enzymes, HMT and dao. If levels of these enzymes are reduced due to drug interactions, gut imbalances or genetic mutations or SAME deficiency, you may struggle from symptoms of high histamine. Supplementation with SAME will aid in these enzymes working optimally and reducing overall symptoms and medication dosages. Supplementing with SAME will aid in these enzymes working optimally and reducing overall inflammation, which reduces pain, relieves your allergies and reduces digestive symptoms while targeting the root cause of your mood instability. Alright, let's talk about how to dose SAME for best results. SAME is made by your body, but it depletes with age and especially when you have liver disease. Therefore, for BEST results, SAME should be processed with liver support, magnesium glycinate and a vitamin B complex. Typically doses of 3200mg a day have been demonstrated to be most effective. In particular, we see these dosages working in major depressive disorder and can be as effective as some antidepressants. However, too high of doses could cause headaches, digestive upset and jitteriness. Typically, I recommend starting your dose low and working your way up, maybe starting around 200mg. Often I find optimal doses ranging between 800 and 1200mg. Day conducting hormone testing, genetic testing, and epigenetic testing can give you data about what's going to work best for you. One thing to keep in mind is Same and bipolar disorder. Because individuals with bipolar disorder tend to cycle between really low depression and high mania, we want to be especially careful when using Same can often be energizing and lifting of the mood. And so if you have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, same may not be appropriate for you. Always talk with your doctor first and get information about your body's unique needs. Overall, Same is one of my favorite supplements. It's inexpensive, it's incredibly effective at lifting energy and the mood, and you can find it at most health food stores. To learn more about amazing supplements and integrative supports to help you get your life back, check out our social media@drnicolecane.com including Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. And as always, come back to this website as we're constantly adding new material for you. I'm Dr. Nicole. You can learn more by going to www.Dr.nicolecane.com.
Foreign the recording you just listened to consists of the personal opinions of Dr. Nicole Cain, a naturopathic doctor with a master's in Clinical psychology. While these opinions are based upon literature, her counseling, education, medical training, and clinical experience. This content should not be viewed as the definitive opinion on these subjects. Listening to this podcast is not a substitute for any sort of medical, psychological or other form of treatment. If you are in a Crisis, please call 911-OR call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255. If you're in need of counseling, don't hesitate to make an appointment with a counselor in your area. Dr. Nick Dr. Nicole Caine is so passionate about people getting their life back. If this resonates with you and you think this podcast would help someone you love, please share it with them. Stay in the conversation with Dr. Nicole Cain about writing the next chapter of your life so that it plays out just the way you want it. Explore your options for working with her at www. Dr. Nicolecane.com that's Dr. D R Nicole N I C O L E Kane C A I N.com when you're there, be sure to take advantage of the Free Anxiety Freedom one week challenge. We look forward to seeing you on the next episode of the get your life back podcast. Here's to your next chapter.
