Why do I need methylated B Vitamins?

Many vitamins and minerals go through the methylation cycle meaning a methyl group is added to a molecule to turn it into its active form. Individuals with MTHFR and other genetic methylation errors are unable to efficiently create the methylated versions of those certain vitamins and minerals. Those with MTHFR specifically cannot make enough 5-MTHF, an activated form of folate, which in turn prohibits the ability to methylate other vitamins.

These errors can lead to a number of cellular deficiencies which can cause chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression (BASICALLY MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE A SLUG) and many other common health issues.

Supplementing with the correct forms, these methylated forms, of B Vitamins assists your cells in their work to create energy which in turn powers you!

Learning to deal with your methylation issues, and treating them correctly, can make a huge difference in your overall health and well-being.

DON'T CONTINUE TO SUFFER NEEDLESSLY, start making the change today!

PhysicianDesigned.com MTHFR supporting products are a great place to start. Understand the genetics behind methylation with a Pro7 Genetic test, and get a snapshot of your current vitamin and mineral deficiencies with a Spectracell Intracellular test.

You can feel great! What are you waiting for?

What Exactly is Biotin?

Aloha,

Have you wanted your hair or nails to grow faster and thicker than they naturally do? As my hair grew back after chemotherapy I was extremely impatient. I bought biotin pills to take every day and my hair has actually grown in faster and thicker than before. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are pictures starting in June 2016 to April 2019 with how much my hair has grown with the help of biotin.

I was reading Dr. Purser’s new book Vitamin Deficiency Symptoms & Cures he wrote with Jared Larkin about the benefits of vitamins. I came across biotin and there are even more benefits than I realized! Here are a few of the new benefits I learned:

• Impacts progressive MS

• Reduces skin rashes

• Relieves muscle cramps

• Helps with coronary risk factors and glycemic control

• Improves uncombable hair syndrome and neurological disorders syndrome

• Slows and prevents hair loss

• Strengthens brittle nails

Biotin is an amazing vitamin whether you are wanting your hair to grow faster, or struggle with any of these symptoms mentioned above. Be sure to check out Dr. Purser’s book to learn more!

Keep smiling,

Melissa

Testosterone in Men and Women

Aloha,

Have you thought about the possibility of having low in testosterone? Yes, both men and women suffer from low testosterone. Understanding the signs and symptoms, in men and women, can help dramatically and improve testosterone levels.

Since I was 30 years old, I forced my body through menopause with a lupron shot prior to starting chemotherapy in order to prevent my estrogen-positive cancer from spreading. Unfortunately, I had the same side-effects women go through during menopause including hot and cold flashes, dryness, and low libido. Have you considered the changes your body is going through and the hormones it could be lacking? It may be your body is needing more testosterone.

Dr. Purser talks about how women needs testosterone and understanding what testosterone does for your body. Testosterone increase muscle mass, improves joints, and increases libido going. Personally, I use a testosterone cream and it has helped rejuvenate my body’s hormones to help its healing process. Be sure to watch Dr. Purser’s videos WOMEN: Testosterone Natural Options and Low Testosterone in Women for more information.

Generally, for men three causes contribute to low testosterone. These are trauma (pituitary or testicular) nutrition, and/or genetic. Finding the root reason of low testosterone and increasing levels naturally is critical. Using testosterone shots or creams should be your last result. Dr. Purser sees many who suffer from head trauma, such as concussions, have low levels of testosterone. Vitamin deficiencies, nutritionally and genetically, have negative affects in your body’s ability to naturally produce testosterone. Low Testosterone in Men, Five Things About Testosterone Your Doctor Has Wrong, and Dr. Purser’s book Improving Male Sexuality, Fertility and Testosterone cover solutions and natural treatment plans to improve low testosterone.

Keep Smiling,

Melissa

Contact us at (801) 796-7667 or info@danpursermd.com for help. Check back often for the newest updates!

Natural Infertility Treatment

Infertility affects thousands of couples each year who struggle to find helpful advice. One common treatment recommended is In Vitro Fertilization (IVF). Although initial testing is performed, it is incredible how many doctors leap to IVF as an answer. The two reasons I would not recommend IVF is the treatment’s cost and scope. To complete the treatment, couples can expect to spend roughly $12,500 (Utah IVF average) while critical infertility issues (low testosterone and sperm count from pituitary, genetic, or nutritional factors) are rarely considered.

Unfortunately, more natural female infertility treatments are not given enough merit since the root causes (minor to moderate) are not known, understood, or recognized sufficiently. From my ten years of research, vitamin deficiencies and pituitary dysfunction (less common) can cause ovarian or testicular insufficiencies, when may appear as pituitary damage. However, the ‘appearance’ of pituitary damage is a lack of fertility hormones produced to complete the fertilization process. To address this factor of infertility properly, we use specialized technology (FDA & HHS approval) to provide reliable and insightful results.

For most cases, genetics also need to be reviewed (particularly for MTHFR) for each spouse. We use intracellular vitamin testing, targeted supplement regime, and deep genetic testing to understand and resolve the full issue. Our patients who combine their knowledge of infertility factors and genetics, address their long-term fertility success while improving their children’s health affordably.

If you (or a spouse) struggle from infertility, be sure to check out my bestsellers on Amazon for further information or schedule an appointment. Contact me at (801) 796-7667 or info@danpursermd.com.

God bless and go in good health!

Dr. Purser

Natural Osteoporosis Therapy

Osteoporosis is a problem many individuals face. However, osteopenia (a precursor to osteoporosis) is an even bigger challenge few recognize. To compound the issue, many doctors prescribe bisphosphonates when undiagnosed (or improperly diagnosed) vitamin deficiencies are causing osteopenia and osteoporosis. Unfortunately, bisphosphonates are reported to have a 75% rate of serious side effects.  

Vitamin deficiencies are no joking matter in relation to osteoporosis. Most know a lack of Vitamin D can cause softer bones and lower levels of calcium. Yet, many other vitamin deficiencies, including magnesium and zinc deficiencies, may lead to osteoporosis.  

In our research, we found intracellular levels of these vitamins are far more accurate than serum levels to assess deficiencies. Therefore, we use a patented (FDA & HHS approved) method that measures 39 potential deficiencies in addition to properly obtaining serum levels of various hormones (all of which can impact quality of life, bones, cardiovascular health, and sexuality). When vitamin and hormonal levels are optimized, majority of patients experience an increase of bone density and do not rely on bisphosphonates (or similar drugs).  

If you have any osteoporosis symptoms, here is the link to my free book of extensive osteoporosis research. Read More →  

For any other symptoms or concerns, be sure to check out my bestsellers on Amazon for more information or schedule an appointment. Contact me at (801) 796-7667 or info@danpursermd.com. 

God bless and go in good health! 

Dan Purser MD

Vitamin D - Lotus Life

Have you heard of the ‘Sunshine Vitamin’, or Vitamin D, that brings joy into life and provides countless healthy benefits? Enjoying the sun is a natural way to replenish this vitamin and an essential part of any personal health program!

Vitamin D promotes healthy bones.

Vitamin D is beneficial to our health in numerous ways. The vitamin rejuvenates calcium levels and helps with bone and tooth strength. It also supports the immune and nervous system while regulating insulin levels. On top of these great benefits, those who regularly use Vitamin D see increases in energy levels!

Personally, I noticed my low energy levels as I recovered from my cancer battle (surgeries, chemo, and radiation). However, I have seen my own energy levels increase substantially while taking Vitamin D.  My new level of energy brought such happiness that my family recently saw such a difference in me and wanted to know what I did!

For the longest time, I believed low energy was normal and thought I would struggle with it for the rest of my life. But with Dr. Purser’s help, I became aware of my vitamin deficiencies and it has changed my life. I cannot emphasize how important it is to have blood work completed frequently to see my body’s deficiencies, and where changes are needed. Replenishing my deficient vitamin levels makes such a significant difference, that it is noticeable to others around me.

In addition to lower energy levels, a deficiency of Vitamin D can lead to osteoporosis, weak bones, bone pain, muscle weakness, and several types of cancer (colon, prostate, breast cancer, etc.). Individuals who have Vitamin D deficient diets (milk allergies, lactose intolerances, and veganism) need to supplement the vitamin in order to avoid serious health complications.

We can restore our Vitamin D levels through several ways.  The first, as mentioned above, can be through our diet. Several types of fish (salmon, tuna, and mackerel) have elevated levels of Vitamin D while smaller vitamin levels can be found in beef, liver, cheese, egg yolks, mushrooms, milk, cereals, orange juice, yogurt, and margarine. The second form of replenishing Vitamin D levels is through supplements.  Generally, a male’s intake should be 204-288 IU, while a female’s should be 144-276 IU of Vitamin D daily (consult your physician for your specific needs).  The third way (and my favorite) is through daily sun exposure.  Even 10-15 minutes in the sun can make such a difference in our energy levels while getting a great tan!

As we pursue a healthy lifestyle and an improved state of mind, it is a journey made easier with supplements like Vitamin D.  Don’t forget to add some of this ‘Sunshine Vitamin’ in your life!

Keep Smiling!

Melissa Soria

Watch Dr. Purser’s YouTube video on Vitamin D to learn more! Contact us at (801) 796-7667 or info@danpursermd.com for help. Check back often for the newest updates!

Is a Vitamin Deficiency the Root Cause of Your Problems?

I have several #1 books on Amazon™ bringing new patients into my practice as I use a step-wise approach. What do I mean by ‘step-wise’? I recently attended an education conference on testosterone pellets and their surgical placement since we occasionally use them with certain patients.

This conference was interesting because vendors were selling pellets from various pharmacies and to them everyone needed pellets. After a while I just started to chuckle and tell my partner, Dr. Kimball Crofts, that when you’re selling hammers, everything’s a nail.

The How to cross a river test

I once took a test on intelligence and they asked us to come up with ways to cross a river. I came up with 54. The average person came up with 14. For some reason I had the highest number – which surprised me. The professor explained that is showed brain flexibility and intelligence.

But now I watch my fellow physician’s thought processes becoming seemingly calcified and robotic. Honestly, they are as smart as me, if not smarter, but they are so swamped and overwhelmed they don’t have the luxury of time and patience that I do to look for root causes. I can, and do, take hours to look at each patient and consider what’s really happening with each patient.

In addition to more time, I am not at the mercy of insurance company rules and policies. The constraints of my Utah medical license and my own internal ethics control what I do (and my patient’s willingness to spend on tests) allow me to dig a little deeper.

How do men find a vitamin deficiency

I love looking at SpectraCell™ Comprehensive Nutritional panels to gather more data – to tell me if a vitamin deficiency can be a root cause. Numerous men come in with low testosterone and I ask them, “Why do you have low testosterone?”

They always look surprised, then I see a light dawn in their eyes. No one’s tried to figure this out or asked this question of them or for them before. Generally, I take a one- or two-hour long history, then check labs.

If a clear cause for their low testosterone (Hypogonadism) does not become apparent from their lab results or history, I suggest a SpectraCell™ Nutritional panel. It is not cheap and takes 3-4 weeks to get results back, but it is well worth it.

A number of young men with terrible SpectraCell™ results (significant vitamin deficiencies) came into my practice. The vitamin deficiencies ended up being the cause of their low testosterone. I took them off of their testosterone injections and their levels recovered naturally.

I see this with really bad osteoporosis cases (both male and female), too. If this isn’t dealt with appropriately, their osteoporosis will never go away. Patients think this is miraculous because usually a lot of doctors have tried to help them to no avail.

If in doubt, order a SpectraCell™ Comprehensive Nutritional panel as it could answer your questions.

Contact us at (801) 796-7667 or info@danpursermd.com for help. Check back often for the newest updates!

Low Testosterone and Vitamin Deficiencies

Men, want to know the #1 secret to good sex as we age? Nutrition consiting of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. This covers a lot of ground, but let’s shorten that distance.

I see hundreds of men in my practice every year for Hypogonadism (medically low testosterone) with a serum total testosterone level below 400 ng/dl (very severe) creating severe fatigue. Hard to have sex, or even to consider performing, if you are exhausted!

Assuming you have no trauma (pituitary, heart, testicles, or penis) and you are noticeably exhausted after sex, or too tired to get going, then it probably is your nutritional status. Figuring this out is not as complicated as it sounds.

In our practice, we perform a test called a Spectracell™ Comprehensive Micronutrient Panel that looks at 39 different vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. However, Spectracell goes a step further as it looks inside your cells and gives us intracellular levels. The test is FDA- and HHS-approved and uses its own normative values making it an excellent test to use in research in the office.

Below is a severe case, but you can see the problems:

YOU CANNOT MAKE TESTOSTERONE WITH THESE VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES IN PLACE!

MAJOR DEFICIENCIES

• Glutathione Vitamin B12

• Vitamin B1 or Thiamin

• Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin

• Coq10 or UBIQUINOL

• Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA)

• Vitamin E (α-tocopherol)

BORDERLINE DEFICIENCIES

• Chromium

• Serine

• Glutamine

• Vitamin B6

• Pantothenate

• Biotin

• Immunidex® (just a general measurement ion immune vitamins and immunity)

This is also one of those results that I call ‘footprints in the snow’ because the B12 deficiency, thiamin deficiency, riboflavin deficiency and the CoQ10 deficiency are all critical to causing low testosterone or hypogonadism. Also, this would cause low sperm count and loss of libido. Any of these vitamins alone can cause the feeling of exhaustion, especially CoQ10 (ubiquinol).

You have to carefully replace these (though some patients start feeling improvement immediately) as sometimes it can take 90 days to really get intracellular and 180-240 days for a big difference in testosterone levels.

SO BE PATIENT WITH LOW TESTOSTERONE AND VITAMIN DEFICIENCIES!

I like Qunol® (100 mg) at 2-5 a day while you have this deficit.

B12 – use a methylated B12 (methylcobalamin) at 5,000 mcg a day. Sublingual or shots work best.

Thiamin (Vitamin B1) at 100 mg a day works well at two per day for at least 180 days.

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) at 100 mg twice day for 180 days.

ALA or Alpha Lipoic Acid is a major antioxidant mostly required by glutathione to function. 200-250 mg twice a day is appropriate for this patient for at least six months.

Vitamin E needs to be down too.

I also dealt with all of the borderline deficiencies for at least six months but he had bigger problems (see next section).

FOOTPRINTS IN THE SNOW LED TO MTHFR DIAGNOSIS

This gentleman ended up having MTHFR, which is a genetic illness that causes low energy, depression, fatigue, low testosterone and many other problems.

Check out my bestselling book, The 85% Solution: MTHFR is Overpowering Our Medical System - Chance Are You Have it Too… This book and MTHFR errors can explain a lot if you think or know you have it. Majority of these men and women will have low testosterone levels along with other hormone deficiencies too. However, with proper vitamin replacement therapy many can get almost complete normalcy in their testosterone levels given time and appropriate nutritional status despite these genetic errors.

Contact us at (801) 796-7667 or info@danpursermd.com for help. Check back often for the newest updates!

The Only Usable Form of Glutathione Is Reduced Glutathione (GSH)!

This will be the first of many articles on glutathione, especially the reduced glutathione form known as GSH – the ideal glutathione or GSH product is reduced (GSH), stable, absorbable, efficacious, and patent-able. Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant.

Our bodies depend on GSH for the removal of toxins and GSH is at the heart of all immune functions. Glutathione is a tripeptide (L-glutamic acid, L-cysteine, and Glycine) that is known as the most prominent nonenzymatic antioxidant in the human body, and is a substrate of a regulatory system of enzymes involved in regulating glutathione metabolism, and while this particular tripeptide is somewhat resistant to hydrolysis, it is still mostly digested in the intestines. In effect, glutathione is an indirect and expensive way to provide dietary L-cysteine. Which is ultimately all that is needed for the benefits of glutathione.

Beyond being an endogenous antioxidant, glutathione is present in the human diet in food products, although the doses consumed in even the most prolific diets is significantly smaller than oral doses of glutathione or its precursor (N-Acetylcysteine) and dietary glutathione does not correlate with overall glutathione activity. Glutathione is not stable in the blood, and whether via oral or intravenous administration, glutathione will be readily degraded into L-cysteine or other sulfur containing molecules. Glutathione is synthesized intracellularly, and while it can be effluxed from a cell it tends to be hydrolyzed to its constituent amino acids to then be taken back up by cells and resynthesized intracellularly into Glutathione.

Glutathione is a tripeptide molecule found in mammalian bodies. According to Mark Hyman, MD, “Glutathione is one of the hottest topics in both natural health and medical circles today.” The reasons for this are not completely understood, but we do know that glutathione is extremely important for maintaining intracellular health. Glutathione is a highly important antioxidant in the human body with no significant promise for a dietary supplement due to rapid digestion. Its metabolite, L-cysteine, can increase glutathione in the body but consuming L-cysteine via glutathione is inefficient and costly. Supplementation of glutathione is thought to support this pool of glutathione in a cell and thus maintain the efficacy of the entire glutathione system.

Reduced Glutathione is at the heart of all immune functions

Low GSH levels are seen in many diseases such as AIDS, advanced diabetes, and cancers. GSH is commonly the most abundant low molecular mass thiol in animal and plant cells. GSH is formed from glutamate, cysteine, and glycine, but it possesses an unusual peptide bond. As a result, GSH is relatively stable in the cell and is cleaved by GGT only at external sides on the membranes of certain cells.

The steady-state level of cellular GSH is provided by the balance between production and consumption, as well as by extrusion from the cell as reduced, oxidized, or bound forms. In addition to detoxification of reactive species and electrophiles such as methylglyoxal, GSH is involved in protein glutathionylation and several other processes, such as the biosynthesis of leukotrienes and prostaglandins, and reduction of ribonucleotides. GSH is extensively used as a co-substrate by glutathione peroxidases (GPx). Although GSH is synthesized in the cytosol, it is distributed to different intracellular organelles where it is used in organelle-specific functions related to its role in the regulation of cellular redox status. The largest amount of cellular GSH is located in mitochondria.

As mentioned above, GSH is synthesized only in the cytosol and is transported into intracellular organelles. GSH is known as a substrate in both conjugation reactions and reduction reactions, catalyzed by glutathione S-transferase enzymes in cytosol, microsomes, and mitochondria. In the case of N-acetyl-p-benzoquinone imine (NAPQI), the reactive cytochrome P450-reactive metabolite formed by paracetamol (acetaminophen), which becomes toxic when GSH is depleted by an overdose of acetaminophen, glutathione is an essential antidote to overdose. GSH is a key cellular antioxidant and plays a major role in the phase 2 metabolic clearance of electrophilic xenobiotics. GSH is an extremely important cell protectant.

Probably most importantly, GSH is responsible for protection against ROS and RNS, and detoxification of endogenous and exogenous toxins of an electrophilic nature. In this respect, GSH is often considered to be a key player of the defense system. Reduced glutathione is assembled from three peptides and is synthesized from cysteine or methionine from food sources. Reduction is a process where oxygen is lost and hydrogen and electrons are gained, so reduced glutathione is missing an oxygen molecule but has an extra donor electron! Reduced glutathione is in the correct form that you would want because it is the "activated form”. Thus their basal ratio of oxidized to reduced glutathione is significantly higher than that of patients who express glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, normally, making them unable to effectively respond to high levels of reactive oxygen species, which cause cell lysis. Reduced glutathione is a novel regulator of vernalization-induced bolting in the rosette plant Eustoma grandiflorum. Reduced glutathione is required for pertussis toxin secretion by Bordetella pertussis.

The cell-specific anti-proliferative effect of reduced glutathione is mediated by gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase-dependent extracellular pro-oxidant reactions. Under conditions of oxidative stress, the liver exports oxidized glutathione into bile in a concentrative fashion, whereas under basal conditions, mainly reduced glutathione is exported into bile and blood. Reduced glutathione is essential for maintaining the normal structure of red blood cells and for keeping hemoglobin in the ferrous state. In healthy human skeletal muscle fibres, the level of reduced glutathione is higher in aerobic type I fibres than in anaerobic type II fibres. Reduced glutathione is not required for measurement of alpha-D-glucosidase in human seminal plasma. Reduced glutathione is nitrosated in aerobic solutions of nitric oxide under physiological conditions; however, the extent of S-nitrosation was found to be dependent on the inorganic anions present. Reduced glutathione is involved in the synthesis and repair of DNA, and enhances the antioxidant activity of vitamin C, the transport of amino acids, and the detoxification of harmful compounds. Reduced glutathione is important for cell health and liver function. Reduced glutathione is an efficient chelator of cuprous copper.

The biosynthesis pathway for glutathione is found in some bacteria, such as cyanobacteria and proteobacteria, but is missing in many other bacteria. Glutathione is not an essential nutrient for most humans (except those with autism or on the ASD spectrum or people with MTHFR), since it can be biosynthesized in the body from the amino acids L-cysteine, L-glutamic acid, and glycine. Glutathione is also needed for the detoxification of methylglyoxal, a toxin produced as a byproduct of metabolism.

In summary, Glutathione, in the form of reduced GSH, is the most potent anti-oxidant in the human body and is the best anti-toxin and antiviral agent we carry and make – kids with ASD or autism cannot make the reduced form, nor can people with MTHFR or who have copper toxicity. So make sure you stock up!

Contact us at (801) 796-7667 or info@danpursermd.com for help. Check back often for the newest updates!