013: Genetic Testing in Functional Medicine, Fertility, and Mental Health, with Jaclyn Downs
Speaker 1
[00.00.00]
Welcome back to Real Food Mental Health with Cody Cox. Today's guest is Jacqueline Downs. She's the
author of the academically published book Enhancing Fertility Through Functional Medicine Using
Neutral Genomics to Solve Unexplained Infertility. Jacqueline is a functional genomics analyst that helps
clients and practitioners move past puzzling roadblocks and individualized protocols through the use of
genomic interpretation, functional lab testing, and a meticulous intake consultation. Welcome to the Real
Food Mental Health podcast, where we explore the powerful connection between mental and physical
health. My name is Cody Cox, a holistic nutritional psychotherapist, and I'm here to guide you on a
journey to true wellness mind, body, and spirit. If you're tired of quick fixes and want real solutions that
address the root cause, you're in the right place. Let's get started on your path to lasting wellness.
Jacqueline, why don't you tell us about your journey into functional genomics and what inspired you to
pursue this field?
Speaker 2
[00.01.12]
So I had always had an interest in nutrition because my dad was a nutritional biochemist, and I write
about this in my book that it's pretty safe to say that I was the only kid in junior high that knew what a
probiotic was in the early 90s. Um, so I always knew that there was a field of nutrition, true nutrition and
wellness outside of the information that we were getting fed by our government and the USDA. And so I
chose not to become a registered dietitian because I didn't want my education sponsored by Pepsi, Sara
Lee Cargill, M&Ms like the which was called at the time the American Dietetic Association. Um, so I
got a psychology degree, and it was there that I learned about psycho neuro immunology, and that just
really brought together the whole body mind connection in a scientific way. Um, so I graduated with a
psychology degree, and I moved out west to California, and I fell into birth work. I became a doula, and
this was in 2002, early 2002, uh, before too many people knew even what a doula was or why you would
want to pay a stranger hundreds of dollars to attend your birth. Uh, so I've always been ahead of the time.
My time, um, with my interests and stuff. Um, so I, uh, ended up moving back home to Pennsylvania to
apprentice with a home birth midwife. And, um, I started a doula collective and was just really immersed
in that and got certified so I could teach prenatal yoga. Um, and then I, um, ended up having children of
my own. And during this whole process, I went on and was doing, uh, grad school online for nutrition,
since I still had that interest. But working with the midwife, I became very, very aware in my early 20s of
how common fertility challenges were, and it just made so much sense. She was very nutritionally based
too, but it just made so much sense that the recommendations that she was giving, that I'd also heard a lot
of information about nutrition from my dad and how that helped fertility, and that just really made me
dive deeper into being curious about fertility. And so fast forward, I had children of my own, and I just
didn't want to be on call to attend births anymore and line up child care and be away from my kids, and I
was nursing them for a while. Um, so I got a job with a local naturopath. Um, I got hired to be his
research assistant and research a gene called Mthfr. And this was probably about almost 12 years ago.
And that quickly turned into multiple genes in the methylation pathway. And then how that path pathway
intersects other pathways. And there's genes in those pathways. And it just exploded into what it is today
and still growing. This is such a rapidly growing field. It's a very new field. I say that we're in the wild
wild west of it. And so there's there's new information coming out all the time. And I feel really, really
blessed that I have been doing this for like a decade now. And a lot of that information went into writing
my book, and I almost jokingly titled my book Mthfr as a gateway Gene, because Mthfr is the first gene
that people typically hear about, and they think that all of their detox problems or all of their fertility
challenges are solely because of this one gene. And no genetic snip works in isolation. And so I'm just
I'm trying to, um, spread the information that we can't just treat the snip and we can't focus on single
genes or even single pathways. Our bodies are just so much more complex than that. And there's a lot of
influencers and social media doctors, and they're only talking about mthfr or methylation, and that just
tells me how much that they don't really know if they're just focusing on. I guess it's just to get thefollowers or the hits or the algorithm or something like that. But you can't really tell a whole lot from just
a couple genes. And so I really want to tell people what they don't know, the how much they don't know.
And so what you don't know can be costing you a lot of money and a lot of wasted time and in fertility
instances, a lot of heartache as well.
Speaker 1
[00.05.35]
Yeah, Mthfr really is a gateway gene. And I actually did an interview with somebody who specializes in
working with Mthfr, and I think she said the same thing, too, where it kind of opens up your, your
perspective and gets you interested in further research. And I think people are using that as a buzzword
for marketing purposes. It's kind of an SEO thing for, um, for people who are like typing on the internet
and like in Google or whatever, and looking specifically for Mthfr. And then once you get working with
that practitioner, they might open you up to other ideas. Um, so you do genetic testing. What kind of
testing do you do?
Speaker 2
[00.06.15]
I use the functional genomic analysis, which is not direct to consumer. It's for practitioners only. And so
the practitioners that are using it have been certified. And they they know how to do in-depth
interpretations. And it looks at tens of thousands of genetic SNPs, thousands of genes, whereas all of the
other, uh, genetic tests on the market that I've seen that clients have brought to me or I've looked at
sample reports, they're only looking at a couple dozen genes. And sometimes, um, oftentimes one gene
can have dozens, if not hundreds of SNPs. And so SNPs are single nucleotide polymorphisms. So they're
just a little variant in that gene. So I say like that gene if you want to think about is like a ladder. And it
can have 12 different steps or it can have hundreds of different steps. And so by when people say oh I
have the Comt gene, you know, mutation, which is not even the correct term, but um, they're just
referring to the one that's been the most studied. But really there are so many that can affect the
functioning of that gene. And so I use the analogy like a scale. I have my hands held out here by my
shoulders flat, just like a scale. And so the more genetic SNPs you have in, say, neurotransmitter
production, transport and degradation, the more marbles are going to be placed on that side of the scale
for there probably to be some sort of inefficiency or imbalance. So even if these all of these SNPs aren't
clinically validated with studies like some of the other more common ones are, it doesn't mean that
they're not impactful just because they don't have the research. We don't know how impactful they are.
So I like that the software that I use, the functional genomic analysis, looks at all of the SNPs for that
gene, um, include. And they have it separated between clinically validated, which means you could go
into PubMed or there's a database called Clinical Variance, the Clinvar database. And you can type in
that specific gene or um, it's called an SES number, which basically tells you where in that ladder that
that snip is. And you can read the research on what it's associated with and how impactful it is. So the
software that I use looks at clinically validated SNPs and the non clinically validated SNPs, whereas a lot
of the other genetic softwares are only looking at 1 or 2 SNPs for that gene that are the most well
researched ones.
Speaker 1
[00.08.49]
And I'm going to mention this because I know listeners are probably going to be thinking this, but how
does this compare to getting like 23 and me testing or, or some other similar genetic testing? Okay,
Speaker 2
[00.09.02]
I've been kind of ranting about that on on my Instagram page where, um, for instance, 23 and me is very
inexpensive as far as genetic testing goes, because they're not making their money off of you. They're
making their money selling your genetic data to third parties to do who knows what with. So right, thereis a big caveat. A lot of people have concerns about their genetic information, especially as we move
forward. Um, but also their their reports are they're fun. You know, like your male pattern baldness or
what type of earwax consistency you have or maybe, um, whether you should do, um, strength training or
endurance training, that kind of stuff. But the, the genetic interpretations that I create, I craft them, I like
to think of have people think of me like their genetic concierge. They are looking at common but lesser
known root causes of inflammation and oxidative stress and things that can affect cellular health, because
it really all comes down to the health of the cell. So are you is your body, um, genetically predisposed to
making enough antioxidants to fight free radicals that cause inflammation and oxidative stress. What do
each of your phase one and phase two liver detox pathways look like genetically? Are there weak links
there so that, you know, maybe you need a little bit of extra support with sulfate or glutathione? Um, it's
looking at your longevity genes, like your genes. It's looking at your body's ability to process, use,
metabolize fats. And you need fats to make hormones. You need fats for liver health. You need fats for
brain health. So, you know, yes, you can eat all the good fats, but how is your body actually able to use
them? If your body is not able to use them, they might oxidize and actually cause more damage. So it's
looking at a lot. Also histamine genes, oxalate related genes, neurotransmitter related genes, and then
also methylation and mthfr. So it looks at so many different functional aspects of your genetics. So
functional genomics looks at genes that you can actually do something about and support the functioning
of.
Speaker 1
[00.11.12]
Okay. Yeah. And you mentioned being a doula. And it's not uncommon for therapists to also become
doulas, particularly female therapists obviously. But um, I am aware of there's a company called Genome
Mind where they, they do some genetic testing. I'm not sure how in-depth it goes, but in your experience,
how does your testing affect people's mental health?
Speaker 2
[00.11.37]
So there's a lot of genes, not just Comt. If you have any listeners that have done any research or read any
books about genetics. Comt and Mthfr are the two big ones. And Mthfr is one that is involved with the
production and degradation of your neurotransmitters, and also Comt, which is O methyltransferase. So
in order for that gene to work to break down your neurotransmitters, you need to have your methylation
to be working to donate that methyl group. So it's basically like the spark plug or the fuel that makes sure
that that reaction can take place. But on top of that, there's certain genes for serotonin production,
transport utilization, degradation for dopamine transport, production, conversion, utilization. So each uh,
each neurotransmitter has to go through this series or cascade of steps in order to be able to be used by
the body properly. And so everybody's genes are different. So you could have a genetic variant that might
slow down the production of dopamine, but you could also have a variant that might slow down the
degradation. And so those two genetic variants can actually even each other out, and you wouldn't really
have any imbalances. But then there's people who might produce too much dopamine. Uh, and they
might have another genetic variant that doesn't break it down very efficiently. And so that's when you can
get a lot of excess dopamine and have symptoms that go along with that same thing with serotonin. But
also people forget that histamine is actually an excitatory neurotransmitter. And people always forget
about glutamate being an excitatory neurotransmitter as well. And I see those affecting people, especially
with anxiety, far more than neuro than your serotonin and your dopamine norepinephrine.
Speaker 1
[00.13.40]
And I know you you tend to focus more on fertility optimization, reproductive wellness. Would you say
that this is true for something like postpartum depression too, or mental health around fertility?
Speaker 2[00.13.53]
Yes, there's so many changes that happen in the body, especially postpartum. And and your your
hormones and your neurotransmitters are all your whole we are holistic beings. So, um, especially for for
histamine, for instance excess. Estrogen will fuel more histamine, so histamine and estrogen feed each
other in the body. And so when your histamine levels are sorry, when your estrogen levels are really,
really high or fluctuating, then that can cause more histamine symptoms. And a lot of people think, oh
well, I don't have allergies. So histamine is not a problem for me. But histamine has its fingers in so
many pots in the body. So it affects your circadian rhythm. It affects your body temperature. It affects
your digestion. It affects your, uh, your, your, um, your skin and your, your cognition. And so like I said,
histamine is an excitatory neurotransmitter. So a lot of times that can create, uh, ADHD symptoms and
anxiety symptoms and easy agitation. And that's why antihistamines make you drowsy. Because
histamine is excitatory. And so, uh, the genetic test that I look at, um, it, it can really give you some
insight as to what your genetic blueprint is dictating about these genes. But I want to make a very, very
clear point that just because you have a genetic variant doesn't mean it's expressing.
Speaker 1
[00.15.20]
So what should people look for when choosing a genetic testing company if they weren't to go through
you? Like, is there a just kind of a general consumer test that they should get?
Speaker 2
[00.15.31]
In my experience, the. Well, first off, the 23 and me was great. The software that I use was like it's beta
rolled out on 23 and me. But in August of 2017, 23 and me changed their chip and they took out 7000
relevant SNPs. And so I think the 23 and me today, since August 2017, just lacks a lot of points of data to
make a really well informed interpretation of your genes. So it's like I say in my book, it's like thinking
that, you know what a puzzle looks like based on five pieces, when really you don't see how many more
pieces that puzzle actually is. And so I think the more points of data you have, the more information you
can gather. But also, um, you want to make sure I say, you know, go with the little guy. There's so many
companies and tests and interpretation services these days that you really want to make sure that you're
looking at sample reports and you want to make sure that they're not selling your data, and you want to
make sure that it's not just AI generated like, oh, you have this snip. So I'm going to plug in this
information because oftentimes they give you contradictory information. But also they don't know
because remember, just because you have the genetic variant doesn't mean it's expressing. So they're just
quote unquote treating the snip. And they don't know your previous diagnoses, your symptoms, your
dietary you know, what works for you, what you've tried that didn't work for you. They don't know what
medications you're on. They don't know your level of stress. They don't know your emotional traumas.
And so. That's why I say, like, I'm like your genetics concierge. Because I take in all of this information
and I spend hours crafting your ultra personalized interpretation because there's so many people that are
just throwing a couple hundred dollars or sometimes a couple thousand dollars at these AI generated
automated responses, and they're getting generic information like, make sure you move your body every
day and make sure you avoid trans fats, and make sure you eat more vegetables and eat more leafy
greens. But you don't need a genetic test to tell you to do that stuff. I have a whole chapter in my book.
That's no matter what your genetics are. These are the things that are beneficial for all human beings.
You know you want fresh air, you want clean water, you want to move your body in a loving way. You
want to make sure you're getting enough sleep. You want to make sure that you're eating enough fruits
and vegetables and, you know, providing the nutrients that are actually nourishing the body. I have a
chapter that says, uh, that's called um, eat a, don't eat a healthy diet, eat a nourishing diet because, you
know, they can say a lot of things are healthy these days. So I am biased, but I have seen dozens upon
dozens of other companies, um, reports. And. That's what I've seen them, because a lot of people have
received them and they've come to me and said, can you help me make sense of this? This report tells me
that I should take this form of a supplement. But then ten pages later, this report also tells me to stay
away from that supplement because I have this other genetic variant. And so people are just getting
analysis paralysis.Speaker 1
[00.18.45]
Yeah. And you mentioned that a lot of these interpretations are coming from AI. And and I've seen that
too in my work where a lot of people are relying on AI. I see a lot of university students, particularly who
are relying on it for their schoolwork. And I mean, I'm not going to lie, I use it sometimes. But the
important thing to remember is AI is drawing information from the internet. It's coming from sources that
aren't exactly reputable, and it's not going to always be accurate. Which makes me emphasize the
importance of hiring a qualified practitioner. Like, you don't just go and get a test and try to interpret it
yourself, or plug it into ChatGPT and expect to get an accurate analysis of that. So, Jacqueline, if you
were to run a test for somebody, you have this data and you're interpreting it for them. What kinds of
things do you typically recommend to to help address these genetic issues that people have? Is it dietary
supplements? What kinds of things do you recommend? Most
Speaker 2
[00.19.51]
diet supplements, modalities, lifestyle and home upgrades. Now, I'd say only about like 50% of my
clients are fertility related clients. Now my book is called Enhancing Fertility Through Functional
Medicine Using Genomics to solve, quote unquote, unexplained infertility. But really it's it's written for
anybody that is experiencing any kind of puzzling or chronic condition. And so the book is just really
looking at common but lesser known causes of oxidative stress. That's at the root of so many chronic
conditions. So I don't really get scared away like, well, fertility is not an issue. I'm in menopause or
whatever. I'm not trying to have kids. It really looks at factors that cause inflammation in the body that,
you know, throws wrenches in all kinds of systems.
Speaker 1
[00.20.40]
Okay, so are there some supplements that you would just recommend to everybody or do you? Are you
very particular about making these individualized recommendations?
Speaker 2
[00.20.53]
Uh, there are some that are generally going to be safe for anybody and beneficial for anybody. But there's
always exceptions. So yes, it is ultra personalized because while everybody should be feeding and
feeding their microbiome, there are people that are really, really sensitive to probiotics and can't tolerate
them or, um, you know, they're going to want to try and do it with food and do more kombucha and
sauerkraut. But if they have a lot of histamine related genes, you're not going to want to do that. That's
actually going to cause worse problems for your gut. But I do want to say one supplement that I do
frequently recommend is phosphate. Choline. We have like people I've been in the nutrition industry and,
you know, and kind of absorbing through osmosis with my dad's job, uh, nutrition and detox and liver
health and gut health for, for decades. And it's only been in the past, probably. Three for five years that
I've started hearing other people talk about bile. And your bile is so, so, so important. I could talk with
you on another podcast all about the importance of bile and all the functions it has. But phosphate choline
really helps your body to have good, healthy bile flow, to support detoxification, to support cellular
membrane health. And so there's there's a few people that can't really tolerate it. And also phosphate
choline helps to drive the methylation pathway. So if somebody is sensitive to methyl folate or methyl
amine and they can't take those, there's other nutrients that you can take that aren't direct methylation
support but they support the pathway. So there's lots of reasons why I recommend phosphate choline. Um
and so that is one that I do recommend a lot. But as far as diet and lifestyle and home upgrades, you
know, clean body care products, you know, the phthalate free, sulfate free, um, more natural products.
Um, same with, uh, house cleaning, house cleaning products. You know, there's I always say like vinegar
and baking soda and maybe dish soap or Castile soap or something like that are always going to be agood alternative. So you're not breathing in or your skin is not absorbing those, or you're not pouring
them down the drain, just, you know, having them in the water supply, um, and then food again, you
don't really need a genetic interpretation to improve your diet. You can just start eating more produce, try
eating more organic, you know, whatever you can afford or that your budget allows. Or the availability
allows just more fresh food, more from scratch, less processed, refined foods is a really good place to
start.
Speaker 1
[00.23.36]
Yeah, and you did mention how you recommend nourishing rather than just healthy. Is that what you
mean? Where you're you're you're going more toward the organic, nutrient dense foods properly prepared.
Speaker 2
[00.23.49]
Yes. So. So every single gene in our body has a blueprint for making an enzyme that causes a reaction to
happen, right down to producing our earwax. Right. Every single biochemical reaction is dictated by a
gene. So how that, um, substance is produced, how it's transported, how it's absorbed, how it's degraded.
And all of those enzymes require things called nutritional cofactors. So, for instance, B vitamins and
magnesium and zinc are like three of the ones that are shown over and over and over again, no matter
what gene or what pathway. Those are really important nutrients and our cofactors for so many reactions
to take place. And so if your body systematically or systemically doesn't have the nutrients for that
enzymatic process to happen, it will sort of steal the resources from your digestive enzymes. And so that
can, you know, inflammation Upstream can lead to gut issues downstream. So I do think we should be
counting our nutrients and not our calories more so because yes, nutrients. Um, our food is information
for our genes, basically.
Speaker 1
[00.25.02]
Real quick, I just wanted to share with you that I've started an online group nutrition class called restart.
This is an interactive group, not just a webinar. If you feel like you need some direction on how to get
away from that sugar habit that might be lingering from the holidays, or get on the right track to better
eating. This group is for you. The first one begins January 30th and goes for five weeks. It will be limited
to ten participants and my first group will enjoy a lower price, so sign up as soon as possible. For more
information, go to Beaver Creek Wellness Restart. In your opinion, do you think a person could
theoretically address genetic imbalances with just food? Or are there cases in which they really do need
supplements to?
Speaker 2
[00.25.50]
That depends on how far the pendulum has swung. If people are just. Their gut is really not absorbing
anything. Or they've had a lot of mold or a like significant amount of stressors, whether it's, you know,
mental, emotional or physical environmental, um, you can become really, really depleted. And a really
wholesome diet should be foundational. Uh, but some people are going to need more targeted or, um,
stronger, heavier hitters. So in that case, it's, you know, let's let's slowly add in the supplements, use them
for a while as part of a protocol and then slowly, hopefully titrate down off of them so that you can
maintain with food. So you don't have to rely on the supplements. But genetically some people are just
going to need ongoing support for, say, if they have genetic variants relating to B6, right? Or they have
oxalate issues that are just you need a whole bunch of extra B6 to help support oxalate metabolism. Then
that's where the genetics can really help you to, to hone in with precision on identifying what your body
may need. But you should always pair that with some lab testing because again, just because you have
the genetic variance doesn't mean that they're expressing. So maybe if you could also do it the other way
around, and maybe you find that your, your B6 levels or your B12 levels are just consistently low despitesupplementation. And then you get your genetic test and you're like, oh, it's because I have these genetic
variants here. Then you can find a form and find, um, the right. So whether it's liposomal or sublingual or
whether it's, you know, methyl or adenosine, that's the kind of stuff that the genetics can really help you
get laser focused and streamlined with. And kind of shifting back a little bit to mental health too. If a
person has a genetic imbalance. I would imagine that sends them into a state of fight or flight. Right. Or a
sympathetic nerve. Sympathetic dominance is another way of saying that. Yeah. As we talk about using
food, using supplements. What are some
Speaker 1
[00.28.05]
what are some ways that you would recommend for a person to shift away from fight or flight?
Speaker 2
[00.28.11]
I really am a big fan of castor oil packs and infrared saunas. Those are my go tos. Um, I also like Epsom
salt soaks as well. Um, and then there's tapping. There's supporting your vagus nerve. Um, there's a lot
of, in some of the more biohacking and functional medicine circles as far as, like supporting your vagus
nerve and retraining your limbic system. There's, there's, like the Gupta program and, and dynamic neural
retraining systems and stuff like that. Um, most of the time people haven't heard of that unless they're
really, really sick and have been to 10 or 12 different practitioners and have really been trying to solve
their own mystery. Um. But there are so many things that people can do. But also, you know, learning
how to say no and set boundaries. And interestingly enough, I just sent that out as, uh, to my newsletter
list. Um, I started a a newsletter series called the Jean scene, and I spotlight a new jean each week. And
my, my favorite, most telltale jean is your oxytocin receptor jean. And so for people that find that they
have a hard time saying no, or that people are constantly taking advantage of them, or that they pick up
on other people's energies and they're really, really empathetic. And then, like, they're just kind of
carrying around this energy from other people, dumping it on them that time and time again is so easy for
me to see if just talking with somebody for a little bit. Um, if they have a homozygous variant in their
oxytocin receptor gene, it's it's wild. And so people really, really like learning about that. If I include that
in their in their genetic interpretation. So your genes do play a part in your mental and emotional health.
But again you could have the same genetic variance as somebody else. But maybe they had childhood
trauma. Maybe they've lived in a moldy house and so their nervous system just isn't able to regulate and
um, and bounce back as quickly as yours does.
Speaker 1
[00.30.14]
And do you find that a dysregulated nervous system affects fertility as well?
Speaker 2
[00.30.19]
Oh, 100%. Yes. Absolutely. Positively.
Speaker 1
[00.30.23]
So then what recommendations would you make for somebody who is having infertility issues as far as
regulating the nervous system? Is it just the things that you mentioned, or do you have specific
recommendations for these clients?
Speaker 2
[00.30.38]There are practitioners, fertility practitioners that do focus solely on the mental emotional aspect of it.
Um, and so they'll recommend things like tapping and journaling and that kind of stuff. Um, so that's not
my specialty, but I'm familiar with them and I would recommend those to my clients. And, um, whether
they see me for consultations or whether it's through a genetic interpretation. Um, but yes, because you
really want to bring the body back to a parasympathetic state, because our nervous system doesn't know
that the modern day stressor of being late for an interview is not a bear chasing you. And so when the
body feels stressed and in danger, it knows that now is not a good time to make a baby. So it temporarily
shuts off mating ability basically to to save resources, to keep making sure that you can run from that
bear. And so by. Calming the nervous system and supporting cortisol regulation, then the body can shift
into that rest, digest, repair, reproduce state, also called the feed and breed state. So yes, 100% your stress
and your emotions and your neurotransmitter levels, um, absolutely affect your nervous system, which
affects your fertility and just your overall health in general as well. Stress. Stress kills, as we all know.
Speaker 1
[00.32.03]
And what what are some other hidden causes of infertility. So like we've kind of already talked about
these things a little bit, but what are some other hidden causes of infertility that conventional medicine
often overlooks?
Speaker 2
[00.32.15]
Well, the one that they actually do kind of touch on, but I don't think that they just slap it with metformin.
But blood sugar dysregulation, huge metabolic issue, uh, for so many people. And so anybody with
wonky periods, there's probably a blood sugar dysregulation going on unless there's, you know, some
totally pituitary tumor or something like that. Um, so blood sugar is huge histamine. Again, back to the
histamine. It has its fingers in so many pots. And histamine plays an integral part in implantation. And so
we need histamine. But we need it to be in that Goldilocks zone. So I think people are going to start
seeing the relationship with histamine and fertility especially because remember. Excess histamine will
cause estrogen levels to rise and cause that estrogen dominance. And then there's not enough
progesterone. And then you get the endometriosis or fibroids. And so, um, histamine is a big underlying
factor that conventional doctors aren't talking about, um, fatty acid utilization as well. Right. They're
saying stay away from bad fats, eat good fats. But again, if you can't turn your cholesterol into estrogen
and testosterone, then it's going to oxidize and create a lot of inflammation in the cell. And then that is
going to signal that alarm in your body that's going to shut off the mating ability. So it's just this cascade
of things that need to be in order and working in order for the end result to happen.
Speaker 1
[00.33.47]
Yeah. You mentioned blood sugar. That's that's the first place I would go, I think, and that's actually
coming directly from my training to where, um, there are certain ways that you can balance your blood
sugar. What ways would you recommend to a client to help balance their blood sugar and their hormones?
Speaker 2
[00.34.03]
So dietary. I recommend a protein based breakfast. Um, always pair your carbs with some sort of fat or
protein so that it'll slow down the absorption or the you know, how fast it hits your blood sugar and
elicits that insulin response. But there's a couple supplement hacks that I really like. One is GTF
chromium or chromium poly nicotinic, not piccolino. Um, that one has been shown to help shuttle the
insulin into the cell so that you're not having that roller coaster reaction of of excess sugar in the blood.
And then that cause causes the insulin to raise, and then that shuttles it into the cell too much. And then
you get the, the low blood sugar level. So, um, and also diabetics have been shown to be deficient in the
trace mineral chromium. So um, just like 200 micrograms once a day or, you know, most days, um,personally has helped me with, um, sensitive blood sugar. I think I was living in a moldy house, and it
was stressing my body out and taxing my adrenals and affecting my blood sugar. And I just remember,
like, every afternoon, I'd get really, really flat or really, really easily irritated with my children. And I
stepped outside of myself and I was like, oh my God, it's totally your blood sugar. Because I was getting
hangry, you know? And so, um, the, the that support that supported balancing my blood sugar. And then,
you know, of course, I needed to go further upstream. And I didn't realize I was living in a moldy house
at the time till after we moved out. But. Um. You know, such is life. Um, and then there's your your
herbs as well, like your, um, berberine and your bitter melon. And those kind of things can be supportive
or even cooking, you know, adding in, uh, a sprinkle of cinnamon to your coffee or to your applesauce or
something like that. So, um, there's diets and supplements, but also strength training, lifting weights.
That's really going to help your body to, to use the blood sugar more efficiently as well. Um, yeah, a
movement in general, but I've heard especially strength training can make a huge difference. Um, going
back, I,
Speaker 1
[00.36.11]
I know you mentioned something about how infertility was an issue back in the 90s. Is that what you
said?
Speaker 2
[00.36.19]
Um, I mean, it has been. Yeah. But in it was the early 2000 and I was only in my early 20s and my
friends weren't even talking about, you know, we were we were trying to not get pregnant at that time,
most of us. Right. And so, um, it wasn't until I worked with this midwife and in the Amish and
Mennonite community. So these people have slower paced lives than we do. Um, and I had no idea that
so many people experienced miscarriages or trouble getting pregnant, and so that. Was really eye
opening to me. And and it's only become more and more prevalent. Like I think back then the statistic
was probably 1 in 8 couples and that's just reported, right? There's so many people that aren't going to
their doctor or going through assisted reproductive technologies. And I think now the current, um, rate is
1 in 5 couples, which just a couple years ago it was 1 in 6.
Speaker 1
[00.37.16]
Yeah. I was going to say I think it's a lot worse in the last five years or so. And I mean, as a nutritionist
myself, I have to speculate and say, I think it's because of the blood sugar issues we were talking about
and the the moldy environment and the lack of physical activity and all those other things you mentioned.
But it's definitely worse.
Speaker 2
[00.37.38]
I also think a huge contributing factor is the toxic soup that we are exposed to every single day. These
toxins are endocrine disrupting, hormone disrupting, metabolic disruption. And and. There's actually
substances called obesity. So you can look it up on PubMed or Google Scholar like they're a real thing.
And so they just throw these wrenches in all of these metabolic pathways. And, and we also, um, passed
those toxins in utero and through breast milk. And so that's why my foundational genetic interpretation is
involving your antioxidant and detoxification genes, because I think that is so central and the foundation
to anything else like, yes, you can support blood sugar, but if it's the toxins that are causing these
metabolic problems that are causing your body to be stressed, that are causing your blood sugar issues,
let's make sure that we can identify and properly eliminate these toxins, including plastics. As we all
know, plastics are hormone disrupting and they're just ingesting. Last I heard, uh, about a credit card size
worth of microplastics and nano plastics every week.Speaker 1
[00.38.53]
I just saw something on that yesterday actually, that we are ingesting basically a credit cards worth of
plastic. And I mean, it depends on your lifestyle too. Some of us use a lot more plastic than others.
Speaker 2
[00.39.04]
Yes. So that's something that's another lifestyle home upgrade that I talk about is not microwaving plastic
and not using plastic water bottles and, you know, changing to glass or stainless steel just because where
we can cut corners, it's going to be less drops in the bucket, especially with like touching receipts if you
don't have to touch receipts because the BPA is what makes them shiny and fun to touch. My daughters
like playing with them and it just, oh, wash your hands. Don't touch that. Um, so yeah, it's those kind of
things that are absolutely affecting our fertility.
Speaker 1
[00.39.37]
Yeah. And there are some plastics that we just can't avoid. I mean, obviously, if we use electronic
devices, if we drive a car, there are plastics that we have to touch and that we have to use. So what would
you recommend to help us detoxify from such exposure?
Speaker 2
[00.39.54]
Supporting your liver detox pathways especially there's a pathway called your glucagon pathway. It's a
phase two liver detox pathway. That in my book I call it the unsung hero because everybody focuses on
methylation and everybody focuses on glutathione to help you detox. But glucagon sedation, especially
for mycotoxins, clears far more than any of the other phase two detox pathways. Um, glucagon is also,
um, responsible for all of our what's called endogenously produced substances. So these substances made
by the body. So that's our histamine and our bilirubin and all of our sex and stress hormones. And so
because plastics look very similar, they're, they're endocrine disruptors, um, or hormone mimicking I
guess I can call it, um, that they are going to clog up your glucagon sedation pathway. So doing things to
support your glucagon pathway can help to clear those. And there's also, um, I know that there is a
company that makes a homeopathic plastic detox. I haven't personally used it, but I'm curious to try
because, you know. Um. Might help, but probably won't hurt that much because it's homeopathic. But,
um, I'm not I'm not a trained homeopath, so I don't know for sure, but I do know that there there is that
possibility for people that also want to try more targeted supplements. But yeah, supporting phase two
liver detox. And there's things like calcium gluconate which is very, very strong and potent. So if you're
in perimenopause or you have low estrogen levels already or you're pregnant, I wouldn't recommend
reaching for that one right away. I call that one the heavy hitter. But things like dandelion root and
allergic acid, which is found in chestnuts and blackberries and raspberries, um, just and cruciferous
vegetables, of course. And so, um, those are things that are pretty low hanging fruit that you can
incorporate pretty simply without having to buy expensive supplements and do expensive detox protocols.
Speaker 1
[00.41.59]
In some cases, these are things that we should be using anyway.
Speaker 2
[00.42.02]
Yes, yes. And avoidance. You know, the first rule, number one is get the client away from the toxin,
whether that's mold or whether that's plastics, pesticides. Yeah. SoSpeaker 1
[00.42.14]
tell us about your book.
Speaker 2
[00.42.17]
It is academically published, which, um, I was really thrilled about, even though it's not as well known
and it's not on Barnes and Noble bookshelves, although I think it is on their website. Um, and I don't
really make much money on it, but because I don't have my PhD, I do feel that having that peer reviewed
and academically published by Taylor Francis does give me some academic street cred. Um, so it it's
looking at, like I said, common but lesser known root causes of inflammation and oxidative stress. And
there are chapters on mold and mycotoxins, histamine, oxalates, fatty acid utilization, the proper way to
detoxify, and blood sugar. And, um, that chapter that is about, um, stress. You know, we can't just say
lower your stress. We have to find ways to manage it. Um, and so there's a lot of modalities that I
recommend as far as, like cranial sacral therapy, you know, sauna, that kind of stuff. Um, so you can find
it on my website, or you can also find it on Amazon. And it's called enhancing fertility through
Functional medicine, using neutral genomics to solve unexplained infertility.
Speaker 1
[00.43.33]
you?
And if somebody wanted to find you online to work with you or to consult with you, how could they find
Speaker 2
[00.43.39]
They could find me at my website at Jacqueline Downs, Jaclyn Downs and on Instagram, which I'm
fledgling. I struggle with it. I can write a whole entire book's worth of information and go way beyond
time with each of my clients, but I get that blank canvas anxiety with like, oh, I should post about
something. I don't know what to talk about or how to take this really complex biochemical information
and explain it in 90s. So, um, but I do have a lot of very, very informational, um, and sometimes
entertaining posts at Functional Genomics is my handle at functional genomics.
Speaker 1
[00.44.24]
One last thing. I'm just going to ask a thought thought provoking question to leave listeners with. What's
one thing you wish more people understood about genes and health?
Speaker 2
[00.44.33]
Some people think that they don't want to know their genetics because they think it's doom and gloom,
and they don't, you know, they think it's going to be this diagnosis. But really, knowing your genetic
predispositions can actually empower you to know what to do and what not to do, but also what what to
be aware of. As you start aging, you know that you might start having some different symptoms, and then
you might say, oh, I remember from that genetic test that I have this predisposition for x, y or z. And so
this is what I'm supposed to do about it. And so you can be proactive about your health and your
longevity.
Speaker 1[00.45.12]
I'm hearing that a lot as I interview people on this podcast. They're a lot of the theme that I'm hearing is
just be proactive. Take responsibility for your own health rather than outsourcing your health.
Speaker 2
[00.45.25]
I state that in my book that that the survival of the fittest has come to mean those people that are
proactively advocating for their own health and the health of their family without just eating what is
being fed to them, literally and figuratively.
Speaker 1
[00.45.43]
Yeah, I love it. Okay, awesome. Thanks so much, Jacqueline.
Speaker 2
[00.45.47]
Thank you so much. It's been great speaking with you.
Speaker 1
[00.45.51]
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you leave a review that really helps me out. And also subscribe to
the show wherever you listen to your podcasts. Real Food Mental Health is intended for informational
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Always seek the advice of an appropriate health care practitioner with any personal questions you may
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