Dr. Svea Ogilvie, ND

12/14/2025

Methylation is your body's on/off switch for health

Methylation is how your body moves tiny chemical tags (methyl groups, “CH₃”) onto DNA, proteins, and neurotransmitters. It’s like flipping switches that control mood, energy, detox, and gene expression.

🔹 The Two Primary Cycles

Folate Cycle: Folate (B9) is converted into methyl-folate, the form that can donate methyl groups. This depends on enzymes like MTHFR, and cofactors such as B2, B3, and B6.
💡 Example: People with MTHFR variants may need methyl-folate supplements because they convert folic acid less efficiently.

Methionine Cycle: Methionine (from protein) is turned into SAMe — the body’s “methyl donor.” SAMe hands off methyl groups to hundreds of reactions, from neurotransmitter balance to DNA repair.
💡 Example: SAMe is sometimes prescribed in Europe as a mood support supplement because of its role in serotonin and dopamine metabolism.

🔹 The Recycling Link
Folate and methionine cycles connect through B12 and zinc, which help transfer methyl groups from folate into the methionine cycle.
💡 Example: If B12 is low, homocysteine builds up — a lab marker often linked to cardiovascular risk.

🔹 Cofactors Matter

B vitamins (B2, B6, B9, B12): Run the cycles.

Magnesium & ATP: Provide energy for the reactions.

Zinc & Selenium: Help enzymes work and support antioxidant defenses.
💡 Example: Magnesium deficiency can slow methylation even if folate and B12 intake are adequate.

🔹 Why It Matters

Efficient methylation = steady neurotransmitters, healthy detox, stable DNA, resilience against stress.

Blocked methylation = fatigue, mood changes, high homocysteine, poor detox.
💡 Example: This is why “methylated” B vitamins (methylfolate, methylcobalamin) are included in many advanced supplements.

Methylation isn’t one reaction - it’s a nutrient-driven relay between folate and methionine cycles. With enough B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, and methyl donors, your body keeps the switches flipped in the right direction.

12/14/2025

D…Not just a a letter of the alphabet ; )

Most people think Vitamin D is “just a vitamin," and, indeed, it is a vitamin… but this chart shows it behaves more like a hormone (a feature of several vitamins) that controls hundreds of processes in your body.

Sunlight hits your skin → your liver rewires the molecule → your kidneys activate it → and then this tiny hormone starts regulating everything from immunity to calcium to gene expression.

This diagram shows what textbooks never make simple:

Vitamin D is controlling your:

☀️ Immune response
☀️ Bone building
☀️ Muscle function
☀️ Hormone signaling
☀️ Cell growth & cell death
☀️ Inflammation
☀️ Cancer-protective pathways
☀️ Calcium & phosphorus absorption
☀️ Even gene transcription inside the nucleus

Every cell with a Vitamin D receptor (VDR) is listening.
That includes your brain, thyroid, pancreas, immune cells, prostate, breast tissue, colon, bones, and more.

Look at what’s happening in the diagram:

🔸 UVB light converts 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin into previtamin D₃
(this step only activates with the right wavelength of sunlight)

🔸 The liver turns it into 25(OH)D3 (the lab marker everyone measures)
This is the “circulating form” (the one your doctor tests).

🔸 The kidney turns THAT into the active hormone, 1,25(OH₂)D3
This is the molecule that actually controls your genes.

🔸 Immune cells can ALSO activate Vitamin D on their own
Meaning your vitamin D status directly affects how strongly or weakly your immune system reacts.

🔸 Bones, thyroid, parathyroid, and gut are all communicating using this one signaling molecule
A full endocrine network most people never knew existed.

Vitamin D isn't just about “strong bones.”
It’s a biochemical communication system that your entire physiology depends on.

And deficiency doesn’t just cause low energy, it disrupts every node in this network.

Sunlight, diet, supplements, metabolism, inflammation, liver health, kidney function…
They all determine whether this system works or collapses.

source:
Holick, M. F. (2014). Cancer, sunlight and vitamin D. Journal of Clinical & Translational Endocrinology, 1(4), 179–186.

12/14/2025

Beets vs berries! Beets for the 🏆

Nitrates, naturally found in green leafy vegetables and beets, can help us do the same amount of work using less oxygen. This allows athletes to exercise at a higher power output for the same amount of breath.

Drinking beet juice can reduce the oxygen cost of exercise. What about eating whole beets?
Whole beets can improve running performance. Physically fit study participants ate a cup and a half of baked beets (about a can of beets) 75 minutes before running a 5K. During the last mile of the race, the beet group pulled ahead, compared to the placebo group, who were given berries instead. While the beet group ran faster, their heart rate wasn’t any higher.

They ran faster with less effort.

Berries are a great choice for athletes, too, and not just for races. We should eat berries on days we train, as they help speed up recovery.

If nitrates are so good for us, why not just take them in a pill? Nitrate supplements have questionable safety for long-term use. Non-vegetable sources of nitrates may also have detrimental health effects, so if we want to improve our performance and our health, we should ideally obtain nitrates from whole vegetables.

Note, as I discuss in my book How Not to Age, the nitrate strategy may only be safe in the context of a plant-based diet.

Watch the video “Whole Beets vs. Juice for Improving Athletic Performance” at https://see.nf/nitrates

PMID: 21284982, 25068792, 24476472, 22709704, 22564864

12/10/2025

Our bodies are pretty incredible! 💕

12/10/2025

11/21/2025

I love dates…don’t fear fruit sugar…it’s packaged with antioxidants, and the sugar is the key to let them into the cell.

11/21/2025

Some herbal allies for immune support during winter:

As the temperature begins to fall, immunity can also take a dive and increase susceptibility to sickness.

Stay well by proactively building your immune defences with immune boosting herbs. Herbs like Ashwagandha, Astragalus, Andrographis and Echinacea support the immune system, and help to prevent and support recovery from infection.

Echinacea (𝘌𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘢 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘢, 𝘌𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘢) root is used in traditional Western herbal medicine for infections of the respiratory, digestive and urinary tracts,¹ and has been shown to prevent and reduce the severity of common cold symptoms.²⁻³

When coughs and colds strike, Andrographis (𝘈𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘢) can help speed recovery and reduce the intensity of upper respiratory symptoms.⁴

If stuck in a cycle of recurrent or chronic infection, think of Astragalus (𝘈𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘶𝘴)! This traditional Chinese herb stimulates immune function to help break the sickness cycle and restore energy levels, aiding prevention and recovery.⁵

Revered in Ayurvedic medicine, Ashwagandha’s (𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘢 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘯𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘢) anti-stress actions assist when ongoing stress weakens immunity. As an adaptogen and nourishing tonic, Ashwagandha supports convalescence by gently rebuilding energy and vitality.⁶

¹ Bone K, Mills S. Principles and practice of phytotherapy: modern herbal medicine. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2013. p. 524-5.

² Barrett B, Brown R, Rakel D, Mundt M, Bone K, Barlow S et al. Echinacea for treating the common cold: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2010 Dec 21;153(12):769-77.

³ Tiralongo E, Lea RA, Wee SS, Hanna MM, Griffiths LR. Randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of echinacea supplementation in air travellers. Evid Based Complement Altern Med. 2012;2012:417267.

⁴ Hancke J, Burgos R, Caceres D, Wikman G. A double-blind study with a new monodrug Kan Jang: decrease of symptoms and improvement in the recovery from common colds. Phytother Res. 1995 Dec;9(8):559-62.

⁵ Institute of Epidemic Prevention, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. 1978 in Bone K, Mills S. Principles and practice of phytotherapy: modern herbal medicine. Elsevier Health Sciences; 2012 Dec 31.

⁶ Bone K, Mills S. Principles and practice of phytotherapy: modern herbal medicine. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2013. p. 949.

11/18/2025

🧠 PANS/PANDAS: A Treatable Condition Too Often Missed

Imagine your thriving, happy, social child—or yourself—suddenly unable to function. Overnight, everything changes: OCD or restricted eating takes over, anxiety skyrockets, tics appear, moods swing, schoolwork slips away, sleep disappears, and once-familiar behavior turns unrecognizable. This is what PANS and PANDAS can look like.

PANS and PANDAS are neuroimmune conditions triggered by infections, inflammation, or metabolic imbalances that cause brain inflammation.

Symptoms often relapse and remit, changing quickly depending on exposure to triggers and treatment access. At first glance, PANS/PANDAS can resemble OCD, ADHD, autism, Tourette’s, anxiety, or mood disorders—and that’s why it’s so often misdiagnosed.

But here’s what makes PANS/PANDAS different:
This isn’t just a psychiatric disorder. It’s a medical condition affecting the brain. And treating only the symptoms psychotherapeutically isn’t enough. Proper care requires a medical and therapeutic approach.

Research shows that early identification and appropriate treatment lead to better outcomes. Yet families often see an average of 8 doctors over 3 years before getting the right diagnosis. That delay can mean lost childhoods, lost stability, and in devastating cases, lost lives.
It’s time to change that.

🧩 Download and share ASPIRE’s free 8-page Overview of PANS/PANDAS Toolkit — a resource for families, educators, and clinicians that helps bridge understanding and guide appropriate care.
📎 https://aspire.care/clinicians/aspire-overview-of-pans-pandas-information-packet

11/13/2025

Wondering how to improve your health? Book in and we’ll cover mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.

11/13/2025

We all know stress impacts:
- sleep- immune function - brain function - hormones - and more.

To mitigate this, we prioritize self care, adrenal function and targeted hormone support.

11/13/2025

Recovery is a journey through discomfort to acceptance and wholeness … everyone is on this journey in their own way and own time.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17anicX13b/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Recovery - by Addiction Actually. Theres more to quitting than quitting. Abstinence is a very worthwhile goal.
Over 30 years of scientific study and research evidence has shown that Addiction is.a highly complex condition.
Recovery is a process.