Imagine you take magnesium glycinate, something almost every functional medicine practitioner recommends, and instead of sleeping better, you spend the night wide awake with anxiety. You start methylfolate because your genetic report identifies an MTHFR variant, and within days you develop panic attacks and insomnia. You take glutamine to support your intestinal lining and begin feeling restless and agitated. You introduce probiotics and your histamine symptoms increase. You try collagen for joint health and develop itching, congestion or headaches.
These experiences are common in people with chronic illness, mast cell activation, mould illness, mitochondrial dysfunction and nervous system dysregulation.
Many people eventually conclude that they are “too sensitive” or that their body simply cannot tolerate supplements. I approach these reactions differently.
When a client tells me they reacted to a supplement, my first question is: what does this reaction tell us about your physiology?
A reaction provides information. It can point toward altered neurotransmitter activity, mast cell activation, nutrient deficiencies, impaired detoxification, mitochondrial dysfunction, gut dysbiosis, mineral imbalances, hormonal changes, autonomic nervous system dysregulation, or several of these occurring simultaneously.
Why supplement reactions can be difficult to interpret
One of the reasons supplement reactions are difficult to interpret is because human physiology is extraordinarily complex. Every biochemical pathway is connected to dozens of others. Nutrients rarely function in isolation. Minerals influence the absorption and utilisation of other minerals. Vitamins activate enzymes that allow other vitamins to function. Neurotransmitters regulate one another. Hormones influence immune function, mitochondrial activity and gene expression. The gut microbiome modifies nutrients before they are absorbed, while the nervous system influences digestion, circulation, immune activity and metabolism.
The pathway map above illustrates this complexity. It connects mitochondrial metabolism, neurotransmitters, methylation, sulphur metabolism, detoxification, amino-acid metabolism, mineral cofactors, energy production and hundreds of enzymatic reactions into one integrated network. A change in one pathway can influence many others because the pathways continuously communicate with one another. This helps explain why two people can take the same supplement and have very different experiences.
One person may experience significant improvement, another may develop anxiety or insomnia, another may develop headaches or digestive symptoms, and another may notice no effect at all. The supplement is the same. The physiology is different.
Common reasons people react
- Histamine intolerance and mast cell activation
- Stress, trauma, mould and nervous system dysregulation
- Glutamate sensitivity and excitotoxicity
- Sulphur sensitivity and sulphur metabolism
- Methylation reactions and methyl-donor sensitivity
- Neurotransmitter reactions involving dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, acetylcholine and GABA
- Oxalate and salicylate sensitivities
- PMDD and sensitivity to normal hormonal fluctuations
- Die-off reactions, especially when using antimicrobials
- Blood sugar, thyroid, bile flow and mitochondrial factors
If this is you, your body is telling you something—and it can be a wonderful opportunity to delve deeper.
Have a great week,
Nikki x