COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) -Studies by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) believe many mental disorders are caused by a combination of genetics, biological, environmental and psychological factors.
Research shows that certain genes and gene variations are also associated with mental illness.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says genetic testing is useful in many areas of medicine and can change the medical care you or your family member receives. The CDC says whether you want to learn if you have a genetic condition that’s heredity or if you want to find a treatment plan for an illness like cancer, genetic testing can have its benefits.
Angela Williams is a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and the founder of New Hope Wellness in College Station. She says genetic testing with a focus on methylation is special and important to her.
“Years ago, I had some health issues going on and I had this test done. When the results came back, I knew that I had to continue on to get my master’s degree so that I could do this test to help other people,” said Williams.
Williams says genetic testing is changing the way she treats her patients and is “cutting edge.”
“One of the main portions of this test, it looks for methylation issues,” said Williams. “If you’re having issues with your methylation cycle, you’re likely to present with medical conditions like anxiety, depression, OCD, ADD, ADHD, autism, developmental issues, neurological issues. It just goes on and on.”
“DNA methylation works by adding a chemical group to DNA. Typically, this group is added to specific places on the DNA, where it blocks the proteins that attach to DNA to “read” the gene. This chemical group can be removed through a process called demethylation. Typically, methylation turns genes “off” and demethylation turns genes “on.’”
Williams says a simple cheek swab and your DNA can alert health professionals to your treatment process for a wide range of issues.
“Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, psychosis suicidal ideation, and more,” said Williams. “This test tells you specifically what your body needs and generally its methylated supplements and vitamins like nutrients.”
Let us help you feel better. We strive for your mental vitality through comprehensive interviews, genetic testing, labs, and other modalities! Call for an appointment! 936-522-7994
Dr. Lon Young, Chief Medical Officer for the Cap Rock Health System in Bryan and College Station, says while this exciting new technology has produced some early promising results and benefits, there’s still a lot to learn.
“It’s not the end-all-be-all of our medical future or what recommendations doctors should give or any of those things,” said Young.
Young says it’s important to understand what this technology can and can’t do.
“It’s just a simple single tool that allows us to get some additional information about a person’s health and their risk for different conditions,” said Young.
Williams says the goal is to get to the root of the problem without relying on habit-forming medications.
“It’s cutting edge technology. I just wish everybody on the planet would have this test done because it’s so informative,” said Williams. “If you are more likely to have depression and anxiety due to a genetic issue, medication can potentially help you, but it’s getting to the root of the problem. One methylation test even checks for people who may be more prone to heart attack and stroke and I think that’s very important and a simple supplement can help fix that pathway.”
Hannah Love, a resident of Porter Texas, says she sought out genetic testing to get to the base cause of her health issues.
“I was looking for a more holistic approach to caring for myself. Nowadays with medication and everything it’s kind of our first go to, ‘well here’s some medication it will fix the problem,’” said Love. “I was just kind of over medication. Medication is great, it does great things for us, but I didn’t want to rely on a medication specifically and so I wanted to do the genetic testing to see what is the root cause of this, what can I do to help myself besides taking another pill.”
Williams says the test itself is just a portion to getting your health back on track.
“It takes about two weeks after the cheek swab to get the results back. I’ll sit down and spend at least an hour with the patient. We will go over every single detail of it,” said Williams. “I give every recommendation, most things will be a supplement or nutrient-based like medicinal food, like vitamins, pharmaceutical grade.”
“Sometimes people still need medication,” said Williams. “If people are already on medication for something, we do not change any of that. The supplements can help their medications work a little bit better.”
Copyright 2022 KBTX. All rights reserved.

source