Episode #314: Dr. Sam Shay, MTHFR: Cracking the Genetic Code to Heal

About this episode

Dr. Sam Shay discusses the impact of genetics and lifestyle on health, challenging the notion that genes alone determine well-being.

Episode #314: Dr. Sam Shay, MTHFR: Cracking the Genetic Code to Heal Hello Health Heroes! In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Sam Shay—a “wounded healer” who grew up with Asperger’s, severe insomnia, anxiety, junk food, bullying, and exhausted parents who tried to medicate symptoms instead of fixing root causes. Today, he’s a chiropractor, acupuncturist, functional medicine doc, genetics expert, and… a neurospicy stand-up comic. And he’s using all of that to flip the script on the lie that “it’s just your genes, there’s nothing you can do.” We break down the difference between genetics and epigenetics —why your genes are the hardware, but your lifestyle and environment are the software running the show. Dr. Sam explains why obsessing over MTHFR is outdated, why inflammation and mitochondrial free radicals should be front of the line, and how your DNA can actually reveal your best diet (keto, paleo, Mediterranean, or higher carb), your trigger foods, and why some people can’t “willpower” their way through cravings. You’ll hear real stories of joint pain, fatigue, water retention, mood swings—and how targeted genetic and lifestyle changes finally moved the needle when “trying…

People in this episode

Host: Tim James

Guest: Dr. Sam Shay

Topics covered

• genetics
• epigenetics
• health
• diet
• lifestyle changes
• functional medicine

Keywords

• MTHFR
• genetics
• epigenetics
• diet
• lifestyle
• health
• functional medicine
• joint pain
• cravings

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MTHFR, Asperger’s, keto, paleo, Mediterranean

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