Histadelia and Methylation. Part IB. What is Methylation?

Methyl is CH3, a carbon with three attached hydrogens.
Methylation, simply put, is the addition of methyl to a molecule.
An example: Serotonin is methylated to form melatonin.

The connection to histadelia

High histamine.  Methylation is needed to metabolize histamine. When insufficient, histamine accumulates. An inherited tendency to brain under-methylation seems to be a major cause of histadelia.
Low catecholamines and serotonin. Undermethylation of both the dopamine/norepinephrine cycle and the serotonin cycle often leads to low levels of these neurotransmitters.
Folic acid accumulation. Since folic acid is not being easily methylated into its more active form, it tends to accumulate.

What the methylation cycle does:
   1. Provides methyl to create phosphatidylcholine, melatonin, epinephrine, carnitine, Co-Q10, creatine, and other molecules critical to mental and physical functioning.
  2. Helps govern (usually silencing) gene expression (the process by which DNA manifests the directives encoded within it, by causing specific proteins or RNA to be produced).
  3. Helps regulate the formation of taurine, cysteine, glutathione and other sulfur molecules. 

Both the neurotransmitter under-methylation and the elevated histamine contribute to histadelic characteristics.

For more info, see my book, Natural Healing for Bipolar Disorder

Causes of High Histamine and Some Effects

An interesting description of histadelia causes and effects at Roo's Clues: http://roosclues.blogspot.com/2010/03/overview-of-high-histamine-also-called.html

Aside from under-methylation [a critical factor, determining how well histamine can be eliminated], Roo lists the following
conditions which can increase histamine:
  Adrenal fatigue.
  Damage to mast cells, e.g., by mercury.
  Chronic and excess exposure to allergens.
  Auto-immune conditions and chronic inflammation.
  Gut flora imbalances. Yeast overgrowth (especially with sensitivity to the body's own yeast).
  Deficient amylase, diamine oxidase or certain other enzymes 

The site also notes that high histamine can increase blood brain barrier permeability, heightening vulnerability to toxic injury, and facilitating viral infection of the brain.

For more information on histadelia, see my book, Natural Healing for Bipolar Disorder.