B vitamins are supposed to help you feel better — calmer, more focused, and energized. But functional B6 deficiency is a real problem. Often when people take vitamin B6 and start to feel worse — anxious, dizzy, or even tingly — it can be confusing and frustrating.

You might even test low in B6 on a lab panel and still react badly to supplements. How is that possible?

This is where we need to look deeper — beyond standard lab values — into what’s called functional B6 deficiency and paradoxical B6 toxicity.

1️⃣ Functional B6 Deficiency vs. True Deficiency

Most routine blood tests measure plasma pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP) — the active form of B6 floating in your bloodstream. But that number doesn’t always tell the whole story.

You can appear “low” in B6 not because you’re not taking enough, but because your cells aren’t using it efficiently.

Here’s why that can happen:

• Inflammation and oxidative stress can inactivate PLP or increase your body’s demand for it.

• Genetic polymorphisms (like in ALDH7A1 or MTHFR) can slow the enzymes that convert B6 into its active form.

• Metabolic bottlenecks in the liver can block activation, leaving you functionally deficient even with normal intake.

If you take high doses of B6 without addressing these underlying issues, you can overwhelm the system — and that’s when side effects appear.

2️⃣ B6 Intolerance or Sensitivity

For some, even small doses of B6 cause symptoms such as:

• Nausea or dizziness

• Tingling or “nerve” sensations

• Irritability, anxiety, or fatigue

Most supplements use pyridoxine hydrochloride, a synthetic form that must be converted in the liver into PLP (the active form). If that conversion process is sluggish, unmetabolized pyridoxine builds up — and can act almost like a mild neurotoxin.

In my practice, I’ve seen people who “should” tolerate B6 but develop paradoxical symptoms because their body simply can’t clear the inactive form efficiently.

3️⃣ The Paradoxical B6 Toxicity Syndrome

This is where things get interesting — and confusing.
Some people show low B6 levels on lab work yet develop B6 toxicity symptoms (neuropathy, burning sensations, nerve pain) at small supplement doses.

Here’s the paradox:

• You’re low in the active form (PLP).

• But you’re accumulating the inactive form (pyridoxine).

• The inactive form can block receptors and interfere with B6-dependent pathways.

The result? You feel worse when you try to fix what looks like a deficiency.

This is sometimes called “functional toxicity” — not because you’re overdosing, but because your metabolism can’t process what you’re giving it.

4️⃣ Other Complicating Factors

Several other systems can amplify this paradox:

• Histamine and Mast Cell Activation: B6 helps break down histamine. When histamine levels are high (as in MCAS), sudden B6 changes can trigger unpredictable reactions.

• Mineral imbalances: Copper, zinc, and riboflavin (B2) all influence B6 metabolism. If they’re out of sync, B6 can “misfire.”

• Gut health: Poor digestion or dysbiosis can impair B6 absorption or conversion, increasing sensitivity.

In functional medicine, we see the body as a web — when one strand is off, the rest feels it.

🧭 Finding Balance: How to Work With Your B6 Pathway

If you’ve reacted to B6 or tested low but feel worse with supplements, here’s what may help:

• Use the active form — pyridoxal-5’-phosphate (P5P) — instead of pyridoxine.

• Start low — sometimes as little as 1–2 mg can make a difference.

• Support conversion with magnesium, zinc, and riboflavin (B2) — all cofactors for B6 activation.

• Address inflammation and oxidative stress, which drain B6 and impair its metabolism.

With the right balance, many people find they can tolerate B6 again — and experience the calm focus it’s meant to provide.

💡 The Bigger Picture

Vitamin B6 plays a central role in neurotransmitter production — serotonin, dopamine, GABA — and in detoxification, energy metabolism, and immune regulation.

So when something feels “off” with B6, it’s usually pointing to a deeper imbalance in how your body processes nutrients, stress, and inflammation.

In my clinic, we often uncover B6 sensitivity as part of a broader Walsh Protocol assessment, looking at methylation, copper-zinc balance, and oxidative stress markers. When these are addressed, sensitivity tends to ease — and the nervous system begins to stabilize.

🌿 Final Thoughts

If you’ve ever been told “you’re low in B6” but felt worse when you supplemented, you’re not imagining it.
Your body isn’t rejecting B6 — it’s asking for it in a form and rhythm it can actually use.

Functional medicine isn’t just about more nutrients; it’s about better communication between your body’s systems.
Once that communication is restored, even sensitive nutrients like B6 become allies again — helping you rebuild calm, clarity, and resilience from the inside out.

You can learn more about B6, testing, and how to optimize brain health through my new course. 

Symptoms can help us find a diagnosis. For many people, finally getting a diagnosis feels like a turning point.

It can be a huge relief:

• At last, there’s an explanation.
• At last, there’s a name for what you’ve been living with.
• At last, some proof that you’re not “making it up.”

And yet, I’ve also seen how that same diagnosis can quietly turn into a kind of cage.

What starts as “Now I know what I’m working with” sometimes becomes:

• “I am hypothyroid.”
• “I’m a Lyme patient.”
• “I’m bipolar.”
• “I’m ADHD.”

The label that once felt freeing becomes an identity. And when that happens, healing often slows down—or even stalls—without us realizing why.

The Double-Edged Sword of Diagnosis

To be clear: diagnosis itself isn’t the enemy.

It can be life-changing. It can guide treatment, open doors to resources, and validate years of confusing symptoms.

But a diagnosis is just a snapshot. It’s a way of naming patterns, labs, and symptoms in this moment. It’s not a prophecy. It’s not your personality. And it’s definitely not your destiny.

The trouble begins when the story shifts from:

• “I’m experiencing this” → “I am this.”

That subtle shift changes the way you relate to your body, the choices you make each day, and even what your nervous system expects for your future.

The Invisible Subtitles

Every diagnosis carries a hidden story. Sometimes it’s said outright:

• “There’s no cure.”
• “It only gets worse.”
• “You’ll just have to manage it.”

Other times, you simply absorb it—through tone, statistics, or the way people stop expecting recovery.

Your brain and body are always listening. Even if no one says it directly, the nervous system gets the message. And once that seed is planted, it influences biology:

• You brace for flare-ups.
• You stop exploring new approaches.
• You begin to expect decline.

This isn’t weakness. It’s human nature—our brains prefer predictability, even if it limits possibility. But healing rarely flourishes in the soil of hopelessness.

You Are Not Your Diagnosis

One of the most powerful shifts you can make is separating who you are from what you’re experiencing.

Instead of saying:

• “I’m a chronic fatigue patient.”
  Try: “I’ve been navigating fatigue, and I’m learning what my body needs.”

Instead of:

• “I’m a depressed person.”
  Try: “I’ve been experiencing depression symptoms, and I’m supporting my brain and body as they rebalance.”

Language isn’t just semantics—it changes biology. Research shows that people who see themselves as active participants in their health, rather than passive victims, have stronger immune function, more symptom improvement, and greater resilience.

This isn’t “toxic positivity.” It’s neuroscience.

What Story Are You Living?

If you’ve carried a diagnosis for years, it may feel woven into your identity. It may have given you community or even purpose. That’s not wrong.

But it’s worth asking:

• Who am I beyond this label?
• What parts of me have been overshadowed?
• What might become possible if I stopped expecting the worst?

These aren’t questions of denial. They’re invitations to expand.

Your Body Is Not Fixed

Remember: your body is always changing.

• Cells regenerate.
• Nerves rewire.
• Hormones shift.
• Gut microbiomes restore.
• Emotional patterns evolve.

Even if the diagnosis remains in your medical chart, it doesn’t have to define your daily reality.

Healing is the shift from:

• Reaction → Relationship
• Control → Curiosity
• Fear → Possibility

That’s what it means to live beyond the label.

Three Ways to Begin

1. Shift Your Language
   Notice when you say, “I am [condition].” Experiment with:

• “My body is navigating…”
• “I’m learning how to support…”
• “My health is changing, and I’m listening.”

2. Reclaim What Got Overshadowed
   Ask yourself:

• What brings me joy outside of my health?
• Who was I before this?
• What do I still long for?
  Let healing include pleasure—not just protocols.

3. Visualize Beyond the Diagnosis
   Spend a few minutes imagining:

• Inflammation cooling
• Energy flowing
• A future you living with ease, trust, and vitality

This isn’t fantasy—it’s mental rehearsal, and neuroscience shows it changes your immune system and your brain.

A diagnosis can be a tool. It can be a map. But it is never the full story of you.

You are a dynamic, responsive, ever-changing being.

So I’ll leave you with this:
👉 Are you ready to step beyond the label? And if so—what new story might your body be waiting to tell?

✨ Ready to step beyond the label?

If you’ve been carrying a diagnosis—or a health story—that feels heavier than it needs to be, you don’t have to untangle it alone.

I created the Stories Workshop as a safe, powerful space to explore how the narratives we inherit, absorb, and repeat quietly shape our biology—and how to shift them so healing becomes possible again.

It’s 2.5 hours of guided reflection, practical tools, and community support to help you move from “this is who I am” to “this is what I’m experiencing—and it can change.”

Because your diagnosis may describe you today, but it does not define who you are becoming.

👉 Join the next Stories Workshop here Sign up now and receive a free eBook to help break your patterns.

The next article asks who you are without the struggle.

Anxiety doesn’t always announce itself with panic.
Sometimes, it’s the constant hum in the background — a tightness in the chest, a restless night’s sleep, or the feeling that your body is “on” even when you’re trying to rest.

If you’ve ever wished you could turn down the volume on your nervous system, yoga might be one of the simplest, most powerful ways to do it. Yoga is not just good for the body, but for the mind too.

🌿 When Your Body Forgets How to Relax

Anxiety isn’t just “in your head.”
It’s a full-body experience — an over-activation of the sympathetic nervous system that keeps your body in “fight, flight, or freeze.”

When this system gets stuck in overdrive, even small stressors feel overwhelming. Muscles stay tense, breathing gets shallow, and your brain receives the message that you’re not safe — even when you are.

That’s where yoga comes in.

🧘‍♀️ Yoga as a Nervous System Reset

Yoga works because it teaches your body how to feel safe again.
Every slow movement and mindful breath communicates to your brain: You can relax now. It’s okay.

Here’s what actually happens when you practice:

• Your breath deepens, activating the vagus nerve — the body’s natural brake pedal for anxiety.
• Muscle tension releases, sending calming signals to the brain.
• Heart rate and cortisol levels drop, improving your ability to focus and rest.
• Your awareness expands, so instead of being trapped in anxious thoughts, you start to feel what’s happening and respond with gentleness.

Many yoga asanas help you move breath to movement. This encourages the body to slowdown and relaxation to flood the body. Over time, yoga retrains your nervous system to recognize safety — not as an idea, but as a felt experience.

🧠 The Mind-Body Connection Reinforced

Anxiety disconnects us from our bodies. Yoga restores that connection through embodiment — the practice of being fully present in your physical self.

When you move with awareness — feeling your feet on the mat, your breath in your ribs, your heart rate slowing — your body becomes a source of calm instead of alarm.

That’s why research shows yoga can reduce symptoms of anxiety, improve sleep, and increase emotional regulation. It literally strengthens the communication between your body and brain. The parasympathetic nervous system gets reset which likely is related to the vagus nerve.

💗 Beyond the Mat: Bringing Calm Into Everyday Life

The real power of yoga isn’t just what happens during class — it’s what changes afterward.
People often notice they:

• React less strongly to stress.
• Recover more quickly after emotional upsets.
• Feel grounded and present instead of “spinning out.”

Even 10–15 minutes a day can create real shifts. It’s not about flexibility — it’s about retraining your physiology to support peace.  Studies also suggest yoga slows the aging process. (Or maybe even reverses it). The telomeres, (the ends of chromosomes), lengthen reversing cellular aging.

🌸 A Gentle Place to Begin

If anxiety has made your body feel like an unpredictable place, start slow.
Choose gentle, restorative, or breath-focused yoga. Let go of striving for perfect poses.
Instead, let each movement remind you: This is my body, and I can return home to it. Use the poses as an opportunity to settle back into your body. Focus on your breath to settle into your body.

Over time, that message becomes stronger than anxiety itself.

✨ Final Thoughts

Yoga isn’t a cure-all, but it’s one of the most effective, body-based tools for calming the nervous system and re-establishing inner safety. When combined with other integrative approaches — like neurofeedback, nutrient support, and mindfulness — it becomes part of a holistic blueprint for peace.

Your body already knows how to heal.
Yoga simply helps it remember.

If you’d like to learn more about the benefits of yoga, check out my book “Feel Well, Play Well: Amazing Golf through Whole Health.” It’s not just about golf and includes a few yoga series to help you get started. Plus it includes other basic treatments useful for anyone that are related to yoga. Enjoy!

Also, check out my Eliminated Anxiety Naturally natural online course.