COPPER
TOXICITY SYNDROMES
by Dr.
Lawrence Wilson
© January 2021, LD Wilson Consultants, Inc.
All
information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment,
prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.
Table of Contents
Case
History
What
Is Copper?
CopperÕs
Role In The body
Three
Types of Copper Imbalances
PART II. IMPORTANT SYMPTOMS OF COPPER IMBALANCE
Nervous
System
Blood
Infections
Parasitic And Yeast
Infections
Reproductive System
(mostly female reproductive system)
Connective Tissue
PART III. OTHER COPPER-RELATED SYMPTOMS
Addictions
Personality
Cancer
Children
Cardiovascular
system
Vegetarian diets
Adrenal burnout
PART
V. DETECTING COPPER IMBALANCE
PART VI. NORMALIZING COPPER IMBALANCE and References
Jane,
age 25, has many classic symptoms of copper toxicity. She has headaches, yeast infections, rashes, premenstrual
tension, hair loss and acne. She
often has little or no hunger. At times, she gets white spots on her fingernails. Other common symptoms of copper
toxicity are difficulty sleeping, slow wound healing, cellulite, ovarian cysts,
scoliosis and aches and pains.
JaneÕs
mind tends to race and she becomes spacy. (This condition now has a fancy name - depersonalization/derealization disorder). She also becomes anxious, fearful, depressed and has panic
attacks.
Jane
is a musician, a common occupation for a copper
personality type. High copper
people are creative and often work as artists, musicians, writers and engineers.
Physicians
usually misdiagnose copper toxicity.
JaneÕs blood and urine tests were normal! A liver biopsy is a good test, but it is painful, invasive
and costly, so medical and natural practitioners rarely do it.
Hair
mineral testing is excellent to detect copper toxicity, provided you know what
to look for. JaneÕs hair mineral
test revealed an extremely low copper
level of 0.8 mg%. This is
called a poor eliminator pattern. It means her body has difficulty
eliminating copper.
Very
low hair copper also indicates hidden
copper toxicity. Her mineral
test also revealed other indicators of hidden copper. These were elevated calcium and mercury levels and a low
sodium/potassium ratio.
WHAT IS COPPER?
Copper
is a soft, reddish-gold metal with extremely unusual properties. It is an essential mineral for all
human, animal and plant life.
We
call copper a ÒfeminineÓ mineral because of its critical importance for womenÕs
reproductive system.
History and industrial use.
Copper has been known on earth for at least 10,000 years. It is an excellent electrical conductor
and has other properties that make it a major industrial metal on earth.
Unappreciated. The vital importance of
copper in the body is still largely unappreciated, mostly because medical schools
and even naturopathic schools donÕt teach much about it. Please remember this next time you
visit a doctor.
We
thank Dr. Paul Eck for much of the information in this article. Dr. Eck loved
to read and study about copper.
The author was fortunate to work with him for 14 years.
COPPER'S ROLES IN THE BODY
Copper
has a number of important roles in the human body. The main ones are:
1. Energy production. The right form of copper is needed to produce
30-40% of our energy. It is needed
in the final part of the glycolysis or Krebs energy
cycle called the electron transport
system. Any problem here
causes fatigue, depression and other low energy problems.
2. WomenÕs and menÕs
reproductive system. Copper is
needed for women's fertility and to maintain pregnancy. Copper imbalance is associated with
many reproductive disorders such as premenstrual syndrome, ovarian cysts,
uterine fibroid tumors, infertility, miscarriages, and many others. It is also involved in some testicular
problems, erectile dysfunction, prostate enlargement and other male
reproductive health conditions.
3. The nervous system. We
call copper the emotional mineral
because too much stimulates all the emotions. Copper stimulates production of the neurotransmitters
epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. It is also required for monoamine oxidase, an enzyme related to serotonin production.
As
a result, copper is deeply involved with many disorders of the central nervous
system. These include memory loss,
especially in young people, depression, anxiety, attention deficit,
hyperactivity, autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, spaciness
and others discussed later in this article.
4. Immune Response. Too
much copper makes you prone to infections of all kinds.
The
right copper compounds are the bodyÕs natural yeast fighters! With a copper imbalance, it is
difficult to avoid yeast and fungus infections. Common ones are sinus problems, ear problems, vaginal yeast
and intestinal yeast that causes gas, bloating,
stomach pain and other digestive problems.
Some
antibiotics work by mobilizing copper.
The trouble is they are also toxic. We find most often they are not needed if one eats
correctly. There are natural germ
killers that often work just as well.
For details, read Beyond Antibiotics on
this site.
5. The thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is extremely sensitive to
copper. Common conditions
associated with copper imbalance include hypothyroidism and HashimotoÕs
disease.
These
go away fairly easily on a properly designed development program. We find that taking thyroid hormones is
not required, even though most doctors, even natural ones, will want to give
you replacement thyroid hormones for these conditions.
Copper
is also associated with some cases of GraveÕs disease or hyperthyroidism. This also goes away with a properly
designed program. Drugs may be
needed temporarily to control the symptoms. Surgery or radioactive iodine treatment (RAI) are drastic,
barbaric, and rarely, if ever needed, in our experience. For more details,
read Thyroid Disease and GraveÕs
Disease.
6.
The adrenal glands. Copper imbalance can be due to adrenal gland
weakness. For details on the role
of copper in adrenal exhaustion, please read Adrenal
Burnout Syndrome.
7. Bones and connective tissue.
Copper is required to fix calcium in the bones and to build and repair
all bones and all connective tissue.
Connective tissue means tendons, ligaments, skin, hair, nails, arteries,
veins and a few other tissues.
Copper
imbalance contributes to tooth decay, gum disease, bone spurs, weak bones, and
almost all conditions of the skin, hair and nails. Others symptoms related to connective tissue include most
cardiovascular problems, tendon and ligament conditions, scoliosis (curved or
weak back), and other skeletal and structural imbalances as well.
SUMMARY OF THE THREE COPPER IMBALANCES
It
is possible to be copper-deficient, copper-toxic and/or to have a condition
called biounavailable copper.
Copper deficiency.
Copper is found in certain foods in greater quantity such as meats,
eggs, poultry, nuts, seeds and grains.
Other foods are quite low in copper such as fruits. Others that tend to be low are
vegetables and some nuts and grains.
Refined
food diets are often low in copper.
Also, some, especially children, need much more copper than others. This has to do mainly with their
metabolic type or body chemistry. Fast oxidizers need more copper while
slow oxidizers often have too much.
For details about the oxidation types, read Fast, Slow and Mixed Oxidation.
Copper excess. Zinc deficiency from any cause tends to cause a
relative copper excess.
Most people have a zinc deficiency due to low zinc in our food today,
even organically grown food.
Other
causes are vegetarian diets and the use of copper intrauterine devices and
birth control pills. Cortisone
therapy also can raise the tissue copper level.
Biounavailable
copper. In this very common situation, copper
is present in excess in the body, but it cannot be utilized well. The reason it occurs is that copper
must be bound and transported within the body.
One
type of biounavailability occurs due to a deficiency
of the copper-binding proteins, ceruloplasmin or metallothionein.
Without sufficient binding proteins, unbound copper circulates freely in
the body, and it tends to accumulate primarily in the liver, brain and female
organs.
Also,
the forms or compounds of copper in the body may be incorrect. This is usually
due to dietary problems.
When
copper is biounavailable, one may have symptoms of both copper toxicity and copper
deficiency.
Biounavailable copper is common in people who are in the state
called slow oxidation. As stated earlier, copper deficiency
occurs most often in people who are in the state called fast oxidation. This article uses the words copper
imbalance when more than one of the three types of copper problems are possible.
A personal story. The
author had severe copper toxicity about 40 years ago. He was depressed, tired but did not sleep well, and his
thoughts raced day and night. He
also had headaches, skin rashes, scoliosis and was often achy.
He
visited at least a dozen doctors, but none figured out the problem until
someone performed a hair mineral test.
On this test, the copper level was normal. However, he had indicators of hidden copper – an elevated hair calcium level, a low hair
potassium level and a very low hair copper level.
Other
hidden copper indicators include a low hair zinc,
mercury toxicity, and a low sodium/potassium ratio in the hair. The hair must not be washed at the
laboratory to obtain accurate readings.
Correcting
the copper imbalance took several years of following a development program.
This is a newer type of nutritional healing program that we offer
through this website.
The
development program cleared up all the authorÕs symptoms, and more. It is much safer and more effective
than chelation therapy, antagonist therapy, and other
approaches we have come across to correct a copper imbalance. For details, read Introduction To The Development Program.
PART II. COMMON
SYMPTOMS OF COPPER IMBALANCE
Each mineral has Òtarget organsÓ where
it tends to accumulate.
Copper accumulates in the liver first, then the brain and the
reproductive organs. Copper may affect
any organ or system of the body.
However, it usually affects about four or five major systems of the
body. These are the nervous
system, the female and male reproductive system, connective tissues such as
hair, skin and nails, and organs including the liver. Let us discuss each of these in detail.
COPPER AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Dr. Paul Eck called copper the Òemotional mineralÓ. The reason for this is that copper and imbalances related to it have such a profound impact on the central nervous system.
The psychiatric implications of copper imbalance are tremendous, even if copper did not affect other body systems. We regularly work with every known psychological and psychiatric condition and most of these individuals improve when copper is balanced in the body.
The overall effect of copper appears to be to enhance all emotional states in a human being. Dr. Eck felt that copper stimulates the diencephalons or old brain. Zinc is needed for the new brain or cortex. This brain is associated with the Òhigher emotionsÓ such as reasoning, compassion and love.
When an imbalance between these exists, the person tends to revert to the use of the old brain, also called the animal brain or emotional brain. This can lead to a tendency for every possible emotional condition affecting human beings.
Nervous system dysfunctions. We have seen improvement in 20 or 30 different mental and emotional conditions ranging from moderate to suicidal depression and anxiety to violence, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, phobias, TouretteÕs syndrome, depersonalization-derealization and schizophrenia. Others that respond amazingly well to balancing copper include epilepsy, ADD, ADHD, autism, delayed mental or emotional development and many others.
Panic attacks, migraines, spaciness, brain fog, mind racing, insomnia, nervousness, irritability and others also often involve copper. On this website are numerous articles that explore these conditions and often the relation to copper in greater detail.
Copper and world violence. Copper tends to enhance all the emotions, so violence can occur far more in those with copper excess – a common problem today in many parts of the world.
America is actually better in this regard because Americans generally eat more beef and other meats. These foods are among the highest foods in zinc, which helps balance copper in the body. Here is a letter we received from Africa:
Since 2014, my wife had been on Risperidone. Anytime she stopped the drug her
symptoms resume, within one month: mind racing, incoherent talks,
hallucination, brain fog, panic attack, etc.
I am writing this in tears because after I stumbled on your
blessed website, I mentioned the possibility of the copper IUD inside my wife
as the trouble-maker. Our doctors simply smiled and ÒlecturedÓ us that there is no
connection whatsoever between copper IUD and my wifeÕs symptoms. Their advice:
since the symptoms only come back whenever she stops the antipsychotic drug,
then she should continue the drug until God knows when!
Our hospital, The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan,
is the biggest, most-equipped and acclaimed best in
Nigeria, if not in West Africa.
On my insistence, a maternity doctor helped to remove the
IUD. Immediately, my wife started gaining back her weight and, somehow, coming
back to reality. She now talks to
me freely about how she feels, which she wouldnÕt do before.
I was alarmed the day she told me the water tank and the
pipes in her motherÕs house were all copper. She lived in that house with her
mother, until the latterÕs death, and drank from the tank, her entire teenage
years!
Sirs, if even in the Western world, information and
attention can be so scanty on this scourge called Copper Toxicity, then what is
the hope of our women and families the world over, especially undeveloped
countries like Nigeria and others, in this era of family planning and
population checks?
These are my fears, my tears and my heartache. Women are
right there inside the psychiatric wards of UCH and other hospitals, with
copper IUDs strapped to their uterus. Some mothers Òrun madÓ after child-birth.
Some are battling with cancerous growths in the liver, kidney, uterus,
etc.
I am not dropping the cause of every ailment at the doorstep
of copper toxicity. I am simply
appreciating the efforts of you people at researching into this very important
phenomenon largely ignored and providing help to those affected
, at least till the whole world is ready to listen.
- Mr O. A., Ibadan, Nigeria (received 9/24/2019).
Update, July 2020: A recent medical journal article details how copper deficiency affects the circadian rhythms of the body: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41589-018-0062-z.
COPPER AND THE BLOOD
One of the most common symptoms of biounavailabe copper or a frank copper deficiency is an anemia that looks identical to iron deficiency anemia on standard blood tests. Those most affected are young adult women, and sometimes children. Vegetarians also tend to have too much biounavailable copper and may be affected.
Signs. It is usually a mild, microcytic, microchromic anemia.
Mechanism. Copper is required to change the form of iron from ferric to ferrous and back again, and is required to incorporate iron into hemoglobin. When copper is not available in sufficient amounts, usually due to adrenal insufficiency, iron is not incorporated into the hemoglobin well enough, resulting in a mild anemia.
Correction. Few doctors are aware of this cause for anemia. As a result, most physicians make the mistake of giving supplemental iron for this condition. Iron may help a little, but it makes the patient much worse in terms of overall health.
Iron can boost the adrenals and make copper a little more available, reducing the anemia. However, iron is irritating to the intestines and iron overload is very common today. For more on this, read Chronic Acquired Iron Overload on this website.
The correct approach is to balance copper metabolism with a Development Program. Then the anemia goes away by itself.
COPPER, INFECTIONS AND LOW ZINC
Copper imbalance is associated with viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic and yeast infections. Prion disease also involves a copper imbalance. One reason for this is that copper antagonizes zinc, which is needed for the proper immune response.
Note: We find everyone is low in zinc today because the soils on earth are low in zinc, causing all food to be low in zinc. This is true even when the serum, urine and hair zinc levels are within a normal range. Everyone on a development program receives a zinc supplement for this reason.
COPPER, PARASITES AND YEAST INFECTIONS
Parasites are impeded and sometimes killed in the body by bioavailable
copper. Copper is used in
agriculture and some medications to kill parasites. When copper is out of balance, as it is in most people,
parasitic infections are much more common. Until copper is brought into better balance using a
development program, one may ÒcureÓ parasites with drugs or herbs, but they
often come back, or are not completely eliminated.
Yeasts. Our bodies use copper to help control
the growth of yeast. This may be
because copper favors aerobic metabolism, the type of cellular metabolism that
human beings should have. More specifically,
copper, along with iron, is required for the electron transport system, where
most of our cellular energy is produced.
In
contrast, yeasts and fungi are anaerobic.
This means they ferment sugars for their energy production. Thus, when copper is not available to
the body in sufficient quantity, aerobic or normal oxygen-using metabolism is
crippled to some degree, while anaerobic metabolism or the fermentation of
sugars flourishes in such an environment.
For
this reason, for example, copper sulfate is often sprayed on crops to kill
yeast and fungus. Copper is also
used in some swimming pools and hot tubs to control yeast and bacterial growth.
COPPER AND THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Most reproductive system conditions have involve a copper imbalance. Women are often affected more than men because women generally have higher levels of copper in their bodies than men.
Common reproductive organ symptoms that usually involve a copper imbalance include premenstrual syndrome, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, infertility, miscarriages, uterine fibroid tumors, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, pelvic inflammatory disease, fibrocystic breast disease, and post-orgasmic illness. Here is more detail about a few of these conditions.
Premenstrual syndrome. The symptoms of PMS mimic the symptoms of copper imbalance. This occurs because estrogen and copper levels in the body usually increase and decrease together. Both increase before the menstrual period. This is a key to correcting this condition. For more details, read Premenstrual Syndrome.
Miscarriages and infertility.
Adequate available copper is required to become pregnant and to hold
onto a pregnancy. Studies indicate
that women with low estrogen and often low copper have
more miscarriages. For details,
read Infertility.
Low libido in women and men.
This is also linked to copper imbalance. Since copper raises the hair and tissue calcium level,
women, in particular, with very high copper levels or hidden copper on their
hair analyses, often lose interest in sex. Their energy declines and the body can become a bit ÒnumbÓ
because excessive tissue calcium tends to render the nervous system less
sensitive.
Low
sexual interest in men is also related to copper, which interferes with zinc
metabolism in many instances.
MenÕs sperm and fluids are rich in zinc. If they become depleted, male fertility and male sexual
performance will suffer.
Estrogen dominance and copper. Copper-toxic women are often estrogen dominant.
This means they have more estrogen in their bodies, proportionately,
than they have progesterone. A
development program will correct this.
We do not need or ever recommend hormone replacement or bi-identical
hormone therapy. We find it
increases cancer in the body, even if one is unaware of it. For details, read Hormone Replacement Therapy.
Biounavailable
copper, progesterone and body shape. Some women have a lower
estrogen level. Their bodies are
often more linear in shape and less ÒcurvyÓ. Estrogen tends to produce a more curvy body.
Copper,
however, is not the only factor affecting hormones. Some pesticides, for example, mimic the effects of estrogen
and can affect the hormone balance.
Men and copper imbalance. We
call zinc a 'masculine' element because it is required for the prostate gland
and menÕs bodies generally higher than womenÕs bodies in zinc, while women are
higher in copper.
Among
boys and men, symptoms related to excessive copper are growth and developmental
delay, ADD, ADHD, autism, gender dysphoria and
homosexuality. Others are prostate
enlargement, prostate infections and prostate cancer. Others are erectile dysfunction or impotence, depression,
anxiety, testicular pain and testicular cancer. Excessive copper is also associated with more violence in
men and women.
Secondary sex characteristics and
copper. Copper also plays an important role in
secondary sex characteristics.
These are aspects of sexuality that are more mental and emotional than
they are physical or anatomical.
Birth control pills and copper IUDs
(intra-uterine devices for birth control). These two birth control
methods definitely affect copper metabolism in the body. While some women can handle them,
others experience depression, anxiety, personality shifts and many horrible
side effects from them, either acute or chronic.
This
aspect of womenÕs Òsexual revolutionÓ has probably caused more disasters in
womenÕs health than any other.
Developing cancer, for example, can take years so women do not
understand the dangers. The truth
is, even if a woman quits taking the pill, for example, her risk of cancer
remains higher her entire lifetime.
Excessive sexual desire in women. Another curious effect of copper excess in women can be
excessive sexual interest. This
has something to do with the estrogen level and liver toxicity due to the
copper imbalance.
COPPER AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE
Copper is required for collagen formation. Excess copper or biounavailable copper causes connective tissue problems because excessive copper interferes with the disulfide bonds in connective tissue.
Copper and vitamin C. Copper and vitamin C are direct antagonists. This means that they oppose each other in the body. This is one reason many people feel better taking vitamin C.
Copper tends to oxidize and destroy vitamin C in the body. Meanwhile, vitamin C chelates or removes copper from the body. This requires a dose of vitamin C of at least about 500 mg daily, far higher than the minimum daily requirement of about 60 mg. Many readers know that vitamin C is critical for connective tissues. One of the prominent symptoms of scurvy, or vitamin C deficiency, is bleeding, such as bleeding gums. This is due to connective tissue weakness.
Thus, a copper excess can easily lead to a deficiency of vitamin C in the body and with it many symptoms of vitamin C deficiency. Oddly, however, a copper deficiency also causes connective tissue problems, especially in the heart and cardiovascular system where it is associated with a tendency for aneurisms and atherosclerosis.
Symptoms. Connective tissue symptoms associated with copper imbalance include arthritis, osteoporosis, stretch marks and joint problems of other kinds. Others include scoliosis, kyphosis (bad posture) and many of the conditions of the skin, hair and fingernails and toenails.
Others are some diseases of the muscles, ligaments and tendons. Still others are hair loss, especially in women, tendonitis, back problems due to muscle weakness, and others.
Copper imbalance is associated with artery and vein problems such as varicose veins, hemorrhoids, arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.
OFTEN OVERLOOKED
Copper imbalance is usually missed by all types
of doctors. The reasons for this are:
1. Most doctors – even holistic and
natural doctors - are not familiar with copper imbalance.
2. It is not easy to detect.
Blood and urine tests are usually not helpful to identify copper
imbalance. Identifying it on a
hair analysis is also tricky because you cannot judge by the copper level on
the test. One must look for
indicators of hidden copper imbalance. This topic is discussed later in this
article under hair mineral testing for
copper.
3. If a doctor finds copper imbalance, very few
doctors know how to correct it properly. This again applies to
natural and holistic doctors as well as conventional ones.
PART III. OTHER COPPER-RELATED CONDITIONS
COPPER AND ADDICTION
Addiction
can be related to copper and the adrenals. The use of stimulant drugs, loud music, sex and even just
exercise stimulates the adrenals.
This helps keep copper available and makes one feel better. Without this stimulation, unbound
copper builds up quickly in the body and one may feel fatigued, moody or
depressed. These are common copper
imbalance symptoms.
This
can easily result in a compulsive or addictive need for some kind of adrenal
stimulant such as more exercise, more caffeine or even cocaine. In other words, part of the appeal of
cocaine, caffeine, amphetamines or other stimulants may be their ability to
help lower copper temporarily by stimulating the adrenals.
Relation of cadmium to copper. Dr.
Paul C. Eck stated that cadmium found in marijuana and cigarettes drives copper
back into storage. Therefore,
these drugs may also make a person feel better temporarily by affecting the
copper balance.
THE HIGH COPPER PERSONALITY
There
exists a high copper personality.
Positive traits include a warm, caring, sensitive, emotional nature, often
with artistic orientation and a child-like quality. Often high-copper people are young-looking. Many traditionally feminine traits are
associated with copper such as softness, gentleness and intuitiveness. This may relate to the qualities of
metallic copper, which include softness, malleability and an excellent
conductor of electricity.
When
the personality is not fully integrated or the copper becomes too high,
negative traits show up. These
include spaciness, racing thoughts, living in a dream
world and naivetŽ. Other qualities
include childishness, excessive emotions, sentimentality, a tendency to
depression, fearfulness, hidden anger and resentments, phobias, psychosis and
violence. Artists, inventors and
other high-copper types often "live on the edge", in part due to
their high copper level.
The
copper personality tends to accumulate copper easily. Copper can function as a psychological defense
mechanism. It causes one to detach
slightly from reality. This
provides relief from stress for the sensitive individual. It works well as long as the copper
does not become too high. Very
high copper can cause a psychotic break from reality, a type of schizophrenia.
Case History of schizophrenia. An
18-year old schizophrenic patient had a hair copper level of 41 mg% (normal is
2.5 mg%). She hallucinated and
attempted suicide twice while in the Scottsdale Camelback Mental Hospital in
Arizona. When her copper was
brought back into the normal range with a nutritional balancing program, her
symptoms disappeared and she has remained well ever since.
Copper and other food cravings.
Copper-toxic individuals may also be drawn to sweets or salty foods due
to adrenal insufficiency. Some sea
salt is often beneficial. Sweets,
including fruit juices, provide a temporary lift but may worsen the condition.
Anorexia and copper.
Another common symptom is a lack of appetite or some degree of
anorexia. Excessive copper tends
to shut off the appetite, whereas zinc is required for the appestat mechanism
in the brain. Zinc is also needed
for an acute sense of taste and smell.
The anorexia situation ends to be the worst in teenagers. For one thing, they are under more
stress than younger children in many cases. Also, their diets are often low in quality proteins such as
meats that are rich in zinc.
Instead, they eat a lot of carbohydrates such as pizza that actually
interfere with zinc uptake in the intestines. This combination can be lethal for some teenage girls, in
particular.
Anemia. Copper is needed for iron metabolism. Therefore, an important cause of anemia, especially in women, is a copper imbalance. On a blood test, it looks exactly like an iron-deficient anemia but it will not respond very well to the administration of supplemental iron. The copper imbalance must be corrected and then the anemia vanishes quickly.
COPPER AND CANCER
Copper imbalance impairs the immune system. Research is underway investigating the role of excess copper in tumor angiogenesis. Elevated copper on a hair mineral analysis, when the level is above about 12 mg% and persists at this level, is often related to a tendency for infections and even cancer.
Cancer is associated with all three copper imbalances – deficiency, excess and biounavailable copper, which is a combination of the other two. This is one reason for the cancer epidemic we experience today. The important topic of cancer and natural approaches to it, is discussed in other articles on this website. Here are just a few ways cancer is linked to copper imbalance:
1. The levels of estrogen and copper have a direct relationships. This means that as copper rises, often estrogen rises, too. This is one reason many women and even men are so-called Òestrogen dominantÓ today. Really, they have too much copper and cannot detoxify estrogen well enough. This imbalance is tied to cancer because estrogen is a potent carcinogen. It is the reason we never recommend supplementing even natural estrogen unless it is done with extreme caution. It is rarely needed if the body chemistry can be balanced using nutritional balancing science.
2. Copper causes liver toxicity when it is in excess or when it biounavailable. The liver is important to protect to avoid and to control cancer in every case, according to Dr. Max Gerson, MD, a pioneer in non-toxic cancer therapies.
3. Copper alters thyroid gland activity in most cases. This can also contribute to cancer and many other illnesses such as GraveÕs disease, for example.
4. Copper imbalance is associated with fungal and other infections. These can often be at the root of a cancer situation. For example, it is known that root canal-filled teeth can give off bacterial toxins that help predispose the body to cancers of certain kinds.
5. Copper blocks anaerobic metabolism when it is in balance. This can help prevent cancer when copper is in balance, but not when it is too high or too low in the body.
6. Copper in excess often interferes with zinc metabolism. Zinc is required for the immune response and for over 100 enzymes in the body from helping digestion to protecting the skin from invasion from infections and even some skin cancers.
COPPER AND CHILDREN
Copper has an incredible impact on children, particularly young ones. Common conditions such as ear infections, skin rashes and dandruff usually involve an imbalance between copper and zinc in children. Others in which we commonly find copper imbalance, along with other metal imbalances are learning and developmental disorders, colic, ADD and ADHD, sleep problems and childhood cancers.
This has to do with the extreme
importance of copper in childhood development, especially of the developing
nervous and immune systems. Children are born with high copper levels. Young children are very sensitive and
intuitive. They often lose some of
their sensitivity as their copper levels diminish around age four. Today, however, persistently elevated
copper levels in children are commonly seen. At times, the copper is hidden.
Why
children have copper imbalances.
Copper imbalance problems for a child often begin when still in the
womb. High-copper mothers pass on
excessive copper (and often low zinc) to the fetus through the placenta. This is called congenital, rather than
genetic high copper. It can be prevented by correcting one's copper metabolism before
becoming pregnant. It can
also be corrected after a baby is born, though this takes much more effort in
most cases.
Once
a baby is born, copper imbalance can develop as well. Inadequate zinc or high copper in the breast milk, in fact,
is one reason children stop breastfeeding. ChildrenÕs diets are usually not great
and often atrocious. Stress in the
home or at school is another critical factor in sensitive children that can
literally push them over the edge.
Stress of any kind can lower zinc and raise the copper level.
Vaccination
and the use of prescription drugs can aggravate a child's copper imbalance,
usually by depleting the zinc level.
Copper imbalance in children is associated with delayed development,
attention deficit disorder, anti-social and hyperactive behavior, autism,
learning difficulties and infections such as ear infections.
Beware
of fast oxidizing young children.
Do not restrict their copper.
Most of them absolutely require extra copper. This is because they are fast oxidizers. This body type must have extra copper
or they will exhibit violence, sleep problems or anti-social behavior such as
ADD or ADHD. So beware, since avoiding
copper will make these children decidedly worse.
COPPER AND THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Low or biounavailable copper is associated with atherosclerosis and a tendency for aneurisms as well. The arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis is secondary, usually, to weakened arterial walls. The body tries to reinforce inflamed or weakened arteries by coating them on the inside with calcium or fatty plaques.
High or biounavailable copper is associated with mitral valve prolapse and other cardiovascular problems. It is not directly associated with high blood pressure, but may be secondarily due to the reasons for arteriosclerosis explained above.
COPPER AND SOCIETY
Elevated
copper in the body can affect oneÕs attitudes. Copper is called the 'emotional' mineral, the 'intuitive'
mineral, and a 'feminine' mineral because it is so important for the female
reproductive system. Its level
generally parallels that of estrogen.
While
many factors influence our attitudes and values, the rise in tissue copper
levels in both men and women in the past fifty years parallels renewed interest
in womenÕs issues, in religious and intuitive knowledge.
Copper
imbalance also impairs oneÕs ability to think clearly, and this affects
peopleÕs attitudes. Copper
imbalance is associated with brain fog, spaciness or derealization-depersonalization.
COPPER AND VEGETARIAN DIETS
Zinc
compounds the body requires are found almost exclusively in meats. Vegetarian diets tend to be much higher
in copper and lower in zinc.
For
this reason, those who follow vegetarian diets tend to accumulate too much
copper in the body. This tends to
shorten their lives, even if they feel well. The longest living people in a developed nation, the
Japanese, are not vegetarians.
Obligatory vegetarians.
At times, people become vegetarian due to the buildup of excess copper
in the body. Excess copper
interferes with zinc, a mineral needed to make digestive enzymes. Too much copper also impairs thyroid
activity and the functioning of the liver.
As
these imbalances become worse, some people cannot digest meat very well, and
they may dislike its taste and/or smell.
Switching to a vegetarian diet makes them feel better. Dr. Eck called these people obligatory vegetarians.
This
means they are no longer able to digest meat very well. The taste for meat often returns when
copper is brought into better balance with a nutritional balancing program.
Other reasons for following a
vegetarian diet. These include not wanting to eating
animals, dislike for how animals are slaughtered, or other reasons. Some are born with a
distaste for meat. No
matter what the outward reason, however, a hidden buildup of copper –
even at birth – is, in fact, part or all of the reason a person takes an
interest in a vegetarian diet.
Vegetarian diets are killers, in our clinical
experience. This author followed this dietary system himself
for a few years, and has observed the effects on many others. One feels good for a while, but the
body becomes too yin and serious deficiencies develop.
Vegetarian symptoms.
Fatigue, spaciness and other symptoms of
copper toxicity begin to appear sooner or later. Many people, including the author, felt they were becoming
more ÒspiritualÓ on a vegetarian diet, when in fact it was just copper
poisoning!
Some
people with high copper dislike all protein. They crave high-carbohydrate diets. Protein feels heavy or causes other
symptoms.
Eating
protein stimulates glandular activity.
This releases stored copper, which causes the symptoms. However, these individuals usually need
to eat protein, and their symptoms will eventually disappear as their health
improves. For much more on
vegetarian diets, please read Vegetarianism on
this website.
COPPER AND ADRENAL BURNOUT,
INSUFFICIENCY OR HYPOFUNCTION
Adrenal burnout, characterized by chronic fatigue and other symptoms, is often related to copper imbalance. Although correcting emotional and other factors are necessary, improving the copper imbalance, supporting the adrenals and releasing fearful thoughts go hand in hand to restore optimum health. Click here for more information about adrenal burnout syndrome.
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Congenital high copper (children born with high copper or low
zinc). Today, many children are
born with excessive tissue copper.
It is passed from high-copper mothers to their children through the
placenta. Stress from any cause
contributes to copper imbalance.
Stress depletes the adrenal glands and lowers the zinc level in the
body.
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Zinc deficiency.
Whenever zinc becomes deficient, copper tends to accumulate. Our soil is low in zinc. Refined sugar, white rice and white
flour have been stripped of their zinc.
The trend toward vegetarianism reduces zinc in the diet, since red meat
is the best dietary source of zinc.
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High-copper diets.
Copper is found in many foods, particularly vegetarian proteins such as
nuts, beans, seeds and grains.
Meats contain copper, but it is balanced by zinc which
competes for its absorption.
Chocolate is high in copper.
A desire for copper may help explain chocolate cravings.
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Copper pipes. Another source of copper
is drinking water that remained in copper water pipes, or copper added to your
water supply. During a recent dry
summer, several Oregon cities added copper sulfate to their reservoirs to
reduce algae growth. Accident and
disease rates increased.
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Mineral deficiencies.
Deficiencies of manganese, iron, selenium, chromium and other minerals
can contribute to copper accumulation.
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Vitamin deficiencies.
These include deficiencies in the diet of B-vitamins and vitamin C.
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Adrenal weakness.
According to Dr. EckÕs research, the adrenal hormones help stimulate the
liver to produce ceruloplasmin, a major copper
binding protein in the body.
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Liver sluggishness or toxicity. A sluggish liver due to toxicity, slow metabolism
or a chronic infection such as hepatitis C, can predispose one to copper
imbalance.
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Metallothionein or
other copper transport imbalances.
These may also contribute to copper toxicity or biounavailability.
á
Other sources. These are less common, in my experience. They include using copper cookware, and copper exposure from
dental materials, vitamin pills, jewelry, drinking water, fungicide
and pesticide residues on food, copper intra-uterine devices and birth control
pills. Plumbers and a few other
occupations such as electricians may be exposed to copper.
Hot
tubs and pools may increase hair copper levels. Copper is used to sanitize pools and some hot tubs, and can
increase hair copper, at times.
Hot tubs and pools are also breeding grounds for so many micro-organisms that are not killed by the chemicals that we
donÕt recommend either for optimum health. It is much better to avoid all public pools and hot
tubs and/or use about 250 parts per million of hydrogen peroxide to sanitize
your hot tub. The internet has information about how to do this.
When
copper is out of balance, our bodies cannot control yeast overgrowth for these
reasons. This often lead to chronic candida albicans infections that are resistant to treatment.
Case history. After Mrs. Robinson had
her baby, her doctor told she could continue to take her pre-natal vitamin
pill, which contained 4 mg of copper.
Within 6-months, both she and her breast-fed baby began to experience
hair loss. Loss of hair is a common
symptom of copper toxicity, and many pre-natal vitamins have a lot of copper in
them. This is done because taking
copper during pregnancy may help maintain a pregnancy in some cases. As soon as Mrs. Robinson stopped taking the
pre-natal vitamin, the hair loss in both her and her baby stopped.
Most
pre-natal vitamins are extremely inadequate, and are missing many vital
nutrients needed by developing babies.
In addition, most contain too much copper. Only with a nutritional balancing program, in my view, can a
woman know what she needs during pregnancy and afterwards to raise a healthy
child. For more on this important
topic, read Having Healthy Children on
this site.
PART V. DETECTING
COPPER IMBALANCE
Blood, urine, feces and hair testing are used to detect copper imbalance. Liver biopsy is also used on rare occasions. Let us examine each method from my experience. Blood serum or feces copper levels are not considered a reliable way to detect copper imbalance because copper may not accumulate in the blood or the feces. Serum ceruloplasmin is not much more accurate, and still often misses copper imbalance. Urine testing is also inaccurate because copper is stored deep in organs such as the brain and the liver.
Urine challenge testing. With this procedure, one first gives a dose of penicillamine and then collects the urine for 24 hours. However, this still will miss much copper that is stored deep within body organs and tissues. Chelating agents primarily remove minerals from the blood and arterial walls. A liver biopsy for copper can be very accurate. However, it is costly, invasive and in my experience unnecessary. However, it is used rarely to assess WilsonÕs disease (a rare inherited copper storage disease).
Hair testing, in my experience, is far and away the best method to detect copper imbalances. It can detect not only copper excess and copper deficiency, but copper biounavailability, too. Hair is not a primary site of copper deposition. However, if one knows how to interpret the hair analysis, one can often rapidly and non-invasively assess copper status.
COPPER ASSESSMENT VIA HAIR MINERAL ANALYSIS
An
ideal range of copper in the hair is about 1.5-2.5 mg% or about 15-25 ppm. Any
number higher than this tends to indicate excessive copper in the hair tissue
and, by extension, in other tissues of the body. A hair copper level of less than about 1.5 mg% usually
indicates hidden copper toxicity.
Swimming in pools. Swimming in pools regularly or even regular use
of a hot tub can increase the copper level in the hair. This is due to the use of copper
compounds added to the water as disinfectants. These, of course, are best avoided if one has symptoms of
elevated copper.
Note
that the hair must not be washed at the laboratory for accurate results.
Only two labs in the United States, Analytical Research Labs and Trace
elements, Inc., do not wash the hair at the lab, as far as I know. See the article on this site entitled Introduction To Hair Mineral Analysis concerning this
important aspect of hair analysis procedure. Avoiding washing of the hair at the laboratory is also
important to assess copper indirectly, our next topic below.
Indirect copper indicators. The copper level on a hair mineral analysis
is NOT the best way to assess copper status. The reason is that copper does not often accumulate in the
hair tissue and too many other factors can skew the reading. In fact, copper assessment is quite
complex.
Assessing the need for copper supplementation. A
need for copper supplementation does not mean the entire body is low in
copper. It just means that some is
needed to balance the chemistry at a particular time. This is confusing, but it works well. Dr. Paul Eck researched this subject
thoroughly, and I find that his methods work beautifully. Following are hair tissue mineral
analysis indicators for a need for copper supplementation:
1) A fast oxidation rate.
This is identified for you on mineral tests from Analytical Research
Laboratories. The criteria are a
calcium/potassium ratio less than 4:1 and a sodium/magnesium ratio greater than
4.17:1.
2) A hair sodium/potassium ratio less than about
2.5:1.
3) A hair calcium/magnesium that is less than
about 3:1 is a secondary indicator and it only applies if the hair
sodium/potassium ratio is less than 2.5:1.
These
indicators apply no matter what the hair copper level may be. This is difficult to understand, but it
works in practice and is very important to assist some patients. I have written more about this in other
articles on this website, such as A Low
Sodium/Potassium Ratio.
Assessing Biounavailable
Copper. Most or perhaps all the time when
copper is high in the hair or when hidden copper indicators are present, copper
is at least somewhat biologically unavailable as well.
This
may give rise to a combination of symptoms of toxicity and deficiency. In addition to all the indicators below
for hidden copper toxicity, other indicators of the biounavailability
of copper are:
Hidden Copper Toxicity Indicators. The hair
copper level is a very unreliable indicator for copper toxicity. So is serum
copper, serum ceruloplasmin, and many other tests
because the copper can hide deep in the brain and the liver. A liver biopsy is a good indicator, but
is a painful and somewhat invasive procedure. Dr. Eck found that a hair mineral analysis, however, offers
indirect indicators that are very accurate. They include:
¯
Most slow oxidizers and all very slow oxidizers.
¯ A calcium level greater than about 70 mg%.
¯ Magnesium greater than about 10 mg%.
¯ A potassium level less than about 4 mg%.
¯ Zinc less than about 13 mg%.
¯ Zinc greater than about 20 mg% is often, but not always is a hidden copper indicator.
¯ A copper level less than 1.5 mg% is usually an excellent indicator.
¯ A mercury level greater than 0.03 mg%. (In an older book I co-authored with Dr. Paul Eck, entitled Toxic Metals in Human Health and Disease (1989), we wrote that the mercury level needs to be 0.4 mg% for hidden copper to be present. I believe this is an error and the level is closer to 0.03.)
¯ Slow oxidation with a copper level less than 1.0 mg%
¯ A calcium /potassium ratio greater than 10:1.
¯ A sodium/potassium ratio less than about 2.5:1.
¯ A phosphorus level less than about 13 mg%.
¯ Four lows pattern.
¯ Four highs pattern.
¯ Sympathetic dominance pattern.
¯ Calcium shell pattern.
¯ Step down pattern.
¯ Double low ratio pattern.
¯ Bowl pattern.
¯ Passive-aggressive pattern.
¯ Wasting oneÕs time or biding oneÕs time pattern.
¯ Stress from within and without pattern.
¯ Extreme lifestyle stress pattern.
Click here to
read about these and other important patterns seen on hair tissue mineral
charts.
PART VI. CORRECTING A
COPPER IMBALANCE
After
40 years of experience with over 60,000 clients, I find that the
best way to reduce excess copper in the body, whether it is bioavailable
or biounvailable, is a complete nutritional balancing
program, and only those set up by one of the Approved Practitioners listed on
this website. This is a
much better solution than using just chelators,
antagonists, adrenal support, homeopathy, drainage remedies, physical therapies
or any other method I have seen.
This
is very important, as many people ask me for remedies to reduce copper. Also, many naturopaths and holistic
doctors use one or another of the remedy methods, but with very mixed success,
in my experience.
COMPONENTS OF OUR NUTRITIONAL
BALANCING PROGRAMS
The key is to use a number of methods
simultaneously. This does not mean taking piles of
pills or strange diets, however.
It can be done easily and rather inexpensively and without a lot of
fuss. The methods used in
nutritional balancing to balance copper include:
1. Reduce exposure to sources of copper. Common sources include copper intra-uterine devices or IUDs,
swimming in pools, vegetarian diets and high copper foods such as nuts, seeds,
and avocado.
2. Diet is critical. The
diet must contain seventy to eighty percent cooked vegetables, not
raw ones. Also needed is healthful
animal protein daily, and some whole grain rice and corn, if these can be
tolerated well.
For
a recommended diet, see the document Slow Oxidizer
Diet. This diet is appropriate
for most of those with copper imbalance, though not all. A small number of people are fast
oxidizers. They must have
much more fat and oil in their diets, and less protein at times.
Equally
important, the diet must be as low as possible in sweets, fruits and sugars as
possible. These foods, along with
all stimulants, stress the adrenal glands and tend to make copper imbalance
worse. Stimulants include sugars,
caffeine and food additives such as MSG, aspartame and other excitotoxins in the diet. Many other food chemicals and additives, however, also
stress the body and are not helpful for copper imbalance. Vegetarian diets tend to aggravate copper
imbalance badly. Wheat and refined
flour products are also not helpful at all. These are some of the most important dietary considerations,
especially for slow oxidizers.
3. Lifestyle modification. Most
people with copper imbalance are very sensitive emotionally. Many also need to slow down, relax more
and let go of anger and resentments.
Some also need to make changes in their relationships, location, work
and other important aspects of their lives so that they Òlive their truthÓ to a
greater degree. Living a lie can
be an important problem, in fact, with copper imbalance.
Reducing fear and stress.
This is often very helpful and necessary to balance copper. Methods range from a change in location
or work to meditation, more rest, counseling and other
changes. See the section below on Attitudes,
Spirituality Help Balance Copper for details about the only type of
meditation I recommend.
4. Carefully chosen nutritional supplements are
extremely important for adrenal gland restoration and to balance copper.
These must be determined by the use of a hair mineral analysis, in our
view. They must always
include a powerful digestive aid, a multiple nutrient product for oneÕs
oxidation type, supplementary vitamins and minerals as indicated by the test,
kelp and perhaps a few other simple supplements to support the body
properly. Supplementation is a
complex subject that is discussed in other articles.
5. Detoxification procedures.
These are not always needed, but can be most helpful. Copper imbalance responds beautifully
to the use of coffee enemas and the use of a near infrared lamp sauna. These may be absolutely essential for
those with emotional problems connected to their copper imbalance.
Other
methods of detoxification are less effective, in our experience. These include cleansing diets, foot baths, clay packs and other methods which can make the
copper problem worse.
6. Molybdenum supplementation. Dr.
Eck used this for copper toxicity, and some doctors recommend it. However, I find that molybdenum is 1)
somewhat toxic, and 2) very rarely needed or helpful. So I do not recommend it much.
HEALING MECHANISMS INTEGRATED INTO
ALL OUR NUTRITIONAL BALANCING PROGRAMS
1. Enhance energy production and improve adrenal
gland activity. This is part of
the program design. Restoring the
adrenal glands is often absolutely necessary to prevent copper from
accumulating over and over again in the body. This is because the adrenal glands signal the liver to
produce ceruloplasmin, the principal copper binding
agent in the body, along with metallothionein. However, be sure to avoid stimulating herbs such as ginseng
and licorice root. These
eventually cause more severe problems, though they may offer quick results in
some cases.
Replacement adrenal hormones.
These are not ever needed, even in cases of AddisonÕs disease, in my
experience, and they are horrible, in a word. I never recommend any hormones such as DHEA, pregnenolone, testosterone, progesterone or cortisol.
These may give quick relief of some symptoms, but upset the delicate
hormone balance and eventually always worsen copper imbalance. Click here to read more about Hormone Replacement Therapy.
2. Inhibit the excessive activity of the
sympathetic nervous system and balance the autonomic nervous system. This
is easier said than done. Copper
toxic individuals often complain of their mind racing. Turning off the sympathetic or
fight-or-flight nervous system can be a challenge. Methods that are helpful include electric light sauna
therapy, meditation, relaxation techniques, deep breathing, targeted
supplements, and coffee enemas.
3. Enhance the eliminative organs, such as the
liver, skin and colon.
Digestive enzymes, especially pancreatin, are very
important. Also excellent is
sauna therapy, especially with a near infrared
electric light sauna. Other methods of enhancing the eliminative
organs are coffee enemas, colonic irrigation and skin brushing.
4. Very judicious use of copper antagonists such
as zinc, sulfur compounds, manganese, selenium, vitamins B-complex, C and E,
and perhaps one or two others. These are chemicals that compete with copper for
absorption and utilization. Research indicates copper may be excreted by
binding with glutathione and metallothionine which require these nutrients.
5. Making the body much more yang in Chinese
medical terms. This is often essential to reduce excess copper
and make copper bioavailable.
6. Restoring zinc and selenium levels.
This is also needed in almost all cases, and takes a while. Meats are among the best food sources
of zinc and selenium, and this is one reason why vegetarian diets simply do not
work well in the long run. A diet
of mostly cooked vegetables is also needed to obtain the correct forms of zinc
and selenium, which are not common in the diets of most people.
7. What about copper chelators? Some doctors use these. However, I find we donÕt ever need them
today with our improved programs.
Here is more on this subject.
Synthetic copper chelators. The most common synthetic chelator for
copper is penicillamine, sold under the names Cupramine or Depen. This toxic method has been around for
years. It can have severe side
effects that can include kidney damage, blurred vision, B6 deficiency, ringing
in the ears, ulcers, jaundice and other liver damage, abdominal pain, bloody
urine and more. Rarely, I have
seen it work when all else fails, but this is only in about two cases out of
20-30,000 people in 30 years. DMPS and other mercury chelators are also
used by some doctors. All
of them have significant side effects in my experience. They may lower copper, but the patient
is made worse by their use.
Natural copper chelators.
Please avoid these as well.
Metal Free, NDF, OSR, chlorella, cilantro, spirulina
and other natural products that chelate metals always
remove some essential minerals as well as removing toxic metals. They are also somewhat toxic,
completely unnecessary and often costly.
Why else avoid chelation
and antagonist therapies? These
often do not work well because they do nothing to rebalance body
chemistry. In fact, they can make
the overall balance of the electrolytes worse. This is why a complete program of balancing body chemistry
with nutritional balancing science is far preferable. I will assist any practitioner who wishes to learn about the
nutritional balancing method of copper removal.
For
example, zinc is often used to correct a high copper. However, it lowers the hair tissue sodium level, which is
often dangerous if persisted in.
Molybdenum, another copper antagonist and chelator,
raises sodium and is somewhat toxic and best avoided in most cases. Vitamin C, when used in high doses,
tends to cause other imbalances because it removes other metals besides copper
and because it is extremely yin in Chinese medical terminology. This is quite harmful for some people.
Each
vitamin and mineral affects overall body chemistry. For best results, I strongly recommend an integrated
nutrition, lifestyle and detoxification program based on a properly performed
and interpreted hair mineral analysis.
It is worth the extra time, cost and energy to get better results. It can also avoid the purchase of
unnecessary and costly supplements and other problems that come from their
use.
ATTITUDES AND SPIRITUALITY HELP
BALANCE COPPER
Life
is not easy for many copper-toxic people.
Most are highly intelligent, very sensitive, angry and emotional, at
times, and the copper may help detach them from the world.
One
must be aware of this fact and live appropriately, letting go of the world in a
gentle and loving way. See the
article entitled Letting Go.
A
method I highly recommend is a meditation-observation exercise that we offer on
a compact disc. This is a Judeo-Christian
exercise that is tremendously grounding and centering. It was a great help for me with copper
imbalance and has helped thousands of other clients as well. I cannot recommend it highly
enough. It is simple to do and
will slowly reduce all causes of stress as it brings more truth and light into
oneÕs life.
This
particular Judeo-Christian exercise, which is a type of praying and bringing
energy into the body, is extremely helpful to detach one emotionally, to reduce
stress, to bring up hidden resentments, and for other reasons as well. Read about it in the article entitled Meditation.
In
addition, prayer, reading the bible and any other true spiritual activity will
often assist copper-toxic individuals.
This is the case because it helps them to know they are all right, they are loved by their Creator, and God is present in their
lives. This can be vital for a
copper-toxic person, though it is helpful for everyone who cares about
spiritual matters.
COPPER DETOXIFICATION SYMPTOMS
One
of the difficulties in reducing excess copper are
symptoms that arise during the process of elimination. As the body begins to mobilize excess
copper from tissue storage sites, it enters the bloodstream on its way to the
liver and kidneys for elimination.
While in the bloodstream, the copper can cause headaches, skin rashes,
racing thoughts, strange odors, digestive upset, mood swings and energy
fluctuations. In men, testicular
pain is fairly common. WomenÕs
periods may be affected as healing occurs. Then the periods normalize.
If
one knows what is occurring, it is possible to take measures to minimize these
temporary elimination symptoms.
Enemas, sweating, and drinking more water can help promote copper
elimination.
Reducing
the supplements for a few days may also help slow the reactions and reduce
symptoms if they are severe. Much
more on this topic is contained in an article entitled Copper Elimination Symptoms.
THE BLESSING OF COPPER TOXICITY
I
suffered from copper toxicity for at least 10 years before I even knew why I
felt so bad. I was always tired,
depressed, achy and often anxious, too.
I also had headaches, mind racing and great difficulty sleeping. However, today, some 30 years later, I
know clearly it was a blessing in disguise.
Copper
toxicity led me into natural healing, into the Pulling
Down Exercise, and eventually into myself and my gifts. Copper imbalance, indeed, is often a
sign that one is not living oneÕs gifts and truths. If it takes copper imbalance to move you in a different
direction, then it is a wonderful thing, though the suffering may not seem
worth it right now.
With enough compassion for yourself and a complete development program, most all of our clients become well and much happier, also. Then the creative, intuitive and loving qualities of the high-copper individual can shine through to the world.
Other Articles About Copper:
- Migraine Headaches, A Case History
- Lingual Dyskinesia, An
Unusual Copper Metabolism Case.
Many
other articles on this website mention copper imbalances including Depression, Anxiety And Panic
Disorders, Young WomenÕs Syndrome and others.
References
1. Eck, P. and
Wilson, L., Toxic Metals in Human Health and Disease, Eck Institute of
Applied Nutrition and Bioenergetics, Ltd., Phoenix, AZ, 1989.
2. Gittleman, A.L., Why Am I Always So Tired?,
Harper San Francisco, 1999.
3. Nolan, K., "Copper Toxicity Syndrome", J. Orthomolecular
Psychiatry, 12:4, p.270-282.
4. Pfeiffer, C., Mental and Elemental Nutrients, Keats Publishing, New Canaan,
CT., 1975.
5. Wilson, L., Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis, L.D. Wilson
Consultants, (2010, 2014, 2016).
The newest version of this book is titled Development Science and
Development Programs (2019 edition).
6. Hundreds of technical articles on the sources, symptoms and correction of
copper imbalance are available on the worldwide web. They are too numerous to list here. The books and articles mentioned above
contain more complete references.
7. Articles by
William Walsh, PhD. We donÕt use
the same methods as Dr. Walsh and we much prefer our
methods. However, he has done some
good research on the subject of copper toxicity:
á
Elevated Serum Copper Levels in Women with a History of
Postpartum Depression
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Micronutrient Therapy for Violent and Aggressive Male
Youth: An Open-Label Trial
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Elevated Blood Copper/Zinc Ratios in Assaultive Young Males
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The Effectiveness of Targeted Nutrient Therapy in Treatment
of Mental Illness
á
Reduced Violent Behavior following Biochemical Therapy
Related Articles:
á
Copper Toxicity and Psychiatric Conditions
á
Is My Anxiety and Depression from a Methylation,
Pyrrole, or Copper-Zinc Imbalance?
á
Copper Overload - Too Much of a Good Thing
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