One of my favorite functional medicine practitioners, Ann Louise Gittleman covers the issue of excess copper on the Heavy Metals Summit, which airs online Jan 29 to Feb 5, 2018.
The topic is – Copper: The Double-Edged Sword – and she shares how copper is probably the most insidious of the toxic metals:
I think what lead was to the ancient Romans, copper is to modern day Americans. And I think it may be the fundamental cause of many of our orphan illnesses, our mystery illnesses, and debilitating and aging biochemical imbalances.
She shares some of the sources of copper that are most prevalent in contributing to excess copper levels and toxicity:
I think first and foremost we have to look at copper plumbing, copper cookware, which is all the rage in this day and time. There’s naturally occurring copper in water. Birth control pills can be a source of copper, because of excessive amounts of estrogen and estrogen is connected to copper the way zinc is connected to progesterone.
There are copper IUDs that are very popular amongst so many of our young women. Even dental amalgams, if they are put in your mouth post 1976 can have a very high copper amalgam percentage. And then, of course, there are fungicides for swimming pools and foods. So that’s just the beginning.
Then there’s the copper that you’re getting in common foods. Whether it’s soy; whether it’s GMO soy or not. You’re getting that in tempeh, tofu, soy protein powders. Nuts and seeds, like cashew nuts and sesame seeds. Avocados; a very healthy fat, but high in copper nevertheless. And some of our shellfish. Then you’ve got your regular tea, your green tea, your white tea, your black tea, your bran, and even your brewer’s yeast.
One of the biggest factors that I see contributing to high copper in my clients who have low zinc and anxiety, is all the baking being done with nuts flours such as almond flour! The next two areas I see as being most problematic for women, is the birth control pill and copper IUDs.
Ann Louise talks about how excess copper can affect you: hyperactivity and ADD, thyroid issues, tooth decay, dementia, urinary tract infections, candida and functional hypoglycemia.
She also covers the following anxiety symptoms, which I commonly see in my clients and community: nervousness, phobias and unresolved fears, depression and even stuttering.
Here are my contributions to this important discussion:
- High copper and low zinc (because these two balance each other out), is one of the most common imbalances I see in my community of anxious individuals, and especially in women because of the hormonal influence.
- Other than removing the source of the copper, one way to address this is via zinc supplementation. If anxiety is a factor, addressing low serotonin and low GABA with amino acids like tryptophan and GABA helps until zinc increases and copper decreases.
- Good levels of zinc are also needed to make the neurotransmitters so once levels rise (as we get rid of excess copper) we can start to make our own.
Wendy Myers, Christine Schaffner, ND, and Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD, have spent the last few months gathering the right experts, information and protocols to help you understand the danger of heavy metals like copper, mercury, lead, cadmium and others, and what to do about them.
Every day, they help their patients regain health, in some part through heavy metal detoxification. People with incorrect diagnoses of multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, anxiety and depression, insomnia, or thyroid issues, just to name a few, have found relief through innovative and individualized protocols to reduce the burden of heavy metals.
Register here to join us on The Heavy Metals Summit January 29 – February 5, 2018. See you on the summit! I know I’m going to learn a lot too!
Have you had issues with high copper and low zinc?
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