Copper: Friend or Foe

“Oh, copper. Why you doggin me like this? We used to be such good friends. You used to help me utilize my iron properly, you helped me with my neurotransmitter superpowers, you kept my immune system top-notch, you kept my ticker tickin just right, you helped my body fight fungus and bacteria when they came a-knockin. Now look at us… You came in, found a place to hide, and took over. Now I feel like crap all the time. I have headaches, anxiety, and I can’t shut my brain off, especially at night. I’m so tired that I can’t think, I can’t focus and I’m cranky. My time of the month is worse than usual and leaves me extremely fatigued. I’ve had enough and now you’re getting your eviction notice!” – said some made-up person with a lot of knowledge about copper toxicity.

Copper toxicity is a commonly undiagnosed condition that can cause some pretty miserable side effects. Most people have no idea that copper could even be such a problem. It’s more common than you think. Copper is hidden in so many pharmaceutical and environmental sources that it’s becoming a major problem for some women. Pharmaceutical sources include copper IUDs, hormonal birth control, and other synthetic estrogens (HRT). Environmental sources include copper cookware, copper pipes, copper sulfate found in pools, copper wiring, green treated wood, and/or occupational exposure. Internal imbalances can lead to improper metabolism of copper as well. For instance, chronic stress can affect your adrenal glands which are involved in the copper transport process to get copper where it is needed in your body. Liver and gallbladder issues can lead to excess copper because bile is needed in order to remove copper. Vitamins that are synergistic to copper metabolism include vitamin D, B1, B12, vitamin C, and folate, without these accumulations can appear. Vitamin B12 is only found in meat sources so copper toxicity is often seen in vegetarians who are not getting adequate B12 from other sources.

And where there is a ying, there is always a yang. Copper deficiency is less common but can lead to anemia, arthritis, fungal infections, Hodgkin’s, Parkinson’s, Celiac, gout, hypertension, hyperactivity. Yes, some of the very things that too much copper can cause also be mimicked in a deficiency situation. A build-up of stored bio-unavailable copper in the body, that at excessive levels, causes physical and mental dysfunction, however at the same time because it is unbound and unusable it also causes a deficiency. Make sense? I know, clear as mud. Call me. I’ll explain.

This small write up has barely scratched the surface of what a copper imbalance can do to the body. There are so many other side effects including emotional shifts, diminished sex drive, exhaustion, frustration, and social withdrawal - the list is endless and the side effects limitless. The best way to find out if copper is affecting you is with a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis. I am trained specifically in recognizing copper toxicity patterns your mineral test results. I also know what to look for when copper is hiding, which means it appears low on the HTMA results, however other mineral imbalances would indicate that it is abundant in the unbound or unusable state.