The medical conditions that cause high copper
Wilson's Disease is a condition that causes copper to accumulate in the tissues and cause extensive damage. It affects 1 in 30,000 people. The liver does not secrete copper into the blood or excrete copper into the bile. Low blood levels, high in the brain, eyes and liver causes cirrhosis. First symptoms: brain damage, tremors, headaches, inability to speak, un-coordination and psychosis.
Treatment:
- The administration of total nutrition properly planned for this condition.
- An important way to reduce high copper levels is to enhance the activity of the adrenal glands. The adrenals cause the liver to secrete ceruloplasmin, which binds and removes copper. Adrenal under activity causes a deficiency of available copper, and allows unbound copper to build up in the tissues. Adrenal rebuilding with vitamin C and vitamins B5 and B6 is also frequently helpful.
- Exercise temporarily stimulates the adrenals, which helps eliminate copper. One needs to keep exercising or the copper toxicity symptoms, fatigue, mood swings and depression will return.
- Take extra zinc supplementation as zinc is an antagonist to copper.
- Temporary controls - High doses of zinc - 200 mg/day for a week.
Copper Food Sources:
- Whole grain cereals
- Legumes
- Cherries
- Fruits
- Leafy green vegetables
- Nuts
- Prunes
- Soybeans
- Tofu.
Zinc Food Sources
- Spinach
- Pumpkin
- Asparagus
- Chard/collards
- Broccoli
- Green peas
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sesame seeds.
Nutrient partners:
- Works with iron, zinc, manganese and B-6.
- Needed in the utilization of vitamin C.
- Copper should be balanced with zinc in a 1:10 ratio.
- Copper and pantothenic acid (B5) are related to hair color.
- Excess copper destroys vitamin C.
- Necessary for the absorption of iron.
- Found in copper plumbing, vitamin and mineral pills, tea bags, cooking utensils, zinc, manganese, vitamin C and B-6, folic acid, sulfur and molybdenum are also copper antagonists, chelators or binders.
Copper has been used to successfully treat:
- Auditory Hallucinations.
- Depression.
- Histaperia Schizophrenia.