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"Copper is the “Achilles Heel” of the human body and the ultimate anti-microbial mineral. All pathogens cave in the presence of copper.” – Morley Robbins
Copper is the single most important nutrient in the body. Copper is needed by every cell and organ in the body. The body increases copper levels to help heal diseased tissues, explaining the associations that are not causations. This is why copper is the target for deprivation and depletion. Copper actually cures the conditions the medics say it causes.
Copper is an essential trace mineral necessary for us to live and function. It has been recognized since at least 1928 that copper is essential for life forms from bacteria to man. The functions of copper in the human body are quite numerous and new ones are still being discovered today. Copper is part of numerous enzymes involving growth, protection, repair, maintenance, and the ability to think. These enzymes are vital to any living animal, including man.
SYMPTOMS OF COPPER DEFICIENCY
A deficiency of copper can have the following symptoms in human beings:
Anemia
Low body temperature
Brittle bones
Osteoporosis
Dilated veins
Low white blood cell count
Uneven heartbeat
Elevated cholesterol levels
Low resistance to infections
Birth defects
Low skin pigmentation
Thyroid disorders
Other symptoms include lethargy, paleness, sores, edema, stunted growth, hair loss, anorexia, diarrhea, bleeding under the skin, and dermatitis. In infant boys, inherited copper deficiency of the rare Menkes’ syndrome can happen, where natural absorption of copper becomes impossible. Early intervention is essential in such cases.
There is a direct connection between copper regulated enzymes and neurodevelopment, glucose metabolism, immune system function, cholesterol deposition, heart rhythm, elimination of free radicals, blood production, collagen formation and the health of the heart.
Copper Deficiency is the CAUSE of so-called ‘anemia’ One of the cardinal points of interaction and interface between copper <> iron is that the proper absorption of iron in the duodenum of our gut requires heme iron and/or reduced ferric iron (found in non-meat food sources) to enter the enterocyte via a key protein pathway called DMT-1, as known as Divalent Metal Transporter-1. That’s the front door into the 1st tissue that receives the iron in our gut, aka the enterocytes. But it’s the back door where the real action seems to take place, especially as it relates to iron.
At that other end, the enterocytes back up to the bloodstream, and for iron to get out of the enterocytes, and into the bloodstream, there are three critical factors to contend with:
Another doorway, called Ferroportin, aka FPN.
A doorman, called Hephaestin, (HEPH) which is a copper-dependent, ferroxidase enzyme that transforms ferrous (Fe2+) iron into ferric (Fe3+) iron so it can bind to transferrin; and
A regulator, called Hepcidin, (HPN) which is called the Iron Regulatory Hormone, but it’s also called the “Inflammation Hormone!” as Hepcidin’s production is triggered by the presence of either iron and/or a set of inflammatory cytokines, IL-1, IL-6 or TNF-a.
And when hepcidin shows up consistently, this peptide causes the degradation of that back doorway and the iron egress gets stopped, thus leading to the build-up of iron in the gut. Please know this process of inflammation-driven iron retention is what leads to many gut issues, like Leaky Gut, SIBO, Crohn’s, Colitis, etc.
These mechanisms to “catch & release” iron are the classical understanding of how iron “gets into the gut,” and either it “gets out” via the presence of copper-driven hephaestin, or it “gets stuck” via the increased prevalence of iron, and thus hepcidin, in the 1st line of tissues in our digestive system. So if copper is needed to enable iron to get out of the gut, then how in the world does iron build up in tissue, all over the body if we’re all lacking bioavailable copper? Copper deficiency leads to hypoxia – a profound discovery, which then affects the function of a key protein called HIF-2a, as known as Hypoxia Inducible Factor-2alpha, which is a powerful protein that responds to the “lack of oxygen” signal, and triggers the opening of that key FPN doorway to allow iron out of the enterocyte and into the bloodstream.
Stop taking iron supplements, iron fortified foods, anything with added iron.
Stop taking vitamin D3 supplements, or any foods fortified with vitamin D.
Stop taking calcium supplements.
Stop taking zinc supplements.
Stop taking molybdenum supplements.
Stop taking one-a-day multivitamins, prenatals, etc.
Stop taking synthetic vitamins, get the real thing from food.
Stop using synthetic forms of ascorbate/ascorbic acid and citrate/citric acid.
Stop using high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and artificial sweeteners.
Stop using industrialized omega-6 oils (soybean oil, canola oil, etc.).
Stop using fluoride (toothpaste, water, etc.)
Stop using colloidal silver as an antibiotic.
Stop eating low-fat, high-carbohydrate, processed, refined foods.
Limit exposure to environmental toxins, including junk blue light exposure and EMPs from all electronic devices, especially wireless devices.
Because of their adverse impact on bioavailable copper, eliminating these factors enables the body to restore, renew, and rebuild the level of active ceruloplasmin in order to harness oxygen, so energy production can be optimized. It's best to take it slowly so your body has time to adjust gradually. The stops will continue to support your copper metabolism and mineral balance.
PROBLEMS WITH MEMORY AND LEARNING
Learning and memory could be hampered by copper deficiency. That’s because copper is essential for brain growth and function. Enzymes that aid the brain’s energy supply, defense mechanism, and signal transmission to the body need copper.
Meanwhile, disorders like Alzheimer’s disease impairing brain development or impacting learning and memory have been related to copper deficiency. Interestingly, compared to those without the condition, persons with Alzheimer’s had up to 70 percent less copper in their brains.
Studies show that copper affects essential brain circuits that involve the neurotransmitter dopamine. Humans with dietary copper deficiencies have lower dopamine levels. Copper deficiency may lead to low metabolic activity, weariness, difficulty concentrating, a bad mood, and more. These symptoms point to copper’s malfunctioning chemical processes and metabolic pathways network.
Dopamine is a “feel-good hormone” neurotransmitter that communicates between cells in brain nerves. It holds together with receptors in the brain, causing them to start communicating amongst brain cells. It is essential to many aspects of daily life, including how a person moves, feels and eats. Dopamine also promotes the brain’s reward systems and aids in controlling movement.
PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY
Peripheral neuropathy, or tingling levels, can begin in the extremities and occasionally move radially inward toward the torso. It is a condition recognized as among the typical copper deficiency symptoms.
A 69-year-old patient was described in a case report published in Advances in Clinical Neuroscience & Rehabilitation as having neurological symptoms that had worsened over time. For example, the feeling of light touch and pinprick was reduced over the waist, the vibration was lost in the sternum, as well as proprioception, or the sense of one’s orientation, was significantly impaired. These symptoms also included lowered upper limb reflexes with aberrant lower limb reflexes.
Myelin, a material that covers nerves and aids in signal transmission throughout the nervous system, depends on copper for its growth and preservation (neurotransmission). Dopamine is also changed into the neurotransmitter norepinephrine by an enzyme that contains copper.
Many people who experience the neurological side effects of copper insufficiency report having symptoms that are highly comparable to or the same as the patient. The elderly are at risk from this tingling and numbness since it raises their chance of falling and getting hurt. If there is an incorrect diagnosis, peripheral neuropathy can become severely incapacitating, making some people dependent on wheelchairs or canes for walking.
DIFFICULTY WALKING
It might be more difficult for people with copper deficiencies to walk straight. Enzymes use copper to keep the spinal cord in top condition. So that messages can be transmitted from the brain to the body, certain enzymes help to insulate the spinal cord.
These enzymes may function less efficiently due to copper shortage, which would reduce the insulation of the spinal cord. As a result, signals are not transmitted as effectively.
In animal studies, copper deficiency has been linked to a 56% reduction in spinal cord insulation. Signals traveling between the brain and body control walking. Copper deficiency may result in loss of coordination and shakiness because these signals are impacted.
Because of its effect on metabolic processes, copper is crucial for the nervous, cardiovascular, digestive, and nearly every other body part. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is necessary as a source of energy. Therefore, a lack of copper can cause slow metabolism, low energy levels, and other symptoms of poor metabolic health.
Simply put, enzymes that support proper nervous system maintenance require copper to ensure signals are transmitted to and from the brain effectively. Unfortunately, these signals can be hampered or delayed by a deficit, leading to a decline in coordination or unsteadiness while walking.
SENSITIVITY TO COLD
A copper shortage may cause a person to feel more sensitive to lower temperatures. This is because zinc and other minerals, such as copper, support the thyroid gland’s healthy operation.
According to studies, copper levels are directly related to the thyroid hormones T4 and T3 concentrations. These thyroid hormone levels lessen once blood copper levels are low. As a result, the thyroid gland could not function as well.
Low thyroid hormone levels may cause you to feel chilly more quickly since the thyroid gland regulates your metabolism and heat production. Over 80% of those with low thyroid hormone levels experience increased sensitivity to cold temperatures.
The recommended daily consumption of copper is about 0.9 milligrams. However, most people consume more than this amount each day. Cereals and loaves of bread are the most popular food sources of copper.
The best foods that contain copper are oysters (6 medium, cooked), crab meat (3 ounces, Alaskan king), cashew nuts (1 ounce, raw), sunflower seeds (1 ounce, dry roasted), and whole-grain bread and pasta. Broccoli, potatoes, bananas, and potatoes contain significant amounts of copper.
PALE SKIN AND PREMATURE GRAY HAIR
It’s interesting to note that melanin-producing enzymes use copper. As a result, a copper shortage may interfere with producing this pigment, resulting in pale skin. More human-based research is required to understand the relationship between copper shortage and pale skin.
Melanin, the pigment responsible for determining skin color, is made by copper enzymes. Pale skin may result from copper deficiency. Melanin, a pigment, also affects hair color. Low copper levels can influence melanin production, which can lead to premature graying of the hair.
While there is some study on the relationship between copper shortage and the production of melanin pigment, very few studies have focused explicitly on the relationship between copper deficiency and gray hair. The link between the two would be made more evident with more human-based studies in this area.
Melanin, which needs copper to produce, affects hair color, similar to how it affects the skin. Therefore, a copper shortage may hasten the onset of gray hair. The pigment melanin is responsible for determining skin color and hair color. A lack of copper can influence the formation of the pigment, resulting in pale skin and early gray hair.
LOSS OF VISION
A serious illness called vision loss can result from a long-term copper shortage. Numerous enzymes that contribute to the healthy operation of the nervous system need copper. It indicates that problems with the neurological system, such as eyesight loss, might result from the copper shortage.
People with digestive system surgery, such as gastric bypass surgery, appear more susceptible to copper deficiency-related vision loss. It is due to the possibility that these operations will decrease copper absorption by the body. While some research suggests that copper deficiency-related visual loss is reversible, other studies have found little benefit from increasing copper consumption.
Loss of vision may result from copper insufficiency. It is due to the intimate relationship between the nervous system, which primarily depends on copper and vision. Long-term copper shortage can devastate the nervous system, especially the optic nerve. It can cause partial or complete visual loss if the impairment is caused by a severe deficiency of copper over an extended period.
Copper is required by the body in sufficient amounts to produce the natural pigment and texture of the skin, hair, and eyes. For example, melanin, the pigment that provides hair, skin, and eyes their color, is partly produced by copper.
HYPERTHYROIDISM AND HYPOTHYROIDISM
Copper is essential for healthy thyroid function because it combines with other trace minerals like selenium and zinc to balance thyroid activity and avoid either hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. However, since the others must balance an elevation of one, it is thought that these trace minerals have complicated connections.
The lack of activity of the thyroid gland and improper production or release of thyroid hormones are symptoms of hypothyroidism. Usually, the thyroid gland secretes a large number of essential hormones that go through the circulation to reach receptors all over the body. Therefore, a malfunction in thyroid function can result in severe and apparent health issues.
The thyroid is a little gland at the base of your neck compared to a butterfly. The pituitary gland, situated at the brainstem, secretes the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Thyroxine, the primary thyroid hormone, is produced and released by the thyroid when TSH is present.
The thyroid may suffer if these vital minerals are in excess or insufficiently in the body. Fatigue, weight loss or gain, changes in body temperature and hunger, as well as other undesirable symptoms, may occur from this.
ANEMIA AND NEUTROPENIA
Anemia (microcytic, normocytic, or macrocytic) and neutropenia are the hallmark hematological symptoms of copper deficiency. Low blood platelet counts, or thrombocytopenia, are unusual.
Copper deficiency can mimic the myelodysplastic disease in bone marrow aspirate and peripheral blood results. In both situations, ring sideroblasts and dysplasia of blood cell precursors may be visible in the bone marrow aspirate. However, contrary to most myelodysplastic syndrome cases, copper deficiency is characterized by cytoplasmic vacuoles within red and white cell precursors in the bone marrow aspirate. In addition, Karyotyping in copper deficiency cases does not reveal cytogenetic features typical of myelodysplastic syndrome.
After copper replacement, anemia and neutropenia usually go away in six weeks. Iron and copper combine to create red blood cells and hemoglobin. Studies show that copper aids in the digestive tract’s ability to absorb iron. Iron is primarily stored in the liver, which aids in its release.
Red blood cells are made using iron from meals and supplements. Anemia can develop when iron levels drop too low due to a copper shortage. It results in anemia symptoms like fatigue, aches, muscle pains, digestive issues, and cognitive impairment.
A few of the copper containing enzymes and their function in man are:
Lysyl Oxidase: collagen and elastin cross-linking
Cytochrome C Oxidase: electron transport in cellular respiration
Dopamine Hydroxylase: converts dopamine to norepinephrine. Low levels of DH lead to low levels of brain catecholamines
Tyrosinase: thyroid hormone synthesis, melatonin formation, also produced by way of C18 - desaturized - cholesterol lowering mechanism
Ceruloplasmin: facilitates iron absorption and an antioxidant
Factor IV: blood clotting
Thio-Oxidase: disulfide-bond formation
Superoxide Dismutase: elimination of free radicals
Amine Oxidase: endothelial cell health and atherosclerosis prevention
Catechol Oxidase: catalyses the oxidation of phenols; combines oxygen to H in mitochondria to form water
Peptidyl Glycine Monooxygenase: neuropeptide hormone processing
Ascorbic Acid Oxidase: low levels lead to scurvy type of bone changes
When dietary copper is low, atherosclerosis becomes a prominent finding. Abnormal electrocardiograms and cardiac pathology, along with abnormal arterial structures have all been correlated with copper deficient diets. Addition of copper to the diet eliminates premature mortality and heart lesions. Low copper is a key link to the occurrence of cardiovascular disease and provides an antidote for the leading cause of death in our country over the past century. Adult rats fed a low copper diet became hypertensive. The hearts of people who died from ischemic heart disease are low in copper. Excess cholesterol in the blood caused by a copper deficiency in several species has been found in at least 22 independent laboratories worldwide.
The world has become single minded and focused on cholesterol as the main cause of heart disease. Yet, in many other countries, traditional diets that are high in cholesterol do not show the preponderance of heart disease as in the US. A high cholesterol diet leads to a liver deficiency of copper. This leads to low levels of countless copper requiring enzymes like superoxide dismutase, lysyl oxidase, and paraoxonase, which is required to break down homocysteine thiolactone. High levels of homocysteine have been repeatedly implicated to atherosclerosis.
Blood cell anomalies, especially anemias, are one of the trademark signs of a copper deficiency. Copper is required for hemoglobin formation and proper iron absorption and utilization. Different blood cell types, particularly macrophages and neutrophils are quite sensitive to copper levels and even marginal deficiencies can show reduction in the immune response. There are also many studies showing an increase in infections in low copper conditions. A low levels of normal neutrophils called neutropenia is one of the earliest and most common expressions of a generalized copper deficiency. Low copper levels can even damage the neutrophils in the bone marrow or in circulation.
In one study in which copper was given to infants who were on a low copper diet, the phagocytic activity rose by 30%. Copper is only recently being recognized for its many contributions to a normal, healthy functioning immune system. In fluoride-exposed dairy cattle studies, the cow's suffered from anemias.
People are scared of copper. They are afraid to take it. There are people who think the typical copper supplement of 2 mg is dangerous. No. This whole idea is dangerous. Its copper deficiency that is dangerous. It keeps people away from attempting to cure themselves of extremely common copper deficiency, and its many manifestations plaguing us all. Copper deficiency appears to lead to early death for millions of people each year. Deaths from regular copper supplements are always zero. There has never been a study where they gave people copper supplements and then demonstrated any toxicity. Never. Not one.
Emergency room doctors have given up to 500 mg of copper sulfate to sick people to induce vomiting, and/or up to 2.5 grams, or 2500 mg.
If you are suffering from copper deficiency symptoms, then those symptoms are millions of times more deadly than too much copper! Fix your copper deficiency symptoms with enough copper first, and then, after you are healthy, then worry about too much copper!
A common theme you hear when sharing scientific studies about copper online is "I'll consult my doctor," or "You should consult your doctor before supplementing." Why? Nobody consults a doctor before every meal. Nobody consults a doctor before drinking a glass of water. Nobody consults a doctor before taking Vitamin C. Nobody consults a doctor about virtually any other supplement. Nobody says to ask a doctor before you decide to take a breath. It's absurd. Because without breathing, you know you will die.
Without copper, you will die.
Copper is not a prescription medicine, and anyone can buy it over the counter at health food stores or online, If you can even find it because it's a rather unpopular supplement. And doctors do not automatically learn of the nearly 6000 articles on copper that are published each year. There is no way they can keep up, even if they were superhuman. And they have no financial incentive to tell us all how to be healthy for free. Not even dumb doctors will put themselves out of business.
An "average" IQ doctor, who knows less than nothing about copper, believes a host of lies about copper, and can't cure anything, and has monetary conflicts of interest, and an average intelligence, is the last person I would consult about copper. But it turns out that doctors are not smart. An "average" IQ doctor, who knows less than nothing about copper, believes a host of lies about copper, and can't cure anything, and has monetary conflicts of interest, and an average intelligence, is the last person I would consult about copper. If you insist on asking your doctor about copper, then you should ask him hard questions, based on facts you have learned here. He won't be familiar with any of the real information about copper. He will likely have faint knowledge about the common misunderstandings of copper, and think of those misunderstandings as reliable facts.
You will likely hear your doctor say "copper is toxic" if you get too much. Simply ask him for evidence of that. He likely won't be able to provide any evidence of a kind that has not already been refuted. If he shows you anything, check to see if it is an intervention study or association study. It will likely be associational study and use the words "linked." If its an intervention study, where they actually gave people copper, they likely gave less than 2 mg. which is too little copper, not enough to even cure a deficiency, and then blame copper as toxic.
We have this incredibly important metal playing very strategic roles in the body. There are only four things that copper does in our metabolism. Only four. Creates energy, clears exhaust, catalyzes enzymes, and combats all enemies, bacteria, fungus, and parasites.
Because copper bonds to fluoride, it is one of the most widely slandered supplements and nutrients out there. About 50% of the population of the USA still drinks tap water, which contains fluoride. Fluoride in the water is an acid, and it binds to copper in the pipes and strips the copper from the pipes. And there are many other sources of fluoride that people don't know about. Fluoride disrupts copper metabolism. The average person has 2600 mg of fluoride in their body and only 77 mg of copper.
Fluoride lowers ceruloplasmin, a key copper enzyme in the blood. this tends to cause copper to accumulate in the tissues, yet the person tends towards copper deficiency because the copper cannot be properly transported to where it needs to go. Copper is also one of the least championed supplements out there, there are only 2 books available on the subject.
The corporate US government has set the "tolerable upper human limit" on copper at 10 mg. While they do not ban studies above this level, studies on what copper does above this level are also very rare. There is a clear risk of copper deficiency. Most people in America may be suffering from copper deficiency. Probably well over 80% to 90%, and perhaps nearly everyone, such as over 99.99% of people, which means, yes, you.
Copper increases energy, makes you smarter, heals the nerves, boosts mood, builds muscle, burns fat, converts cholesterol into testosterone, increases circulation, colors hair, prevents wrinkles, eliminates pains, is anti inflammatory, heals joints, increases red and white blood cells, boosts immunity, kills germs, improves a suntan, provides color for hair, detoxes heavy metals and fluoride, and much more.
81% of Americans do not get even 2/3 of the absurdly low 0.9 mg. RDA for copper. Nearly all the top 20 causes of death involve copper deficiency. Copper actually cures all the symptoms that the top 50 drugs are prescribed for, except potassium! Copper deficiency appears to be implicated in nearly all of the most common causes of death! Increasing copper intake will dramatically improve a wide variety of health issues, increasing the quality of life.
Copper deficiency symptoms like anemia, bleeding, sweating heavily, joint pain, muscle pain, neuropathy, brain fog, involuntary napping, low energy, depression, fainting, and many other things. are not things we will tolerate when there is no reason for it. So we take copper.
Many of the things that copper does in the body appear to keep us both looking and feeling younger. Collagen is found everywhere in the body. It comes in many different forms and serves countless purposes. From individual cells to arterial walls, from skin to tendons, cartilage, bones and even teeth, collagen can always be found providing the uniqueness and function of each tissue. Collagen in general, and particularly one form called elastin, needs copper in order to be stabilized or cross-linked. Not only does copper need to be present when the tissue is being formed but it also is needed for maintenance and repair. If the collagen substructure is weak or abnormal, then the mineralization, which uses the collagen as a framework, will be inferior.
Increased collagen eliminates wrinkles. Increased dopamine and melanin helps to increase the color of the hair, reducing grey hair. Increased collagen strengthens bones, joints, muscles, and eliminates many body aches, arthritis, and other such connective tissue disorders. Increased collagen eliminates many other signs of aging: such as aneurysms, and heart conditions. Increased ATP boosts energy. Copper kills germs, boosts immunity, and increases red and white blood cells.
Copper also helps a wide array of diseases, discomforts, problems, and ailments that are not generally listed as "causes of death." These issues are arthritis and other connective tissue disorders such as hemorrhoids and hernias; Alzheimer's, MS, and other nerve and brain disorders; bone, muscle, skin, circulation, heart, kidney, liver disorders; hormone, neurotransmitter disorders, cholesterol disorders, bleeding disorders, ulcers, heavy periods, anemia, and adrenal fatigue.
And as copper helps to detox fluoride, too, then copper helps fix a list of 180 symptoms associated with fluoride toxicity, including cancer. It might be a shorter list to consider what body parts do not need copper, but as of yet, none have been found. After all, all body parts need access to the blood and nerves, at the least, including hair follicles and teeth, and yes, copper is great for the hair and teeth. Every cell in the human body needs copper for a wide array of cellular reasons: for strong cell walls and a stronger cell wall of the nucleus, for the DNA, and for the mitochondria to make ATP for energy.
Copper does not cause cancer. Copper tends to cure cancer. Copper does not cause liver disease, it tends to cure it. Copper does not cause Alzheimer's, it more likely cures it. At 10 - 20 mg copper supplementation daily, nobody has any problems, no liver problems, nothing.
Copper is toxic at 20,000 mg. Helping prove that copper is extremely safe at 1 to 100 mg. Nobody gets diseases or dies from copper supplements. Same with iodine. People have taken 2000 mg of iodine, well over the 0.15 mg RDA for iodine, and they are just fine. To get 20,000 mg of copper from a typical 2 mg copper pill bottle containing 90 pills, you would have to consume 111 bottles of a copper supplement, in one day! Nobody in the history of the world has ever done this.
To consume 20,000 mg of copper, you have to take about 8-9 teaspoons of copper sulfate. The only people who do this live in India, and they are attempting to commit suicide, and they usually fail.
The RDA for copper was entirely shoddy and unscientific, with no testing done, with a disclaimer that further testing and study was required, which was never done. When you go above the tolerable upper human limit, and take more copper, you'll discover significant improvements in your own health, ranging from extra energy, extra brainpower, less sweating, less muscle pain in workouts, and difficulty even achieving delayed onset muscle soreness from intense workouts.
Research on copper is limited in many ways. Copper has many interaction effects on many other minerals, and it appears that these interaction effects are curvy curves. At very low levels of calcium, copper is not absorbed as well. Then, with some levels of calcium, calcium helps a body absorb and utilize copper better than without enough calcium, calcium helps a body absorb and utilize copper better than without enough calcium. Copper helps the body put calcium into the bones, so they work well together. But at higher levels of calcium, calcium can block copper, preventing its absorption.
Over 45 things block copper, including B vitamins, Vitamin C & D, iron, zinc, fluoride, plant foods, sugar, cholesterol, exercise, sweat, sunlight, alcohol, prescription drugs, pain relievers, toxins, parasites, and many more. Parasitism has a depressing effect on blood copper and hemoglobin levels, even when administered parenterally. Parasitism can aggravate existing hypocupremia and possibly influence the expression of swayback disease.
Copper is used to kill worms/parasites: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper(II)_sulfate#Niche_uses
In veterinary practice it is used as an anthelmintic (dewormer), emetic and fungicide and for treating copper deficiency in ruminants. (MERCK, 1996; DOSE, 1993).
We all know the importance of vitamins and minerals in maintaining human health, but modern medical science often has a major misunderstanding of how these essential nutrients interact with one another. Copper is the ultimate example of this phenomenon. The mineral copper serves a vital role of the health of the cell and production of mitochondrial energy. It acts as a biocompatible semiconductor within the cell, supporting the movement of electrons from one point to another within the body. It also directly interacts with many other important minerals like magnesium and iron and the relatively unknown protein ceruloplasmin. Deficiencies of this vital mineral can shut down the processes of the cell and destroy energy production. With the hinderance of important cell functions and energy production disturbed the only logical conclusion is disease.
Ayurveda medicine traditionally uses copper vessels to store water and they believe that this metal played an important role in balancing the doshas. Copper has been used for thousands of years to purify water as well since it is able to kill harmful microbes, fungi, and bacteria. This process is called the Oligodynamic Effect. The Ayurveda tradition additionally evidenced the healing properties of copper, and is one of the first examples of supplementing the human diet with trace minerals. Modern scientific researches have supported many of the ayurvedic techniques and have evidenced that copper plays an important role in cardiovascular health, neuron signaling, immune system, collagen production, among others.
Morley Robbins is the creator of the Root Cause Protocol and has spent decades researching the delicate interplay of copper, magnesium, iron, and calcium within the body. He has dedicated his life to the study of the root cause of disease. He has discovered the devastating effects of inflammation and oxidative stress and how the imbalance of certain minerals creates cellular dysfunction and fatigue. He is dispelling the modern medical myths of disease and sharing his knowledge of how the reversal of mineral imbalances can lead to ultimate health and endless energy
More than 30 types of copper-containing proteins are known today. Some prominent examples are Ceruloplasmin plays a critical role in iron metabolism, lysyl oxidase, which is involved in the cross linking of collagen, tyrosinase, required for melanin synthesis, dopamine β-hydroxylase, which functions in the catecholamine pathway, cytochrome c oxidase, the terminal electron acceptor of the respiratory chain, and superoxide dismutase, required for defense against oxidative damage. The immune system requires copper for a variety of tasks.
Deficiency of copper results in a weakened immune response in humans. Copper serves as an essential factor for the proper functioning of B cells, T helper cells, natural killer (NK) cells, neutrophils, and macrophages. Copper is a potent antimicrobial. Copper destroys microbes by degrading their genomic and plasmid DNA, primarily through its charged Cu2+ ions. Copper is responsible for many profound functions in the body and is principally focused on creating energy via cytochrome-C oxidase and clearing exhaust within a network of antioxidant enzymes. But, in order for copper to be able to perform its functions, it must be bioavailable; it needs to be “complexed” in a network of proteins and enzymes.
Ninety-five percent of copper in the blood is “complexed” in ceruloplasmin. However, for copper to be loaded in ceruloplasmin, we need the critical involvement of retinol (real vitamin A), which is an essential nutrient for this process.
For most people today, copper is, in fact, missing in action because we don’t have enough of it, and iron, rather than being deficient, is stuck (dysfunctional) in our tissues.
It is this lack of copper that causes iron to become stuck and accumulate where it does not belong, especially in cells called “recycling macrophages” that are key to proper iron recycling and healthy copper/iron metabolism.
When the body produces heme, at the end of that process, there are eight enzymes that are involved. Four of them are active outside of the mitochondria, and four of them perform their tasks inside the mitochondrial copper matrix. The four inside the mitochondria all require copper, and the last one is the most important. Copper is a major and understood player in the actions of the mitochondria, especially the mitochondria of these critical erythroid cells that are creating new blood 24/7. Copper is essential for three key steps in the process to make these new blood cells: 1) make energy; 2) make {Fe-S] Clusters, and 3] make Heme.
We cannot make new blood without the active and regulatory role of copper.
We need optimal levels of copper to prevent the activation of HIF-2a, and the unexpected release of iron into the bloodstream, and ultimately into the tissues all over the body.
And finally,
We need optimal levels of copper to prevent the build-up of iron in the tissues that then leads to the relentless tug-of-war that invariably happens inside our bodies between our metabolism and the pathogens living, replicating and thriving on that excess, unbound iron in our tissues and organs. Pasteur forgot to tell us that the pathogens thrive on iron!
Iron overload can induce mild copper deficiency: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0946672X01800092
High-Iron Consumption Impairs Growth and Causes Copper-Deficiency Anemia in Weanling Sprage-Dawley Rats: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4990348
And copper lowers iron:
Copper supplementation reverses dietary iron overload-induced pathologies in mice: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6467079/
Excess iron causes copper deficiency, and leads to neuropathy or the other conditions associated with copper deficiency.
CERULOPLASMIN
The average practitioner has never heard that word before. Since its discovery, ceruloplasmin has been revealed to be the master “multi-copper protein.” It has an “active” and an “inactive” state, or is measured via its “enzyme activity,” or its levels of “immunoreactive protein.”
In its active state, ceruloplasmin contains up to eight copper atoms, several of which surround a molecule of oxygen (O2). But only the inactive state is measured by commercial labs, using the serum ceruloplasmin blood test. Outside of research studies, there are no commercial labs that measure the active state.
Ceruloplasmin protein is one of the biggest proteins in the body. This is not hepcidin. We’re not talking about insulin; we’re talking about 1,160 amino acids. It’s not the biggest protein, it’s one of the biggest proteins and it’s a tank because it’s got eight coppers inside it. All 8 coppers are needed for ceruloplasmin.
The real problem with ceruloplasmin is that it has 20 copper binding sets. This means that it can express 20 different functions.
When you’re talking about a protein that can express many different enzyme functions, that regulates iron and oxygen, that prevents oxidative stress, which is the very harbinger of all chronic disease, when you’ve got a metal that runs the shell, that’s the general, what are you going to do? You’re going to flip it.
You’re going to tell people, “You’re anemic, and you’re copper toxic. Be careful of retinol because it’s going to cause vitamin A toxicity.”
If people believe that copper is toxic, and vitamin A is toxic, then they have a long way to go in their research to understand what’s really going on. There’s way more to the story than what appears in mainstream circles.
MAKE YOUR OWN COPPER SULFATE SUPPLEMENT
Buy pure copper sulfate pentahydrate blue salt crystals (amazon.com) or anywhere that copper sulfate is sold. At 99.9% purity, with 25% contained copper. That's as pure as things get. It is both pharma- and food-grade. It is sold in 1,5, and 10 pound bags A 1 lb. bag costs $5 and should last you 10 - 20 years even if you take a lot of it!
To make a solution, of 1 mg of contained copper per liquid drop:
Measure out 5 x 1/4 teaspoons (1 1/4 TSP.) of copper sulfate crystals into a 4 oz. bottle. The actual measurement is 9.4 grams of copper sulfate pentahydrate. Copper sulfate pentahydrate is 25% actually copper.
Remember, 1 drop = 1 mg...
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