Copper

Role of Copper in your body:

Energy production, female reproductive system, blood formation.

Important in circulatory, structure of blood vessels, aorta and heart muscle, blood - formation of haemoglobin, nervous system - maintenance of the myelin sheath on nerves, reproductive - essential for fertility, menstrual cycle, endocrine - synthesis of stimulatory neurotransmitters, muscular/skeletal - bone and connective tissue structure, immune system - necessary for the immune system, integumentary - needed for skin, hair, nails and pigments, energy - energy production (the electron transport system).

Copper Deficiency Symptoms: anaemia, atherosclerosis, fatigue, demyelisation of nerves, diarrhea, edema, hair loss, impaired collagen formation, low hormone production, low on hair colour, osteoporosis.

Copper Excess Symptoms: Acne, adrenal insufficiency, allergies, alopecia, anaemia, anorexia, anxiety, arthritis, autism, cholesterol, elevated, cancer, cystic fibrosis, depression - mental, diabetes, estrogen (imbalance), fatigue, fears, fractures - bone, headaches (migraine), haemorrhages, heart disease, hyperactivity, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, hypoglycaemia, infections, inflammation, insomnia, mind racing, mood swings, multiple sclerosis, myocardial infarction, nausea, pancreatic dysfunction, premenstrual tension, schizophrenia, sexual inadequacy, spaciness, strokes, tooth decay, urinary tract infections, vitamin deficiencies.

Synergetic Nutrients - Absorption - proteins

Antagonistic Nutrients
- Absorption - zinc, manganese, iron, calcium, molybdenum, sulfur, mercury, cadmium, vitamin C
Metabolic - zinc, vitamin C, vitamin B6, sulfur, molybdenum, manganese, iron

Hair Analysis Notes

Biounavailable copper: Often copper status can be tricky to assess. Copper may be present, but unavailable for use in the body. This occurs any time adrenal gland activity is low.

Copper and Oxidation Type: Fast oxidizers generally are deficient in copper, while slow oxidizers usually have either high copper or bio-unavailable copper.

Hidden Copper Toxicity: Copper is often normal on hair tests, but may actually be locked in body tissues.

Reasons For Supplementation with Copper
To raise low sodium/potassium.
To enhance retention of calcium in tissues.

Sources:

Seafood - oysters, crabs, bluefish, perch, lobster
Nuts/seeds - almonds, pecans, walnuts, fiberts, brazils, sesame, sunflower, pistachio
Vegetables - soybeans
Grains - wheat germ and bran
Miscellaneous - yeast, gelatin, bone meal, corn oil, margarine, mushrooms, chocolate
Other sources - copper water pipes, copper sulfate added to drinking water, copper compounds used in swimming pools, mineral supplements (especially pre-natal vitamins), copper cookware and tea kettles, birth control pills, copper intrauterine devices, vegetarian diets, stress, exhaustion of the adrenal glands.

Many children are born today with excessive copper levels passed to them from their mothers in utero.

Supplementary Vitamins used to lower Copper:
vitamin C, vitamin B3, vitamin B6, folic acid

The Effects of Copper on Personality

Key words: gentleness, intuitiveness, fertility, emotionality, a feminine mineral

Low Copper: lack of emotional response, (very low hair copper - less than 10 ppm - often indicates hidden high copper, especially in slow oxidizers)

High Copper: gentle, childlike innocence, sensitive, artistic; in excess - effeminate, sentimental, childish, fearful, ‘spacey’, depressed, mood swings, and serious mental disorders including schizophrenia, panic attacks, hallucinations, violent behavior and psychosis.

Interaction Chart