NUTRITIONAL BALANCING AND
HAIR TISSUE MINERAL ANALYSIS
by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

(originally published in Explore, For the Professional, Vol. 12, #2, 2003 and updated December 2009.  © L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc.)

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.  It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Abstract

A synthesis of concepts.  Nutritional balancing science is a unique synthesis of concepts forming a powerful healing method for a toxic and depleted humanity.  It incorporates the stress theory of disease, metabolic typing, trace mineral research and natural healing principles.  For 14 years, the author was privileged to work with its developer, Dr. Paul C. Eck.

Nutritional balancing different from most symptomatic approaches to healing.  It is to be distinguished from symptomatic nutrition. This, like all symptomatic therapy, is fine as far as it goes. However, it often misses, suppresses or masks systemic dysfunctions, allowing them to worsen until a more serious condition develops.  Symptomatic nutrition will always have a role, especially in acute illness.  However, when it is the main focus one misses the larger picture and shortchanges the patient.

Most nutrition practiced is symptomatic, including chelating heavy metals, eliminating candida infections, killing parasites, treating leaky gut syndrome and most use of herbal remedies. Nutritional balancing is concerned less with specific conditions while placing more emphasis on patterns of system response. Correct these and many problems improve at the same time. Most important, many undetected imbalances and latent conditions improve as well.

ELEMENTS OF NUTRITIONAL BALANCING SCIENCE

General Systems Theory. Life is basically about systems theory, although this is a very advanced way to view it.  Systems theory describes how living systems are organized to maintain their functioning in the face of continuous stress. A law of systems theory is the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. One cannot understand the whole by understanding its parts. However, understanding behaviors of the whole system and some of its parts, one can determine the behavior of other parts.

Conventional medicine and other symptomatic approaches deal mainly with parts. Nutritional balancing focuses on behaviors of the whole human system.

Cybernetics. The human body is a prime example of a self-regulating system (1).  Its communication and control mechanisms include homeostatic states, adaptations and feedback loops.  Self-regulating systems consist of unstable elements maintained in equilibrium or homeostatic states. The body optimizes its performance by altering thousands of delicate balances second by second in response to internal and external conditions.

Balances in the body include muscle contraction and relaxation, organ hyperfunction and hypofunction and nervous excitation and relaxation. Information-processing networks including the nervous system, hormonal and other regulatory mechanisms control the balances. Survival depends on accurate information and adaptability.

Self-regulating systems have goals or teleology. The most basic goals of human organisms are to survive and to produce energy used for all other functions and activities. Helping the human system achieve its goals is the purpose of all healing work.

From this perspective, symptoms are behaviors of the whole system doing its best to optimize its performance under varying conditions. For example, if excessive sympathetic tone restricts blood flow, blood pressure may increase to force more blood through the arteries. Hypertension can be viewed as a dynamic adaptation to stress, not a static "disease".

Autonomic Balance. An important behavior of the human system was researched by Melvin Page, DDS (2).  He found that some people are what he called sympathetic dominant while others are parasympathetic dominant. Each have their own health challenges. Often the same illness can occur in both types, but for different reasons.

For example, thyroid hormone lowers calcium, particularly in relation to phosphorus. Dr. Page used the serum calcium level to assess the autonomic balance and noted the effects of foods such as sugar on the mineral balance.

The sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system is the emergency fight-or-flight response. It activates the thyroid and adrenal glands, shuts down digestion and the immune system, and is catabolic. Sympathetic dominance means the emergency system operates excessively. This eventually leads to tissue and organ breakdown and death.

The parasympathetic branch is anabolic, activating digestion, the immune system and the eliminative organs. The parasympathetic system is nourishing, nurturing and life-restoring.

Sympathetic dominant people live in the past or future, with guilt, fear and anxiety. Parasympathetic dominant people live in the present, and are more content. Stress from fatigue, poor diet, toxic metals and chemicals, unresolved emotional issues or other sources sends the body into a sympathetic response. Once there, the pattern is often self-reinforcing. One feels ill and blames oneself or others, which places further stress on the system.

Breaking the pattern and becoming parasympathetic is essential for healing. In addition to reducing physical, chemical and emotional stress, counseling, meditation, warm baths, saunas, music and many other relaxing therapies may be helpful.

The Stress Theory Of Disease. Hans Selye, MD made an incredible contribution to medical science with the stress theory of disease (3).  It is systems theory combined with modern biochemistry. Its value is unappreciated because conventional medicine and many holistic physicians view the body in less than a total system fashion.

The theory describes how all organisms respond to stress. Dr. Selye shocked rats and wrote about the changes in tissues, organs and glandular activity as animals responded to ever-increasing amounts of stress. He discovered total-system responses that occur regardless of the type of stress. He divided them into alarm, resistance and exhaustion stages.

Essentially Dr. Selye forced animals into a sympathetic response and observed the changes in their biochemistry. He discovered that each stage of stress has its own biochemical parameters, qualities and health conditions. Ideally, one remains in an early stage of stress most of one’s life to enjoy excellent health.

Oxidation Types. Dr. George Watson, a researcher at UCLA, stumbled on another behavior of the human system related to diet and nutritional supplements. He discovered that people could be divided into what he called oxidation types. He based this on blood and odor tests. He experimented with foods and nutrients to find which were beneficial for each type. This was a brilliant contribution, a biochemical exploration of the ancient concept of metabolic types. Oxidation types are in fact homeostatic states or adaptations to stress. Dr. Watson, however, did not connect his discoveries to Dr. Selye’s stages of stress or to general systems theory.

Dr. Watson found that fast oxidizers need more fats and oils in their diets, and are adversely affected by carbohydrates, particularly simple carbohydrates. They also require more calcium, magnesium, copper, zinc and vitamins A and D. Equally important for these individuals are to avoid excessive B-complex vitamins or vitamin C, which lowers copper and speeds up the oxidation rate.

Slow oxidizers tolerate less fats and oils, but need more protein in their diets. They also require more B-complex vitamins and vitamins C and E. Excessive amounts of vitamins A and D, for example, are detrimental for this type. Dr. Watson discovered this empirically and explained his findings in terms of the relative efficiency of the citric acid and glycolysis cycles in each person. Although there is much more to metabolic types, Dr. Watson’s contribution is valuable. He wrote two very readable books, Nutrition and Your Mind (4) and Personality Strength and Psychochemical Energy (5).

Babies have very fast oxidation rates. Ideally, the rate should slowly decrease until in adulthood it is slightly fast and remains so for most of life. At the end of one’s life, the rate slows as the body goes into exhaustion. Most people, however, go into slow oxidation and exhaustion much sooner, at times while still in childhood.

Entire nations are in an exhaustion state. Western Europe, for example, is more exhausted than America. This may be due to traditions that inhibit free expression. Exhausted people do not want to take risks and want their government to take care of them, as in the socialist nations of Western Europe.

The Mineral Wheel. Another fascinating systems concept is the interaction of minerals within living organisms. The original mineral wheel was a diagram showing how the levels of minerals affect each other in plants. Dr. William Albrecht, Chairman of the Department of Soils at the University of Missouri, developed the mineral wheel (6).  He could change sick crops into healthy ones by varying the levels of minerals in the soil. His research contributed heavily to modern organic farming.

Biounavailability. Another key systems principle that arose from agricultural science is that an element may be present, but not usable by a plant or animal. One may need to supplement a mineral or other substance in order to make another mineral biologically available. This principle has great application in human health, as even those with the best diets may develop deficiencies if minerals are biounavailable. It is also a key to hair analysis interpretation, as otherwise test results create confusion.

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis. Dr. Paul C. Eck was a mineral researcher who synthesized Dr. Selye’s stages of stress, Dr. Watson’s oxidation types, the parasympathetic and sympathetic concepts of Dr. Melvin Page and Dr. Albrecht’s mineral wheel, adapting it for use in human beings (7).

Dr. Eck added another element, a way of assessing the human system by analyzing the balance of minerals in a body tissue. He used the new research tool of hair mineral testing. He founded Analytical Research Laboratories in 1975. Sampling hair is easy and non-invasive and the biopsy material easy to store and transport. The technology for mineral analysis is also well-established.

With minerals permanently locked inside, hair leaves a clear record of mineral metabolism at the time the hair was formed. Excess minerals and other chemicals are eliminated through the hair. If a mineral is deficient, less is allowed to be deposited in the hair. Testing is inexpensive, accurate and reliable when samples are not washed at the laboratory.

Detecting deficient minerals and replacing them is called replacement therapy. Dr. Eck found early on this is not effective. Instead, he learned to use the test to develop a metabolic blueprint of how the body is responding to stress. One assesses the metabolic type, stage of stress and other system characteristics. One applies the biochemistry of the metabolic type and stage of stress to recommend foods, nutrients and lifestyle to move the body to a healthier state.

One is not interested in the "total body load" of a mineral. In fact, one may supplement a mineral such as manganese when the hair level is high. Manganese may be biounavailable, meaning present but not usable. A supplement in available form may be required to activate an enzyme system. A mineral that reads low may not be supplemented. It may be present in excess, but hidden in an organ or tissue and not revealed in the hair.

Dr. Eck also incorporated natural healing concepts such as retracing reactions, layers of pathology, effects of toxic metals and others. Together these elements are the basis for nutritional balancing science. I was fortunate to spend 14 years apprenticing with Dr. Eck.

COMBINING THE ELEMENTS

The following is Dr. Eck’s basic synthesis of biological systems concepts. One begins nutritional balancing by sampling the hair and sending it to a laboratory that does not wash it. One assesses the stage of stress and oxidation type from the ratios of calcium to potassium and sodium to magnesium. Mineral ratios, he found, are more accurate for this than levels (8).

A calcium/potassium ratio less than 4:1 and a sodium/magnesium ratio greater than 4.17:1 indicate a fast oxidation rate. This corresponds to an alarm stage of stress. The pattern is shown in figure 1. Unless the oxidation rate is extremely fast, these individuals’ autonomic nervous systems are usually fairly balanced, as they are in an early stage of stress.

If, however, the sodium/potassium ratio is less than 2.5:1, the pattern is termed a fast oxidizer with an inversion (inverted ratio). This is not true fast oxidation and is associated with a resistance or exhaustion stage of stress. This is shown in figure 2.

A calcium/potassium ratio greater than 4:1 but less than 10:1 and a sodium/magnesium ratio less than 4.17:1 but greater than 1:1 defines a slow oxidation rate. This roughly corresponds to a resistance stage of stress. An example is shown in figure 3.

A calcium/potassium ratio greater than 10:1 and a sodium/magnesium ratio less than 1:1 indicates a very slow oxidation rate. This corresponds to Dr. Selye’s exhaustion stage of stress as shown in figure 4. The determinations are not identical to those of Dr. Watson, who used blood and odor tests. However, hair assessment is most useful and often more so.

Most of the time, both ratios indicate fast or slow oxidation. However, if one ratio indicates fast oxidation and the other indicates slow, the pattern is called a mixed oxidizer. This temporary and unstable pattern is shown in figure 5. With corrective therapy, mixed oxidation resolves into fast or slow often within three months. A mixed oxidation pattern that is closer to fast is called a fast-mixed oxidizer. A mixed pattern closer to slow is called slow-mixed oxidation.

When calcium is less than 40 mg%, magnesium less than 6 mg%, sodium less than 25 mg% and potassium less than 10 mg%, the pattern is called four low electrolytes. This is shown in figure 6. It corresponds to Dr. Watson’s sub-oxidizer and is a special type of exhaustion stage of stress.

Assessing the electrolyte patterns is a major part of nutritional balancing. Mastering how to read the electrolyte ratios, one can more clearly understand symptoms, trace element levels and toxic metals from a biological systems perspective.

LABORATORY WASHING

Washing hair samples at a laboratory unpredictably removes water-soluble elements. This alters the electrolyte readings and prevents accurate assessment of key mineral ratios.  Only two commercial laboratories, Trace Elements, Inc. and Accutrace or Analytical Research Labs do not wash the hair. The others wash it between three and ten minutes with solvents such as acetone or alcohol, detergents such as Triton X, or both.  Do not use Trace Elements, Inc., however, because they are not as careful, their products are not as good, and their corrective programs are terrible.

Laboratories that wash the hair claim it is needed to remove contaminants. Laboratories that do not wash maintain it is usually unnecessary and creates more problems than it solves. Whether to wash hair at the laboratory is not a new issue.  It was explored in a study published in the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine (9) and other studies.  Washing erratically removed water-soluble minerals from hair samples.

In a study published in the Journal of the AMA in 2001 (10) , the authors concluded hair analysis was a fraud because hair samples from the same person sent to six laboratories yielded varying results. The JAMA study was poor because it only involved one person. Much more importantly, a critical finding was overlooked. Readings from the two labs that did not wash the hair were identical for six of nine elements tested and extremely close for all others. This is excellent reliability and supports the exact opposite of the authors’ conclusion. It also brings to light the problem of hair washing.

The laboratories whose readings varied are among the best-known in the industry. I was disappointed that several of them rebutted the JAMA study by basically stating their procedure is best and everyone else is
wrong.

ENDOGENOUS AND EXOGENOUS MINERALS

Laboratories that wash the hair claim it only removes ‘exogenous’ mineral.  However, hair is 10-15% porous. Thus, solvents and detergents penetrate the hair and must wash out a percentage of the soluble elements.  Since porosity varies among individuals, the amount washed out will also vary randomly.  Removing an unknown percentage of the total mineral content shifts the relative percentages of all the minerals, skewing many readings.  Electrolytes and trace elements are most affected.

Hair washing is based on a study of antelope hair that was soaked in radioactive sodium.  Ninety minutes of washing were required to remove all the sodium (11). However, no hair analysis lab washes the hair even close to 90 minutes, meaning they partially wash out an unknown percentage of the ‘exogenous’ mineral.

For the metabolic assessment we use and recommend, be sure to use a laboratory that does not wash the hair. Sodium and potassium readings are critical for test interpretation and are most affected by washing. Having reviewed over 15,000 mineral tests, experience also confirms unwashed samples are most accurate for metabolic assessment. If a sample comes in dirty, I ask for a new sample.

Some people ask how laboratory washing differs from washing the hair while bathing.  Most people spend only 10-30 seconds with the hair under a shower. Also, shampoos are much milder than the solvents and detergents used by the laboratories. While on the head, some re-equilibration also occurs after bathing. This cannot occur at a laboratory.

REFERENCE RANGES OR IDEALS

Another important laboratory issue is whether to use reference ranges or ideal levels and ratios.  Reference ranges are a statistical method used in the allopathic paradigm that asserts that health is the absence of a diagnosable disease.  This definition produces a ‘range of normal’. It occurs because people who are about to develop cancer or a heart attack, but with no definable disease, tend to have different ‘normals’ than those in superb health. In the allopathic model, all are averaged together to form the common bell curve of laboratory normals.

Ideal values are based on the wellness paradigm. Health is defined not as the absence of disease, but as a set of specific criteria, like the specifications of an engine. If a body is ‘out of spec’, it is in poorer health and more likely to develop illness.

In this paradigm, reference ranges are often worse than useless. One needs much clearer standards. I often review hair tests from ill and frustrated patients whose doctor said they are fine as all their numbers fall within the reference range. The problem is the reference range.

Only one lab I am aware of, Analytical Research Labs, provides ideal hair mineral levels and ratios. The other labs offer reference ranges and perhaps mean or median levels. These, however, are not ideals. One cannot average readings from people in mediocre health to arrive at an ideal.

The issue of reference ranges versus ideals is philosophical as well as clinical. Will hair analysis conform to the allopathic notion that health is just the absence of disease, or will it embrace the wellness paradigm? I believe health care costs will continue out of control until we switch to the wellness model. Waiting for diseases to develop is costly and quite insane.

DERIVING IDEALS AND REFERENCE RANGES

Most laboratories derive their reference ranges from their clients. Some cross-check to see if their clients have diagnosed diseases, but others do not. Thus reference ranges may represent averages of people in poor to terrible health.

To derive ideal values, the problem is finding healthy individuals. Dr. Eck used athletes in the peak of conditioning to establish his ideal values. However, even some athletes are not well, as evidenced by sudden deaths and other health problems among this group.

Varied washing procedures and different methods used to establish normals produce differing reference ranges among laboratories. The JAMA hair analysis study mentioned that one laboratory considered a reading elevated, while another laboratory called the same reading low. Dr. Eck’s ideal values work well except that some toxic metal ideals should be lower. This is an important research subject.

CASE HISTORY

A case history can demonstrate common mineral patterns and how to interpret them.  Martha, a 43-year old school teacher, suffered from fatigue, anxiety, anger, mood swings, depression and premenstrual tension. She also had low blood pressure, hypogycemia, joint pain, hair loss and difficulty sleeping.  She is a recovering alcoholic, and runs or bicycles four times a week.  If she skips a few days, she feels depressed and achy. She took B-complex vitamins, liquid calcium, a multiple vitamin, acidophilus and glucosamine and chrondroitin.  She also took 50 mg of Zoloft for depression.

Slow Metabolism.  Martha’s initial hair mineral analysis revealed extremely elevated calcium and magnesium with low sodium and potassium. This indicates a very slow oxidation rate and an exhaustion stage of stress. It is associated with adrenal depletion and impaired thyroid activity.  Adrenal hypoactivity is associated with a low tissue sodium level.  Aldosterone produced by the adrenals raises the sodium level. About 90% of the adult population are slow oxidizers. Weak adrenals are associated with fatigue, allergies, joint pain, depression, low blood pressure and low blood sugar.

Thyroid Complexity. Thyroid activity lowers calcium in the tissues. Elevated tissue calcium, as was shown on Martha’s hair analysis, is associated with impaired thyroid activity and sympathetic nervous system exhaustion.    

However, the picture is more complex.  Elevated calcium and magnesium stabilize cell membranes, impairing cell permeability. This can reduce hormone transport into cells, decreasing cellular thyroid effects, even when serum levels are normal or high. In addition, the entire slow oxidation pattern can be an adaptation to fatigue, as Martha exceeded her physical exercise capability. The body may slow the thyroid to force her to rest.

Even with tighter TSH ranges, assessing thyroid difficulties can be tricky.  Toxic metals such as mercury can stimulate hormone production.  Excess copper, synthetic chlorides and fluorides decrease thyroid activity. Most people have some of each. This is why a whole systems approach to healing is almost always best, except perhaps with diseases like cancer that need a more targeted approach at first.  For this reason, I do not recommend nutritional balancing science for cancer, or for any very fast moving condition such as a heart attack or stroke, for example.  Here are more symptomatic approach is needed until the person is stabilized and can then undertake a deeper healing program in a relaxed way.

Inflammation. Martha had an extremely high sodium/potassium ratio.  Her ratio was 14:1 while the ideal is 2.5:1.  This is associated with pain, anger and a predominance of pro-inflammatory hormones in relation to anti-inflammatory hormones. Sodium is associated with aldosterone, a pro-inflammatory hormone. Potassium is associated with cortisol, an anti-inflammatory hormone. A high sodium/potassium ratio is also an indicator of sympathetic dominance.

Glucose Tolerance. Martha’s very low potassium level was associated with low cortisol production and chronic low blood sugar. Common symptoms are cravings for sweets and inability to skip meals.  Cortisol raises blood sugar by converting protein to glucose (gluconeogenesis).

A reactive type of hypoglycemia occurs more commonly in fast oxidizers. They burn their food rapidly. If they eat excessive carbohydrates, especially sugars, large fluctuations in blood sugar occur quickly. Fats help stabilize their blood sugar.

Hair test numbers also relate to diabetes.  Zinc is required to produce, release and extend the action of insulin. Calcium inhibits insulin release while magnesium enhances it. Chromium enables insulin to attach to cell walls to facilitate transport of glucose into the cells. Insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes is a chromium deficiency aggravated by a high-carbohydrate diet and other factors. Manganese is required in the mitochondria for ATP production.

Toxic metals such as cadmium, mercury, lead and others interfere with carbohydrate metabolism. Excess copper and cadmium interfere with zinc. This contributes to pancreatic diabetes (Type 1). A high tissue sodium is associated with adrenal diabetes. Mercury can contribute to pituitary diabetes.

Deficiencies of trace minerals are extremely common. Hair analysis allows one to replenish them effectively without unbalancing the mineral system. For example, iron and other metals replace chromium in enzyme binding sites. A chromium supplement alone usually will not reverse insulin resistance. One must address the entire system and raise the energy level to enable the body to replace unwanted minerals with chromium.

When the sodium/potassium ratio is less than 2:1, glucose cannot be burned efficiently, causing the body to consume some of its own proteins for energy. A calcium/magnesium ratio greater than 9:1 or a phosphorus level less than 14 mg% often indicate excessive consumption of carbohydrate foods.

Osteoporosis. When calcium and magnesium are very high, calcium is being lost into the tissues. If this continues for years, osteoporosis can result. Also, women who exercise heavily have more bone loss. Correction of this pattern can prevent or even reverse bone loss.

A Calcium Shell. Martha’s calcium level of 245 mg% far exceeds the ideal of 40 mg%. A calcium level over about 170-200 mg% is called a calcium shell. It is associated with psychological withdrawal and depression. Calcium depresses the central nervous system by raising the voltage at which nerve cells fire and by stabilizing cell membranes. This can be a psychological defense mechanism to protect one from overwhelming stress.

Trace Minerals. Martha’s trace element levels were somewhat low. Zinc was notably low at 13 mg%.  Zinc is required for over 50 functions and lowers the sodium/potassium ratio. Phosphorus was 11 mg%.  Phosphorus levels, according to Dr. Eck’s research, reflects protein synthesis and should be at least 14. When lower, protein intake is inadequate, the type of protein is improper, or protein digestion or synthesis are impaired. When phosphorus is low, one does not rebuild tissue rapidly enough. A catabolic state ensues with chronic health problems and retarded healing.

Hidden Copper Toxicity. Although Martha’s copper level was within a normal range, when calcium is high and potassium low, excess copper is present in the body.  This is common.  Excess copper accumulates in the brain, liver, female organs and elsewhere, but often not in the hair.

Copper imbalance can contribute to joint pain, hair loss, easy bruising and canker sores. Copper stimulates the biogenic amines, epinephrine and dopamine and is associated with racing thoughts and insomnia. Copper stimulates the diencephalon or ’emotional brain’ and excess is associated with intensification of anxiety, depression and mood swings. Estrogen levels correlate with copper levels. Copper imbalance is associated with premenstrual tension and symptoms are almost identical.

Copper and Candida Albicans. Copper kills fungus and yeast infections. Fruits and vegetables are commonly sprayed with copper sulfate to kill fungal infections. When copper is unavailable in the body, yeast overgrowth often occurs. Medication can keep it under control, but it will not go away until copper balance improves. Candida overgrowth may contribute to sweet cravings, fatigue, indigestion and other symptoms.

Other Toxic Metals. Martha’s mercury level was 0.05 mg%. I consider this excessive, although the laboratory may report it within normal range (12).  Mercury should ideally not be higher than about 0.01 or 0.02 mg%. 

Other toxic metals are likely present as well, but are hidden at this time.  In the exhaustion stage of stress one’s energy level is low and removing toxic metals is difficult. They remain sequestered in body tissues. Retest mineral analyses may reveal them as energy improves and they are eliminated through the hair. Slow oxidizers accumulate more toxic substances due to sluggish organs of elimination and impaired circulation, digestion and oxygenation.

BIOCHEMICAL CORRECTION

Correction in nutritional balancing science always involves several elements used together in combination:

1) Diet. Martha required a slow oxidizer diet, which includes protein with every meal, or at least twice daily.  Cooked vegetables must also be eaten in large quantities several times daily to supply many nutrients.  10-12 ounces of carrot juice is also excellent, but no more and no other juices or raw foods are needed or helpful.

Martha was eating a fair amount of raisins, a cup of coffee, fruit smoothies and snacks of pretzels, fruit and cookies.  These are not acceptable. Dried fruit, juices, coffee and excessive snacking upset the blood sugar which further stresses the adrenals.  Wheat in any form such as Pretzels is an irritating food today.  Vegetarian diets, though attractive for slow oxidizers, are harmful. They are high in copper, low in zinc and the proteins are deficient in important sulfur amino acids.

The Fast Oxidizer Diet. If Martha had been a fast oxidizer, her diet would include fats and oils with every meal and very few carbohydrates. Fast oxidizers burn food rapidly and generally handle fats well. Fats digest and burn slowly, helping to reduce the oxidation rate. Carbohydrates burn too quickly and further speed up fast oxidation. Simple carbohydrates are among the worst foods for these individuals as they burn very quickly. Eating them greatly increases the insulin level and can lead to Syndrome X, now called Metabolic Syndrome. More information about fast and slow oxidizer diets is contained in Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis.(13)

2) Drinking water.  Most everyone seems to do best on 3 quarts or more of steam distilled water for about 3-6 months.  Then everyone should drink spring water as the primary beverage.  More information about drinking water is available at Water For Drinking.

3) Supplementary Nutrients. Supplements recommended for Martha included 50 mg/day of B-complex to enhance the oxidation rate and 100 mg of zinc daily for two months to lower the sodium/potassium ratio. This is more zinc than most people receive. I suggested it due to the extremely high sodium/potassium ratio. In the mineral system, zinc lowers sodium. Three tablets per meal of pancreatin and ox bile were recommended to assist protein digestion and liver detoxification.

I also suggested 600 mg of pantothenic acid to assist the adrenals. Normally, one would also recommend adrenal glandular and more B-complex for the adrenals. In this case, however, enhancing Martha’s energy might have lead her to exercise even more, which I wanted to discourage. When she had clearly decided to rest, then more adrenal-enhancing supplements were given.

Selenium and Renamide,  kidney glandular product and kidney support formula can help greatly to reduce mercury, cadmium, lead and nickel toxicity.  In nutritional balancing science, Dr. Eck never recommended EDTA, DMSA or DMPS or even NDF, Metal-free or other “natural” metal removal products, however. They can be toxic, can redistribute toxic metals in the body and appear to be unnecessary in almost all cases.

Supplementary calcium and magnesium are very important with this mineral pattern. Martha’s elevated calcium is a loss into the soft tissues such as the hair. Her body is unable to maintain calcium in an ionized state in the blood. This is due to low tissue sodium and potassium needed to solubilize calcium. The situation is somewhat like hard water. Calcium precipitates, eventually depositing in joints, arteries and elsewhere. Dr. Selye described this phenomenon in his book, Calciphylaxis.

Supplementing about 1200 mg of calcium and 800 mg of magnesium daily does not stop the problem of calcium precipitation. It compensates, however, to help prevent osteoporotic changes. It also helps relax muscles and the nervous system, and the patients often sleep better. Correction of the problem requires restoring adequate adrenal and thyroid activity which raises the tissue sodium and potassium levels.

3) Lifestyle. Lifestyle changes were critical for Martha.  She used exercise as a drug.  It pumped up her adrenals for a day or two, providing a ‘cortisone high’.  This stopped her joint pain and depression for a short time.   The high was also caused by the release of chemicals during cell death.   Since exercise was stimulating rather than nourishing her glands, the effect wore off and soon she needed another exercise ‘fix’.  Exercise addiction is very common among exhausted, sympathetic dominant slow oxidizers.

Martha also used coffee and anger to stimulate her exhausted adrenal glands. I discussed how this occurs and the need to rest and nourish the glands rather than use exercise, emotions or stress to stimulate them. It required a significant lifestyle change, but one well worth the effort for her to reduce her exercise, stop drinking coffee and use a meditation exercise suggested by Mr. Roy Masters of the Foundation of Human Understanding (www.fhu.com) to reduce anger.

Hectic schedules, excessive fear, worry, anger and resentments prevent many people from getting well.

Other ways to inhibit the sympathetic nervous system include meditation, becoming more gentle with oneself, slowing one’s eating, talking and other activities and focusing more on being rather than doing.

4) Detoxification procedures were also recommended for Martha.  Near infrared sauna therapy powerfully moves the body into a more parasympathetic or relaxed state required for all healing.  Sauna therapy also activates the skin, disables microbes, decongests the organs of elimination and enhances oxygenation of the tissues.  Infrared energy acts as an anti-oxidant and can decouple toxins from water molecules.

To obtain these benefits, an electric light near infrared sauna is most powerful, although other types of saunas could be used as well.  Slow oxidizers need sauna sessions daily, if at all possible, but at least three times per week or even twice daily for 30 to 40 minutes.  Those who are debilitated, heat sensitive or have a heart condition should start with less time and fewer sessions per week.  Fast oxidizers require a little less time in a sauna as they sweat more easily and their basal body temperature is higher.

Those who have used LSD or other psychedelic drugs should have someone present during sauna sessions in case a flashback occurs as stored drugs are released. Pregnant women and children under five should avoid saunas. For complete information about saunas, see the book, Sauna Therapy (14).

I also recommended coffee enemas for Martha, although she did not want to do these.  They can clear hundreds of toxic chemicals and two dozen toxic metals from her body faster than any other detoxification procedure I am aware of, especially when combined with the intense daily sauna therapy.

OTHER INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM A HAIR ANALYSIS

Assessing Toxicity. In my experience, everyone has excess toxic metals and chemicals, including young children who are born with them. More important than identifying toxic metals, hair analysis can assess the ability to eliminate all toxins and one’s overall toxicity level.

Slow oxidizers are more toxic and less able to eliminate toxins than fast oxidizers. Slow oxidizers require more time to detoxify and a more intense program. Fast oxidizers often show higher toxic metals levels on hair tests. They are not more toxic. However, they eliminate metals better. Extremely slow or extremely fast oxidizers eliminate worse as their energy is lower.

A sodium/potassium ratio less than 2:1 indicates an impaired ability to eliminate toxins. It also indicates a tendency for chronic infections that contribute toxins to the body. A phosphorus level less than 14 mg% indicates impaired protein synthesis, often due to poor digestion. Imperfectly digested food results in internally-generated toxicity. Elevated hair calcium or a low sodium/potassium ratio are associated with copper toxicity. This is true regardless of the copper reading. Excess mercury usually accompanies copper toxicity whether or not mercury is elevated.

Excess copper, manganese, iron, aluminum, lead, beryllium and cadmium accumulate in the liver, impairing its detoxification ability. Cadmium, mercury, nickel, barium and arsenic accumulate in the kidneys, impairing their detoxification capacity. All can impair the skin’s ability to eliminate. The sympathetic response causes blood to stagnate in the internal organs. A high sodium/potassium ratio is associated with sympathetic dominance, congestion of internal organs and impaired skin elimination.

I consider lead elevated if the level is over 0.09 mg%. Cadmium over 0.01 mg% is too high. Arsenic over 0.01 mg% may be considered elevated. Aluminum greater than 0.2 mg% and manganese over 0.04 mg% may be excessive. Iron greater than 1.9 mg% may also be excessive. Normal values used by the laboratories tend to be a little high on some toxic metals.

Balancing Glandular Activity. Hair analysis can be extremely helpful to assess glandular tissue effects. This may differ significantly from serum hormone tests, as mentioned earlier in relation to thyroid activity. Hair analysis can often reveal causes for hormone disturbances, such as copper or mercury toxicity, trace element deficiencies or low cellular energy production. Nutritional balancing is excellent for assessing and guiding correction of adrenal activity.

Enhancing The Energy Level. A high vitality level, or high adaptive energy level is essential for health. Increasing energy production alleviates many conditions. Tissue mineral testing allows one to assess the energy pathway. This is the steps involved in converting food to ATP. Calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, chromium, iron and copper are needed in the energy cycles and electron transport system. Toxic metals interfere with energy production. One can also assess energy efficiency. This is somewhat akin to the tune of an engine. A sluggish or excessive oxidation rate decreases energy efficiency, like pedaling a bicycle too fast or too slow. Other hair analysis indicators also assess the energy system. Glandular balance, carbohydrate tolerance and the levels of zinc, lead and cadmium affect energy production.

Improving Emotions and Behavior. Minerals control neurotransmitters and other neuroactive chemicals. Heavy metals are neurotoxic and powerfully affect behavior (15). Low energy, an imbalanced oxidation rate and carbohydrate intolerance can contribute to emotional disorders.

Nutritional balancing science can identify biochemical factors in about 20 emotional and behavioral conditions. It builds upon and expands the techniques of orthomolecular psychiatry. Conditions that may respond include depression, anxiety, anger, mood swings, phobias, schizophrenia and insomnia. Fatigue, panic attacks, irritability, autism, seizures, attention deficit and other learning disorders may also respond.

Prediction and Prevention. A properly interpreted mineral test can reveal trends for over fifty important conditions. Often tendencies are revealed long before abnormalities show up on standard blood tests or x-rays. This makes mineral analysis a wonderful preventive technique. Once a trend is identified, nutritional correction can begin at once. Prediction and prevention are keys to reducing the epidemic of degenerative diseases and controlling health care costs.

Today one hears a lot about genetics for disease prevention. While interesting, I believe it is a false promise. The focus on genetics supports the old paradigm that illness is "out there", unrelated to how one lives and over which one has no control. Most important is genetic expression. Nutrients activate genes. Deficiencies and toxic metals block transferase and transcriptase enzymes needed for genetic expression.

Reducing Guesswork. Excessive vitamin C and zinc lower copper and can worsens a person’s condition. Excessive B-complex vitamins enhance the oxidation rate making a fast oxidizer more anxious. Nutritional balancing science reduces guesswork, helping avoid important prescribing errors.

Monitoring Progress. Symptoms are not a reliable guide for monitoring progress on a health program. One may feel more tired at times as body chemistry improves. Old infections may flare up as they heal. Aches and pains may return as tissues rebuild.

Repeat mineral analyses can monitor metabolic changes regardless of which therapeutic modalities one employs. This makes it an excellent research tool. Understanding the meaning of symptoms to avoid improper treatment and guide further correction are important reasons for periodic mineral retesting.

Cost Effectiveness. Nutritional balancing offers advanced biochemical assessment and powerful correction of body chemistry at a very affordable price. Hair analysis is less expensive than most standard blood tests.

HAIR VERSUS BLOOD TESTS

Blood tests are excellent for many types of measurements. A properly interpreted hair analysis, however, provides different information. Blood serum has about one tenth the concentration of minerals as hair. In addition, hair mineral levels vary up to 100 times as much as serum levels. For these reasons, hair minerals are easier to measure and patterns easier to detect.

Serum mineral levels are maintained at the expense of the tissues, even in serious illnesses. Excess minerals are deposited in tissues like hair. When deficiencies occur, tissues are robbed of minerals to maintain serum levels. Thus, tissue mineral readings are far more revealing. I do not believe it possible to assess the mineral system as well from blood tests.

Toxic metals are quickly removed from blood and deposited in tissues including hair. Measurement in the blood is not considered reliable. Blood tests provide up-to-the-minute readings. This is important in some instances but may be affected by recent meals, exercise or current emotional stress. Hair provides long-term readings unaffected by daily events. Hair offers cellular measurement while blood is the body’s transport medium. Blood and tissue testing are different with each providing valuable information.

HOW ACCURATE IS HAIR TESTING?

When performed correctly, which includes not washing at the laboratory, mineral analysis is as accurate or more so than many other tests. Spectroscopic analysis is a proven technology in use for over 100 years. Computer-controlled instruments measure accurately in parts per million or per billion. Laboratories use either mass spectrometers or inductively-coupled plasma instruments. Both are excellent.

As with any test, artifacts and sample contamination occasionally occur. Swimming in pools can raise hair sodium and copper. Bathing in softened water can raise sodium. However, the main problem with accuracy arises when laboratories wash the hair.

Commercial laboratories are inspected and licensed by the government, and must adhere to strict standards. Often they are under greater scrutiny than blood laboratories because hair testing is less conventional.

WHY DON’T ALL TOXIC METALS SHOW UP IN THE HAIR?

Hair analysis only measures minerals in the hair. Biopsies of every organ and tissue would be necessary to reveal all toxic metals. EDTA challenge tests can detect more toxic metals, but still miss many of them. Sequestered in internal organs or incorporated into enzymes or body structures, dislodging them is difficult.

After three to six months on a nutritional balancing program, a retest may reveal higher levels of toxic metals. The program enhances one’s ability to remove unwanted minerals. Like rebuilding a house, it cannot be done overnight. I have client records showing detoxification continuing for over 20 years. Infrared sauna therapy speeds up the process.

KEYS TO INTERPRETING A HAIR TEST

Consider a mineral analysis as a whole system, not as individual numbers. Ratios and patterns are more important than mineral levels. Ratios represent relationships and balances in the body. Always to do an energetic assessment when reviewing a hair analysis. Enhancing the patient’s energy permits more rapid healing. All readings are adaptations to stress and occur in layers. Correction involves undoing layers of adaptation. These and other principles are discussed in Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis.

Interpreting hair analyses takes some time to understand. When learning, many practitioners focus on a single mineral such as mercury. Instead, focus on the electrolytes and their ratios, as described earlier. Results will be much better when the test is viewed as reflecting the condition of the entire mind-body system. I hope this brief introduction helps one see the potential of mineral analysis when used to assess system response to stress.  Many articles on this website discuss the various aspects of interpreting hair analysis patterns.

References

1. Weiner, N., The Human Use of Human Beings, Cybernetics and Society, Avon Books, NY, 1954.
2. Page, M., Degeneration-Regeneration, Nutritional Development, FL, 1949,1980.
3.Selye, H., The Stress of Life, Stress Without Distress and other titles.
4. Watson, G., Nutrition and Your Mind, Bantam Books, NY, 1972.
5.Watson, G., Personality Strength and Psychochemical Energy, Harper and Row, NY, 1979.
6. Walters, C., ed, The Albrecht Papers, Acres, USA, Raytown, MO, 1975.
7. See "Interview with Dr. Paul Eck," Healthview Newsletter, #27-29, Eck Institute For Applied Nutrition and Bioenergetics, Ltd.,  Phoenix, AZ 1-800-528-4067.  See also Energy by Colin and Lorin Chatsworth, 1985.
8. Wilson, L., 1986, Determination of Oxidation Type by Means of Tissue Electrolyte Ratios, J Orthomol Med., 1(2):126-131.
9. Leroy, R., 1986, Effects of Washing on Trace Mineral Content of Human Hair, J Orthomol Med., 1(2):120-125.
10. Seidel, S. et al., 2001, Assessment of Commerical Laboratories Performing Hair Mineral Analysis, JAMA, 285(1)Jan3:67-72.
11. Kennington, G.S., 1967, Activation Analysis of Soluble and Fixed Sodium in Mammalian Hair, Science, 4(3)Feb:588-9.
12. See Casdorph, H. and Walker, M., Toxic Metal Syndrome, Avery Publishing, 1995 and Eck, P. and Wilson, L, Toxic Metals in Human Health and Disease, Eck Institute for Applied Nutrition and Bioenergetics, Ltd., AZ, 1989.
13. Wilson, L., Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis, L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc., AZ, 1991, 1998.
14. Wilson, L., Sauna Therapy, L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc., AZ, 2003.
15. Schauss, A., Diet, Crime and Delinquency, Parker House Books, Berkeley, CA, 1981.

Other Resources

The Eck Institute of Applied Nutrition and Bioenergetics, Ltd. offers about 40 articles, seminar tapes and bulletins about nutritional balancing science. Also see www.arltma.com.

Hall, R.H., Food For Naught, The Decline in Nutrition, Vintage Books, NY 1976.

Anderson, M., Empty Harvest: Understanding the Link Between Our Food, Our Immunity and Our Planet, Avery Publishing.

This website (www.drlwilson.com) also has updated articles on a variety of topics related to hair mineral analysis, which I continue to update annually or so.
Metals and the Mind
Posted on April 15, 2009 by Theresa Vernon • 48 Comments

PrintFriendly and PDFPrint - PDF - Email

The one thing we can say about the effect of toxic metals on the mind is that we don’t know much. These metals are hard to detect and difficult to get rid of once you know you have them. That is why you don’t hear much about this subject. I certainly didn’t, even after studying nutrition, herbs and all kinds of natural therapies for years and years. You often hear, “Well, you could have heavy metal toxicity,” but what does that mean? What do you do about it? All I had ever heard about for heavy metal toxicity was chelation and I didn’t like what I heard.

Fortunately, about seven years ago I was contacted by Analytical Research Laboratories, which was founded by Dr. Paul Eck, a biochemist and nutritionist who addressed these issues in a very specific and unusual way. At that time, I had a patient who was not recovering, and I became convinced that she had serious metal problems, so we began doing his protocols, which included hair analysis. It turned out she had the biggest amount of aluminum I had ever seen in anybody. I now know that aluminum causes a lot of chronic pain; you often see it in fibromyalgia. The key fact about the metal toxicity is that it is always related to chronic fatigue and chronic adrenal fatigue.
Adrenal Fatigue

All chronic illness includes chronic fatigue and adrenal fatigue, whether you feel tired or not. A lot of my patients will say, “Oh, I have lots of energy,” but they do not or they would not be chronically ill. There is no conventional medical treatment for adrenal fatigue unless you have reached the point of total failure, at which time you are put on cortical supplements for the rest of your life. Therefore, like the issue of toxic metals, if adrenal fatigue is not tested for, it is not discussed.

These two problems—adrenal fatigue and toxic metal buildup—are strongly related because you cannot excrete metal without good adrenal function. Adrenal function needs to be pretty close to normal or you will start retaining metals, because the adrenal glands have such a big part to play in the proper handling of metals in the body.

The first sign of adrenal fatigue is reliance on stimulants. If the idea of going without your stimulant is an issue, you have adrenal fatigue. There, you have taken the test, now you know.

If you need stimulants to feel good, you are already exhausted. In fact any drug that makes you feel better is a sign that you are already exhausted because ultimately their effect is a stimulant effect. Even alcohol or drugs that are said be sedative actually have a stimulating effect on the adrenals. Many people get by for years on stimulants, which can include behavioral and emotional stimulants like overexercise, workaholism and even constant worry, such as putting yourself in a fear state and indulging in anger. All of these will rev up your adrenals and keep you from feeling just how tired you really are.

Meanwhile your adrenal glands are not functioning normally and you are starting to retain all kinds of metal. Once you reach a certain threshold in the body, the metal itself becomes one of your major adrenal stressors. Now you are in a constantly poisoned state and the adrenals are getting weaker and weaker. Even if you are trying everything in the book—you are eating well, you are getting a lot of rest and doing tai chi—you cannot get well because by now you have toxic metal poison in the body, all the time taking your energy out of you.
Local Variations

What happens next depends on many variables— the types of metals to which you are exposed, and how much, and even where you live. I find very interesting variations in the hair tests, depending on where people live. In California, for instance, I primarily see aluminum toxicity; apparently there is a lot of aluminum in the area. Aluminum is a very common metal, comprising up to 14 percent of the earth’s crust, so it is in the dust and in the air.

Aluminum is also an additive in anti-perspirants. I have a theory that in warm climates, where people use a lot of anti-perspirants, they are exposed to a lot more aluminum than people living in colder climates.

On the East Coast, I see more problems with cadmium, mercury and lead, the heavy metals. On the West Coast, if someone shows mercury, you can bet they have been eating fish twice a week and have been for a while. If they aren’t eating fish, they don’t show mercury even if it is in their mouth. I don’t know why, but that is what I have found.
The Copper Problem

But the main thing that happens with metal retention is copper toxicity because everybody is getting copper constantly. Almost everything you eat has some copper in it. A lot of really popular foods like coffee, chocolate, avocado, soy, shellfish like shrimp and lobster, and certain beans and nuts like pecans are pretty high in copper.

This isn’t a problem with good liver, gall bladder and especially adrenal function. If adrenal function is strong, we just mobilize that copper and excrete it through the bile. Unfortunately, the way we live these days, that is not what is happening. Most people are not able to get rid of the excess copper. How many people have impaired liver function, congested gallbladder or adrenal fatigue? Probably the majority these days.

If adrenal function becomes impaired, the copper builds up in the liver, brain, joints and lungs. When this happens, you see very specific problems, including mental problems, liver problems and detoxification problems. Phase II liver impairment is often made worse by copper toxicity, if not actually caused by it.

You also see a lot of copper toxicity with asthma and breathing problems, including emphysema. Copper also tends to build up in the joints, leading to arthritis. Chronic skin problems are also an indication of copper toxicity.

Vegetarian diets are very high in copper because the vegetable foods are a great source of this mineral. Since vegetarians don’t eat meat, and possibly not even eggs, they are not getting enough zinc, which is the natural antagonist to copper. Zinc naturally balances copper and keeps it from building up in the tissues. If you are not eating much in the way of meat and eggs, you will develop copper problems.

Excess copper interferes with energy production at the cellular level. It impairs various energy pathways in the cell so it contributes to the very fatigue that tends to make you retain copper, leading to a vicious circle. Once this pattern gets going, it is totally self-reinforcing and very difficult to break, even by adding zinc-rich foods back into the diet.

Copper is stimulating to the brain, causing it to produce high levels of the activating neurotransmitters, like serotonin, norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine. This is why you will see copper toxicity in manic states like paranoid schizophrenia and bi-polar disorder. The so-called copper head tends to be very emotional, very intense, often very creative. Such individuals are prone to crash and burn because their overactive mind is being supported by a very fatigued body.

Copper toxicity is a major factor in irritable bowel syndrome because copper is excreted through the bile and certain things will cause you to suddenly dump copper. If you have been building up copper, anything that causes an increase in your metabolic rate will cause a copper dump and it comes out through the bile. If you are copper toxic and suddenly under a lot of stress, this may bring on an irritable bowel episode because suddenly excess copper is moving through your bowels and irritating them.

The tendency of copper to build up in the body is similar to iron, which is another essential nutrient that is also a heavy metal. They’re both highly electrical, very conductive metals that produce a lot of free radical activity and have to be bound by special proteins, such as ceruloplasmin and metallothioine. The production of these proteins is controlled by the adrenal glands, and they are produced in the liver. If the adrenals are not functioning properly and the liver is impaired, possibly from copper buildup, you will not produce these binding proteins, so copper remains in free form. That makes it a toxic and reactive free-radical generator capable of causing a lot of damage.

When this happens, the body starts to sequester it. It tries to stash it somewhere so it will do less damage. Thus, while you may be building up a lot of copper in your body, you may also have the symptoms of copper deficiency because the copper is bio-unavailable. The copper is not in a usable form so you will have both deficiency symptoms and symptoms of toxicity.

When copper accumulates under stress, when you go into a fight-or-flight condition, your adrenals are on line and ready to go. This is a short-term mechanism that is beneficial. It helps the body cope with stress, at least initially.

The body has an intricate system of checks and balances which operate through the mineral levels and ratios. If you are deficient in one mineral, another mineral accumulates and can become excessive. For example, when sodium and potassium levels go down, calcium and magnesium rise. When copper drops, iron increases. If zinc rises, copper goes down. If iron rises, chromium goes up. There is a constant and complex dance of minerals going on in the body, and the body very specifically retains and releases minerals in order to control certain body functions.

When we retain copper, this makes sodium rise. Sodium is required to produce aldosterone, the adrenal cortex hormone that causes sodium retention and high blood pressure when produced in excess. An increase in aldosterone is a defense against stress—you need that high aldosterone production during a fight-or-flight state, when you are trying to guard yourself in some way against a threat. When aldosterone increases, the body retains copper and releases magnesium, which is a calming mineral that slows you down. That is why a lot of people use it to sleep or to relieve muscle cramping. So if you are going into fight or flight, your body drops the magnesium very quickly. It is the first thing to go, because the body is trying to rev up. Increased aldosterone production will also cause a drop in zinc, which allows the copper to be retained and the sodium to go up.

The increase in copper is stimulating, it gets you going, which is just what you need in the short term. But chronic unremitting stress never gives you time to recover, you never get to address your biochemical imbalance, you never have that down time to excrete the excess copper now.

When your adrenal glands are in great shape, you can excrete excess copper whenever you need to. But when your adrenal glands are just hanging on by their fingernails, just barely able to mount a stress reponse, you have an excess of stimulating copper. It becomes very hard to go to sleep and the mind races. You think, think, think, worry, worry, worry, and all of that makes it worse. You are always worn out. In fact, people with chronic fatigue often wake up tired because they don’t really ever rest.

We also use up tryptophan in these situations, as tryptophan is needed for seratonin production. Seratonin is used up under stress. You can’t replace your tryptophan by eating turkey when it is being used up so quickly. What this tells me is that the body is not designed to be constantly under stress. We are meant to spend time sitting in a hammock somewhere, or weaving a basket!
Mental Disturbances

Loss of zinc and magnesium along with retention of copper temporarily serve the body and improve the adrenal’s response to stress. But with unrelenting stress or extreme catastrophic stress, these imbalances can start working against you. The copper toxicity reduces the ability to cope with normal everyday stress; it impairs adrenal function. A lot of adrenal activity requires zinc, which copper impairs. The result is a slowdown of your whole metabolism.

And your body knows when this happens, knows that you are not up to the challenge, not able to respond to stress properly. This is enough to make you feel anxious. You might feel fearful about taking on certain things because you know you are not up to it. This is the beginning of the mental disturbances that go with copper toxicity. You know that you are exhausted. You may be playing a lot of tricks to keep going. When presented with certain situations, you may panic or feel very nervous. Eventually, as you become exhausted, you may become apathetic and depressed and no longer desire to take on much of anything. So you build your little shell and get behind it.

But initially you will tend to overreact, everything is an emergency. “Oh no! I have to go buy food. . . Oh no! I have to go to the bank today.” Everything is a big deal. With a lot of my patients I have to say, “Pretend you are on vacation.” Instead say, “If I feel like it, I’ll go get some food,” because inside there is a constant sense of urgency. Automatically if anything has to be done, it’s a big deal. It keeps you in that revved-up state, always overreacting to every little life event.

And you are probably using many stimulants to keep you going, which has you on edge too. You are not calm, cool and collected. I very often recommend that people with this problem slow down— no fast walking, don’t drive fast, go below the speed limit. You have to send your body a signal that this is no big deal, there is no rush. If you don’t do it today, you can do it tomorrow. You have to take yourself away from the edge of the cliff because otherwise you will go over the edge into full adrenal burnout. When everything is a big deal, your body gets into a vicious circle of constant stress leading to loss of zinc and magnesium and retention of copper.

The other thing that happens with excess copper and adrenal exhaustion is hypoglycemia and blood sugar swings. Low adrenal output results in low production of glucocortocoids, cortisol and cortisone, which play a role in maintaining proper blood sugar levels. So when production is low, you are underproducing those hormones and constantly going into hypoglycemia, which can result in depression, irritability, mood swings, poor concentration, poor memory, dizziness, fatigue, sleepiness and many more unpleasant effects. A lot of people don’t realize they are hypoglycemics, but if their problems tend to start an hour or two after they’ve eaten, that is always a clue.

Depending on the severity of the toxicity and the susceptibility of the person, copper can affect the mind very strongly. Initially copper toxicity may make a person active, productive and creative. But eventually such feelings will be undermined by lack of energy. Then we see people who have a million ideas and are always making lists, but who do not have the energy to follow through. This leads to chronic frustration followed by depression.

After a while the combination of over-activity of the mind with lack of accomplishment can make people quite nutty. They tip over the edge into obsessiveness, compulsiveness, phobias and all kinds of fixations because the mind is so intense and it has to go somewhere. In extreme cases, people become psychotic. But most people tend towards mood swings, PMS and weird episodes that they cannot explain. “I don’t know why I did that or said that.” They lose control briefly and then pull themselves together. They may have ways of managing copper toxicity to keep a lid on inside, but they are a lot nuttier than anybody thinks they are. They just don’t let it show. They may look very calm but they aren’t.

Copper increases the electrical potential of the neuron, probably because of the enhanced movement of sodium. This leads to over-production of the activating neurotransmitters—dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin—leading to anxiety, racing mind and insomnia. Researchers Pfeiffer and Goldstein demonstrated that brain waves exhibit an equivalent central nervous stimulation from either 5 mg of copper or 5 mg of Dexedrine—so copper is equally as stimulating as Dexedrine to the mind. As we know, amphetamines can eventually make you psychotic if you keep using them.

The body will begin storing the excess copper in the brain as the liver becomes overloaded. Copper stimulates the diencephalon, which is the emotional brain. Zinc stimulates the cortex, the new brain, the rational mind, and is calming to the emotions. Thus, copper-toxic people often keep themselves in a state of high drama, and their symptoms can even mimic bi-polar syndrome. Carl Pfeiffer, PhD, MD, has found that one-half to two-thirds of schizophrenics have high levels of copper and low levels of zinc and magnesium, especially during acute phases. Copper has an adverse effect on methylation, a metabolic pathway that is essential for detoxification and for controlling free-radical activity. Poor methylation can be an important factor in cases of autism and schizophrenia.
Pyroluria

A condition that can really put a person at great risk for copper toxicity is pyroluria. Pyroluria is characterized by excess krytopyrrole in the urine. Pyrroles attract aldehydes, and vitamin B6 is an aldehyde. Once the pyrroles bind to B6, that unit now becomes a real vacuum cleaner for any zinc you might have lying around. So if you have pyroluria, from a very young age you are developing a B6 and zinc deficiency constantly. It is hard to consume enough B6 to overcome the drain that is happening in pyroluria.

About 52 percent of schizophrenics, 42 percent of psychiatric patients and 40 percent of alcoholics are pyrolurics. If alcoholism is associated with nervous breakdowns, suicide or even migraines, pyroluria is likely involved.

A sign of low B6 is lack of dream memory, or very disturbing dreams. And if your B6 is very low, you will find it hard to take zinc. Zinc will make you feel nauseated, bloated or uncomfortable.

Family tendencies seen with pyroluria include cluster headaches and migraines, depression, fatigue including chronic fatigue, sensitivity to cold, anemia, morning nausea and appetite problems, lack of dream recall, suicides and suicidal depression, motion sickness, blood sugar problems, glucose intolerance, sore lower back and upper left pain in the ribs.

Drug and alcohol intolerance, constipation, crowded upper front teeth, a lot of joint problems, growing pains might even be part of B6 deficiency. Tingling sensation, cramping, tremors, ticks, convulsive seizures and epilepsy are very strongly affected by the pyroluria, low B6 and zinc along with copper toxicity. Both can give you epilepsy and clearing them up can definitely get rid of seizure disorders. Neuralgia and sciatica are very common in these cases. A common symptom is pale skin that will not tan. Often the most pyroluric member of the family will be the lightest one. Other signs are late onset of puberty, low stress tolerance and prematurely gray hair.
Slow Oxidation

The other thing that happens with high copper is slow oxidation, because high copper slows down both the adrenal and thyroid glands. Oxidation means to burn or mix with oxygen. Dr. George Watson, a researcher at UCLA, developed the concept of oxidation types. Those who burn food at a slower-than-ideal rate are slow oxidizers. If your thyroid and adrenal glands are very active you will be a fast oxidizer; if they are sluggish, you will be a slow oxidizer.

Stress from excess copper at first puts the body in a state of fast oxidation. Over time, however, the oxidation rate starts to decline and you go into the resistant stage. This can go on for years, where you have one foot on the platform and one foot on the train, and your body is in a constantly unstable condition of being overly stressed yet unable to fully respond. It is during that time that the copper starts to build up. You start to lose your ability to handle the metal. When exhaustion sets in, when your body can’t handle it any longer, that is when the oxidation rate becomes slow. This can be masked for a period if you take enough stimulants.

Slow oxidizers tend to have high calcium levels and fast oxidizers tend to have high sodium and potassium. When you see someone’s chart and they have high calcium, which means they are a slow oxidizer, along with a very high sodium and potassium, which is the signature of fast oxidation, it means they are pumping themselves up enough to overcome the slow oxidation but the calcium brake is still on. The underlying condition is slow oxidation, and buildup of copper, but these individuals are revved up on stimulants.

By the way, vitamin C can act as a stimulant. Often when people go on a nutritional program, they hate being told to take less vitamin C, because they’ve become so dependent on high doses and they don’t think they should take less. But that is what’s keeping them revved up and ultimately wiping them out.

People in slow oxidation are like people with low thyroid, because it is more or less the same thing. They have dry skin and hair, they sweat little and tend toward constipation, depression, fatigue, apathy, low blood sugar, adrenal insufficiency and low blood pressure. As with low thyroid, they tend to gain weight on the hips and have a low body temperature. Slow oxidizers tend to be withdrawn, introverted, less emotionally expressive and may exhibit depression, despair and suicidal thoughts. As the slow oxidation becomes more extreme, more and more of these symptoms will develop.
Copper and Calcium

Calcium and magnesium are part of the body’s braking system. These minerals help you get control and slow down, to avoid burning yourself out. You have to have a way to pull back, and calcium and magnesium are how the body does it. By contrast, sodium and potassium accelerate the metabolism, partly by increasing adrenal cortical hormones.

Newborns have a very high rate of metabolism and relatively low calcium levels. As we age the body begins to apply the calcium brake; as copper builds up, the calcium and magnesium levels rise while the sodium and potassium decline. Rising calcium in the tissues is a defense against the chronic stress which is the cause and effect of copper toxicity. So the body starts retaining calcium to buffer the effects of the copper and that calcium slows you down. That is the calcium brake.

Calcium and magnesium stabilize the body and prevent an excessive metabolism as a defense against stress. Slowing down metabolism can slow down the rate of collapse and allow the buildup of protective minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc. This can initially be protective. It prevents the slow oxidizer from experiencing any acute, severe stresses. In essence, since the body can no longer handle stress, it builds a calcium shell and the calcium shell numbs and dulls your sensations and your emotions so you will not over-react. You will be impervious, but the calcium shell will preserve that spark of life that remains.

A high level of calcium is a sign that calcium is building up in the soft tissues. This calcium is being taken from the bones. Yet, just the way that toxic copper is bio-unavailable, this calcium that is building up and showing up very high in the hair analyses is not actually functioning, it is not in a usable, soluble, ionic form in the blood.
Toxic Metals

With ongoing imbalance, the body starts taking any metals that it might be retaining and using them as a substitute: lead can substitute for calcium, cadmium very readily substitutes for zinc, aluminum seems to substitute for just about everything. And the body will retain those metals; they get locked into the tissues, serving as place holders for the proper nutrients.

This is why chelation will not help the condition of toxic metal buildup. Chelation can only attach to a metal that is in free form, available to be picked up and carried out. If the toxic metal is in the body sequestered in the tissues, occurring at enzyme-binding sites or some other location, the chelators cannot get to it, it cannot be taken out and the body will not release that metal. For instance if you have cadmium toxicity, the body very strongly retains cadmium in order to support a low sodium level because cadmium will push the sodium back up. That is part of the reason that high-cadmium substances like tobacco and marijuana can be very addictive—they raise the sodium level and make you feel more normal, as though you have good adrenal function. Your body will not release the cadmium unless it no longer needs the cadmium to support that low sodium level, which means you have got to rebuild the adrenal function until the adrenals are satisfied and say they no longer need this crutch.
Hope

Copper overload and heavy metal toxicity are some of the most difficulty conditions to treat in modern medicine. However, recovery is possible— the right protocol involving diet, nutritional balance and gentle detoxification has helped many of my patients recover both physical and mental health. A healing protocol is outlined below. Meanwhile, it is imperative that we avoid this condition in coming generations by warning young people about the dangers of vegetarian diets and working together to reduce the toxic environmental load.

SIDEBARS
Cod Liver Oil: Part of the Treatment Plan

Cod liver oil is almost always part of my treatment plan—the exceptions would be in a cases where digestion is so imparied that the patient cannot tolerate the oils in cod liver oil

Cod liver oil provides vitamin A, needed for the production of adrenal hormones; and vitamin D, which works synergistically with vitamin A.

I find that cod liver oil is especially helpful for chronic pain due to inflammation. For some people, it relieves pain within one or two days after beginning with a dose of two teaspoons per day. It is also very important for treating obesity, heart conditions, skin problems, constipation and mental problems.
Interesting Facts About Zinc

    Zinc is rapidly lost under stress.
    Zinc is essential for protein synthesis. Low zinc status leads to problems with hormone production, healing and growth.
    Zinc is rapidly used up after injury or surgery as it is needed for protein synthesis.
    Because they are growing so rapidly, teenagers are very prone to zinc deficiencies.
    Zinc deficiency affects the immune system. Zinc kills a lot of viruses on contact. Those deficient in zinc may be susceptible to viruses.
    Zinc is a sedative and calming mineral for the mind. GABA, which is an inhibitory calming neurotransmitter, is zinc dependent.
    The body needs zinc to build protein so the skin and nails very often reveal zinc status. Stretch marks are always a sign of low zinc, at least at the time when they were formed.
    Zinc is essential for production of adrenal cortical hormones, especially aldosterone and cortisol.
    Zinc is critical for normal appetite, smell and taste. A sign of zinc deficiency is lack of appetite in the morning, or even nausea.
    When zinc is low and copper is high, the body will dump copper with consumption of meat, a high-zinc food. For some vegetarians, the copper dump can be so strong, they literally throw up any meat they try to eat. People in this situation will first need to lower their copper levels before they can eat meat. Then they will need to begin with very small amounts of white chicken meat and only very gradually introduce red meat.
    The ideal ratio of copper to zinc is 1:8 in favor of zinc.
    Some plant foods contain zinc, but when they do, it is usually accompanied by a lot of copper. Animal foods are the only good source.

Copper, Heavy Metals, Histamine and the Methylation Cycle

Copper-containing enzymes histaminase and ceruloplasminase regulate histamine, a neurotransmitter that makes us wakeful and that plays a role in local immune response. Elevated copper increases the level of these enzymes and thus promotes histamine breakdown. If you have high copper you will have low histamine and vice versa.

Histamine levels are related to the methylation cycle because methyl and histamine compete with each other. When histamine is high, it is a sign of under-methylation and when histamine is low, there is over-methylation.

Methyl (CH3) is very common in the body, as it is present in most enzymes and proteins. The methylation cycle is the process by which methyl groups are added to a compound; it is a metabolic pathway that is essential for detoxification and for controlling free-radical activity. When a larger molecule has a methyl group added to it, it changes its structure and function. Methylation has a lot to do with turning on and off gene expression—when the body attaches a methyl group to a gene, it becomes active and when it is removed, the gene is turned off. Methylation is very important for body development, including building the myelin sheath and all cell membranes in your brain. If it is impaired a lot of things are going to be impaired including histamine production.

With too much methyl the body will overproduce dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine and serotonin. This fact may explain why high copper is associated with high levels of these neurotransmitters. With too little methyl, the neurotransmitters are low.

SAMe (S-adenosyl methionine) is the main methyl donor in the body. When it donates its methyl group, it becomes S-adenosyl methionine homocysteine. Then the body can get a methyl group from the folic acid cycle and turn SAMe back into methionine. This is called the methylation cycle. When you have oxidative stress, which is what happens with toxic metals such as mercury, it will divert the homocysteine. The homocysteine will go to the formation of glutathione which is probably the primary detoxifier of heavy metals in the liver, and it will go to produce metallothionein, which you need to handle heavy metals. This will happen if your adrenals are working properly because you can’t form good metallothionein without good adrenal function. If you have a lot of heavy metals in your body, you are going to start under-producing methyl to some degree because it is all being diverted to detoxification.
Schizophrenia and Autism

Paranoid schizophrenia is associated with over-methylation, low histamine and high copper. Auditory hallucinations are highly indicative of over-methylation. People with over-methylation tend toward paranoia, obsession and sleep problems. Supplements that reduce methyl are folic acid, vitamin B12 and niacin, which is often used as a treatment for schizophrenia. Copper and zinc imbalance must also be improved in order to reduce the destruction of histamine. Schizophrenia is surprisingly treatable by nutritional means. It is really not that hard to control once you know what you are dealing with. If you do the proper things, it gets better. All the craziness starts to subside very rapidly.

In contrast to schizophrenia, all the markers of methylation are much lower in patients with autism. The nutritional supplements that often improve autistic symptoms support the normal function of the methylation cycle, that is folinic acid, DMG, TMG, methylcobalamin (which is B12 with a methyl group), zinc, B6, glutathione, cysteine and sulphate. To some degree giving glutathione, cysteine and sulphate is a way to keep the body from diverting the homocysteine into detoxification pathways. The other problem is metallothionein, which is one of the carrier proteins controlled by the adrenals. Even before you are born, it is required for immunity, brain and gastrointestinal tract maturation and the regulation of metals. Autistic children seem to be born with a low metallothionein function, so they have impairment in all these areas. They haven’t matured the way they should and so are vulnerable.

Metallothionein is essential for the proper ratio of copper to zinc. If you have a poor copper-zinc ratio, you will have metallothionein dysfunction and won’t be able to detoxify heavy metals. The primary nutrient needed in the formation of metallothionein is zinc. If you have mercury or lead in the gut without any metallothionein there, they are going to react with sulfhydryl groups. Sulfhydryl groups are a combination of sulfur and hydrogen and they are very much attracted to mercury, lead and cadmium, especially mercury.

Among the sulfhydryl groups in the intestines are the enzymes that break down casein and gluten. Toxic metals and low zinc disables these enzymes. This is why you see gluten and casein intolerance in autistic, bipolar and schizophrenic patients, because they all are lacking in metallothionein production. They may react violently to those foods. Without exception, high copper with low zinc along with signs of low metallothionein function with elevated levels of all kinds of toxic metals are seen in every single autistic child tested at the Pfeiffer Center.
Healing Chronic Illness

Many factors must be taken into account to determine the best form of diet and treatment for chronically ill patients. These factors include food sensitivities, gluten allergies, digestive needs, glucose intolerance, ability to digest fats and digestive impairments due to candida albicans, parasites and other factors. Without addressing these types of imbalances precisely, it is very difficult to succeed in healing chronic illness. Chinese Herbal Therapy, Nutritional Balancing, metal detoxification, diet, nutrition and acupuncture, particularly for pain, combined with lifestyle counseling are all important factors in healing chronic illness. Each program is specifically tailored to the patient and not all of these elements are required for healing chronic illness in everyone.
Diet

In general I recommend a low-carb, Atkins-type diet rich in animal foods and animal fats. But in many cases, this diet must be introduced slowly. Often specific herbs for digestive support are required.
Chinese Herbal Therapy

Chinese Herbal Therapy is the most highly developed form of herbal medicine in the world. Many other systems of herbal therapy have much to contribute but the theoretical foundations and the system of diagnosis and treatment which makes up Chinese Herbal Therapy allows for treatment of an extremely wide range of conditions from short-term, and milder problems to so-called “incurable” conditions. While Chinese Herbal Therapy cannot do everything, often it is difficult to obtain certain results without it. It is especially helpful in reducing and eliminating the need for medications and alleviating their side effects.
Nutritional Balancing and Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis

Dr. Paul Eck developed a powerful method of nutritional therapy called Nutritional Balancing. Dr. Eck was a biochemist and naturopath who studied the nutritional status of many thousands of people for over 30 years utilizing the diagnostic method of hair tissue mineral analysis. Hair tissue mineral analysis measures the mineral content of the hair. As hair is a soft tissue of the body, the mineral content of the hair reflects the functions of the body at the cellular level of the soft tissues where all metabolic activity occurs. Blood tests are useful and very important in acute conditions but they often fail to reveal chronic conditions until they are very advanced. This is because the body keeps the blood values as close to normal as possible, even at the expense of the body tissues. Blood values must be maintained in very narrow ranges or severe, even life threatening symptoms may result. Therefore, the body will sacrifice the soft tissues if need be to maintain those values. Hair tissue mineral analysis can reveal the imbalances which have developed at the cellular, soft tissue level. Using this information, Dr. Eck developed a highly sophisticated nutritional therapy designed to reverse the toxic and degenerative developments in the body due to all types of stress. After many years of experience with this method of nutritional therapy, I can say it is the most powerful and effective method I have seen. It is the best way to address problems of toxic metals, which are very often an important factor in chronic fatigue and chronic illness in general.
Heavy Metals and the Limits of Chelation

Chelation and other forms of detoxification from heavy metals can only remove metals that are in a free form. In many cases, these metals such as aluminum, mercury, nickel, cadmium and lead are tightly bound and sequestered in the body tissues. The body is actually making use of these toxic metals as substitutes for minerals that are deficient or bio-unavailable in the body. The preferred minerals are the optimal minerals needed for each enzyme function in the body. If a preferred mineral is not present, due to deficiency, bio-unavailability, or any other reason, it is replaced with a less optimal mineral in the enzyme binding site. The result is lowered efficiency and often breakdown of that enzyme function. This is an adaptive mechanism that allows us to survive in the face of deficiencies or metal toxicity. Replacing less-preferred minerals is a central concept in Nutritional Balancing and in healing chronic illness. As the balancing and replacement process proceeds, the body releases nutrients and toxic metals that were acting as replacements for the optimal minerals. Until the nutritional status of the body has shifted to a degree that supplies these minerals in a usable form to the tissues, the body will not release the toxic metals. Nutritional Balancing is a method that systematically re-balances the body chemistry to allow the tissues to release these toxic metals and replace them with the proper nutrients to allow full cellular functioning and energy production. The balancing process is achieved by providing the specific nutrients needed to balance the oxidation rate and support the energy production pathway in the cells. These nutrients are determined by the results of a properly performed hair tissue mineral analysis. As cellular energy is restored and nutritional deficiencies and bio-unavailabilities improved, healing naturally proceeds.
The Healing Crisis

Detoxification, die-off, re-tracing, healing crisis—these are all terms for similar phenomena that are an important part of the healing process. Natural healing is based on encouraging the body to rebuild body functions and cleanse itself of toxic substances or infections and is not always a matter of immediately feeling better. When healing chronic illness, feeling better is often fairly low on the body’s list of priorities. When the body is working to rebuild the very foundation from which human energy flows, diverting some of that precious and at this stage, limited, energy to make us feel better may not be a prudent use of the energy. As the body heals through diet, nutritional balancing and herbal therapy, little by little symptoms become more comfortable and fade away over time. But in the earlier stages of the healing process, at times there can be flare-ups of symptoms. A healing crisis is a period in the healing process when we actually feel worse than before. This can be due to a number of factors. Often when the healing process is stimulated in the body with herbal therapy, dietary changes or a nutritional program, the body’s energies are directed inward to the organs and tissues where this work is occurring. Healing is work for the body and requires energy to do it. This can make us fatigued, just as when we are fighting an infection.

Many of us over-expend our energy and force it to the surface with stimulants such as coffee and sugar. We may feel better when we do this, but these stimulants ultimately exhaust us and lay the ground work for chronic illness. Natural therapies reverse this process, sending the energies deeper into the body to promote healing. But we will not have as much energy to spend as we may be accustomed to spending. Resting as much as possible is the cure for this problem and it will pass as the body becomes stronger and has more real energy available.

In the Nutritional Balancing process, often the first reason for symptoms to worsen or recur is the detoxification of heavy metals. Nutritional Balancing has a very powerful ability to support the body’s own ability to release heavy metals from the tissues where they may have been building up for many years due to impaired metabolism. During the first three to nine months of the nutritional protocol and retesting process, it is very common to release metals such as copper, aluminum, mercury, manganese, cadmium and lead. As these toxic substances are released from tissue storage, and move through the blood to be excreted through the liver and kidneys, they are capable of causing some of the symptoms typical of acute exposure to the metal. In addition, for many chronically ill people, some degree of liver detoxification impairment is part of their problems and can even be due to the very metal being cleared, especially in the case of copper toxicity.

Slowing down the Nutritional Balancing program by reducing the number of times per day the protocol is taken in order to slow down the release of the metal is the simplest approach to reducing the detox symptoms. However, this can interfere with the other benefits of the program if the dosage reduction continues for many months. There are a few products that can improve the detox process to the degree that a more normal level of supplement usage can be maintained during the detox process and allow for faster progress overall in rebuilding body energy. Copper elimination often aggravates the same chronic problems the copper has been causing including skin problems, irritable bowel, digestive disturbances, headaches, neuralgia, hormonal imbalances, constipation and insomnia. The best product for improving copper detox symptoms is Extended Health’s Liver Support. This was developed for use during various methods of chelation and it really does help the liver to handle the higher influx of metal to be cleansed from the system.

Nutritional Balancing is a highly sophisticated nutritional system that rebuilds the body’s own ability to chelate and excrete heavy metal. It balances body chemistry to allow the cells to release metals that are sequestered deep in the tissues and are not available to be removed by externally administered chelating agents. Using a Nutritional Balancing approach also prevents the significant loss of essential minerals from the body that is typical of intravenous and oral chelation in spite of the mineral supplements that are usually given. However, the release of metal at times can be quite high so formulas such as Liver Support can bolster the liver’s ability to excrete metal into the bile, through the gall bladder into the intestinal tract and then out through the bowels. All of these organs must be active enough to complete the process of full elimination of the metal.

The best general chelating product that can improve urinary output of metals such as lead, aluminum, copper and mercury without pulling out large amounts of calcium, magnesium and zinc, is the RNA Results Advanced Cellular Zeolite. This zeolite is absolutely pure and suspended in 100 percent pure water. It is nano-sized which means that very small doses are highly effective due to the greatly increased surface area of the zeolite crystals. Because the zeolite has a cagelike shape, once the positively charged molecules of mercury, lead, copper and other substances such as free radicals and toxic chemicals bond to the zeolite, they are neutralized and no longer capable of interacting with the body to cause symptoms. The zeolite leaves the body within five to seven hours along with the toxic substance that has bonded to it. Due to the low dosage required when using pure nano-sized zeolite, the digestive side effects that sometimes occur with micron-sized products do not occur. Zeolite, like all chelating substances, can only pick up metals that have been released from the tissues in a free form. This product must be purchased from a licensed health care provider.
Suggested Reading

    Nutritional Balancing and Hair Mineral Analysis, Lawrence Wilson, MD
    Energy, Colin and Loren Chatsworth
    Toxic Metals in Human Health and Disease, Dr. Paul C. Eck and Dr. Larry Wilson
    The Strands of Health: A Guide to Understanding Hair Mineral Analysis, Rick Malter, PhD
    Trace Elements and Other Essential Nutrients: Clinical Application of Tissue Mineral Analysis, Dr. David L. Watts
    Toxic Metal Syndrome: How Metal Poisonings Can Affect Your Brain, Dr. H. Richard Casdorph and Dr. Morton Walker
    Why Am I Always So Tired?, Ann Louise Gittleman, MS, CNS
    Mental and Elemental Nutrients, Carl C. Pfeiffer, PhD, MD
    Nutrition and Mental Illness, Carl C. Pfeiffer, PhD, MD
    Natural Healing for Schizophrenia and Other Common Mental Disorders, Eva Edelman
    Depression Free, Naturally, Joan Mathews Larson, PhD
    Changing the Course of Autism, Bryan Jepson, MD
    Children With Starving Brains, Jaquelyn McCandless, MD
    Gut and Psychology Syndrome, Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD
    Healing Schizophrenia, Abram Hoffer, MD
    The Natural Medicine Guide to Schizophrenia, Stephanie Marohn
    The Natural Medicine Guide to Autism, Stephanie Marohn
    Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome, James L. Wilson, ND, DC, PhD
    Chronic Fatigue Unmasked, Geral E. Poesnecker, ND, DC
    An Alternative Approach to Allergies, Theron G. Randolph, MD, and Ralph W. Moss, PhD
    Dr. Atkins’ New Diet Revolution, Dr. Robert C. Atkins
    The Yeast Connection, William Crook, MD
    Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution, Richard K. Bernstein, MD
    Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon with Mary Enig, PhD
    Know Your Fats, Mary Enig, PhD
    The Mood Cure, Julia Ross, MA
    Toxic Psychiatry, Peter R. Breggin, MD
    Heart Failure, Thomas J. Moore
    The Schwartzbein Principle, Diana Schwartzbein, MD
HYPOGLYCEMIA

by Dr. Lawrence Wilson

© July 2014, L.D. Wilson Consultants, Inc.

All information in this article is for educational purposes only.  It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

Hypoglycemia is one of the most common nutritionally related health conditions.  It affects millions of people.  Yet it is often missed by doctors and not even considered a medical diagnostic term by many medical doctors.

It is also a precursor for diabetes, which can be a later stage of the same problem.  This article discusses aspects of hypoglycemia that are found in very few other places.

A BETTER DEFINITION OF HYPOGLYCEMIA

            Confusion occurs regarding the definition of hypoglycemia.  The word technically means low glucose in the blood.  However, I suggest that the correct definition for the symptoms of hypoglycemia is not low glucose in the blood.  Instead, it is low energy production and low glucose in the cells.

The reason for this is that the symptoms can be caused not only by low glucose in the blood, but also by any number of imbalances that affect the body’s ability to burn glucose at the cellular level.  For more on this topic, see the section near the end of this article on the glucose tolerance test or GTT.

SYMPTOMS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA

            Most symptoms of hypoglycemia involve the central nervous system.  The brain is completely dependent upon circulating glucose as a fuel.  It has no way to store glucose, as do the muscles and perhaps other tissues.  Common symptoms include:

·           Extreme hunger or irritability at or before mealtime, especially for sweets and to some degree carbohydrates.

·           Inability to skip meals.

·           If one is late for a meal, one can become shaky, cranky, confused and even violent. 

·           Eating sugary meals often causes a roller coaster effect in people with hypoglycemia because the sugar level climbs steeply and then declines rapidly in several hours. 

            Cellular energy starvation produces other symptoms that may include fatigue, anxiety, confusion, tremors, irritability, fainting, headache, hunger, and even psychosis and other behavioral abnormalities. 

Many other symptoms may occur due to sugar starvation of various organs and tissues of the body.  These range from generalized fatigue to physical wasting or weight loss or weight gain due to fat deposition, especially in the belly.

Symptoms can be so varied at times as to mimic many diseases at one time or another.  This is because hypoglycemia can and does affect all areas of the body to differing degrees.

SLOW OXIDIZER HYPOGLYCEMIA

            Dr. Paul Eck and Dr. George Watson found that the oxidation rate affects the nature of hypoglycemic symptoms.  Basically, slow oxidizers often have a chronic low blood sugar level.  Fast oxidizers are more likely to experience wide fluctuations in their blood sugar, ranging from very high to very low. 

The differences have to do with the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, as they interact with hypoglycemic tendencies.  The distinction is important because it affects the nutritional regimen that best controls the symptoms.

Slow Oxidizers.  Let us address slow oxidizer hypoglycemia first.  The adrenal hormones, cortisone and cortisol, raise serum glucose levels by converting amino acids and fats to glucose.  Thyroid hormone is also required for the burning of glucose at the cellular level.

            These hormones are lower than ideal in the slow oxidizer.  As a result, glucose levels tend to be chronically low.  As an analogy, the metabolic 'fire' is sluggish in slow oxidizers, and this contributes to chronic hypoglycemic symptoms.  Often these people crave sweets, starches or salty foods to help raise their blood sugar levels.  Slow oxidizers benefit from eating protein every several hours, at first, because it helps stabilize their adrenal and thyroid gland activity and therefore helps stabilize their serum glucose levels.

            If the diet is too low in protein, slow oxidizers often strongly crave sweets and perhaps starches as well.  This is an attempt to compensate for their low blood sugar levels.

FAST OXIDIZER HYPOGLYCEMIA                           

            In fast oxidizers, the oxidation or burning process is accelerated.  Thyroid and adrenal activity tend to be high.  Also, excessive conversion of glycogen to glucose may occur, leaving these individuals with lower glycogen reserves. 

If the body is placed under any stress at all, a reactive hypoglycemia occurs.  There is simply no stored glucose or glycogen to deal with the emergency need for glucose.  The stressor or emergency can be as simple as fatigue, exercise, hunger or any other kind of stress that occurs commonly during the daytime hours.  It can occur at night as well, causing lack of sleep, or impaired dreaming.

For this reason, if stress occurs, fast oxidizers can experience severe reactive hypoglycemic episodes.  This is made much worse if one eats sweets, which in themselves can  be a powerful stress factor. 

Like a large car engine that burns fuel quickly, one can almost literally and suddenly run out of fuel.  Their glycogen reserves may be too low to handle their need for glucose.  They may develop severe symptoms such as confusion, shaking and even violent behaviors.  Also, they may develop strong, almost irresistible cravings for sweets and alcohol at these times.

            Fast oxidizers are helped by plenty of fats or oils in the diet.  These digest and burn slowly, somewhat like putting a hardwood log on a fire.  They also provide more calories per gram, helping to avoid the fuel-deficiency situation. 

Some fast oxidizers are aware of this and may prefer fatty foods such as steak and potatoes with sour cream.  On lighter foods they may develop 'Chinese restaurant syndrome'.  That is, they may become very hungry within an hour or two of eating.  Oriental food is lower in fats and possibly lower in protein.

HAIR ANALYSIS INDICATORS OF HYPOGLYCEMIA

            The following indicators on a hair analysis in which the hair is not washed at the laboratory are associated with a trend for hypoglycemia

* A calcium/magnesium ratio between 9.5:1 and 13.5:1.  (This is newer information and may not agree with earlier articles or books on this topic.)

* A sodium/potassium ratio less than about 2:1.

* A potassium level of 4 mg% or less.

* Low levels of chromium, manganese or zinc and/or elevated copper, manganese, iron, lead, mercury, cadmium or aluminum.  These are not as strong indicators of hypoglycemia as are the first three above.

Initial hair analysis levels and ratios may be all within normal limits in a few cases of hypoglycemia.  This occurs because minerals can compensate for one another, which will skew the mineral ratios and may make them appear within a normal range.  Hair analysis retests when the person is on a nutritional balancing program may look worse as the compensations are released.  This can be confusing, and is one of the less obvious parts of hair analysis interpretation.

For this reason, in part, I often use symptoms as a key to assessing hypoglycemia if a hair mineral analysis is unclear about it.  The basic symptoms above are enough to identify hypoglycemia in most cases without a possibly grueling and often inaccurate or questionable 5-hour glucose tolerance test.

CORRECTION OF HYPOGLYCEMIA

Symptomatic correction is often quite simple by eating correctly and often enough, and getting plenty of rest.

Full correction, with complete reversal of the condition, can take a few years, especially wehn the body is very toxic with heavy metals or if nutrient minerals such as manganese, chromium, zinc and others are very deficient.  Here is the way to begin correction:

Diet. 

1. 70% cooked vegetables (not salads or raw vegetables).  This supplies many trace minerals.  Keep meals simple, such as one or two vegetables, and perhaps a little protein.  Entire meals of vegetables may be eaten to increase the quantity eaten. 

2. Eat at least five smaller meals daily, or even six if needed.

3. Avoid all sweets and sugars, including fruits, fruit juices, dried fruit, rice syrup, honey, maple syrup, stevia, other sweeteners, rice milk, soy milk, and even most cow and goat milk.  These are all too sweet and will upset the blood sugar.

4. Strictly limit all grains such as oats, rye, barley, wheat, rice, millet, quinoa, etc.  Eat only small amounts of these once or twice daily, and no more.  Avoid all bread and wheat products.

5. Have some animal protein every day. 

6. Avoid beans, nuts and seeds for the most part.  Once or twice weekly they are fine in small amounts.  Nuts and seeds are best eaten as nut butters, such as toasted almond butter.

7. Fast oxidizers must eat 2 tablespoons of fat or oil with each meal.  Slow oxidizers need about 1-2 tablespoons of high-quality fat or oil per day, at least.

This diet will reduce the major stress on the adrenal glands and pancreas, and allows these organs to begin to rebuild.

Drinking water.  Adults must be sure to drink 3 quarts of spring water daily.  If this is too costly, the second best option is usually to drink 3 quarts of carbon-only filtered tap water.  Strictly avoid all reverse osmosis water, and I do not recommend alkaline waters or other special types of water.  Most are harmful in the long run, even if you feel better on them for a while.

Rest.  Everyone needs at least 9 or 10 hours of sleep nightly for maximum healing to occur.  The hours before midnight are of greater value, so going to bed by 9 PM at the latest is best.

Nutritional supplements.  Everyone can take what I call the basic supplements.  These are:

1. Kelp capsules from Nature’s Way or Solaray – 3 660 mg capsules daily or even more, possibly.

2. Calcium (750 mg daily) and magnesium (450 mg daily)

3. A powerful digestive aid taken with each meal.

4. Vitamin D3 (5000 iu daily).

5. Omega-3 fatty acids (about 900 mg daily).

6. Zinc (about 30 mg daily).

A complete nutritional balancing program.  The above is not really enough supplements.  In addition, I suggest following a complete nutritional balancing program based on a properly performed and correctly interpreted hair mineral analysis.  This way additional supplements will be suggested, and the diet and supplement program will be refined and individualized for you.  This website has many articles about nutritional balancing science and how to begin a complete program. 

Reduce Stress and medical and other drug use. Reducing other stressors is very helpful in some cases.  Also reduce drug use, even over-the-counter drugs.  Many people take medications they do not really need, and most people use toxic household products, cosmetics and skin care items.  The fewer of these one uses, the faster healing will tend to occur.

OTHER RELATED TOPICS

THE GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST OR GTT

The standard medical definition is a serum glucose level of less than about 65 mg/ml.  However, many patients who obtain a glucose tolerance test or GTT experience symptoms of hypoglycemia, in spite of normal serum glucose levels.

I heard of one case in which a patient undergoing a 5-hour GTT ripped off her clothes and ran naked through the streets, although her serum glucose level was normal.  In a less dramatic example, another patient fainted right in the chair during the test when the serum glucose was normal.  Clearly the GTT is missing something. 

What is missing is a better definition of hypoglycemia.  It is not just low glucose in the blood.  It is more related to low energy production at the cellular level.  What happens during a GTT is that just giving a dose of sugar by mouth, as is done for this test, upsets glucose metabolism sufficiently that the entire glucose regulatory mechanism is occasionally thrown out of kilter and this produces the bizarre symptoms.  Also, it often produces false results called false negatives and false positives.

If the laboratory measured the insulin levels during the test, as Dr. Robert Atkins, MD and others have suggested, it would give a much clearer picture.  But even with this, it is only measuring sugar in the blood.  This is the real problem with it.

EMOTIONS AND HYPOGLYCEMIA

            Dr. Paul Eck felt that the emotion of pretense or pretending has something to do with hypoglycemia.  Basically, any emotion could add so much stress that it could trigger a hypoglycemic episode in those prone to this problem.  For the most part, however, I believe hypoglycemia is mainly a physical or biochemical condition that is due to improper diet, often combined with a number of mineral imbalances and other biochemical dysfunctions. 

WHAT IS REQUIRED FOR CELLULAR ENERGY PRODUCTION?

            The body’s energy system is very complex, and has at least several components, all of which must work well for a person to have a steady, high energy level.  The components are 1) a well-functioning energy pathway, 2) the correct oxidation rate, and 3) excellent enzyme strength.

1. The energy pathway.  Adequate cellular energy production requires that enough glucose reaches the cells, not only an adequate supply of glucose, but also that it finds its way into the cells through the cell membranes.  Once in the cells, it also requires that the mitochondria of the cells are able to burn or metabolize the glucose to form ATP.  It also requires that the ATP is able to be utilized, meaning consumed or metabolized to ADP, and then recycled or reprocessed again into ATP.  Any problem in these chemical pathways will cause hypoglycemic symptoms.  This topic is discussed in more depth in the article entitled How To Increase Your Energy.

            2. The oxidation rate.  This is like the tune of your engine, or it is like running the engine at the proper speed, or pedaling your bicycle at the right speed.  If the body’s metabolic or oxidation rate is too fast or too slow, energy efficiency decreases drastically.  This is similar to pedaling a bicycle too fast or too slow, or running a combustion engine too rich or too lean, or too slowly or too fast.  Adjusting the oxidation rate can make an enormous difference in how you feel.  This topic is discussed in depth in the article entitled The Oxidation Types.

            3. Enzyme strength. This is a measure of how well the trillions of enzymes function in your body.  To function correctly, one must have the correct minerals in the enzyme binding sites, and many other factors contribute, such as the pH of the tissues, the water content, body temperature, glandular activity and more.  Nutritional balancing is somewhat unique in its decisive ability to enhance enzyme strength in the body, although it is a somewhat slow process.

MINERALS, GLANDS AND HYPOGLYCEMIA

Many nutrients act as intermediaries and catalysts in the process known to chemists as cellular respiration.  Also, the major glands must function adequately, such as the thyroid and adrenal glands.  In fact, other glands such as the pancreas, liver and more have to do with glucose regulation as well.

Let us begin by listing a few of the most important minerals that are required.  There are others, however, that are beyond the scope of this article and, in fact, far beyond it because many nutrients must come together to allow the body to produce energy in the most efficient manner.  This is a topic for a separate article or even a book.  However, the major minerals to include here are:

1. Calcium.  Calcium is a major electrolyte that helps regulate the activity of the thyroid gland.  It is deficient in most diets today.  It is found mainly in dairy foods such as milk products, along with green vegetables, and various seeds and nuts.  A combination of hybrid cows and even hybrid goats (for goat milk), and processing of the milk with pasteurization and homogenization, however, render the calcium in these products much less usable.

Raw, certified dairy products are still a very good source of calcium, along with carrot juice and some cooked vegetables.   Cooking these vegetables, such as light steaming for 20-30 minutes, is required to soften the fibers of the vegetables to make the calcium more usable.  Otherwise, too much just passes right through the intestines and is wasted.

2. Magnesium.  This critical element has an action opposite of that of calcium, but related in many ways.  Magnesium, along with calcium, both relax the nervous system.  Also, deficiencies of both are very widespread today.

Magnesium foods include whole grains, but not flour that is refined and white.  Other good sources include nuts, seeds and a few vegetables such as carrots and other roots.  Otherwise, there are few sources of quality magnesium.  Supplements of magnesium may be needed in many cases for this reason.

Magnesium has a number of properties that make it extremely valuable in cases of hypoglycemia.  It is needed for hundreds of critical enzymes involved in energy production.  Also, it is a calming nutrient that helps the body process all manner of imbalances.  This is why magnesium is so essential, especially for those with hypoglycemia.

Excessive Hair Tissue Calcium and Magnesium.  With both calcium and magnesium, too much in the tissues is not desirable either.  This is unfortunately a common occurrence in what are called slow oxidizers with elevated hair tissue levels of calcium and magnesium.  The problem occurs because these individuals cannot keep calcium and magnesium in the blood in sufficient amounts and it moves out into the tissues in a biounavailable form.

3. Potassium. This electrolyte may sensitize the tissues to thyroid hormone.  As with calcium and magnesium, potassium is also deficient in the majority of the diets today.  It is only found in fresh foods, such as vegetables, meats and some fruits.  It is often low or missing in refined foods, as is magnesium and calcium as well.

Cooking does not damage the potassium content of foods very much.  Often cooking is required to make the potassium more absorbable by breaking down the tough fibers in vegetables and even in meats.

Potassium has many other roles, such as regulating the heart, the muscles and the nervous system.  However, its main role in the condition of hypoglycemia has to do with its effect on thyroid glandular activity.

4. Zinc.  This incredible mineral helps not only the production of insulin, but it is required to extend the action of the insulin molecule.  Without enough zinc, the insulin molecule degrades too quickly and must be replaced instead of being recycled and used again. 

For this reason, zinc deficiency, which is very common today, places a significant added burden and strain on the pancreas and its insulin production mechanism.  This often leads to diabetes if the cause of the low zinc is not corrected.

Many factors contribute to zinc deficiency.  Most children are born low in zinc, and this is one cause of Type 1 diabetes.  Other causes are stress, the most important single cause.  Zinc is used up almost immediately when the body experiences stress of any kind.  It cannot be replaced fast enough in these instances.  Zinc is also low in the soils of the earth, so it is low in most foods today.  Refining of food reduces zinc in foods much further.

5. Manganese.  This is another vital trace mineral that, as with zinc, is needed for the thyroid gland, for energy production in the mitochondria of the cells and for many other functions having to do with energy production in the body.  Almost everyone is deficient in this trace element, which is now refined out of most common foods such as wheat flour.

6. Chromium.  Chromium is another fascinating mineral that is responsible for insulin’s ability to transport sugars across the cell membrane.  Normally, the cells keep most glucose outside of the cell because too much inside is as harmful as too little.  Most food today is very low in chromium, especially refined flour and refined sugars and sweets of all kinds, including even fruits. 

Insulin Metabolism.  Insulin, in fact, regulates sugar metabolism in a number of ways, not just lowering blood sugar levels.  It also causes the conversion of sugars to fats in the liver, and more.  Chromium plays a role in these important functions in the liver as well as at the cellular level. This is quite complex and is the reason why simply replacing insulin, or worse, using a drug to attempt to lower blood sugar is a very incomplete and dangerous procedure.

7. Selenium.  While this amazing mineral is not central to the energy production process in the cells, it is critical for two other functions that are most important.  One is the conversion of the thyroid hormones T4 to T3, the active form of the hormone.  The other is for synthesis of glutathione in the liver.  This is critical for the detoxification of all toxic chemicals and heavy metals from the body.

VITAMINS AND ENERGY PRODUCTION

Several B-complex vitamins are also critical for energy production.  Among them are thiamine, niacin and vitamin B6.  In fact, however, many of the B-complex vitamins are required in the steps of the cellular respiration cycles such as the Krebs (carboxylic acid) and glycolysis cycles.

In addition, most of the vitamins are involved to one degree or another in cellular energy production.  Some function as catalysts for enzymes, while others such as vitamins A, C and D and E protect delicate structures inside the cells and outside from oxidant damage.  The vitamins are the main ingredients that function in this manner.

 

Home | Hair Analysis | Saunas | Books | Articles | Detox Protocols

Courses | About Dr. Wilson | The Free Basic Program

Copper Toxicity

    By Michael McEvoy, FDN, CNC, CMTA - December 12, 2011With 0 comments

Article by:  Lawrence Wilson, MD

Do you know anyone who suffers from headaches, fatigue, insomnia, depression, skin rashes, spaciness or detachment, learning disorders or premenstrual syndrome?  These can be symptoms of a copper imbalance.  It is an extremely common nutritional imbalance.  It is often overlooked, in part because it is not always simple to detect.
Copper is an essential trace mineral that is vitally important for both physical and mental health.  It has been studied for years, including at government laboratories.  However, its importance for health is still largely unappreciated.  The following article is an introduction to the large subject of copper imbalance.  The author is deeply indebted to Dr. Paul C. Eck, an avid copper researcher.

COPPER'S ROLE IN THE BODY

Copper has a number of important functions in the human body.  The problem usually occurs when there is too much of it in the soft tissues of the body.  Here are some of the important roles of copper:

1. Bones and connective tissue.  Copper is required to fix calcium in the bones and to build and repair all connective tissue.  This includes the tendons, ligaments, skin, hair, nails, arteries, veins and a few other tissues.
Imbalances can contribute to osteoporosis, bone spurs, and almost all conditions of the skin, hair and nails.  Others symptoms related to connective tissue include most cardiovascular problems, tendon and ligament conditions, scoliosis, and other skeletal and structural imbalances as well.

2. Energy production in the cells.  Copper is needed in the final steps of the Krebs energy cycle called the electron transport system.  This is where most of our cellular energy is produced.  Any problem here causes fatigue, depression and other imbalances related to low energy.

3. Immune Response.  Copper must remain in balance with zinc.  When imbalances occur, one is more prone to all infections, in particular fungal and yeast infections that are so common today.  For example, most people have some intestinal yeast if they eat sugars and most people have chronic sinus infections if they have common symptoms such as post-nasal drip and others.

4. The glandular system, particularly the thyroid and adrenal glands. The thyroid gland is extremely sensitive to copper.  In part this is due to its nature and how easily it is influenced by the sympathetic nervous system.  Common conditions seen with copper imbalance include hypothyroidism and even hyperthyroidism of a particular type that is very common that I all secondary hyperthyroidism.  Grave’s disease usually due to stress, copper
imbalance and often mercury as well.  Anyone with a diagnosis of Grave’s disease or hyperthyroidism should have a hair analysis performed at a lab that does not wash the hair and properly interpreted.
Most often, the problem goes away with a properly designed nutritional balancing program.  Reducing all stress and balancing the body chemistry are both required to resolve the condition naturally in my experience.  Drugs may be needed temporarily to control the symptoms.  Surgery or radioactive iodine treatment and too drastic and not needed, in my experience so far.

5. Reproductive system. Copper is closely related to estrogen metabolism, and is required for women's fertility and to maintain pregnancy.  Imbalance can cause every conceivable female organ-related difficulty such as premenstrual syndrome, ovarian cysts, infertility, miscarriages, sexual dysfunctions and more.  It affects men less than women in this area, but it may affect men’s potency and sexual drive as well as that of women.

6. Nervous system.  Copper stimulates production of the neurotransmitters epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine.  It is also required for monoamine oxidase, an enzyme related to serotonin production.  As a result, copper is involved deeply with all aspects of the central nervous system.  Copper imbalances are highly associated with most psychological, emotional and often neurological conditions.  These include memory loss, especially in young people, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and others discussed below.

THREE COPPER IMBALANCES

It is possible for a person to become copper-toxic, copper-deficient or to have a condition called biounavailable copper.  The first two of these are fairly easy to understand.  Copper is found in certain foods in greater quantity such as meats, eggs, poultry, nuts, seeds and grains.  Other foods are quite low in copper such as fruits, in particular.  Others that tend to be low are vegetables and some nuts and grains.

Refined food diets are low in copper in many cases.  Also, some, especially children, need much more copper than others.  This has to do mainly with their metabolic type or body chemistry.  Fast oxidizers need more copper while slow oxidizers often have too much.  Those who we find are fast oxidizers require a lot more copper.  This is a technical area, but it is an observation that holds true in most all cases.

Slow oxidizers often have excessive copper in their bodies.  Thus they are far more prone to copper imbalance of this nature.  To read more about this technical aspect of copper that is very important for practitioners, read Fast, Slow and Mixed Oxidation on this website.

What is biounavailable copper?  In this very common situation, copper is present in excess in the body, but it cannot be utilized well.  The reason it occurs is that minerals such as copper must be bound and transported within the body.

Biounavailability often occurs due to a deficiency of the copper-binding proteins, ceruloplasmin or metallothionein.  Without sufficient binding proteins, unbound copper may circulate freely in the body, where it may accumulate primarily in the liver, brain and female organs.

When copper is biounavailable, one may have symptoms of both copper toxicity and copper deficiency.  Copper toxicity and biounavailability are seen most often.  These occur almost always in people who are in the state called slow oxidation.  As stated earlier, copper deficiency occurs most often in people who are in the state called fast oxidation.  This article uses the words copper imbalance when more than one of the three types of copper problems are possible.

SYMPTOMS OF COPPER IMBALANCE

Each mineral has “target organs” where it tends to build up.   The places where copper accumulates are the liver first, then the brain and the reproductive organs.  Copper may affect any organ or system of the body.  However, it usually affects about four or five major systems of the body.  These are the nervous system, the female and male reproductive system, connective tissues such as hair, skin and nails and organs like the liver.  Let us discuss each of these in detail.

COPPER AND THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Dr. Paul Eck called copper the “emotional mineral”.  The reason for this is that copper and imbalances related to it have such a profound impact on the central nervous system.  The psychiatric implications of copper imbalance are tremendous, even if copper did not affect other body systems.  We regularly work with every known psychological and psychiatric condition and most of these individuals improve when copper is balanced in the body.
The overall effect of copper appears to be to enhance all emotional states in a human being.  Dr. Eck felt that copper stimulates the diencephalons or old brain.  Zinc is needed for the new brain or cortex.  This brain is associated with the “higher emotions” such as reasoning, compassion and love.

When an imbalance between these exists, the person tends to revert to the use of the old brain, also called the animal brain or emotional brain.  This can lead to a tendency for every possible emotional condition affecting human beings.

Nervous system dysfunctions.  We have seen improvement in 20 or 30 different mental and emotional conditions ranging from moderate to suicidal depression and anxiety to violence, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, phobias, Tourette’s syndrome and schizophrenia.  Others that respond amazingly well to balancing copper include epilepsy, ADD, ADHD, autism, delayed mental or emotional development and many others.
Panic attacks, migraines, spaciness, brain fog, mind racing, insomnia, nervousness, irritability and others also often involve copper.  On this website are numerous articles that explore these conditions and often the relation to copper in greater detail.

Copper and world violence.  Copper tends to enhance all the emotions, so violence can occur far more in those with copper excess – a common problem today in many parts of the world.

America is actually better in this regard because we can afford more beef and other meats.  These foods are among the highest foods in zinc that balances copper in the body.  Nations that cannot afford much meat may have worse copper imbalance, though this is not necessarily the case.

COPPER AND THE BLOOD

One of the most common symptoms of biounavailabe copper or a frank copper deficiency is an anemia that appears identical to iron deficiency anemia.  Those most affected are young adult women, and sometimes children.  Vegetarians also tend to have too much and biounavailable copper and may be affected.

Signs
It is usually a mild, microcytic, microchromic anemia on blood exams.

Mechanism
Copper is required to change the form of iron from ferric to ferrous and back again, and is required to incorporate iron into hemoglobin.  When copper is not available in sufficient amounts, usually due to adrenal insufficiency, iron is not incorporated into the hemoglobin well enough, resulting in a mild anemia.

Correction. Few doctors are aware of this cause for anemia.  As a result, most physicians make the mistake of giving supplemental iron for this condition, which may work a little, but makes the patient much worse in terms of overall health.  Iron can boost the adrenals and make copper a little more available, reducing the anemia.  However, iron is irritating to the intestines and iron overload is very common today.  For more on this, read Chronic Acquired Iron Overload on this website.

The correct treatment is to balance copper metabolism, which requires a hair mineral analysis in most cases and a complete nutritional balancing program.  Then the anemia goes away by itself.

COPPER AND INFECTIONS

Infections, especially sinus and other fungal infections.  Copper imbalance is also very much related to all fungal infections, in particular.  These often include common sinus conditions that give few symptoms such as a stuffy nose or post-nasal drip in millions of people.  Copper is also involved in acute and chronic candida albicans in the intestines and elsewhere.

Copper is critical for aerobic metabolism, so a copper imbalances allows fungal organisms to thrive in the body and must be corrected to reduce these infections, in most cases.  This is why some people simply cannot get rid of candida albicans or chronic yeast, parasitic infections, sinus infections and others.

Copper is also linked to many other types of infections because zinc is needed for the proper immune response.  Elevated or biounavailable copper often goes along with a low tissue zinc level, even though blood tests may be normal.  Even a hair analysis is often normal.

One must always look for hidden copper signs on the hair mineral analysis for this reason.  This is a great key to identifying copper imbalance today, as there are few other tests that may show evidence of it.

COPPER AND YEAST INFECTIONS

Our bodies use copper to help control the growth of yeast.  This may be because copper favors aerobic metabolism, the type of cellular metabolism that human beings should have.  More specifically, copper, along with iron, is required for the electron transport system, where most of our cellular energy is produced.

In contrast, yeasts and fungi are anaerobic.  This means they ferment sugars for their energy production.  Thus, when copper is not available to the body in sufficient quantity, aerobic or normal oxygen-using  metabolism is crippled to some degree, while anaerobic metabolism or the fermentation of sugars flourishes in such an environment.

For this reason, for example, copper sulfate is often sprayed on crops to kill yeast and fungus.  Copper is also used in some swimming pools and hot tubs to control yeast and bacterial growth.

COPPER AND THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

Women tend to have higher levels of copper than men.  Women also have more symptoms related to copper imbalance.

Premenstrual syndrome.  The symptoms of PMS mimic the symptoms of copper imbalance.  This occurs because estrogen levels and copper levels correlate well and both increase before the menstrual period.  For this reason, taking extra zinc and vitamin B6 before the menstrual period can often lower copper enough to reduce the symptoms of premenstrual tension for this reason.  At times, however, the cause of PMS is more complex.  For more information about this, however, read Premenstrual Syndrome on this website.

Other symptoms related to the sexual organs include amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, fibroid tumors, ovarian cysts, pelvic inflammatory disease, fibrocystic breast disease, endometriosis and possibly pelvic inflammatory disease.

Miscarriages and infertility.  Copper required to hold onto a pregnancy.  Studies indicate that women with low estrogen and often low copper have more miscarriages.  This is important for some women to know.  Correcting the copper imbalance can help immensely with normal pregnancy.  Infertility, on the other hand, is more common among women with elevated or biounavailable copper.  This may be due, in part, to weak adrenals that, in turn, give rise to copper imbalance.  Fertility problems, however, can be due to many factors.

Low libido in women and men.  This is also linked to copper imbalance.  Since copper raises the hair and tissue calcium level, women, in particular, with very high copper levels or hidden copper on their hair analyses, often lose interest in sex.  Their energy declines and the body can become a bit “numb” because excessive tissue calcium tends to render the nervous system less sensitive.

Low sexual interest in men is also related to copper, which interferes with zinc metabolism in many instances.  Men’s sperm and fluids are very rich in zinc.  If they become depleted, male fertility and male sexual performance will always suffer.  Most of the time, these problems are easy to overcome by correcting the levels of zinc and copper in the body using nutritional balancing methods.

Estrogen dominance and copper.  Copper-toxic women are often estrogen dominant.  This means they have more estrogen in their bodies, proportionately, than they have progesterone.  However, we rarely use progesterone therapy.  In fact, even natural or bio-identical progesterone therapy may be poorly tolerated in copper-toxic women and even men.
It also tends to be a little toxic, so we avoid it if at all possible.  Instead, if we balance the copper, the symptoms of estrogen dominance such as premenstrual tension, vanish quickly and completely.  Biounavailable copper and progesterone and body shape.  Other women, usually those with biounavailable copper are low in estrogen.  Their bodies are often more linear in shape and less “curvy”.  Of course, copper is not the only factor affecting hormones.  Some pesticides, for example, mimic the effects of estrogen and can affect the hormone balance.

Men and copper imbalance.  Boys and men are far more affected when copper is out of balance than are women in many cases.  Men should be zinc dominance.  While most women have more copper in their bodies, men, by contrast, should be zinc-dominant.   Zinc, a 'masculine' element, balances copper in the body and is essential for male reproductive activity.
Among the boys, symptoms that are most prominent are growth and developmental delay, ADD, ADHD, autism and related brain disorders.  Among men, symptoms of copper toxicity, usually, include prostate enlargement, prostate infections and to some degree prostate cancer.  Others include ED or erectile dysfunction that used to be called impotence, depression, anxiety and even violence.  Others are testicular pain and testicular cancer in some cases.

Secondary sex characteristics and copper. Secondary sex characteristics are aspects of sexuality that are more mental and emotional than they are physical.  For example, some men just love sex and women, while others are less sexual.  The differences have to do with hormone levels, and often with the copper imbalance.  Homosexuality, for example, is often related to copper levels for this reason.  This is true for women as well as for men.
Birth control pills and copper IUDs (intra-uterine devices for birth control) .  These two birth control methods definitely affect copper metabolism in the body.  While some women can handle them, others experience depression, anxiety, personality shifts and many horrible side effects from them, either acute or chronic.

This aspect of women’s “sexual revolution” has probably caused more disasters in women’s health than any other.  Developing cancer, for example, can take years so women do not understand the dangers.  The truth is, even if a woman quits taking the pill, for example, her risk of cancer remains high her entire lifetime.

Excessive sexual desire or sexual dysfunctions in women.  Another curious effect of copper excess in women can be excessive sexual interest.  This has something to do with the estrogen levels and liver toxicity due to the copper imbalance.  Other sexual difficulties in both men and women such as pain on intercourse, vaginal dryness and others may have to do with copper imbalance as well.

COPPER AND CONNECTIVE TISSUE

Copper is required for collagen formation.  Copper deficiency is association with atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular conditions.  Excess copper or biounavailable copper often causes connective tissue problems, interfering with the disulfide bonds in connective tissue.

Copper and vitamin C.  Copper and vitamin C are direct antagonists.  This means that they oppose each other in the body.  This is one reason many people feel better taking a lot of vitamin C.  Copper tends to oxidize and destroy vitamin C in the body.  Meanwhile, vitamin C chelates or removes copper from the body.  This requires a dose of vitamin C of at least about 500 mg daily, far higher than the minimum daily requirement of about 60 mg.  Many readers know that vitamin C is critical for connective tissues.  One of the prominent symptoms of scurvy, or vitamin C deficiency, is bleeding, such as bleeding gums.  This is due to connective tissue weakness.

Thus, a copper excess can easily lead to a deficiency of vitamin C in the body and with it many symptoms of vitamin C deficiency.  Oddly, however, a copper deficiency also causes connective tissue problems, especially in the heart and cardiovascular system where it is associated with a tendency for aneurisms and atherosclerosis.

Symptoms
Symptoms associated with connective tissue and joints include arthritis, osteoporosis, stretch marks and joint problems of other kinds.  Others include scoliosis, kyphosis (bad posture) and many of the conditions of the skin, hair and fingernails and toenails.  Others are some diseases the muscles, ligaments and tendons.
Among the most common, for example, are hair loss, especially in women, tendonitis, back problems due to muscle weakness and others.

OTHER IMPORTANT COPPER-RELATED CONDITIONS
COPPER AND ADDICTION

Addiction may be related to copper and the adrenals.  The use of stimulant drugs, loud music, sex and even just exercise stimulates the adrenals.  This helps keep copper available and makes one feel better.  Without this stimulation, unbound copper builds up quickly in the body and one may feel fatigued, moody or depressed.  These are common copper imbalance symptoms.

This can easily result in a compulsive or addictive need for some kind of adrenal stimulant such as more exercise, more caffeine or even cocaine.  In other words, part of the appeal of cocaine, caffeine, amphetamines or other stimulants may be their ability to help lower copper temporarily by stimulating the adrenals.

Relation of cadmium to copper.  Dr. Paul C. Eck stated that cadmium found in marijuana and cigarettes drives copper back into storage.  Therefore, these drugs may also make a person feel better temporarily by affecting the copper balance.

THE HIGH COPPER PERSONALITY

There exists a high copper personality.  Positive traits include a warm, caring, sensitive, emotional nature, often with artistic orientation and a child-like quality.  Often high-copper people are young-looking.  Many traditionally feminine traits are associated with copper such as softness, gentleness and intuitiveness.  This may relate to the qualities of metallic copper, which include softness, malleability and an excellent conductor of electricity.

When the personality is not fully integrated or the copper becomes too high, negative traits show up.  These include spaciness, racing thoughts, living in a dream world and naiveté.  Other qualities include childishness, excessive emotions, sentimentality, a tendency to depression, fearfulness, hidden anger and resentments, phobias, psychosis and violence.  Artists, inventors and other high-copper types often "live on the edge", in part due to their high copper level.

The copper personality tends to accumulate copper easily.  Copper can function as a psychological defense mechanism.  It causes one to detach slightly from reality.  This provides relief from stress for the sensitive individual.  It works well as long as the copper does not become too high.  Very high copper can cause a psychotic break from reality, a type of schizophrenia.

Case History of schizophrenia.  An 18-year old schizophrenic patient had a hair copper level of 41 mg% (normal is 2.5 mg%).  She hallucinated and attempted suicide twice while in the Scottsdale Camelback Mental Hospital.  When her copper was brought back into the normal range with a nutritional balancing program, her symptoms disappeared and she has remained well ever since.

Copper and other food cravings.  Copper-toxic individuals may also be drawn to sweets or salty foods due to adrenal insufficiency.  Some sea salt is often beneficial.  Sweets, including fruit juices, provide a temporary lift but may worsen the condition.

Anorexia and copper.  Another common symptom is a lack of appetite or some degree of anorexia.  Excessive copper tends to shut off the appetite, whereas zinc is required for the appestat mechanism in the brain.  Zinc is also needed for an acute sense of taste and smell.  The anorexia situation ends to be the worst in teenagers.  For one thing, they are under more stress than younger children in many cases.  Also, their diets are often low in quality proteins such as meats that are rich in zinc.  Instead, they eat a lot of carbohydrates such as pizza that actually interfere with zinc uptake in the intestines.  This combination can be lethal for some teenage girls, in particular.

Anemia.  Copper is needed for iron metabolism.  Therefore, an important cause of anemia, especially in women, is a copper imbalance.  On a blood test, it looks exactly like an iron-deficient anemia but it will not respond very well to the administration of supplemental iron.  The copper imbalance must be corrected and then the anemia vanishes quickly.

COPPER AND CANCER

Copper imbalance impairs the immune system.  Research is underway investigating the role of excess copper in tumor angiogenesis.  Elevated copper on a hair mineral analysis, when the level is above about 12 mg% and persists at this level, is often related to a tendency for infections and even cancer.

Cancer is associated with all three copper imbalances – deficiency, excess and biounavailable copper, which is a combination of the other two.  This is one reason for the cancer epidemic we experience today.  The important topic of cancer and natural approaches to it, is discussed in other articles on this website.  Here are just a few ways cancer is linked to copper imbalance:

1. The levels of estrogen and copper have a direct relationships.  This means that as copper rises, often estrogen rises, too.  This is one reason many women and even men are so-called “estrogen dominant” today.  Really, they have too much copper and cannot detoxify estrogen well enough.  This imbalance is tied to cancer because estrogen is a potent carcinogen.  It is the reason we never recommend supplementing even natural estrogen unless it is done with extreme caution.  It is rarely needed if the body chemistry can be balanced using nutritional balancing science.

2. Copper causes liver toxicity when it is in excess or when it ibiounavailable.  The liver is important to protect to avoid and to control cancer in every case, according to Dr. Max Gerson, MD, a pioneer in non-toxic cancer therapies.

3. Copper alters thyroid gland activity in most cases.  This can also contribute to cancer and many other illnesses such as Grave’s disease, for example.

4. Copper imbalance is associated with fungal and other infections.  These can often be at the root of a cancer situation.  For example, it is known that root canal-filled teeth can give off bacterial toxins that help predispose the body to cancers of certain kinds.

5. Copper blocks anerobic metabolism when it is in balance.  This can help prevent cancer when copper is in balance, but not when it is too high or too low in the body.

6. Copper in excess often interferes with zinc metabolism. Zinc is required for the immune response and for over 100 enzymes in the body from  helping digestion to protecting the skin from invasion from infections and even some skin cancers.

COPPER AND CHILDREN

Copper has an incredible impact on children, particularly young ones.  Common conditions such as ear infections, skin rashes and dandruff usually involve an imbalance between copper and zinc in children.  Others in which we commonly find copper imbalance, along with other metal imbalances are learning and developmental disorders, colic, ADD and ADHD, sleep problems and childhood cancers.

This has to do with the extreme importance of copper in childhood development, especially of the developing nervous and immune systems.  Children are born with high copper levels.  Young children are very sensitive and intuitive.  They often lose some of their sensitivity as their copper levels diminish around age four.  Today, however, persistently elevated copper levels in children are commonly seen.  At times, the copper is hidden.

Why children have copper imbalances.  Copper imbalance problems for a child often begin when still in the womb.  High-copper mothers pass on excessive copper (and often low zinc) to the fetus through the placenta.  This is called congenital, rather than genetic high copper.  It can be prevented by correcting one's copper metabolism before becoming pregnant.  It can also be corrected after a baby is born, though this takes much more effort in most cases.

Once a baby is born, copper imbalance can develop as well.  Inadequate zinc or high copper in the breast milk, in fact, is one reason children stop breastfeeding.  Children’s diets are usually not great and often atrocious.  Stress in the home or at school is another critical factor in sensitive children that can literally push them over the edge.  Stress of any kind can lower zinc and raise the copper level.

Vaccination and the use of prescription drugs can aggravate a child's copper imbalance, usually by depleting the zinc level.  Copper imbalance in children is associated with delayed development, attention deficit disorder, anti-social and hyperactive behavior, autism, learning difficulties and infections such as ear infections.
Beware of fast oxidizing young children.  Do not restrict their copper.  Most of them absolutely require extra copper.  This is because they are fast oxidizers.  This body type must have extra copper or they will exhibit violence, sleep problems or anti-social behavior such as ADD or ADHD.  So beware, since avoiding copper will make these children decidedly worse.

COPPER AND THE CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

Low or biounavailable copper is associated with atherosclerosis and a tendency for aneurisms as well.  The arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis is secondary, usually, to weakened arterial walls.  The body tries to reinforce inflamed or weakened arteries by coating them on the inside with calcium or fatty plaques.  High or biounavailable copper is associated with mitral valve prolapse and other cardiovascular problems as well.  It is not directly associated with high blood pressure, but may be secondarily due to the reasons for arteriosclerosis explained above.

COPPER AND SOCIETY

Is it possible that our mineral balance affects our attitudes?  Copper is called the 'love' mineral, the 'intuitive' mineral, and a 'feminine' mineral because it is so important for the female reproductive system.  Its level generally parallels that of estrogen.  While many factors influence our attitudes and values, the rise in tissue copper levels in both men and women in the past fifty years parallels renewed interest in women’s issues, in religious and intuitive knowledge, and other “new age” and other movements.
Copper may promote or encourage these interests and activities by causing mild tissue catabolism that breaks down old tissues in the body, thus making way for the development of other types of tissues in the body.  This sounds very vague, but apparently copper has this type of effect.

VEGETARIAN DIETS AND THE COPPER BALANCE

Excess copper interferes with zinc, a mineral needed to make digestive enzymes.  Too much copper also impairs thyroid activity and the functioning of the liver.  If severe enough, a person will become an obligatory vegetarian.  This means they are no longer able to digest meat very well.  Conversely, if one becomes a vegetarian for other reasons, most likely one's copper level will increase.  Vegetarian proteins are higher in copper, and lower in zinc.
At times, the vegetarian orientation is health-producing.  In many people, however, restricted diets do not work well.  Fatigue, spaciness and other symptoms begin to appear.  Many people, including the author, felt they were becoming more “spiritual” on a vegetarian diet, when in fact it was just copper poisoning!  The taste for meat often returns when copper is brought into better balance.
Some people with high copper dislike all protein.  They crave high-carbohydrate diets.  Protein feels heavy or causes other symptoms.  Eating protein stimulates glandular activity.  This releases stored copper, which causes the symptoms.  However, these individuals usually need to eat protein.  The symptoms will eventually disappear.

ADRENAL BURNOUT OR HYPOFUNCTION

Adrenal burnout, characterized by chronic fatigue and other symptoms, is often related to copper imbalance.  Although correcting emotional and other factors are necessary, improving the copper imbalance, supporting the adrenals and releasing fearful thoughts go hand in hand to restore optimum health.   Click here for more information about adrenal burnout syndrome.

SOURCES OF COPPER

Congenital high copper (children born with high copper or low zinc).  Today, many children are born with excessive tissue copper.  It is passed from high-copper mothers to their children through the placenta.  Stress from any cause contributes to copper imbalance.  Stress depletes the adrenal glands and lowers the zinc level in the body.

Zinc deficiency.  Whenever zinc becomes deficient, copper tends to accumulate.  Our soil is low in zinc.  Refined sugar, white rice and white flour have been stripped of their zinc.  The trend toward vegetarianism reduces zinc in the diet, since red meat is the best dietary source of zinc.

High-copper diets.  Copper is found in many foods, particularly vegetarian proteins such as nuts, beans, seeds and grains.  Meats contain copper, but it is balanced by zinc which competes for its absorption.  Chocolate is high in copper.  A desire for copper may help explain chocolate cravings.

Copper pipes.  Another source of copper is drinking water that remained in copper water pipes, or copper added to your water supply.  During a recent dry summer, several Oregon cities added copper sulfate to their reservoirs to reduce algae growth.  Accident and disease rates increased.

Mineral deficiencies.  Deficiencies of manganese, iron, selenium, chromium and other minerals can contribute to copper accumulation.

Vitamin deficiencies.  These include deficiencies in the diet of B-vitamins and vitamin C.

Adrenal weakness.  According to Dr. Eck’s research, the adrenal hormones help stimulate the liver to produce ceruloplasmin, a major copper binding protein in the body.

Liver sluggishness or toxicity. A sluggish liver due to toxicity, slow metabolism or a chronic infection such as hepatitis C, can predispose one to copper imbalance.

Metallothionein or other copper transport imbalances. These may also contribute to copper toxicity or biounavailability.

Other sources. These are less common, in my experience.  They include using copper cookware, and copper exposure from dental materials, vitamin pills, jewelry, drinking water, fungicide and pesticide residues on food, copper intra-uterine devices and birth control pills.  Plumbers and a few other occupations such as electricians may be exposed to copper.

Hot tubs and pools may increase hair copper levels.  Copper is used to sanitize pools and some hot tubs, and can increase hair copper, at times.  Hot tubs and pools are also breeding grounds for so many micro-organisms that are not killed by the chemicals that we don’t recommend either for optimum health.   It is much better to avoid all public pools and hot tubs and/or use about 250 parts per million of hydrogen peroxide to sanitize your hot tub.  The internet has information about how to do this.

When copper is out of balance, our bodies cannot control yeast overgrowth for these reasons.  This often lead to chronic candida albicans infections that are resistant to treatment.

Case history.  Mrs. Robinson and her 6-month-old, breast-fed baby both began to experience hair loss.  The cause was a daily prenatal vitamin containing 4 milligrams of copper, far too much for this high-copper mother.  As soon as they stopped using

DETECTING COPPER IMBALANCE

Blood, urine, feces and hair testing are used to detect copper imbalance.  Liver biopsy is also used on rare occasions.  Let us examine each method from my experience.  Blood serum or feces copper levels are not considered a reliable way to detect copper imbalance because copper may not accumulate in the blood or the feces.  Serum ceruloplasmin is not much more accurate, and still often misses copper imbalance.  Urine testing is also inaccurate because copper is stored deep in organs such as the brain and the liver.
Urine challenge testing.  With this procedure, one first gives a dose of penicillamine and then collects the urine for 24 hours.  However, this still will miss much copper that is stored deep within body organs and tissues.  Chelating agents primarily remove minerals from the blood and arterial walls.  A liver biopsy for copper can be very accurate.  However, it is costly, invasive and in my experience unnecessary.  However, it is used rarely to assess Wilson’s disease (a rare inherited copper storage disease).

Hair testing, in my experience, is far and away the best method to detect copper imbalances.  It can detect not only copper excess and copper deficiency, but copper biounavailability, too.  Hair is not a primary site of copper deposition.  However, if one knows how to interpret the hair analysis, one can often rapidly and non-invasively assess copper status.

COPPER ASSESSMENT VIA HAIR MINERAL ANALYSIS

An ideal range of copper in the hair is about 1-2.5 mg% or about 10-25 ppm.  Any number higher than this tends to indicate excessive copper in the hair tissue and, by extension, in other tissues of the body.  Swimming in pools. Rarely swimming in pools regularly or even regular use of a hot tub increases the copper level in the hair.  This is due to the use of copper compounds added to the water as disinfectants.  These, of course, are best avoided if one has symptoms of elevated copper.

Note that the hair must not be washed at the laboratory for accurate results.  Only two labs in the United States, Analytical Research Labs and Trace elements, Inc., do not wash the hair at the lab, as far as I am aware. See the article on this site entitled Introduction To Hair Mineral Analysis concerning this important aspect of hair analysis procedure.  Avoiding washing of the hair at the laboratory is also even more important to assess copper indirectly, our next topic below.

Indirect copper indicators.  The copper level on a hair mineral analysis is NOT the best way to assess copper status.  The reason is that copper does not often accumulate in the hair tissue and too many other factors can skew the reading.  In fact, copper assessment is quite complex.

Assessing Low Copper
A need for copper supplements does not mean the entire body is low in copper.  It just means that some is needed to balance the chemistry at this time.  Following are hair indicators for a need for copper supplementation:

1) A fast oxidation rate.  This is identified for you on tests from Analytical Research Laboratories.  The criteria are a calcium/potassium ratio less than 4:1 and a sodium/magnesium ratio greater than 4.17;1.

2) A hair sodium/potassium ratio less than about 2.5:1.  Copper may be low or is more often biounavailable.  In this condition, one must give some copper, even if the absolute copper level on the test is high and even if the patient has symptoms of copper toxicity. This is difficult to understand, but it works in practice and is very important to assist some patients.  I have written more about this in other articles on this website, such as A Low Sodium/Potassium Ratio.

Assessing Biounavailable Copper.  Most or perhaps all the time when copper is high in the hair or when hidden copper indicators are present, copper is at least somewhat biologically unavailable as well.
This may give rise to a combination of symptoms of toxicity and deficiency.  In addition to all the indicators below for hidden copper toxicity, other indicators of the biounavailability of copper are:

1) A copper level less than 1.0 in a slow oxidizer.  This indicator is not too common, and may be related to more copper buildup in the brain, according to our recent research.

2) A sodium/potassium ratio less than about 2.5:1 in either a fast, slow or mixed oxidizer.

Assessing Copper Toxicity
The hair copper level is a very unreliable indicator for copper toxicity.  So is serum copper, serum ceruloplasmin and many other tests because the copper can hide deep in the brain and the liver.  A liver biopsy is a good indicator, but is a painful and somewhat invasive procedure.  Dr. Eck found that a hair mineral analysis, however, offers indirect indicators that are very accurate.  They include:

Most slow oxidizers and all very slow oxidizers.
Calcium level greater than about 70 mg%.
Magnesium greater than about 10 mg%.
Potassium level less than about 4 mg%.
Zinc less than about 13 mg%.
Zinc greater than about 20 mg% is often, but not always is a hidden copper indicator.
Mercury level greater than 0.03 mg%. (see below)
Slow oxidation with a copper level less than 1.0 mg%
Copper greater than about 2.5 mg% on any chart indicates excess and usually biounavailability.
Calcium /potassium ratio greater than 10:1.
Sodium/potassium ratio less than about 2:1.
Phosphorus less than about 12 mg%.  This is a newer indicator with less research behind it.
Four low electrolytes.
Four high electrolytes.
Sympathetic dominance pattern.
Calcium shell.
Step down pattern.
Step up pattern.
Double low ratio pattern.
Bowl pattern.
Passive-aggressive pattern.

In the book I co-authored with Dr. Paul Eck, entitled Toxic Metals in Human Health and Disease (1989), we wrote that the mercury level needs to be 0.4 mg% for hidden copper to be present.  I believe this is an error and the level is closer to 0.03.

REDUCING EXCESS COPPER

I have dealt with severe copper imbalance in myself and experienced many of the symptoms of it.  He has not had difficulty with it for many years and helps thousands of others, literally, with the same issues.  Seven methods can be used at the same time to reduce copper in the tissues and are described below.

This section is divided into methods to reduce toxic levels of copper and methods for improving the activity of the adrenal glands.

Reducing Copper In The Tissues.  At least several of the following methods should be used at the same time for best results.  This is often overlooked, leading to temporary or incomplete restoration of health.

1) Balance body chemistry, enhance energy production and improve adrenal gland activity.  To support the adrenal glands, avoid sweets, eat protein with each meal.  Supplements that assist the adrenals include vitamins A,C and E, manganese, zinc, adrenal glandular and B-complex vitamins.  Animal protein is very helpful due to its higher content of zinc, B-vitamins and sulfur amino acids including cysteine and taurine.  Adrenal glandular substance is also frequently helpful.

2) Reduce fear and stress.  Methods range from a change in location or work to meditation, therapy, more rest and other changes.1) Inhibit the sympathetic nervous system.  This is easier said than done.  Copper toxic individuals often complain of their mind racing.  Turning off the sympathetic or fight-or-flight nervous system can be a challenge.  Methods that are helpful include electric light sauna therapy, meditation, relaxation techniques, deep breathing, supplemental calcium, magnesium, ox bile, pancreatin, kidney glandular and coffee enemas.

3) Reduce exposure to sources of copper like copper intra-uterine devices, swimming in pools and high-copper vegetarian diets.

4) Enhance the eliminative organs, such as the liver, skin and colon.  Digestive enzymes, especially pancreatin, are very important.  Also excellent is sauna therapy, especially with an near infrared electric light sauna.  Other methods of enhancing the eliminative organs are coffee enemas, colonic irrigation and skin brushing.

5) Antagonists such as zinc, manganese and iron compete with copper for absorption and utilization.  Other antagonists include vitamins B6, folic acid and selenium.  Research indicates copper may be excreted by binding with glutathione and metallothionine which require these nutrients.

6) Chelators are not needed or helpful in most cases. These are substances that bind to copper and help remove it from the body.  Click here to read more about why we avoid Chelation Therapy.  Synthetic chelators may be used, but can have harmful side effects. The most common one is penicillamine, sold under the names Cupramine or Depen.  This toxic method has been around for years.  It is not  recommended ever, due to side effects that can include kidney damage, blurred vision, B6 deficiency, ringing in the ears, ulcers, jaundice and other liver damage, abdominal pain, bloody urine and more.

Note that just taking copper antagonists and chelators may not work very well.  This is because these, of themselves, do not assist to rebalance body chemistry.  In fact, they can make the overall balance of the electrolytes worse.  This is why a complete program of balancing body chemistry with nutritional balancing science is far preferable.  I will assist any practitioner who wishes to learn about this method of copper removal.

For example, zinc is often used to correct a high copper.  However, it lowers the hair tissue sodium level, which is often dangerous if persisted in.  Molybdenum, another excellent copper antagonist and chelator, raises sodium.  Vitamin C, when used in high doses, tends to cause other imbalances because it can remove other metals besides copper.
Each vitamin and mineral affects overall body chemistry.   For best results, I strongly recommend an integrated nutrition, lifestyle and detoxification program based on a properly performed and interpreted hair mineral analysis.  It is worth the extra time, cost and energy to get better results.  It can also avoid the purchase of unnecessary and costly supplements and other problems that come from their use.  Also, be careful with chelating methods, including natural products such as Metal Free, NDF and others.  We do not like these products, as they often remove some essential minerals as well as removing toxic metals.

Adrenal Gland Restoration
Restoring the adrenal glands is often absolutely necessary to prevent copper from accumulating over and over again in the body.  This is because the adrenal glands signal the liver to produce ceruloplasmin, the principal copper binding agent in the body, along with metallothionein.  To restore the adrenal glands, the following methods may be extremely helpful and necessary in many instances.

1. Rest is number one.  Get at least 11 hours of sleep daily.  This may be broken into nighttime plus a nap or two.  A year of more of extra rest is often needed.

2. Diet is also critical.  The diet should be high in fresh vegetables, in particular, as well as healthful proteins and some whole grain rice and corn, if these can be tolerated well.  For the recommended diet, see the document Slow Oxidizer Diet.  This diet is appropriate for most of those with copper imbalance, though not all.  A small number are fast oxidizers.   They must have much more fat and oil in their diets, and less protein at times.  Other special cases also exist due to more complex nutritional imbalances, food sensitivities and other rarer conditions.
Equally important, the diet must be as low as possible in sweets and sugars as possible.  These foods, along with all stimulants, stress the adrenal glands and tend to make copper imbalance worse.  Stimulants include sugars, caffeine and food additives such as MSG, aspartame and other excitotoxins in the diet.  Many other food chemicals and additives, however, even including too much salt, also stress the body and are not helpful for copper imbalance.  Strict vegetarian diets usually aggravate copper imbalance badly.  Wheat and refined flour products, in general, are also not helpful at all.  These are some of the most important dietary considerations, especially for slow oxidizers.

3.Carefully chosen nutritional supplements are also extremely important to reduce copper imbalance.  These are best determined by the use of a hair mineral analysis, in our view.

Many doctors give symptomatic remedies for copper. These are nutrients that are known to lower or to balance copper in the body.  They include vitamin C, garlic, zinc, molybdenum, vitamin B6 and others.  I do not endorse or recommend this method at all.  It is far too likely to fail, though it will often give some quick relief.  Please beware of using remedies to lower copper without getting a hair mineral analysis from a doctor or nutritional consultant who understands how to interpret the test.

Programs we design always help to support the adrenal and thyroid glands and include a digestive aid along with targeted nutritional support depending on the mineral ratios in the body.  I also do not like the use of most herbs for the adrenal glands.  We do not use ginseng, licorice and other herbs that may be stimulating, as these eventually cause more severe problems, though, once again, they offer quick results in many cases.
We also do not need to use any hormones such as DHEA, pregnenolone, testosterone, progesterone or cortisol.  These also give quick relief in most cases, but upset the delicate hormone balance and eventually usually worsen copper imbalance.  Click here to read more about Hormone Replacement Therapy.

4. Lifestyle modifications.  Most people with copper imbalance are very sensitive.  Many also need to slow down, relax more, let go of anger and learn to meditate, perhaps.  Some also need to make big life changes in their relationships, location, work and other important aspects of their lives so that they “live their truth” to a greater degree.  Living a lie can be an important problem, in fact.

5. Detoxification.  Copper imbalance responds beautifully to the use of coffee enemas and colonic irrigation if enemas are not possible.  In addition, the use of a near or far infrared sauna is absolutely essential for some people, especially those with emotional problems connected to their copper imbalance.
Other methods of detoxification are less effective, in our experience.  These include methods such as cleansing diets, which can make the copper problem worse.

COPPER DETOXIFICATION SYMPTOMS
One of the difficulties in reducing excess copper are symptoms that arise during the process of elimination.  As the body begins to mobilize excess copper from tissue storage sites, it enters the bloodstream on its way to the liver and kidneys for elimination.  While in the bloodstream, the copper can cause headaches, skin rashes, racing thoughts, strange odors, digestive upset, mood swings and energy fluctuations.  In men, testicular pain is not uncommon.  Women’s periods may be affected.
Certain methods of lowering copper cause these symptoms more than others. Zinc, vitamin C and manganese tend to cause more symptoms, perhaps because zinc and manganese replace copper in the liver.  Molybdenum and sulfur compounds such as Russian black radish tend not to produce copper elimination effects.

If one knows what is occurring, it is possible to take measures to minimize these temporary elimination symptoms.  Enemas, sweating, and drinking more water can help promote copper elimination.  Reducing the nutrition program for a few days may also help slow the reactions and reduce symptoms if they are severe.  Supplements of molybdenum, bile acids, laxative herbs and vitamin B6 may also mitigate elimination symptoms.  Much more on this topic is contained in an article entitled Copper Elimination Symptoms.  An excellent copper toxicity case history is available by clicking here.

ATTITUDES AND SPIRITUALITY HELP BALANCE COPPER
Besides more rest and sleep, techniques to reduce all stress and improve coping ability are wonderful to assist with copper imbalance.  In addition, people with copper imbalance are often the more aware or sensitive people in society.  They must acknowledge this and love themselves more for it.  Life is not always easy for the copper-toxic person.  One can become resentful, angry or depressed easily.  A method we highly recommend is a meditation-observation exercise that we offer on a compact disc.  It is also offered on the internet by Mr. Roy Masters at www.FHU.com.  This is a Judeo-Christian exercise that is tremendously grounding and centering.

It was a great help for me with copper imbalance and has helped hundreds of other clients as well.  We cannot recommend it highly enough.  It is simple to do and will slowly reduce all causes of stress as it brings more truth and light into one’s life.  In addition, prayer, reading the bible and any other true spiritual activity will often assist copper-toxic individuals.  This is the case because it helps them to know they are all right, they are loved and God is present in their lives.  This can be vital for a copper-toxic person, though it is helpful for everyone who cares about spiritual matters.

THE BLESSING OF COPPER TOXICITY

I suffered from copper toxicity for at least 10 years before I even knew why I felt so bad.  I was always tired, depressed, achy and often anxious, too.  However, today, some 30 years later,  I know clearly it was a blessing in disguise.  Copper toxicity led me into natural healing, into meditation and eventually into myself and my gifts.  Copper imbalance, indeed, is often a sign that one is not living one’s gifts and truths.  If it takes copper imbalance to move you in a different direction, then it is a wonderful thing, though the suffering may not seem worth it right now.

With enough compassion for yourself and a complete nutritional balancing program based on hair mineral analysis, almost all our clients become well and much happier, also.  Then the creative, intuitive and loving qualities of the high-copper individual can shine through to the world.

Dr. Lawrence Wilson, MD, FICB is considered by many to be the world’s foremost authority on Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis. He is the author of numerous books, hundreds of articles and other media. His website is: www.drlwilson.com.
He resides in Prescott, Arizona.

Healing*Edge Sciences
100% Secure Shopping Create New AccountSign In

    Home
    Products
    Programs
    New
    Shop By Type
    New
    Shop By Health Concern
    Shop by Brand
    Research

    Mark Downs
    Coupons and Deals
    Shopping Cart (0)

Copper Toxicity

Do you know anyone who suffers from headaches, fatigue, insomnia, depression, spaciness, learning disorders or premenstrual syndrome? These can be symptoms of a copper imbalance.

Copper, an essential trace mineral, is vitally important for both physical and mental health. It has been studied for years, including at government laboratories. However, its importance for health is still largely unappreciated. The following is but an introduction. The author is deeply indebted to Dr. Paul C. Eck, an avid copper researcher.

Copper's Role in the Body

Copper is critical for energy production in the cells. It is also involved in nerve conduction, connective tissue, the cardiovascular system and the immune system. Copper is closely related to estrogen metabolism, and is required for women's fertility and to maintain pregnancy. Copper stimulates production of the neurotransmitters epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. It is also required for monoamine oxidase, an enzyme related to serotonin production.

It is possible to become copper-toxic or copper-deficient, and there is a condition called biounavailable copper. In the latter, copper is present, but cannot be utilized. Toxicity and biounavailability are seen most often. This article uses the words copper imbalance when more than one situation is possible.

Physical conditions associated with copper imbalance include arthritis, fatigue, adrenal burnout, insomnia, scoliosis, osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, migraine headaches, seizures, fungal and bacterial infections including yeast infection, gum disease, tooth decay, skin and hair problems and female organ conditions including uterine fibroids, endometriosis and others.

Mental and emotional disorders related to copper imbalance include spaciness, depression, mood swings, fears, anxiety, phobias, panic attacks, violence, autism, schizophrenia, and attention deficit disorder. Copper deficiency is associated with aneurysms, gout, anemia and osteoporosis. Interestingly, the symptoms of premenstrual tension are identical to the symptoms of copper imbalance.

Copper Sources

Today, many children are born with excessive tissue copper. It is passed from high-copper mothers to their children through the placenta.

Stress from any cause contributes to copper imbalance. Stress depletes the adrenal glands and lowers the zinc level in the body. Whenever zinc becomes deficient, copper tends to accumulate. Our soil is low in zinc. Refined sugar, white rice and white flour have been stripped of their zinc. The trend toward vegetarianism reduces zinc in the diet, since red meat is the best dietary source of zinc.

Copper is found in many foods, particularly vegetarian proteins such as nuts, beans, seeds and grains. Meats contain copper, but it is balanced by zinc which competes for its absorption. Chocolate is high in copper. A desire for copper may help explain chocolate cravings.

Another source of copper is drinking water that remained in copper water pipes, or copper added to your water supply. During a recent dry summer, several Oregon cities added copper sulfate to their reservoirs to reduce algae growth. Accident and disease rates increased.

Other sources of copper are copper cookware, dental materials, vitamin pills, fungicides and pesticides residues on food, copper intra-uterine devices and birth control pills. Mrs. Robinson and her 6-month-old, breast-fed baby both began to experience hair loss. The cause was a daily prenatal vitamin containing 4 milligrams of copper, far too much for this high-copper mother.

Deficiencies of manganese, iron, B-vitamins and vitamin C can cause copper to accumulate. Adrenal hormones cause the liver to produce ceruloplasmin, the main copper binding protein in the body. Therefore, sluggish liver or weak adrenal glands may cause copper to build up in the tissues.

The Copper Personality

There is a high copper personality. Positive traits include a warm, caring, sensitive, emotional nature, often with artistic orientation and a child-like quality. Often high-copper people are young-looking. Many traditional feminine traits are associated with copper, such as softness, gentleness and intuitiveness.

When the personality is not fully integrated or the copper becomes too high, negative traits show up. These include spaciness, racing thoughts, living in a dream world, childishness, excessive emotions, sentimentality, a tendency to depression, fearfulness, hidden anger and resentments, phobias, psychosis and violence. Artists, inventors and other high-copper types often "live on the edge", in part due to their high copper level.

The copper personality tends to accumulate copper easily. Copper functions as a psychological defense mechanism. It causes one to detach slightly from reality. This provides relief from stress for the sensitive individual. It works well as long as the copper does not become too high. Very high copper can cause a psychotic break from reality, a type of schizophrenia.

An 18-year old schizophrenic patient had a hair copper level of 40 mg% (normal is 2.5 mg %). She hallucinated and attempted suicide twice while in the Scottsdale Camelback Mental Hospital. When her copper decreased to normal through a diet and supplement program, her symptoms disappeared and she has remained well.

Copper and Society

Is it possible that our mineral balance affects our attitudes? Copper is called the 'psychic' mineral, the 'intuitive' mineral, and a 'feminine' mineral because it is so important for the female reproductive system. Its level generally parallels that of estrogen. While many factors influence our attitudes and values, the rise in tissue copper levels in both men and women in the past twenty years parallels renewed interest in feminism, in psychic and intuitive knowledge, and 'nurturing' movements such as environmentalism.

Copper and Sexuality

Women tend to have higher levels of copper than men. Women also have more symptoms related to copper imbalance. These include yeast infections, migraine headaches, adult acne, various menstrual symptoms and depression.

Copper-toxic women are often estrogen dominant. They may benefit from progesterone therapy to help balance their hormones. Women with biounavailable copper are often low in estrogen. Their bodies are often more linear in shape. Of course, copper is not the only factor affecting hormones. Some pesticides, for example, mimic the effects of estrogen and can affect the hormone balance.

Men, by contrast, should be zinc-dominant. Zinc, a 'masculine' element, balances copper in the body, and is essential for male reproductive activity. Today, however, many men have symptoms of copper toxicity including depression, anxiety and other symptoms.

Copper and Children

Children are often born with high copper levels. Young children are very sensitive and intuitive. They often lose some of their sensitivity and 'psychic abilities' as their copper levels diminish around age four.

Persistent elevated copper levels in children are common today. The problem often begins during gestation, when high-copper mothers pass on excessive copper (and often low zinc) to the fetus through the placenta. This is called congenital, rather than genetic high copper. It can be prevented by correcting one's copper metabolism before becoming pregnant. After birth, poor nutrition, stress in the home, and overuse of prescription drugs can aggravate a child's copper imbalance.

Copper imbalance in children is associated with delayed development, attention deficit disorder, anti-social and hyperactive behavior, autism, learning difficulties and infections such as ear infections.

Vegetarian Diets

Excess copper interferes with zinc, a mineral needed to make digestive enzymes. Too much copper also impairs thyroid activity and the functioning of the liver. If severe enough, a person will become an obligatory vegetarian. This means they are no longer able to digest meat very well. Conversely, if one becomes a vegetarian for other reasons, most likely one's copper level will increase. Vegetarian proteins are higher in copper, and lower in zinc.

At times, the vegetarian orientation is health-producing. In many people, however, restricted diets do not work well. Fatigue, spaciness and other symptoms begin to appear. Many people, including the author, felt they were becoming more spiritual on a vegetarian diet, when in fact it was just copper poisoning! The taste for meat often returns when copper is brought into better balance.

Some people with high copper dislike all protein. They crave high-carbohydrate diets. Protein feels heavy or causes other symptoms. Eating protein stimulates glandular activity. This releases stored copper which causes the symptoms. However, these individuals usually need to eat protein. The symptoms will eventually disappear.

Copper-toxic individuals may also be drawn to sweets or salty foods due to adrenal insufficiency. Some sea salt is often beneficial. Sweets, including fruit juices, provide a temporary lift but may worsen the condition.

Adrenal Burnout

Adrenal burnout, characterized by chronic fatigue and other symptoms, is often related to fear and copper imbalance. Although correcting emotional and other factors are necessary, improving the copper imbalance, supporting the adrenals and releasing fearful thoughts go hand in hand to restore optimum health.

Copper and Addiction

Compulsive behavior may be related to copper and the adrenals. Exercise, for example, stimulates the adrenals. This helps keep copper available and makes one feel better. If one stops exercising, unbound copper builds up and one may feel fatigue, mood swings and depression. In some people, this can create a compulsive need to exercise. Other ways to temporarily control copper toxicity include the use of caffeine or other stimulants.

Part of the appeal of cocaine, Ritalin and amphetamines may be their ability to help lower copper temporarily by stimulating the adrenals. Cadmium found in marijuana and cigarettes drives copper back into storage. These drugs may make one feel better by affecting the copper balance.

Copper and Yeast Infections

Our bodies use copper to help control the growth of yeast. This may be because copper favors aerobic metabolism. Copper is required for the electron transport system, where most of our cellular energy is produced. Yeast organisms use anaerobic metabolism.

Copper sulfate is often sprayed on crops to kill yeast and fungus. Copper is also used in some swimming pools and hot tubs to control yeast and bacterial growth.

When copper is out of balance, our bodies cannot control yeast overgrowth. This often led to chronic Candida albicans infections that are resistant to treatment.

Detecting Copper Imbalance

Blood, urine and even hair analysis may not reveal copper toxicity directly. Copper is stored mainly in the brain, liver and other organs, not in the blood or urine.

Challenge tests with a chelating agent such as EDTA may be used to detect excess copper. Several indirect indicators on a hair mineral test are also excellent to detect copper imbalance. These include a hair calcium level greater than about 100 mg%, a potassium level less than about 3 mg%, a sodium/potassium ratio less than 2.5:1, a zinc/copper ratio less than 6:1, an elevated mercury level or a copper level less than 1.0 mg%.

Balancing Copper

The author dealt with severe copper imbalance in himself and with many others for the past 18 years. Six methods are used to reduce copper in the tissues:

    Reduce exposure to sources of copper.
    Antagonists such as zinc, manganese and iron compete with copper for absorption and utilization. Vitamins B6 and folic acid may also be helpful. Selenium and cysteine may be helpful. Research indicates copper may be excreted by binding with glutathione and metallothionine which require these nutrients.
    Chelators of copper include vitamin C, molybdenum and sulfur-containing amino acids. These bind and remove copper. More powerful chelators may be used, but can have side effects.
    Enhance the eliminative organs, such as the liver, skin and colon.
    Balance body chemistry, enhance energy production and improve adrenal gland activity. To support the adrenal glands, avoid sweets, eat protein with each meal, and supplement your diet with vitamins A, C and E, manganese, zinc and B-complex vitamins. Animal protein is very helpful due to its higher content of zinc, B-vitamins and sulfur amino acids including cysteine and taurine. Adrenal glandular substance is also frequently helpful.
    Reduce fear and stress. Methods range from a change in location or work to meditation, therapy, more rest and other changes.

Copper Detoxification Symptoms

One of the difficulties in reducing excess copper are symptoms that arise during the process of elimination. As the body begins to mobilize excess copper from tissue storage sites, it enters the bloodstream on its way to the liver and kidneys for elimination. While in the bloodstream, the copper can cause headaches, skin rashes, racing thoughts, strange odors, digestive upset, mood swings and energy fluctuations. In men, testicular pain is not uncommon. Women s periods may be affected. If one knows what is occurring, it is possible to take measures to minimize these temporary elimination symptoms. Enemas, sweating, and drinking more water can help promote copper elimination. Reducing the nutrition program for a few days may also help slow the reactions and reduce symptoms if they are severe. Supplements particularly molybdenum, bile acids, laxative herbs and vitamin B6 may also mitigate elimination symptoms.

Attitude for Copper Balance

Adequate rest and sleep are important. Any technique to help handle stress is also helpful. A simple but powerful technique for handling all negative emotions is given in an excellent book, Emissary of Light, by James Twyman. He suggests feeling our negative emotions purely, dissociating them from thoughts. Feel them in the body. Then move the feeling to the heart area, visualize a small door just in front of you, open the door and release the emotion. Realize that all feelings are just energies. They can be transmuted, sent forth and used for good.

High copper people are often sensitive, must acknowledge this and 'live their own truth'. At the same time, a careful look at one's attitudes, especially hidden fears, angers and resentments, is very important. Overcoming copper imbalance often involves overcoming deep fears.

Life is not always easy for the copper-toxic person. There is a temptation to become resentful or depressed at times. With understanding, nutritional help and endless compassion for oneself, these obstacles can be overcome. Then the creative, intuitive and loving qualities of the high-copper individual can shine through to the world.

References

1. Eck, P. and Wilson, L., Toxic Metals in Human Health and Disease, Eck Institute of Applied Nutrition and Bioenergetics, Ltd., Phoenix, AZ, 1989.

2. Gittleman, A.L., Why Am I Always So Tired? Harper San Francisco, 1999.

3. Nolan, K., "Copper Toxicity Syndrome", J. Orthomolecular Psychiatry, 12:4, p.270-282.

4. Pfeiffer, Carl, MD, PhD, Mental and Elemental Nutrients, Keats Publishing, New Canaan, CT., 1975.

4. Twyman, James F., Emissary of Light, Warner Books, New York, 1996.

By Lawrence Wilson, MD