Ah, yes… Copper is indeed a “conundrum…”
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a confusing and difficult problem or question.“one of the most difficult conundrums for the experts”
It seems like we can’t live with Copper, and certainly can’t live without it… This alleged “demonic” mineral drives 30+ enzymes that are incredibly essential to our day-to-day life: lysyl oxidase, Beta dopamine hydroxylase, diamine oxidase, cytochrome c oxidase, ascorbate oxidase, to name but a few… (And in a future blog I’ll explain WHY these, and ~25 other, enzymes are soooooooo very important… be ready to have your minds blown!)
All too often, the few authors who brave to comment on “Copper Toxicity” fail to point out how life-enhancing bioavailable Copper is for all of us. Regrettably, we are being trained, like Circus Bears, to fear it, to shun it, to detox it from our bodies and our livers. Given the “toxic” levels of Copper in our environment (soy everywhere, Copper pipes, Copper Sulfate for produce, water treatment, etc., BCPs, anti-biotics, and so on…), it is more than understandable that we flinch when this mineral topic arises.
But please know that when it’s in a state of deficiency — as it is in most inhabitants on this Planet — it’s a metabolic crisis, as those enzymes noted above simply do NOT work. Period. Oh, and did I forgot to mention that there are 150-200 methyltransferase enzymes that run our methylation pathway, and thus the genetic machinery of our cells? It turns out that they, too, are Copper-dependent… Fascinating, eh?… More on that in a future blog.
And how does this Copper Conundrum exist as BOTH “too much,” and “too little?…”
As Ann-Louise Gittlemen, PhD points out in her wonderful book, “Why Am I Always So Tired?” , weak Adrenals become MAGNETS for excess, unbound Copper. How so? Under “Stress-free!” conditions, the Adrenals signal the Liver to make optimal levels of Ceruloplasmin (Cp) — a key transport protein for both Copper and its sister mineral, Iron. And when the Adrenals are fatigued, as they are from chronic levels of Mg-depleting “Stress!”, the Cp tanks, and the Copper Conundrum rears it’s ugly head:
- too much unbound Copper (that is “toxic” inside the cell…)
- too little bound Copper (that results in notable deficiencies of Copper-dependent enzymes…)
Et Voila!
Knowing all that, what are some proven ways to “Stress!” the Adrenals and ensure that Copper deficiency builds: (Btw, did you catch the twist in that statement?… I’m teaching HOW to create a shortage of Copper… 😉 )
- Excess Calcium in the diet blocks Copper absorption in the gut…
- Excess Phytates in the diet (think “Green Smoothies!) block Copper absorption, as well…
- Excess Iron (think supplements and Molasses) block Copper metabolism…
- Excess Ascorbic Acid destroys the bond between Copper & Cp, this rendering us Copper deficient…
- Excess HFCS is noteworthy for it’s efficiency to build Iron and create Copper deficiency…
- and I’ll go out on a limb, me thinks that excess Hormone-D, by virtue of it’s known effect on elevating Calcium in the blood, ensures that the 1st point is a certainty…
OK, that’s a lot of blah, blah, blah… Let me bring it home for you. Let me especially bring it home for the “Thyroid Hormone Rules ALL” crowd. Please take a moment and read this wonderful article from 1982 on this vital mineral for proper Thyroid function:
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/112/11/2043.full.pdf
Interesting that your Mineral Denialist practitioner has NEVER breathed word one about Thyroid & Copper…
And here’s an interesting companion article from 1962 that addresses the vital role of Maggie for the Thyroid:
http://jn.nutrition.org/content/77/4/455.full.pdf
Yes, I realize that these are BOTH addressing sophisticated research 0n RATS from long, long ago. Sometimes the truth is buried where you least expect it. And please don’t get lost in the details of the Methodology sections of these very dry studies. A close read of the Abstract and the last 2-3 paragraphs is a great summary of their findings and conclusions.
So what’s my point in all these comments?
Once again, we have been “Misled and Misfed” by the very people we trusted the most with our health. And given the central role that Copper and Magnesium appear to play in OPTIMAL Thyroid function and health, isn’t it fascinating that our “D”octors focus on Calcium and Iron — two minerals that are their biological antagonists. And isn’t it further fascinating that the entire processed food industry is stacked against us, as well?…
So what’s the net, net of all this?…
If I were taking a synthetic Thyroid hormone — like 100 million Americans & unknown numbers globally — I’d want to know my true cellular status of both Copper and Magnesium, and I’d certainly make some serious changes in my diet to steer away from the conventional focus of “convenience” foods.
Call me crazy, but it appears that these lowly minerals really do run the body and it’s component parts… And the faster we come to accept and act on that foundational truth, the faster we’ll regain our health freedom — the most precious asset we can own…
A votre sante!
