More and more I come to the conclusion that it might be copper that is the missing link. So many pages and people speak of copper toxicity that we do a lot to avoid this mineral. But it is crucial for many many things in the body, and actually our soils are depleted and most people don't get enough copper in their diets. Best bioavailable copper sources after all are organ meats and shellfish. Now tell me how much of those do you regularly eat? (Maybe that is the reason why my dad at 72 years still has full brown hair and looks super young - he basically lives off shellfish, no kidding).
I came across this wonderful article . Copper is needed for so many things. The copper levels rise during pregnancy or infections for example. Which might mean it is needed during those times, and get depleted if we don't consume enough copper. This is why women on the birth control pill (which basically fakes a constant pregnancy) deplete copper like crazy. Environmental stress etc all depletes your copper. I find it interesting that ancient cultures like the Egypts and in Ayurveda drinking out of copper vessels was highly practised. Copper is linked to higher spirituality. Wearing copper bracelets apparently is a way to treat arthritis. So why then is there such high levels of copper toxicity which produces mental disturbances? On an urine provocation test with DMSA 10 years ago I excreted a LOT of copper. When we are deficient in copper we cannot produce enough ceruloplasmin (and lots of other things) that help us using copper. So the inorganic copper we ingest (from amalgam fillings which contain copper, or copper pipes) cannot be used and gets stored in the tissues creating havoc. Then we have the paradox of copper deficiency and toxicity at the same time. We need proper levels of zinc and copper. For example to have enough metallothionein which is important to protect the body of heavy metal toxicity. A metallothionein deficiency is suspected to be a big cause of autism. But still the treatment is mostly zinc supplementation. Sure, metallothionein consists of more zinc than copper atoms, but still, one needs to keep a good balance. Shellfish and organ meats like liver contain both zinc and copper. Our ancestors knew that those were the best pieces of the animal to eat. These days hardly anybody eats them anymore as our taste buds changed. So after reading lots and lots, I ordered me a Mitosynergy sample as well as a "normal" copper supplement. I wonder if the Mitosynergy really is so much better than a regular copper supplement or if it is just clever marketing. It is super expensive. For the past days I had been taking my Spirulina powder which had been sitting on my shelves for a couple of months. I dreaded the awful taste and then I read it contains a lot of copper and I should avoid copper blah blah. Well with my new knowledge about the importance of copper I finally took it, starting out with half a teaspoon in water. It tasted like water, and actually not bad. And I don't know if it was the Spirulina but soon after I had a rush of energy and my mood lifted. To be honest, I am pretty sure it is the Spirulina. I have been taken it since then and find that my energy levels and mood improved. Is it the copper? Who knows, Spirulina contains many many good things. And actually I would prefer taking this rather than buying overpriced synthetic pills. My blood test results came in too btw. My doctor says all is well, and it doesn't look too bad indeed. My TSH for example got down from over 5 last year to 2.47. Unfortunately the regular doctors don't know and test for ft3 and ft4 so I don't know those levels (yet). Vitamin B 12 and Folic Acid were perfectly in range. Iron was on the lower range but still in range (but we know that the range is usually made wider than it should be). Sodium and potassium were both in range. In the past my sodium had always been low with potassium high. Interesting (regarding the copper) is that my neutrophil percentage is low. The neutrophils are in range but the percentage is low. I need to find out more about this. Low neutrophils are a sign for low copper. I am looking for a private lab here at the moment to test more things, mainly zinc, copper, ceruloplasmin, free copper, homocysteine, iodine, selenium, ft3 and ft4. This morning I took my first Mitosynergy (half of an Extra Strength capsule. They are actually quite low dose, the Extra Strength contains only 0,5 mg of copper but I guess it has higher bioavailability). I will report but I have a feeling I will stay on the Spirulina for a while :)
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