Copper

Food Sources of Copper:

• Almonds

• Avocados

• Barley

• Beans

• Beets

• Blackstrap molasses

• Broccoli

• Buckwheat

• Butter

• Carrot

• Cereals

• Coconut

• Garlic

• Green leafy vegetables

• Legumes

• Lentils

• Liver

• Meat

• Millet

• Mushrooms

• Nuts

• Oats

• Oranges

• Oysters

• Pecans

• Potatoes

• Radishes

• Raisins

• Rye

• Salmon

• Seafood

• Shellfish

• Soybeans

• Sunflower oil

• Vegetables

• Whole wheat

Other sources of Copper – Brand Names:

• Chezyn –Standard Process Labs

• Copper Liver Chelate - Standard Process Labs

• Trace Minerals B-12

• Immuplex

• Cataplex C

• Drinking water flowing through copper pipes

• Copper bracelets--There are a lot of websites out there selling these gadgets. I'll have to say that my clients who use them really believe they work and I try one if I had the problems they were having. One client who is a paraplegic swears by his. He has worn his for years. His wrist is green. He thinks the bracelet needs to make a full circle around the wrist to work. Shoot, even if it works only by placebo, who CARES if it takes your pain away? And if that bracelet has magnets in it? Better yet. I love my magnets.

Which Supplement is Best for Me?

My Favorite Liquid Mineral         What I Personally Take

Signs of Copper Deficiency:

• Anemia

• Baldness

• Bone and joint abnormalities

• Brain disturbances

• Diarrhea

• Elevated LDL cholesterol levels

• General weakness

• Impaired immune function

• Impaired respiratory function

• Increased blood fat levels

• Increased lipid  peroxidation

• Osteoporosis

• Poor collagen integrity

• Reduced HDL cholesterol levels

• Ruptured blood vessels

• Skin sores

Health concerns – What Copper is Used For:

• Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)

• Hypoglycemia

• Minor injuries

• Rheumatoid arthritis

Cautions & Comments about Copper:

• Be sure to keep copper supplements away from children

• Copper is an emetic.  As little as 10 milligrams usually produces nausea, and 60 milligrams usually produces vomiting.  The lethal dose for copper may be as low as 3.5 grams. 

• Copper levels are reduced if large amounts of zinc, iron or vitamin c are consumed.  If copper intake is too high, levels of vitamin c and zinc drop.

• The consumption of high amounts of fructose can significantly worsen a copper deficiency.

Helpful Links and Resources Regarding Copper:

• All About Copper: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper

• Copper and Health: http://www.copper.org/health/homepage.html

• Copper in Drinking Water: http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/water/dwg/copper.htm

Page Last Edited 05/14/08