Most people don’t know that our bodies very efficiently recycle all but about 1 mg of iron a day taken from the hemoglobin in the blood as the blood cells die and are disassembled. Though doctors tell us when we’re anemic that we’re deficient in iron, and we are prescribed iron tablets, this is a wrong ‘why’. In fact our bodies are clogged with iron, and this is working against metabolism, which gives us energy. It takes COPPER to clear excess iron out of the body, and it takes COPPER to restore the metabolism pathways in the cell to create ATP which is our cell’s energy molecule feeding fuel to each cell. So, my naturopath has shown me a number of videos from researchers about cutting down on iron sources, stop taking iron tablets, and start taking copper. (See below for website research.)
The research says we need at least 2mg of copper a day, but if you are deficient which most people are, you might have to take up to 6mg a day. I made the mistake that I could just order some copper powder and make my usual 500 mg capsules to make up my deficiency. It made me sick. The need for copper is very miniscule in the ‘trace mineral’ category. So, be aware that this is about balance and the amount of these minerals are tiny but very important. It can take some time for the restoration of balance to take place. You have to understand that we have trillions of cells in the body and all of them, if they are iron overloaded, need to go thru several chemical and biologic processes to balance out the minerals, and restore proper metabolism.
One might say that an excess of iron is a kind of toxic substance when there’s too much and it causes problems in bodily functions. The wonder is that copper actually has the function of removing excess iron from the body. Meanwhile as it enters the process of metabolism, restores what was thought to work to handle anemia.
Copper is a trace element and its source in food is in tiny amounts so some people use other means to get the copper into the body. That’s how copper can become deficient with a normal diet. People wear copper bracelets sometimes and they find this is helpful. I’ve seen a number of athletes using this method. Also some people cook their food in copper pans or bowls. But my thinking is that a more scientific way is to be careful about it and supplement rather than leave absorption thru the skin or in food to provide this if you are found to be deficient. However, food with copper may also be quite beneficial since when a mineral is in food, it usually means it’s in a form the body can absorb and utilize it. If you expect to get it from food alone, do your research and find foods that have a relatively high content. But then again what’s in the food depends on the soil source it’s grown in and may or may not be enough regardless of what the breakdown in amounts varies greatly depending on where a food is grown and under what conditions. The way our food is grown now, industrially, with receding mineral content in our soil, we are seeing many mineral deficiencies.Growing your own food in high mineral soil is probably the best way to ensure we are getting all the nutrients our bodies require. Especially growing Organically ensures that the microbes in the soil are alive and well, and are busily breaking down the soil particles, allowing the minerals in it to reach the rootlets that feed the plant.
I’ve been taking 2mg a day for several months and I’m finally starting to see the restoration of energy. So be patient if you decide to do this. And check with your alternative health source that is trained in nutrition before making any changes. Allopathic (M.D.) doctors are told in their training that iron supplementation is the solution to ‘iron deficiency anemia’ without actually understanding the science of it. The test in this is ‘does taking iron actually handle the energy problem”? For me it definitely did not. But then I was tested and my iron was way overboard and my copper was definitely deficient. Testing is a good idea if you are experiencing metabolism or energy problems. See the referenced sites below.
I’m not trying to “prescribe” anything, I’m just passing on information that has helped me restore the level of my own energy gradually over a few months. I found a good deal at Vitamin Shop as Copper Gluconate 2mg capsules and personally take (at the advice of my naturopath) 3 a day. What your dose may be might take testing too. Also, it is an old remedy for iron overages to give blood if you can do so, as most of the big amounts of iron are in the blood’s hemoglobin.
There is a dilema over copper vs. iron. Check out this article: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/1999/990820.htm
I hope this helps. Do your own research on this so you are well informed before changing your diet. I’m just informing as I can from a question posed to me about someone who thought thyroid was the problem of her energy but when addressed didn’t help and her problem was getting worse. Sometimes you have to step back and view the body as a whole, looking at other systems in the body related to metabolism. Since metabolism occurs in the cell and at the cellular level, this is where mineral balances come into play. Thyroid controls pathways in the body related to energy but it isn’t the base line necessarily. This relationship between copper was such a revelation to me I wanted to share it. Thanks to my Naturopath for showing me this information.
If you want to research this yourself here are some critical articles tracing out the processes the body uses to metabolize, use iron and copper and the related processes that are at work in giving you energy:
https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-htj92-17b9aefa
https://www.startpage.com/sp/search
http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/1999/990820.htm
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2000/9/report_copper
Diann Dirks 4-11-2024
The Garden Lady of Georgia 