Skin: Excessive sweating, cold sweats. Copper is the active ingredient in some antiperspirants. Most antiperspirants use aluminum. Copper deficiency can result in intolerance to Low body temperature.
Easily sunburned. Copper is used to make melanin. Before I corrected my copper deficiency, I used to blister from the sun. After taking high copper supplements I did not get a sunburn, and I got the best tan of my life.
Difficulty tanning. Going from no tan at 10 minutes of sun, to getting sunburned at 15 minutes, and never tanning much from sun exposure.
Excessively tired after sun exposure. If the copper is “used up” to make melanin, and if you need copper for energy, then sun exposure while low in copper can make you tired. One of the first things I noticed after taking more copper is that I could get into the tanning booth, and not get tired after my typical 10 minutes in the 20-minute tanning bed.
Excessive white hair, (early greying). Melanin not only helps you to tan, but it is the color in the hair.
Loss of Skin Pigmentation (vitiligo), white spots on the skin. Vitiligo is often said to be caused by “sun damage”. Copper supplements have been used to cure vitiligo. Sun exposure appears to deplete copper.
Excessive wrinkles, and thin skin. (smokers). Smokers use up their Vitamin C. Both Vitamin C and Copper are needed to make collagen to prevent wrinkles. There is no need for expensive collagen supplements or collagen injections when you can just take very cheap copper and Vitamin C supplements.
Connective tissue disorders, from lack of collagen: Heart murmur, erratic heartbeat, abnormal electrocardiogram
Hernias
Hemorrhoids
Joint pains
Tendon pains
Back and neck pains
Weak bones
Bulging disks
Worn out cartilage
Heart disease:
“Copper deficiency may be a leading cause of ischaemic heart disease”
https://openheart.bmj.com/content/5/2/e000784
High cholesterol, high blood pressure, aortic aneurysms, bleeding, internal clotting, poor blood circulation, and up to 80 other indicators of heart disease.
Bones / Marrow / Blood:
Arthritis
Osteoporosis
Gout–an inflammatory form of arthritis
Lupus (arthritis-like disease / inflammation)
Inflammation (copper is anti-inflammatory)
Easily broken bones
Anemia, low red blood cell counts. Copper is needed to help turn iron into blood cells, in the bone marrow.
Anemia symptoms like Fainting, Tiredness, Mental fog, numbness in fingers and toes, etc.
Bleeding disorders, copper helps proper red blood cell formation for healthy blood clotting.
Excessive bruising (which is bleeding)
Low White blood cell count and increased infections.
Increased bacterial and fungal infections: Neutropenia
“Update on anemia and neutropenia in copper deficiency”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22080848/
Brain & Nerves:
Symptoms of low copper: nerve-tingling, numbness in fingers or toes, brain fog, various mental disorders, Alzheimer’s, confusion, depression. Copper is needed to make the myelin sheath (that covers the nerves) that allows for faster nerve transmission and better reflexes, and copper also increases neurotransmitters. Other nerve disorders: Peripheral neuropathy, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Kawasaki Disease, and brain cerebral palsy.
In extreme copper deficiency, there is numbness in the nerves and loss of feeling in the hands and/or feet, lesions on the spinal cord, and people lose the ability to walk.
Seizures can be cured with copper.
Depleting copper in mice induces Multiple Sclerosis
Widespread Decreases in Cerebral Copper Are Common to Parkinson’s Disease Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2021.641222/full
(2021)
Parkinson’s is a nerve disorder. Copper is great for the nerves. One of the characteristics of Parkinson’s is low dopamine. Copper increases dopamine.
Swayback, curved spine, scoliosis. This appears to be a nerve and bone problem of copper deficiency.
Hormones: Symptoms of low copper, from low DHEA: low testosterone, weakness, difficulty building muscle, muscle pain, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) from workouts, fibromyalgia pains, low libido.
Low Energy / More Sleep:
Copper deficiency leads to being tired all the time, and excessive napping, brain fog.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Copper is needed for ATP, adrenal support, hormones, and neurotransmitters, all of which boost energy.
Copper Deficiency in Celiac Disease (Gluten intolerance)
https://journals.lww.com/jcge/Abstract/2009/02000/Copper_Deficiency_in_Celiac_Disease.12.aspx
Diabetes & Hypertension (high blood pressure):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK225399/
“A number of disease conditions, including diabetes and hypertension, are associated with low extrahepatic-tissue copper concentrations.”
Cancer. Copper has been extensively studied by giving huge amounts to animals. Copper has no cancer-causing function. Copper may help cure or prevent cancer as copper is an antifungal, and is a detoxifying agent.
The Most Common Symptoms of Copper Deficiency:
(Mostly summarized from “The Copper Revolution,” Chapter 61)
1. High Cholesterol — Copper reduces cholesterol, and converts it into good hormones like DHEA, a master hormone, and helps convert DHEA into other hormones, like good testosterone.
2. Hypothyroidism — Copper is needed (along with iodine) to make T4 and T3 hormones and to help convert T4 into T3. Copper also detoxes toxins that can cause iodine deficiency and thyroid problems.
3. High Blood Pressure — Copper helps lower blood pressure, (as does magnesium and potassium) (and exercise) (and stopping alcohol or drugs). Copper also helps strengthen the heart muscle, gives it energy, boosts collagen, and takes calcium out of the soft tissues like the arteries and puts it back into the bones.
4. Diabetes — Copper helps restore insulin sensitivity (as does iodine and chromium)
5. Lung problems, coughing and congestion — Copper improves cellular respiration of oxygen, and helps make ATP for energy. Copper clears the lungs though helping make 5 major detoxing enzymes, such as super oxide dismutase. Copper lowers inflammation. Copper increases red blood cells, which carry oxygen.
6. Ulcers / Bleeds / Bruises — Copper along with Vitamin C, zinc, and silica, boosts collagen to prevent bleeds, and copper helps stop bleeding, and speeds healing. Copper, as an electrolyte, also helps prevent dehydration, a cause of ulcers.
7. Kidney Disease — Copper is low in people with kidney disease, and copper is good for the kidneys. Kidney disease often presents with diabetes, and copper is good for diabetics. Copper is anti inflammatory. Copper improves blood circulation. Kidneys are major detox organs, and copper is needed to make at least 5 detox enzymes.
8. Seizures — Copper is good for the nerves, and seizures.
9. Pain — Copper helps eliminate pain, as it gets the body healthy is so many ways.
10. Depression — Copper, being great for the nerves, increases both energy and mood.
11. Nasal congestion — Copper is an anti inflammatory, germ killer, mold killer, and detoxer.
12. Infections — Copper is better than antibiotics, as copper increases white blood cells, and copper kills all kinds of germs on contact, including virus, bacteria and fungi.
13. Joint Inflammation — Copper is an anti inflammatory. Copper builds strong bones through increasing collagen in the bones, and helping put calcium into the bones.
14. Low energy, Chronic Fatigue, — Copper is directly needed in the mitochondria where ATP for energy is produced. Fatigue symptoms mirror dehydration symptoms, and copper restores collagen and hydration.
15. Anxiety — Copper is needed by the nerves in many ways and helps to restore the myelin sheath around the nerves, and increases many neurotransmiters. Copper boosts mood, and relieves anxiety.
16. Poor circulation — Copper increases circulation in at least 10 different ways, even helping to grow new blood vessels.
17. Stomach problems, low stomach acid — Copper helps stomach problems by increasing collagen and increasing hydration, and copper improves digestion.
18. Muscle cramps — Copper relieves muscle cramps, likely due to improving hydration as a key electrolyte, just as magnesium and potassium do.
19. Gout — Copper lowers uric acid, a cause of gout. Iodine also helps.
20. Peripheral neuropathy – tingling in hands and feet often in diabetics, or other nerve disorders — Copper restores both nerves and blood flow, and copper restores insulin sensitivity (and iodine also does all three).
21. Anemia — Copper helps build red blood cells.
Most common causes of copper deficiency:
–Prescription Drugs, Petroleum based drugs, fluoride based drugs, fungal based drugs, antibiotics, Diuretics, Pain killers, neurotransmitter reuptake blocking drugs,
–Excessive iron fortified foods, Fluoride, Bromide, Lead, Aluminum, Mercury, other heavy metals, Chemical Toxins, sugar, excess cholesterol in the diet, or other toxins.
–Excessive dietary supplements such as Zinc, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Iron.
–Excessive exercise, or hormone based drugs such as cortisol, or testosterone or birth control.
Nobody is copper toxic because copper is not toxic. Copper is a detoxing agent. Copper toxicity exists at 20,000 mg.
Copper blood testing is useless and deceptive, since copper blood levels are elevated during copper deficiency conditions and diseases as the body is trying to mobilize copper to heal. After supplementation, copper blood levels first rise, then normalize.