Copper Overload Treatment
10 Treatment Considerations, The Pioneering Work of Dr. William Walsh, PhD & The Future of Nutrient Based Psychiatry
This comment was made to a blog post I wrote in 2015, Copper Overload - Too Much of a Good Thing:
“I am a primary care physician in Dublin and I attended the Dr Walsh course in Sydney in 2006. I learned a great deal there and I use his work almost every day. High copper in women is very common in Ireland and it is quite easy to bring it down after the first month of treatment. I have been to courses all over the world from Harvard to Cambridge but the course in Australia was the most useful of them all. Every week I utterly change the life of some people and it is a real privilege to have that opportunity.”
He explains well, what many of us (Walsh trained physicians) feel.
Recap
Because this is a big topic, I reserved testing and treatment for this newsletter. In the last newsletter, I discussed copper overload, causes and symptoms and when I suspect high copper. These include postpartum depression, ADHD, panic, anger, rage and agitation, hormonally related mood changes or anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Testing
If copper overload is so prevalent, why isn't it being identified and treated in conventional/allopathic medicine? If high copper were treated with pharmaceuticals and not nutrients, it likely would be taught in medical schools and continuing education conferences. As it stands, physicians rarely check copper levels unless they are looking for the rare and most extreme form of copper toxicity called Wilson's Disease (which is not what I am focusing on here). If they did check levels, many cases of copper overload still would be missed. The Walsh-Pheiffer Functional Range that we/Walsh-trained physicians use is narrower than the range provided by most labs. Aside from looking at serum copper, we also measure ceruloplasmin (a protein that binds copper). With both values, we calculate the percentage of free/unbound copper. It is this free copper that can be causing the problems. Someone can have a normal copper level (using a standard lab range, or even the Walsh-Pheiffer range) and still have high free copper. We also look at the ratio between copper and zinc. This gives us multiple values to consider and inform us. Not the least, we are looking closely at someone’s symptoms and history. The labs are not considered in isolation.
Treatment
Lowering Exposure - Though exposure alone isn’t usually the biggest driver, it is important to assure that more copper is not coming in when it is already at a high level. Copper sources could be a copper IUD or copper containing supplements. Chocolate, carob and shellfish are especially high. There are other foods such as avocado, organ meat, lamb, nuts, beans and salmon that have a fair amount. Because copper is not a heavy metal (like lead, mercury, arsenic), it is in the water source and not removed by typical water filters. The Berkey and the Zero Water Pitcher are two examples of water filtration that remove copper. Well water is especially high in copper. Algae treatments for swimming pools use copper, which would be relevant to a regular swimmer. Similarly, handling copper (for example in jewelry making) would be a less common, though real, source.
Optimizing Zinc - Zinc is needed to increase the expression of metallothioneins (lesser known, though incredible proteins), which regulate copper among other things. The amount of zinc we recommend depends on someone’s plasma zinc level. As with the other nutrients that I’ll mention below, dosing also depends on someone’s age, weight, how well they absorb nutrients and their clinical picture. Too much zinc, too quickly, can rapidly mobilize copper and cause worsening of symptoms. Excess zinc can cause anemia.
Augmenting Nutrients - These include vitamins C, E, A and selenium. These are antioxidants. It is expected that anyone with brain related symptoms is dealing with a degree of oxidative stress including, and perhaps especially, those with copper overload. To remind you, oxidative stress is when the inherent antioxidant protections have been overwhelmed/depleted. B6 is also part of a nutrient protocol for high copper. I usually use the active form of B6 - P5P (Pyridoxal phosphate) tends to be better tolerated.
Adequate Protein - Ceruloplasmin, as mentioned, is a protein that binds copper. If we are low in protein, ceruloplasmin could be low and result in a higher percentage of free copper (the copper stirring up trouble).
Molybdenum If Needed - When a copper level is especially high in an adult, I will use this trace mineral at relatively conservative doses. This can powerfully lower copper and, without lab monitoring, could lead to copper deficiency. I don’t use this in children.
Addressing Other Nutrient Imbalances - It is rare for someone to have only one brain related nutrient imbalance. More often, we also are treating a pyrrole disorder and/or a methylation imbalance (under or over-methylation). Remember that high pyrroles can cause low zinc, which causes high copper. This is another reason (beyond variations of age, weight, and absorption) that the nutrient protocols are not the same for everyone.
Addressing Other Sources of Oxidative Stress - If someone has a form of toxicity, microbial overgrowth, or a severe stress response, those should be addressed for their own sake, but also to help address secondary issues such as high copper. When I included my personal experience in Copper Overload- Too Much of a Good Thing (2015), I didn’t know I also had mold toxicity - a likely contributor to my high copper. This led to my own personal and professional education in chronic complex illness and a later invitation to speak at the Walsh Research Institute Advanced workshop. There I discussed the intersection of the nutrient imbalances and other brain related root causes including mold toxicity, mast cell activation and electromagnetic hypersensitivity.
Addressing Added Estrogen - Whether it is birth control or hormone replacement, it is important to provide education so that the patient and their prescribing doctor (usually a gynecologist) can better weigh the risk and benefits of adding estrogen. This can be tricky. For example - a sexually active teen may be highly impulsive and found to have high copper (likely driving much of the impulsivity). Her copper level could very likely be increased by the birth control pills. While in some cases, it may be possible to normalize copper while someone is on added estrogen, in my experience, it is more often not possible.
Further Supporting Metallothioneins if needed - Generally, the nutrient protocol is working in the direction of supporting metallothioneins. For those situations in which copper is not coming down as expected, a targeted treatment called metallothionein promotion therapy developed by Dr. Walsh is available. It is also used for those with Autism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, and it shows promise for other conditions as well.
Monitoring - I generally will have someone work up to their full doses of the nutrients over 3-4 weeks to avoid moving copper too quickly. The nutrients can be compounded (into fewer pills or a liquid suspension - like a customized multivitamin) or the nutrients can be taken separately. Copper, zinc and ceruloplasmin testing is generally repeated 3-6 months, then 6 months later, and then once a year for those who remain on a nutrient protocol. Normalizing copper can take 2-3 months, but clear improvement can start as early as 3-4 weeks. If someone has severely elevated copper, it could take up to 6 months to normalize, though that is less common.
Resources
While nutrients in the supplemental form can be very helpful, they can cause harm if not used correctly and without a broader understanding of their impact on other body systems. As I write these newsletters, my goal is to help people find their answers (as opposed to providing a recipe for self treatment. I also hope to raise awareness, however small, in the conventional medicine community and even the functional medicine community).
By reading about the imbalances on the WRI website, on my website, or in Dr. Walsh’s aptly titled book, Nutrient Power, most people can get a pretty good idea of which imbalances they may be dealing with. For those interested - WRI has a nice resource map to help find trained practitioners.
(The links shared are to make it easier to find resources. They are not affiliate links or treatment recommendations)
The Bigger Picture and the Future of Nutrient Based Psychiatry
The role of copper overload in brain conditions is just one of the discoveries of Dr. Walsh. To give you a better sense of my deep appreciation of Dr. Walsh as a pioneer and as a humble and wise human being, I’ll end with something I wrote in a blog post titled, Lunch with Dr. William Walsh, His Story, Discoveries and the Future of Nutrient-Based Psychiatry:
“So what do you do when you have answers that could impact one of the biggest health crises in the modern world? Well, if you’re Dr. Walsh, you consider the words of Gandhi: “When the people lead, the leaders will follow.” He started the Walsh Research Institute with one goal being to train 1,000 physicians around the world in his advanced nutrient protocols. He explained his thinking to me. If he trains 1,000 doctors and they each treat 2,000 people, then 2 million people could potentially benefit and go on to share their experience. Eventually the leaders will follow.
Dr. Walsh continues to surpass this goal. There are over 1,000 physicians and medical practitioners in the world who have attended at least one Walsh Research Institute Workshop.
If your life has been impacted by the work of Dr. Walsh and you would like to, please consider commenting. As always, I welcome any questions.
In next Saturday’s newsletter, I look forward to bringing some attention back to the beloved right brain.
Until then,
Courtney
P.S. Paid subscribers - Look out for the midweek newsletter where I’ll take a deeper dive into those amazing metallothioneins and comment on the relationship between high copper and cancer.
Medical Disclaimer:
This newsletter is for educational purposes and not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment for either yourself or others, including but not limited to patients that you are treating (if you are a practitioner). Consult your own physician for any medical and psychiatric issues that you may be having.
Working with a Walsh Research Institute Trained Physician who was able to order the necessary blood work, write a Nutrient Prescription for me based on the results of that blood work, and then followed up with me afterwards was a Game Changer. It helped me to properly re-frame the idea of what vital health could feel like for me. If you are interested in learning for yourself what vital health could feel like for you, possibly for the first time ever, then I highly recommend working with a Walsh Research Institute Trained Physician: https://www.walshinstitute.org/clinical-resources-814802.html
I appreciate the helpful post. I've been trying to lower my copper for 3 years. I have lowered it some but it still shows in the high range based on Walsh's protocol. I have mild Wilson's going on plus other issues with menopause and high estrogen ... probably due to horrible mold toxicity and stress over the past several years. Mold situation is better now, tho thanks to 2 years of van life. Thank you!