Challenges to Healing

While numerous important considerations for healing and detoxing from copper toxicity are provided on the Healing page, there remain many widespread myths and misconceptions that continually circulate, especially on social media, that add not only to confusion, but also to the anxiety underlying the very condition itself.  These misconceptions include:

1. Even with Copper Toxicity, the goal is to detox all copper out of the body.
No. Copper is an essential nutrient. We don't want to get rid of all the copper in our bodies.  Depending on your condition with copper, there may be an element of detox involved for sure.  However, we also cannot ignore the importance of supporting the availability of copper for good health (for which supporting the adrenals, liver, magnesium, retinol, ceruloplasmin are all part of the process). 

2. "Fixing" copper toxicity just involves taking supplements.
Absolutely not.  A supplement protocol intelligently guided by properly assayed HTMA (hair analysis) is an excellent place to start, without which any detox approach is being done, at least in part, blindly. However, there are those who simply take supplements for a couple of months and then complain that they're not 'healed'.  Supplements are just one layer of the onion, they are there to "supplement" all the other aspects of healing.  All the supplement guidance in the world won't do much if you (a) you don't take them, and (b) you continue to have ongoing exposure, have unrelenting stressors, negative beliefs about being able to heal, poor diet, etc.  For healing and restoring whole body wellness, both mind and body, along with one's environment and lifestyle choices, need to be addressed and nurtured. 

3. People need to avoid all copper.  
No. Once again copper is an essential nutrient. Those with clear cut copper toxicity will generally do better avoiding high copper foods for a while.  However, there is no need to microscopically examine the nutrient profile of every food in order to avoid copper 100%.  Absolutely not. Tolerance to copper will be an individual thing, and some can handle more copper than others.  However, as a general rule of thumb with copper toxicity, aim for a 'low copper' diet, NOT a 'no copper' diet.

4. All one's symptoms stem from copper.
For many whose symptoms developed after making the one change of going on a copper IUD, it's quite easy to point all fingers at copper as being the only imbalance.  However, minerals do not operate in isolation, and as a copper imbalance develops, it throws off other mineral levels too. Each of those other imbalances carries its own sets of symptoms. It is never "just" about copper.  In many cases of "suspected" copper toxicity based on a person's symptoms, the bigger issue (or imbalance) sometimes turns out to not even be copper, but something else entirely.  This is why testing is so critical, in order to understand your complete mineral system.

5. Resistance to learning and taking responsibility

Decades of research and clinical experience on copper toxicity is compiled on this site, while the largest library of additional support and educational resources on copper toxicity is provided at www.coppertoxicitysupport.com.  Yet, when these resources have been offered on social media groups (groups filled with thousands struggling to understand copper toxicity specifically and how to address it), less than 2% of those from social media actually access these resources!  For years, these various resources, free presentations on how to detox copper, free eBooks, etc have been offered on social media, yet there exists a certain dynamic in some groups that feeds anxiety and panic rather than supporting clarity and access to this research.  There are some who expect a "magic pill" to quickly "cure" them, rather than taking responsibility for their own healing by learning how copper toxicity and associated mineral imbalances work, or supporting other aspects of their life, stress, diet, beliefs, exposures, etc.  Those factors play an equally important role in healing.  Those who ignore those factors and simply dabble with a few supplements while at the same time telling themselves they'll never heal, typically don't, and then complain that no one can help them.   On the other hand, those who take responsibility for their own healing, learn all they can through these resources offered, and support their body, mind, and spirit in an energetically positive way, will typically see the best progress.    

6. Copper toxicity is some horrible affliction, or a "black or white absolute" condition.
For some of the more serious cases of copper toxicity, the effects can indeed be very difficult and life-altering.   However, it's important to understand that copper toxicity is not a black or white (or an "either or") situation for most people.  The level of copper accumulation, just like a toxic metal such as mercury, for example, exists along a continuum, with severe deficiency at one extreme and severe overload at the other.  Along that continuum, infinite degrees of accumulation exist, and at some undefinable degree, a person can begin to be deemed 'copper toxic'. However, people often prematurely label themselves with that term which, just like any medical diagnosis, should not define who the person is.  Even if the person truly is copper 'toxic', it is merely an imbalance, and though it may affect behavior and how one feels, it does not define you as a person.  Nor is it always some horrible affliction - various degrees of excess tissue accumulation are extremely common in people.  We could use mercury again as an example...  many people have some degree of mercury in their bodies which may be negatively affecting health in some way (and of which people should be aware),  but which does not necessarily warrant the person to be considered "mercury toxic". 

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For most people affected by true copper toxicity, healing does not happen overnight, nor is there some simple one-size-fits-all approach or magic supplement.  Overly simplistic suggestions to "just do ___" or "just take ____" keep people from understanding the true nature of copper toxicity and how to address it.  Likewise, you cannot take just a couple of supplements and hope that alone will correct one of the most complex and misunderstood conditions of our time.  Healing largely reflects the effort you put in, and that extends far beyond just taking supplements - one's Environment, Exposures, Energies, Education, Stressors and Beliefs all play a role and should be examined honestly and addressed.

Our Healing Page is there to provide you the guidance on how to intelligently address the detox and healing process.