Metals: Copper Allergies

Copper (cu) is one of the basic metal elements within our environment, it is also present in the systems of most plants and animals, and a proper balance of this metal is essential for maintaining the good health of living systems. It is one of few metals required by the body.

When copper is ingested it travels mainly through the blood. Copper is absorbed within the gut, then transported from there to the liver where it is released into bile, from which it can be excreted from the body. While in the body copper plays a key role in the absorption of nutrients and electron transference. The human body does not synthesize copper so it must be replenished within the human system on a regular basis; this is the reasoning as to why it is so vitally important for us to insure that we have sufficient amounts of this essential element in our diets.

Copper, also known as the basic element Cu, is a metal which aids the body in absorbing the vitamins and minerals such as zinc and iron into it. Copper also aides in the functioning of biological enzymes, electron transfers, and the formulation of red blood cells within the body. Copper is as essential to our overall health as are all the other vitamins and minerals which we consume.

But just as it is important to have an adequate supply of copper in our body so too is it important to not have an excess of this metal to prevent an allergic reaction from occurring. Too much copper will cause a severe imbalance of vitamins into the body. An insufficient absorption of folic acid, zinc, vitamin C and other important vitamins and minerals may occur.

Copper settles in the liver so the liver will be affected, and as the toxic effect increases, the over abundance of copper will move into other key organs within the body. Disability and eventually death can occur. Thirty grams of copper sulfate is sufficient to be a potentially lethal dose in humans.

Copper poisoning usually occurs from a gradual buildup within the body of this metal which slowly poisons the living system. But a toxic intolerance to copper is extremely rare.

A study of thirty-seven patients who had used copper Inter Uterine Devices (IUD), and who showed negative health symptoms, were tested for allergies to copper, nickel and cobalt. Four of these individuals were found to be allergic to nickel, one to cobalt, and none to copper. This study shed light on the fact that it is generally an intolerance to other elements, or components, rather than copper which are more likely to be the cause of health problems in individuals.

If you do believe that you are suffering from a reaction to copper this form of toxicity can be determined by a hair mineral analysis.

Symptoms of copper allergy or poisoning may include green hair discoloration, metallic taste, nausea, circulatory problems, chills, convulsions, anemia, headaches, bloody or blue in color diarrhea, fever, liver failure, arthritic symptoms, muscle aches, difficulty urinating, yellow eyes, yellow skin, or vomiting.

The chief cause of an intolerance to copper is Wilson's disease which is an inherited illness. Those individuals who suffer from Wilson's disease are not able to secrete copper from their body, so the metal stays within the liver and if left untreated, will cause deadly liver and brain damage to develop.

Other copper allergies are very rare but when they do happen it is for basically the same reasons as other food allergies occur. What cause allergies to copper to occur is basically either too much or too little copper in the body.

Generally allergies to copper occur when too much copper is ingested, or when the body has problems excreting this metal, and this causes metal poisoning to occur.

An allergy is your body's way of telling you that it cannot tolerate something. If you are suffering from the symptoms of an allergy, then you should be seriously looking into removing the offending substance, or food product from your lifestyle.

Sources of copper are multivitamins, water from copper pipes, cooking with copper cookware, drugs which may cause the liver to store copper, and foods such as cashew and brazil nuts, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, organ meats, liver, oysters, chick peas, wheat, corn, soybeans, and chocolate.

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