Do you feel uncomfortable with rich/dense/fatty foods?

[LionTigerBear]

It could be that you are having difficulty digesting fats, which can be related to a copper/zinc imbalance.

Fascinating article here: http://www.westonaprice.org/moderndi...imbalance.html

After reading that article, I'm glad I trusted my intuition and never got the copper IUD (or the Mirena, for that matter.)

[Zenzero]

Wow! That is so interesting. Thank you for posting it...definitely something I'm going to investigate further.

[Zenzero]

Just googled for a list of symptoms of zinc deficiency and found this and this. A lot of familiar sounding things for me (although I know they are not all exclusive to zinc) so am definitely going to look at increasing my zinc and avoiding things that have adverse affects.

I actually feel like a light has just been switched on and this may be very important to me. I have an ovarian cyst and it looks like copper imbalance may be related.

Oh goodness...it makes sense in so many ways! This article has loads of useful info too...very comprehensive.

Again, thank you OP!

[LionTigerBear]

Wow, thank you for sharing those links!!! I am only on the first one but this quote from the first link is startling!

When pregnant mice were fed a diet moderately deficient in zinc, their offspring exhibited a malfunctioning immune system for the first six months of life. More alarming, the second and third generations also showed signs of poor immunity - even though they were fed a zinc-plentiful diet.

Jean Carper, writing in Jean Carper's Total Nutrition Guide, in reference to zinc studies done at U.C. Davis

[LionTigerBear]

Originally Posted by Zenzero

Oh goodness...it makes sense in so many ways! This article has loads of useful info too...very comprehensive.

Again, thank you OP!

And from that article, this quote was very clarifying for me:

What is biounavailable copper? In this very common situation, copper is present in excess in the body, but it cannot be utilized well. The reason it occurs is that minerals such as copper must be bound and transported within the body.

Biounavailability often occurs due to a deficiency of the copper-binding proteins, ceruloplasmin or metallothionein. Without sufficient binding proteins, unbound copper may circulate freely in the body, where it may accumulate primarily in the liver, brain and female organs.

When copper is biounavailable, one may have symptoms of both copper toxicity and copper deficiency.

[LionTigerBear]

Another quote from that last article:

Dr. Paul Eck called copper the “emotional mineral”. The reason for this is that copper and imbalances related to it have such a profound impact on the central nervous system. The psychiatric implications of copper imbalance are tremendous, even if copper did not affect other body systems. We regularly work with every known psychological and psychiatric condition and most of these individuals improve when copper is balanced in the body.<snip>

We have seen improvement in 20 or 30 different mental and emotional conditions ranging from moderate to suicidal depression and anxiety to violence, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, phobias, Tourette’s syndrome and schizophrenia. Others that respond amazingly well to balancing copper include epilepsy, ADD, ADHD, autism, delayed mental or emotional development and many others.

[Zenzero]

That totally chimed with me as well. It really is fascinating stuff!

[Junegoddess]

I did have the copper IUD for about 10 months... I wonder if should counteract that with lots of raw oysters? Work, work, work...

On a serious note, looks like I've got a lot of reading to do....

[tolovemercy]

I haven't read all the info in this thread yet, but intend to sometime when the boys aren't climbing on me/each other.

Here's something I'm thinking about:

Awhile back, someone told me that copper deficiency was often the cause of premature grey hair--which was discussed in the "everything you need to know about stomach acid" thread that's been floating around, which also discussed digestion of fats and proteins. Is there a connection here?

[earthmama369]

IBS can also cause difficulty in digesting fats. Healthy fats and unhealthy fats alike. I've been trying to follow a reasonably healthy diet (rich in healthy fats, whole foods, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, raw foods, etc.) and having more and more problems, and it turns out that fats and insoluble fiber are major triggers for a lot of IBS sufferers. Go figure.

It feels SOOOO counterintuitive, but I'm feeling so much better on a low-fat, cooked fruits and veggies, white rice instead of brown, regular pasta instead of whole grain, diet. No alcohol, no coffee, low to no dairy, lots of fermented foods. Very different from the ideal diets of the rest of my family, and very illuminating. I'm coming to realize that each of us has a different "ideal" diet. Mine's a little more extreme than others because of that specific physiological quirk that signifies IBS, but ds does best on a lot of protein and no nightshades, dd does best on a varied diet with low dairy, and dh does best on a low-wheat diet with healthy fats and lots of veggies, raw and cooked.

[LionTigerBear]

Originally Posted by tolovemercy

I haven't read all the info in this thread yet, but intend to sometime when the boys aren't climbing on me/each other.

Here's something I'm thinking about:

Awhile back, someone told me that copper deficiency was often the cause of premature grey hair--which was discussed in the "everything you need to know about stomach acid" thread that's been floating around, which also discussed digestion of fats and proteins. Is there a connection here?

Yes. The graying hair is caused by too little hydrochloric acid in the stomach, which is caused by not enough bioavailable copper, which is often connected with copper toxicity in the organs. It's all in the links above-- specifically the first one (mine) and the last one that I quoted from.

Originally Posted by earthmama369

IBS can also cause difficulty in digesting fats. Healthy fats and unhealthy fats alike. I've been trying to follow a reasonably healthy diet (rich in healthy fats, whole foods, whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, raw foods, etc.) and having more and more problems, and it turns out that fats and insoluble fiber are major triggers for a lot of IBS sufferers. Go figure.

It feels SOOOO counterintuitive, but I'm feeling so much better on a low-fat, cooked fruits and veggies, white rice instead of brown, regular pasta instead of whole grain, diet. No alcohol, no coffee, low to no dairy, lots of fermented foods. Very different from the ideal diets of the rest of my family, and very illuminating. I'm coming to realize that each of us has a different "ideal" diet. Mine's a little more extreme than others because of that specific physiological quirk that signifies IBS, but ds does best on a lot of protein and no nightshades, dd does best on a varied diet with low dairy, and dh does best on a low-wheat diet with healthy fats and lots of veggies, raw and cooked.

I believe IBS is one of many diseases caused by copper/zinc imbalance. Did you read the first article all the way? She had to start out on a low-fat diet too, as she worked up to being able to digest the healthy fats. I don't believe a low-fat diet is ever an ideal diet, but it may be necessary as one heals and transitions into a healthier diet.

[Zenzero]

:

I totally don't think IBS is a condition that you just get...it's not isolated...it is the result of other imbalances/issues in the body/gut and should be curable long term...even if you have to start out low fat etc.

Loving this thread ...please let's keep it going and share as much info as possible...I really feel I'm onto something now! Just need to figure out how to correct it!! Am going to start with getting rid of high copper foods (we eat A LOT of avocados, for example) and upping zinc rich ones and will get a zinc supp too. Need to work out if it's worth doing other supp still if they may not actually be absorbed due to high copper or if I should wait a bit until hopefully copper is a bit lower...thoughts anyone?

Found this list of zinc/copper ratios in foods which could be useful.

[LionTigerBear]

I have started taking a zinc supplement-- 50 mg zinc picolinate-- daily-- and I am definitely getting yeast die-off symptoms. Interesting. I want to pick up a zinc chewable or zinc lozenge for my boys, too. I am still trying to figure out what else to do-- like how exactly to adjust the diet. I am taking slightly high doses of other vitamins/supplements as well, and that for me is the difference between functional and non-functional. So I will keep doing that.

[Zenzero]

Just wondering if it might be worth posting this on health & healing too...maybe get more interest/info there?

[LionTigerBear]

Originally Posted by Zenzero

Just wondering if it might be worth posting this on health & healing too...maybe get more interest/info there?

Good idea. I'll start a new thread there.

New Health and Healing thread here.

[PaulaJoAnne]

One can also be dealing with gallbladder issues as well.
Either having one that is not functioning well, or having had it removed in the past.

[LionTigerBear]

Originally Posted by PaulaJoAnne

One can also be dealing with gallbladder issues as well.
Either having one that is not functioning well, or having had it removed in the past.

Yes; did you read the first article? Apparently the gallbladder issues can be healed by balancing the copper/zinc. The author of the first article healed her gallbladder issues as she healed her mineral imbalance.

[nattyd]

Is is true that too much zinc is toxic? I'm planning of getting this zinc supplement pretty soon.

[skreader]

I have no problem digesting rich or fatty foods (when I eat them) and have used a Mirena very happily for the past 3 1/2 years.

[provocativa]

Trouble with fatty foods can also be a wheat intolerance issue, they actually measure fat in the stool as one of the tests at Enterolab.