Why "Just Taking Zinc" is Not the Answer to Detoxing Copper!

[This article is from the July 2021 post in the Copper IUD & Toxicity Expert Education & Support group, addressing the myth being continually perpetuated in a few large Facebook groups that people should just take zinc to detox copper.]

Despite bringing copper toxicity education and support to the world for the past decade (including through the various resources at www.coppertoxicitysupport.com, and having supported the training of thousands of practitioners now in the field, there is still no shortage of medical denial and misinformation surrounding copper toxicity.   As a result, people are kept in the dark from not only being provided the "informed consent" every person deserves when it comes to the effects of the copper IUD, but also clarity for healing and supporting their health.  Years of efforts by leading experts to provide clarity on copper toxicity have been made more difficult by the mass confusion that has overtaken one of FB's largest copper toxicity support groups.  The efforts of those of us who've dedicated our lives to bringing research and education on copper toxicity to the world have been largely drowned out amongst the tidal wave of panic, guesswork, and misinformed commentary found in those "support" groups - including the common message that "you just take zinc to detox copper" - the focus of this article.  

The misconception of just taking zinc to detox copper has been repeated over and over again over the years, largely because, at a basic level, copper and zinc do have an antagonistic relationship.  In the largest copper toxicity FB support group, someone recently posted the claim that "Zinc is the only mineral/over-the-counter substance that helps the body to rid itself of copper".  Meanwhile, another group on FB, with hundreds of thousands of followers, has for years promoted the message that "zinc shouldn't even be on people's radar, and no one should ever supplement zinc".   Two diametrically opposite messages!

So, which is the truth? Well, unfortunately both claims only muddy the waters of understanding for those trying to navigate copper toxicity and find legitimate answers. That's why the education group was created, along with all the free learning resources we provide here - helping to refocus the conversation back to the decades of research behind copper toxicity and mineral biochemistry. So, let's talk about zinc, and separate fact from fiction.

First, zinc is absolutely essential for balancing copper as it helps to prevent the accumulation of copper by way of supporting metallothionein (MT) synthesis.  One of MTs vital roles is to bind to copper to enhance utilization, as well as for removal and excretion. In other words, without enough zinc, MT synthesis is impaired, which can lead to increased gastrointestinal uptake of copper (and other toxins and metals), in turn leading to these metals building up. It is in this sense, mainly, that zinc helps balance (or remove) copper - by helping regulate intestinal absorption and helping MT chelate copper out through stool.  Zinc is also involved in certain general detoxification processes, including supporting the function of enzymes that help eliminate toxic metals.  This underscores why, for some people, especially those on plant-based diets with higher phytate consumption impairing zinc absorption, some additional zinc support can be helpful to prevent that build-up of copper in the first place.  Even far beyond diet though, there are dozens of reasons why most people are zinc deficient to some degree, and I teach these various reasons in depth in the www.mineralmastery.com course - these are such important concepts that really everyone should have on their radar to better protect themselves in general for long-term health.

A basic concept, though often overlooked yet with profound implications, is that copper gets easily stored in the body, while zinc is a mineral that gets used up every day and must be constantly replenished in order to avoid deficiency.

So, we know zinc is vitally important, and for many more functions than just the prevention of copper toxicity. Indeed, most people tend toward zinc deficiency and taking this vital nutrient (through diet or supplement) should not be ignored.  However, it is far from accurate to say that zinc is the only substance that helps the body to rid itself of copper. It is also just as misleading, and potentially harmful, to suggest that everyone with copper toxicity should be taking "X" amount of zinc, even if doing so worked for one person.  On countless occasions, someone on Facebook will tell others to "just take zinc!", or "you should take 25mg of zinc", etc..  While some people tolerate zinc just fine, there are many others who are highly sensitive to zinc, and there are even some who've been brought to the brink of suicide by taking high dose zinc because someone on Facebook suggested it. What works for one person is not a one-size-fits-all!  The amount of zinc tolerated is highly individual. If person "A" tolerates 100mg of zinc, that is entirely irrelevant to person "B" who may only be able to tolerate 5mg of zinc to start. And this is true for ANY online suggestion (or automatically generated response) - what worked for one person, or how long it took them to detox or feel better, is irrelevant, because biochemical individuality and numerous additional factors must be considered!

"Just take zinc" to detox copper also has a few glaring blind-spots.  First, most symptoms of copper toxicity are not specific to the copper level itself. Many of the symptoms that people commonly experience result from other mineral imbalances which the excess copper has created. For example, copper may have increased soft tissue calcification, or lowered cellular potassium, or affected manganese or molybdenum, etc...and so focusing on just trying to "detox copper" does little to address those other imbalances which have been created (and which can best be seen through properly assayed HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis), not a blood test).

Those other imbalances may not show up as symptoms until years down the road.  I've seen this time and again over the years in clinical practice across thousands of copper-toxic clients, many of whom haven't used birth control for years (or sometimes decades) and their symptoms develop later.  They've had these silent imbalances for years, yet never picked up until sickness motivated them to get properly tested.

As well, we need to consider supporting the bio-availability of copper, something that is in part supported by the health of our adrenals and liver, together with magnesium and retinol. Copper accumulated in the liver exits the liver by way of ferroxidase ceruloplasmin...again magnesium and retinol are important for this process.  It is therefore patently false and completely misleading to suggest that zinc is the only substance that helps the body rid itself of copper!  What about Vitamin C? It helps lower copper.  Is Vitamin B6 considered? It supports zinc absorption. We should also consider molybdenum - a nutrient that helps increase the amount of copper excreted through urine. Also important to consider is manganese - the copper ATPase ATP7B is important for the efflux of excess copper from the cell, and this ATPase is supported by manganese. Plus, one should be thinking about nutrients that support adrenal, liver, and bile status. Taurine, for example, and other sulfuric amino acids, are key nutrients needed for bile production, while bitters can also be used to promote bile flow. Bile (not zinc) is the primary method of copper excretion from the body.

Copper toxicity is immensely complex.  Unfortunately, suggestions that oversimplify detox by saying "just take zinc", or "buy this magic detox supplement", as well-intentioned as they might be, just add to the confusion and further limit the public's understanding of how copper toxicity, and all these mineral interrelationships, work.  For those looking for clarity and really being able to understand the big picture, these various mineral and detox concepts are what the www.mineralmastery.com online course specializes in teaching.  It is, in fact, the original course designed to bring copper toxicity education to both practitioner training as well as to the public - and over the years has reshaped the way copper-literate practitioners support their patients.  The Mineral Mastery course, together with all the free resources at https://www.coppertoxicitysupport.com, are designed to bring clear information to help the public navigate through the plethora of online and social media confusion, helping to clearly explain today's symptoms while providing education that protects tomorrow's health.  

If you haven't already, download this free Starter Guide for navigating copper toxicity - a simple easy-to-read eBook that will bring the whole copper toxicity conversation into clarity for you.  The full roadmap to addressing copper toxicity is further explained within The Complete Copper Toxicity Handbook., available on Amazon.

As hopefully is made clear by this overview, there is far more to detoxing copper than "just taking zinc". Zinc can certainly be used as one piece of the puzzle (protocol) and may indeed be included, however these other factors must also be considered on an individualized basis when it comes to safely and effectively detoxing copper, understanding why different people have different reactions, and addressing the other silent imbalances that excess copper contributes to.