Looking for a Practitioner to Help with Copper Toxicity?
This page provides important considerations and questions to ask...
Since launching www.coppertoxic.com in 2014 to increase global awareness of copper toxicity, followed by developing all the support and educational resources available at www.coppertoxic.com/fullsupport, it's great to see the increasing number of practitioners now talking about copper toxicity and adding copper toxicity support to their practices. However, like with any profession, experience matters!
Having personally trained over a thousand of today's HTMA and copper-literate practitioners, as well as authoring the seminal book on this topic (The Complete Copper Toxicity Handbook), this is, of course, the work I specialize in. However, as I run an extremely busy practice with clients in addition to all the extra time I commit to advocacy work, research, and education projects, I'm happy to help people find other qualified practitioners to help with copper detox, which is what this page is for. Sadly, I receive countless patient cases landing on my desk each week (previously under the care of someone else) who weren't properly helped or, in many cases, patients who simply ordered the wrong type of HTMA because they assumed all hair analysis was the same. I care that people receive qualified support and guidance from the start. There is, sadly, so much nonsense promoted online (including in many FB support groups), and this is especially true when it comes to HTMA and addressing copper toxicity.
No matter who you choose to work with, whether myself or anyone else, this page provides basic yet important considerations to keep in mind (and to ask) when choosing a practitioner.
-
Do they use HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis)?
- If so, are they testing through one of the top labs that specialize in HTMA, either TEI or ARL? (not all hair analysis services are the type needed for understanding copper toxicity. Frequently, people order the wrong type of HTMA, assuming all hair analysis is the same. It is not, and this ends up adding to people's confusion.)
- What is the practitioner's training in HTMA interpretation? Who did they learn from?
- How many HTMAs have they interpreted? (HTMA interpretation is highly complex and takes years of experience and practice to master. Simply being ‘certified’ in HTMA is not qualification enough. Have they worked on 100's of HTMAs? Anything less than 100 could still be considered apprenticeship/practice).
- Are they able to interpret HTMA data from a wide range of labs & formats? (A qualified practitioner will be able to answer yes)
- Is their service focused more on passing along an automated report? (An HTMA chart and an automated report provides a very elementary place to start, but the real value of HTMA comes from professional interpretation that looks at each person as an individual. Relying solely on automated reports and computer-generated recommendations has led to much confusion over HTMA and poor outcomes).
- When reviewing charts, does the practitioner consider mineral loss patterns? If so, what factors do they use to assess those patterns? (Many practitioners, if not properly trained, will simply read an HTMA chart at face value, assuming a high level means "high in the body", or a low level always means low. This is not how HTMA works!)
- How is the practitioner addressing the effect of medications on a person’s mineral chart?
-
If they don't use HTMA, then how are they assessing the stored tissue level of copper and other metals???
- Remember that copper is stored in tissue, and blood does not reflect stored tissue levels!
-
How many years experience do they have?
- How many years of experience do they have specifically working in practice with other copper toxicity patients?
-
Are they looking beyond just copper?
- How are they measuring and addressing the other mineral imbalances that excess copper leads to? (Some practitioners are focused on just "detoxing copper". However, it's important to understand that even with copper toxicity, it is never just about trying to detox copper by itself. This is another reason why HTMA is so useful, as we can see the various other imbalances that are also occurring. Often, there are other unsuspected imbalances that are just as important to address than the copper itself).
-
How personalized is their protocol and their attention to each person's bio-individual situation?
- Are they simply promoting a one-size-fits-all protocol or computer-generated recommendations, as opposed to listening to the patient's unique health history and symptoms and designing a program specifically for that person's biochemistry and situation?
-
Do they have significant conflicts of interest?
- Are there any conflicts of interest with the products they promote? (If the majority of the program/protocol a practitioner creates for you pushes one brand / product line, there is likely a strong commission incentive for them to sell you those products. This adds a degree of bias, and limits you (the patient) from other products in the marketplace which might actually be better suited. It's common practice in the HTMA industry for practitioners to tell their patients they need to take certain supplements only to then recommend a catalog of products from either their own company or a brand or the lab with which they are affiliated with. While an occasional incentivized recommendation may certainly be valid and fair, the bulk of any protocol ideally should not be profit driven in favor of the practitioner).
-
Are they able to explain the mental health connections to HTMA patterns?
- Are they well versed in how mineral imbalances such as a calcium shell, zinc deficiency, excess copper, high Na/K ratio etc can affect mental health? What is their training in this regard? Who were they trained by?
-
How do they adjust their recommendations between overt vs hidden copper toxicity?
- Are they recognizing the difference between, and then customizing their treatment protocol accordingly when there is hidden copper toxicity vs overt copper toxicity, and if so, how?
In summary, watch out for these red flags:
-
Reliance only on the blood level while ignoring or dismissing HTMA (cell and tissue levels)
-
A focus on just trying to "detox" or lower copper without considering the body's complete mineral profile.
-
Product recommendations that come mainly from the same company or are $ incentivized (conflict of interest).
-
Telling you on some online forum to "just take zinc" or some other one-size-fits-all supplement that will magically detox copper, especially if they don't even have your test data.
-
Reading HTMA chart results at face value, or relying solely on computer-generated recommendations without personally considering specific symptoms, medications, health history, etc.
Specializing in copper toxicity for over a decade, I’ve worked across thousands of patients and have trained many of today’s HTMA and copper literate practitioners. While I continue to work with new clients, there are certainly other excellent practitioners out there for you to choose from as well. I am familiar with most of those who’d be considered as qualified. However, I am also aware of several (especially in copper support groups) who are making claims of their healing or HTMA expertise that I think warrant a lot more caution. I've dedicated my career to advancing copper toxicity support and training and mineral-based health education, while also advocating for industry integrity of authentic HTMA (including through the annual HTMA Summit of which I am cofounder and brings together pioneers and leaders in the field). I therefore care, first and foremost, that no matter who a person chooses to work with, they receive qualified guidance.
Number one, make sure they are truly experienced. How they answer the above questions will tell you a lot. Also remember, most HTMA practitioners are well-equipped to work remotely. In that sense, more important than geographic location is working with whomever you feel most comfortable with.
Wishing you success in your healing journey!
Rick Fischer
Founder of www.CopperToxic.com
Author of The Complete Copper Toxicity Handbook
Leading Copper Toxicity Researcher, Nutrition Instructor, Clinical HTMA Practitioner, HTMA Instructor
PS: You can explore our various HTMA Service Advantages and what sets us apart, at www.mineralsandhealth.com/advantage
While You're Here... Grab the Free eBook on COPPER TOXICITY
This free eBook, written by one of the world's foremost experts on the topic, includes an introduction to copper toxicity and how to detox, addresses important misconceptions, and provides a basis for getting the support you need for healing.
Follow Us
Copyright © 2014-2026 Integrative Health Coaching & Rick Fischer - All Rights Reserved.
All content and articles on this site may not be copied in whole or part without expressed written permission by Rick Fischer.