Okay, This is from the results of my tests from Pfeiffer Treatment Center: "Elevated copper in blood tissues is very commonin certain types of behavior and learning disorders, depression and mental illness. Usually this condition is called "hypercupremia" is inborn, and can be traced through the family tree. Excess copper can cause a number of problems. The body supervises copper stores in blood and tissues through the action of metallothionein and ceruloplasmin proteins. When these metal binding proteins fail to function properly, copper levels and the important copper/zinc ratio can skyrocket. Treatment for this chemical imbalance can be achieved with specific nutrients which stimulate the production and release of metallothionein, overcome zinc deficiency, release excess copper from tissues, and promote the exit of excess copper from the body. This process usually takes months to complete with malabsorbers. Patients with malabsorbtion, Type A blood or hypoglycemia are especially slow to respond. High copper females are usually high in estrogen (estrogen retains copper). Estrogen and progesterone levels should be checked by a gynecologist and if estrogen is too high, natural progesterone cream should be used to bring down the estrogen levels and balance estrogen and progesterone. This will also lower copper.

Nutrients to lower copper:

Take the following

B6- 300 mgs. per day
E- 400 i.u. per day
selenium- 200 mcgs. per day
C- 4000 mgs. per day (divided doses)
magnesium glycinate 200 mgs. per day
B 100- 2x day

Scrupulously avoid high copper foods (you can find high copper foods on line with a search)
and take 30 mgs. of zinc and 250 mgs. of molybdunum
every time you eat as to avoid absorption of copper from the food eaten. This part is extremely important, especially the zinc.

Now the Pfeiffer Center runs people's "SERUM" copper and they want to see it between 75-110 as run by LabCorp in Ohio. They also run your ceruloplasmin which should be between 17.9 to 53.3. They run your zinc also through this lab, zinc plasma- should be between 90 to 150. Then they look at the copper to zinc ratio. However, Andrew Cutler says in his book that "red blood cell copper" should be run and will be high if copper is a problem. I had mine done through METAMETRIX and their reference range for red blood cell copper is .52 to 2. I hope this helps, and you can learn a lot more about copper in Andy's book which you can buy on this site at a discounted price and also, I found a bought a good book on copper overload called "Why am I always so tired"? by Ann Louise Gittleman, which explains the many things that elevated copper can due, including cause schizophrenia. Both books make reference to the Pfeiffer Center and their specialty in high copper. I think the doctors at the Pfeiffer Center outside Chicago are willing to work with someone's doctor for a high copper problem over the phone.

Good luck
Sandra