In response to the Call for Medical feedback, Linda Camp wrote:

Hello…

I’m a high IQ member at other high IQ societies. I saw your home page in which you recently posted a call for help from a fellow with hypoceruloplasminemia. Seeing as this patient does not mention Wilson’s or Menkes or any of the associated diseases, it would be difficult to determine the cause of his symptoms, let alone prescribe a treatment. Taking into account a possible mistaken diagnoses, I am hesitant to accept for the moment that his condition is genetic, however possible that may be.

There are three factors to consider:

Absorption (uptake), transfer, and excretion.

Copper homeostasis in the human body is controlled mostly at the level of excretion. The major excretory route is through bile, which involves the transfer of copper by hepatocytes to bile canaliculi. When this transfer is compromised (by a mutation in the copper transporter, ATP7B), excess copper accumulates in the liver and other tissues, leading to cell damage.This occurs in Wilson disease, which I assume this patient does not have.

Therefore, it may be wise to look at this patient’s uptake…

Several potential transporters are expressed by enterocytes. Brush-border (carrier-mediated) uptake, facilitated by copper transporter (CTR1) could be the problem, and/or divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1)/Nramp2/divalent cation transporter 1. If copper transfer across the basolateral membrane to blood and interstitial fluid is the problem, then the patient’s problem could involve ATP7A, since a defect in this protein results in severe copper deficiency, and this would mean the patient has Menkes.

Copper absorption is inhibited by phosphorus, niacin, calcium, and bean (pulse)
protein.

It is enhanced by riboflavin, cellulose, oxalates and LOW amounts of zinc.

Methionine doubles the absorption of copper in humans.
Copper is TRIPLED (or more) in the intestine in the presence of sodium.

Fruits, especially apples, have been shown to increase copper retention.
However, the use of synthesized fructose and sucrose more than tripples the rate
of mortality from rupture in the top of the heart.

Iron and antacids interfere w/absorption of copper.
Vitamin supplements containing LARGE amount of zinc interfere with copper
absorption. Although small amounts of zinc enhance copper absorption, large amounts deplete it.

SOYBEAN protein can reduce copper absorption by 90%!!!

In my practice, I find that patients don’t usually seek the services of a knowledgeable natural health professional until all avenues of mainstream medicine have been exhausted. That’s too bad… it’s rather like putting a chore off for years, worrying about it no end until finally you can take it no more and just DO IT, finally realizing that you should have done it at the start and prevented all the worry and dread in the first place. But we’re all prone to procrastination, I guess.

If you have a medically trained person amongst your members, perhaps s/he can get more detail from the patient… at least which hypoceruloplasminemia-associated disease the patient has… if the patient (or his doctor) even knows!

Thank you,
Linda Camp