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Lucky Copper!

“Find a penny, pick it up, then all day you’ll have good luck!”

The full copper penny may be gone from the US money supply, but the value of copper is no less valuable in the food supply (and, for some, their luck)! Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka reports new information on just how valuable copper is to the status of bone and cartilage as well as overall health status. Our Sitka chiropractic care patients may well want to check their copper intake to be sure it’s enough…or even if it’s too much!

The skeleton and its bone and cartilage need just the right amount of nutrients to be strong and supportive. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka reads a lot about Vitamin D and calcium for bone nutrition while the other nutrients like copper, iron and selenium seem neglected.  Being low in copper, for example, hampers collagen fibril crosslinking or the bonding of fibers that make the cartilage and bone solid. (1)  A celiac patient tried all sorts of approaches to find health – gluten-free diet, vitamin B12, iron, folic acid. They didn’t work. Discovering a copper deficiency and addressing that did. (2) Post menopausal women with osteoporosis and osteopenia and low bone density have significantly lower level s of copper and zinc as well as magnesium. Such a mineral deficiency is important to address for their bone health. (3) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka certainly recommends a balanced diet and supplementation when necessary.

On the other end of the spectrum, getting too much copper may affect health status, too. To document these variations, a study of kids (0-14 years old) notes significant seasonal variation in blood levels of copper (except in infants). As an aside, which season is highest for copper levels? Spring. Lowest? Autumn. (4) Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka thought these were neat little tidbits of info for our Sitka chiropractic patients!

Your Sitka chiropractor included, we all know that too much or too little of a good thing may be bad. Same is the case with copper though it’s not likely as common an occurrence. Researchers uncovered a copper deficiency and zinc excess in a patient with cervical spine myelopathy. She had normal vitamin B12 levels but ate oysters daily for 5 years which may well have led to the excess zinc in the system which affects copper levels! (5) Goodness. Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka is always amazed at how one thing affects another when we least expect it. A good life and good health is all a matter of balance.

Contact Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka today to balance your life, your health, and your spine. Sitka chiropractic patients will certainly find good luck (if you believe in such a thing) at Arctic Chiropractic, Sitka!

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"This information and website content is not intended to diagnose, guarantee results, or recommend specific treatment or activity. It is designed to educate and inform only. Please consult your physician for a thorough examination leading to a diagnosis and well-planned treatment strategy. See more details on the DISCLAIMER page. Content is reviewed by Dr. James M. Cox I."