PRACTITIONER VOICE
Zinc and copper must be in balance . If the tissue accumulation of copper is greater than that of zinc , copper prevents the absorption and utilisation of zinc , resulting in what is seen on Oligoscan spectrophotometry as a ‘ zinc blockade ’ ( Figure 1 ). The measurement used by Oligoscan is taken through the skin on the palm of the hand . A zinc blockade looks like excess zinc ( and copper ) on first inspection . However , the correct interpretation is that copper is displacing zinc out of organ tissue into the peripheral tissues . Zinc becomes concentrated in these peripheral tissues . This explains why zinc appears excessively high . This phenomenon is worse than plain zinc deficiency . These patients require daily zinc supplementation even though their zinc appears high . A daily supplement of zinc will force the peripheral zinc concentrations back into organ tissue , thereby displacing the dominant copper . Looking at the test result above , I gave this patient elemental zinc 50 mg / day , which resulted in the zinc line moving left , towards the normal zone , while the copper levels decreased .
It is useful to think of zinc and copper ratio as a seesaw . Zinc should always be the heavier , or dominant , element on the see-saw , with a ratio of approximately 2:1 . 12
Trans-generational copper toxicity
It is common for a copper burden to be seen across the genetic line . Figure 2 shows three generations of a family whose members exhibited high copper when tested . Two male cousins , both on the autism spectrum , inherited their copper burden from their mothers , who in turn inherited theirs from their own mothers . Each of these five family members , over three generations , had respective copper toxicity symptoms , requiring copper chelate , zinc and other remedies .
Figure 2 . Example of intergenerational copper toxicity
Case Study 2 : Epilepsy
Please note that in Australia one must be a medical practitioner to offer treatment for epilepsy , so I make no claims in relation to treatment of this disease .
Freddy : male , age 2
This child had daily multiple focal seizures . Although he had been prescribed Phenobarbitone , Phenytoin , and Keppra , the medications were only partly effective . Freddy was in a critical condition . His Oligoscan showed a copper overload ( Figure 3 ). This is one of the cases of genetically acquired copper excess : copper symptoms can be seen on the father ’ s side of the family , although there is no family history of epilepsy .
I gave this little boy homeopathic Cuprum met 6c . Metallic copper is a homeopathic remedy used in India , among other countries , to treat epilepsy . The remedy has the added effect of reducing the copper burden . All seizures stopped on this remedy . Over the ensuing 2 years all the prescribed medications were slowly withdrawn . Freddy ’ s mother wanted to keep her son on this homeopathic remedy indefinitely as a preventative treatment ; her big fear was that the seizures would return if we withdrew the remedy . To this day , 5 years at the time of writing , each day she gives her son a dose of the remedy , and each day there are no seizures .
An important comment about the homeopathic dose
Many practitioners are cautious about prescribing a long-term homeopathic remedy indefinitely , because of the idea that the patient will start to ‘ prove ’ the remedy , that is , start to manifest iatrogenic symptoms ( i . e ., caused by a medicine ) from continually using the remedy . I can confidently state that when you have a malignant pathology , such as potential status epilepticus , you must give the homeopathic remedy frequently and not withdraw it at all while the patient remains stable . We do not fully know the malignant causes which might underpin this disease , but we can see that the homeopathic remedy is holding it at bay . The danger to the patient is not continued use of the remedy , but withdrawing or changing the dose while the patient is stable . I make this point very clearly in relation to malignant pathologies of any kind . We can never use the ‘ cure ’ word in relation to these pathologies , because we do not know if the pathology will return upon withdrawal of the remedy . If the patient needs to take the remedy every day for the rest of their life , and I have many patients in this situation , that is the best outcome .
For non-malignant disease , with functional disturbance but no pathology , it is appropriate to slowly change or
JATMS | Spring 2023 | 149