You can test the copper levels in your body through a blood test called a ceruloplasmin test that checks for ceruloplasmin levels in the blood which is a protein made by the liver.
The ceruloplasmin binds to copper and carries it through the body and if you have low ceruloplasmin it can mean a genetic condition called Wilson disease which is a copper deficiency or other medical issues.
If you have high ceruloplasmin it can mean you have high copper levels in the body.
The signs that let you know if you have too much copper in your body are changes in behavior, stiff muscles, shakes or tremors or movements that you cannot control.
The signs of copper poisoning are chills, chest pain, cough, fever, headache, metallic taste in the mouth, general weakness, Jaundice, lack of urine due to kidney malfunction and after long term exposure to copper it can cause lung inflammation and permanent scarring.
The body gets rid of copper toxicity and excess copper through the liver as bile.
The copper in the body is absorbed in excess of metabolic requires and then is excreted from the body through bile.
The human body needs small amounts of copper from food to stay healthy.
However too much copper in the body is not healthy and can be serious and result in brain damage, liver failure and even death if it is not treated.
The body normally gets rid of extra copper through the liver by sending it out of the body through bile.
Some ways you can flush copper out of your body are Zinc, Chelation therapy, medications hemodialysis and stomach pumping.
To get rid of excess copper in your body naturally you can take zinc supplements daily and over time the zinc will absorb the copper in the body.
The vitamin that reduces copper in the body is Zinc which when taken absorbs the copper in the body to help remove it.
To detox your body from copper you can have hemodialysis done which is a blood filtration treatment that draws blood from you and cleans it to remove the toxic copper.
Chelation therapy is another way that detoxes your body from copper by binding the copper particles in the bloodstream into a compound that the kidneys filter and excrete in the urine
Stomach pumping nad medications can also be used to detox the body from copper.
The symptoms of too much copper in the body are Jaundice which is yellow skin and whites of the eyes, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Wilson disease is a common cause of too much copper in the body.
Wilson disease is a rare genetic condition that occurs when the body accumulates too much copper, especially in the liver and brain.
The human body needs a small amount of copper from food to stay healthy, but without treatment, Wilson disease can lead to high copper levels that cause life-threatening organ damage.
Chronic exposure to high levels of copper can result in liver damage and gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g., abdominal pain, cramps, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting) [10,38].
Copper toxicity is rare in healthy individuals who do not have a hereditary copper homeostasis defect.
Copper deficiency can arise through a multitude of mechanisms, including low dietary intake, genetic abnormalities, nutrient-nutrient interactions (e.g., copper and zinc), and nutrient-drug interactions.
Copper is possibly unsafe when taken in larger amounts.
Kidney failure and death can occur with as little as 1 gram of copper sulfate.
Symptoms of copper overdose include nausea, vomiting, bloody diarrhea, fever, stomach pain, low blood pressure, anemia, and heart problems.
Treatments for too much copper in the body include.
Stomach pumping which directly removes copper from the stomach.
Medications such as corticosteroids, can help reduce swelling in the brain.
Hemodialysis which uses a machine that filters waste materials out of the blood.
This treatment is beneficial for people with kidney damage.