I had borderline low serum copper and borderline low ceruloplasmin. I have had a hysterectomy when i was 37 back in 1997.

So does this low level borderline mean I could have low copper or biounavailable copper. I having alot of problems developing autoimmune disease,,hashimoto thyroiditis, sjogrens, and possible lupus. Everytime i talk to doctors that just blow it off…I bleed easy and bruised pretty easy. Nose bleeds. Lots of small brown spots…Is’t this copper deficieny. I even tested on a red blood analysis …do not know how accurate this is but it showed high normal of zinc and low copper along with low boron. And vitamin D

Linda

Hi Linda–

MRE

Hi Dawn–

It was during recovery from my US Air flight.

Cheers–

MRE 

Hi Dawn–

I don’t want to come between you and your doctor so this is something you will need to work out with him/her.

My opinion is that I don’t like bisphosphonates and wouldn’t prescribe them myself.  Why? For a number of reasons.

First, when you go through that data on their use with a fine-toothed statistical comb, you find that the success rate is minuscule.  Many, many people would have to take an expensive drug for many, many years to prevent one fracture.  Based on this data, I don’t think it’s worth it.

Second, the drugs work by increasing the amount of cortical bone, which is the part of the bone we think of as bone.  The outer hard part is the cortical bone and people taking bisphosphonates lay down a little extra cortical bone.  The inner part of the bone – called trabecular bone – is a honey-combed looking type of bone that gives structural strength to areas of the bone more prone to fracture.  Bisphosphonates aren’t really able to add calcium to trabecular bone.  No added strength to trabecular bone means no real protection against fracture.  Since some new density is added to cortical bone the bone density scan looks better, but what you want is not just a better bone density scan, but more protection against fracture.  Some studies have shown that people taking Fosamax (the most commonly prescribed bisphosphonate) actually have more hip fractures then those who don’t.

Just like with statins (which bisphosphonates resemble), you are more often treating a lab result than an actual problem.

Third, people who take bisphosphonates have an increased incidence of jawbone necrosis (a serious problem).

If the bisphosphonates truly significantly decreased the rate of fracture in people with osteopenia I would be all for them even if a tiny percentage developed side effects.  But the statistics clearly aren’t there to prove it.

As far as I’m concerned the best way to build bone is to take vitamin D in hefty doses – at least 5,000 units of vit D3 per day, take calcium and magnesium, eat plenty of good quality protein, and do resistance training.

Hope this helps.

Cheers–

MRE 

Dear Dr. Eades,
Regarding the deer and elk study.

Am I to understand that it required more than to simply buy a license, hunt, shoot and pull the trigger to get your sample?

Or pay for someone’s license and time to do so for you?

Why would Colorado Game Department even need to know the end use of the animal?

You don’t need to post this to the web site unless you want to. I’m just wondering if you can get your study done without roadblocks.

All the best,
Ann

Hi Ann–

Yes, it was more involved than that.  We needed multiple deer and elk from different seasons of the year to make an accurate analysis.  Animals in the wild store fat as the summer progresses and lose it during the winter.  We wanted to see what the total carcass composition was at these varying levels of fatness.  And to get valid data, we needed more than just one animal for any given time.  So, we were trying to get permits to get animals out of season and a number of them.

Had it just been a matter of getting a gun and a license I would have been all over it.

Best–

MRE

Hi Mary–

Savannah has Paula Dean.  I didn’t have any trouble getting soul food and other good Southern cooking in Little Rock, but it is in short supply (as in zero) in Santa Barbara, CA where I spend a lot of time now.

Best–

MRE

Speaking of using the whole animal — where can I find a study on the nutrient content of a whole animal carcass? I remember from PPL that you had said you were working on this …

By the way, I love liver, too — both raw and cooked. I also like eating all parts of a whole, fresh fish, including the eyes! Lots of iodine in the eyes!

Thanks a bunch,
Ryan K.

Hi Ryan–

We were foiled by the Colorado wildlife authorities in our attempt to determine the whole carcass composition of deer and elk.  Those learned folks couldn’t see the value in knowing such a thing and denied us our permit to harvest the deer and elk we needed to do our analysis.  All that after we had recruited the people, written the study protocols, and gotten the use of all the equipment we needed.

I’ve never eaten raw liver.  Somehow it’s just not all that appealing to me.  Maybe someday.

Cheers–

MRE

Thanks for the reply. I have never had chittlins breaded and I don’t think that I would like them much. It was hard enough to develope a taste for them, boiled. I recall the first time I had them as a child. I kept them in my mouth until mom realized that there was something in my mouth. She had to pull them out. The reason I didn’t spit them out was I thought that I would throw-up.

My husband , who is Caucasian, has a tough time believeing that I can eat chittlins. Oh well, he’ll get over it. I won’t be able to cook them though. I will have to go to the soul food restaurant down the street.

Thanks,
Mary

Hi Mary–

I don’t know if I could do the chittlins boiled or not.  I’ll give it a try the next time I have the chance.  I wish I had a soul-food restaurant down the street from me.  I’m from the South, and you just can’t get good Southern cooking (at least in my opinion) unless you’ve got a good Southern cook.  And there aren’t any that I can find in Santa Barbara.

Cheers–

MRE

I just thought of something else. Being an African-American, many of us have consumed chittlin’s ( hog intestines )thanks to slavery, for centuries. Speaking for myself, I eat them because I like them, believe-it-or not. But as for terms of health, how healthy is chittlins or tripe, even? Just wondering.

Hi Mary–

I’ve had chitterlings once, and I wasn’t crazy about them.  I had them breaded along with some collard greens, which I love.  I’m sure that they are healthful as long as not breaded.  Same for tripe, which I do like also.

I also like cracklins, which are higher in protein than you would think.  You’ve got to be careful, though, as to what kind of oil they’re cooked in.

Cheers–

MRE

Hi Mary–

How about some chocolate-covered liver?  Who knows, it might catch on.

Thanks for the kind words.

Best–

MRE

My iron levels have come up, but now I’m curious if a copper deficiency may have been the culprit. Does my multi have the chelated form of copper and zinc? My copper is gluconate and my zinc is sulfate (-ate endings so I’m hoping they’re good). Are these chelated forms?

Thanks, Dr. Mike.

Hi Diana–

The copper and zinc supplements you list are indeed of the chelated variety.

Cheers–

MRE