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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)! Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn reports new information on just how valuable copper is to the status of bone and cartilage as well as overall health status. Our Ashburn chiropractic care patients may well want to check their copper intake to be sure it’s enough…or even if it’s too much!

Just the right balance of the right nutrients keeps the skeleton, its bone and cartilage, healthy and strong. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn 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 copper deficiency in a celiac patient made a difference in his condition when all other usual approaches – gluten-free diet, iron, folic acid, vitamin B12 therapy - were exhausted without improvement. (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) Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn 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) Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn thought these were neat little tidbits of info for our Ashburn chiropractic patients!

Your Ashburn 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. Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn 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 Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn today to balance your life, your health, and your spine. Ashburn chiropractic patients will certainly find good luck (if you believe in such a thing) at Poulin Chiropractic of Herndon and Ashburn!

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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."