Why Am I Always So Tired?: Discover How Correcting Your Body's Copper Imbalance Can * Keep Your Body From Giving Out Before Your Mind Does *Free You from ... Energy Breakthrough You've Been Looking For

This is a useful book if you're high in copper.However it could use a bit of an update in a couple of areas.No mention of the super absorbable forms of VitC for increasing copper excretion i.e. lypospheric or soluble?R-Alpha Lipoic Acid (natural) works better than RS-ALA (synthetic)... no recognition that 2 types exist (also the super absorbable sodium version?)B12 has synthetic and natural types. Cyanide-B12 is the most common form... but actually saps energy. For a person that lacks energy this is the last thing you want?Methy, adenosyl or hydroxyl forms of B12 exist and all increase energy.High copper usually results in slow metabolism. No mention of how to raise metabolism?eg. Vitamin B12, Vitamin K2 and coconut oil all increase metabolism and thus energy levels.Many of the symptoms are very familiar... and it's nice to know you're not alone.The section on foods and copper is very useful... as it helps you to identify where you might be picking up copper.Interesting that mercury fillings were also identified as a possible source of copper.However the disordered mineral transport patterns that are shown towards the back of the book look like those that occur in mercury toxicity? Andy Cutler has written a useful book on identifying disordered mineral transport in hair analysis... but hasn't recognised anything about copper.http://www.noamalgam.com/Perhaps it's a two pronged problem? Copper and Mercury?Given that there are no other books on copper toxicity it's well worth buying this book.Hopefully the author will read this review and give the book a bit of an update?Ann-Louise Gittleman seems to be quite active in forums... so it's likely she's got a few more insights that she could easily use to add content to the book?It's now 2014 and the book is 15 years old.It feels like it would benefit from an update... which is why it only gets 3 stars.Please treat that as encouragement rather than criticism.It would be a pleasure to give an improved version more stars.:-)

I am so grateful for this book. I didn't realize I had a copper imbalance but knew something was off. My MD dismissed my complaints of fatigue, acne, terrible menstrual issues, weight gain, etc as a "relax, exercise more, eat healthy" issue. All my standard blood tests were normal so in her book it meant nothing was wrong.I had a copper IUD in for years and didn't realize that along with my previously undiagnosed pyroluria, the copper IUD had put me over the edge as far as zinc deficiency/copper overload. It wasn't until this book that the pieces started to come together. I got tested for pyroluria and adrenal fatigue, removed the IUD, started supplementing and changing my diet and now, about 3 months later, I am beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel. No thanks to standard medical care, I decided that I was responsible for my own health and that I needed to do some research and action on my own.I cannot afford to go to a wonderful, knowledgable functional medicine doctor that knows what they are doing-my MD, as nice as she is, has no idea if it isn't on a standard blood panel and doesn't require medication. Functional medicine, forget about it! I had to spend hundreds of hours of my own time becoming my own health expert. I found resources to order my own lab tests. And am using gentle approaches to health and healing. I am 35 and went from having horrible acne to pretty clear skin, little to no PMS, and more than 3-4 "good" hours in a day over the last few months. I'm not there yet, but I am beginning to recover. This book is wonderful.

I literally spent 20 years of my life suffering from copper overload. It has almost destroyed my life. I suffered extreme insomnia, pseudo bi-polar disorder, anxiety, etc... It all started within a few months of me taking birth control. It got worse when I became a vegetarian several years later. It developed into premenstrual dysphoric disorder 5 years ago a few months after I had a copper IUD in place. Years of going to doctors ended with me on Lithium, sleeping pills, etc. I developed horrible side effects (gran mal seizures, weight gain, restless leg, stuttering, etc...). In the end, I was labeled a hypochondriac by my primary care doctors and just recently told the only cure for PDD was prozac. Three years ago I went to a naturopathic doctor and was tested for heavy metals and found I had high levels of copper. We tested our pipes and it wasn't that. I couldn't figure out why I was so high in copper.However, as soon as I read this book, the past two decades of illness suddenly made sense. I immediately begin eating zinc-rich foods and taking supplements. Guess what? For the first time since I had my copper IUD I no longer suffer from PDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder) which I almost lost my job due to its debilitating effects. I will soon have my IUD removed.No more depression, no more PDD, no more insomnia, I am pharmaceutical-free.

Her theory is that copper may be causing fatigue in some people, however, this is rare as most of us are able to excrete any excess copper. Thus, you should get a hair analysis test done to find out (you can buy these online for about $80). If you do indeed have excess copper you can follow the supplement and dietary guidelines she provides. Her advise is holistic, so recovery will most likely take longer. There are a couple of prescription meds available to help rid of excess copper which she does not discuss at all.She also discusses the very important role of zinc (which will also be tested if you order a hair analysis). Although I did not test high for copper, I do have very low zinc and thanks to this book I can work on that which should help in my overall health.If you have copper overload or low zinc there is a "Nutritional Data" website that will tell you exactly how much of each is in different foods.

It's been useful to know copper toxicity syndrome, but its view is limited in that Gittleman doesn't take into account all the other mineral. Taking just zinc, as she suggests, and eliminating copper (mistake!!) from the diet, will NOT heal you from copper toxicity.

Very helpful and interesting book to read

Well researched, written and of great practical help. I would strongly recommend it to all women with (or considering) a copper IUD so that they are prepared for symptoms that may emerge.

I don't think people realise they have this problem with copper, brilliant book

Just fine