Why Am I Always So Tired?

by Ann Louise Gittleman

Discover How Correcting Your Body's Copper Imbalance Can * Keep Your Body From Giving Out Before Your Mind Does *Free You from ... Midday Slumps * Give You the Energy Break
Copper overload is an insidious but increasingly common nutritional problem, says Ann Louise Gittleman, author of the bestselling Beyond Pritikin. She says that difficulty getting out of bed, midday slumps, mood swings, insomnia, and anxiety may be symptoms of a copper/zinc imbalance. She discovered this link after she encountered several patients in her nutritional practice--most of them women--who were not suffering from hypothyroidism, adrenal problems, or anemia (as she had suspected), but rather a mineral imbalance that was diagnosed after simple hair testing.

Vegetarian diets, low-fat diets, and taking multivitamins--all ostensibly healthy moves--can make you more susceptible to copper overload. So do less-healthy activities, including drinking alcohol and coffee, taking cortisone, and being constantly stressed. (These activities sap the body of zinc, says Gittleman, jeopardizing the delicate zinc/copper homeostasis in the body.) Home tap water may also be overloaded with copper, and women are susceptible to absorbing copper from intrauterine devices.

To remedy the overload, Gittleman outlines an easy plan for renewing health and increasing energy. She includes a questionnaire to help determine if copper overload may be a problem for you; gives resources for hair analysis in case your doctor doesn't have one; instructs on how to read a tissue-analysis report; and outlines a sensible diet plan, including menus to keep the zinc/copper balance in check.

Up to 80 percent of the general population complains about fatigue; Gittleman's book may very well offer a simple solution for thousands of people. --Erica Jorgensen

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1999

About the author

Dr. Ann Louise was recognized as one of the top ten nutritionists in the country by Self magazine and was the recipient of the American Medical Writers Association award for excellence.

She was the first to warn of the environmental hazards of parasites in her classic Guess What Came To Dinner? Parasites and Your Health. In Your Body Knows Best, Dr. Ann Louise was the first to discuss the blood type/weight theory and proclaim that one diet may not be right for every body - an idea that is only now becoming mainstream. She was the first to offer natural remedies for menopausal symptoms in Super Nutrition for Menopause (now in print as Hot Times) and is widely credited as the first to popularize the term “perimenopause” in her New York Times bestseller, Before The Change.

Dr. Ann Louise forged new ways of thinking about obesity early on in her career. She was the first to proclaim that obesity was caused by the lack of dietary fats and the wrong kind of carbohydrates in her book Beyond Pritikin, published in 1988. In Beyond Pritikin, she predicted that the fat-free, carb-rich diet was creating weight gain, sugar cravings, fatigue and diabetes.

Today, she continues to dedicate herself to carving out new landmarks in holistic health and healing based on science and ancient healing arts. Through her many books, website, and blog (Dr. Ann Louise’s Edge on Health), Dr. Ann Louise offers a “virtual” health support system for men and women that provides educational and self-health assessment services to empower people everywhere to achieve total health. Her latest book, a companion to the bestselling Fat Flush Plan, was released in December 2009. Fat Flush for Life, takes a seasonal approach to burn stubborn body fat all year long, integrating groundbreaking new Fat Flush diets with corresponding fitness and wellness programs.

Reviews

[Rebecca Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Invaluable info on this little discussed problem, and how to overcome it through diet and supplements and lifestyle changes. There's even info about how to read a hair analysis test results. I'll be in utilizing much of this soon! I have some questions she didn't answer but overall the length of the book not being too cumbersome makes it more accessible. I was able to read it in a day and now I feel well armed with information before my next doctor's appointment.

[Kyren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating book. I downloaded it on my Nook to read. I suffer from a variety of food allergies as well as adult acne among other issues and I found the suggestions and thoughts in the book very helpful. I had never been prescribed zinc before, but when I look at my symptomology it seems quite clear that whether or not I have a copper toxicity problem, I almost certain suffer from zinc deficiency-- something I am now starting to correct with supplements and slight change in diet. It was interesting for me to learn that many of my food allergins also happen to be high in copper--something I'm sure is not a coincidence.

I also found it helpful as an overall introduction to vitamins and minerals and how they function in the body and also how they interact with each other. I only recently started taking any sort of vitamin supplement (half a year ago) and have really noticed major differences in my levels of energy, ability to heal (joint issues), mood problems, etc. I think it's very easy to eat unbalanced in this society even (perhaps even especially!) if you are eating a whole foods diet like I am. And some of us are probably more naturally deficient in certain vitamins and minerals (or need higher levels because we deplete them easier) than others.

A fantastic book. Highly recommend it!

[Cathy Stratton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought it was great especially nutritional info but would've liked more info on testing and how to increase Ceruloplasmin/ bound copper.

[Angie Libert · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book on copper imbalances within the body and cells.