Healing Copper Deficiency, OCHOs & Pyroluria – A Metabolic-Spiritual Roadmap

If you’ve been taking high-dose zinc for pyroluria—especially for years—you may be at risk for copper deficiency, even if you never suspected it. And if you're now experiencing blacking out when standing, visual disturbances, or unexplained neurological decline, you may be dealing with Orthostatic Cerebral Hypoperfusion Syndrome (OCHOs)—a condition rooted in copper-dependent vascular fragility.

This post explores:

• How long-term zinc use depletes copper

• The link between copper deficiency, OCHOs, and optic nerve damage

• How to safely replenish copper

• The role of copper and estrogen in fluid retention and misdiagnosed glaucoma

• Homeopathic and miasmic support for deep healing

The Zinc-Copper Imbalance in Pyroluria

Pyroluria causes excessive loss of zinc and B6 through urine. Left untreated, this leads to anxiety, depression, poor stress tolerance, chronic oxidative stress, and neurological issues. 

But here’s the catch: long-term zinc supplementation without copper creates a new crisis. 

Zinc blocks copper absorption by inducing metallothionein, a protein that binds copper and prevents its uptake—even if you take copper hours apart.  Over time, this leads to:

• Low ceruloplasmin (the copper-carrying protein)

• Functional copper deficiency

• Unbound (free) copper—toxic, pro-oxidative, and neurotoxic

• Impaired estrogen detox → estrogen dominance

• Vascular instability → OCHOs

• Optic nerve degeneration → vision loss

You can be both copper-deficient and have high serum copper—a paradox that’s often missed.

I write this post now as a living testament to how this happens, because it happened to me. As I write this now, I am nearly completely blind, because I didn't realize that, with pyroluria and zinc loss due to chronically elevated HPL, I could still become copper deficient, even though I was getting copper in my vitamins and food.

This is how I have begun to restore my own eyesight and optic nerve neuropathy and atrophy.

Estrogen Dominance: The Hidden Consequence

Copper and estrogen have a bidirectional relationship:

• Estrogen increases copper retention in the liver

• Copper supports estrogen synthesis and reduces its clearance

• Low ceruloplasmin (from copper deficiency) impairs liver detox → functional estrogen dominance 

Progesterone deficiency is a key driver—without enough progesterone to oppose estrogen, the balance tips toward dominance, even if estrogen levels are normal. 

Both zinc and copper are  required for progesterone synthesis.

Research shows copper supports steroid hormone production in ovarian granulosa cells by:

• Upregulating key enzymes like StAR, CYP11A1, and 3β-HSD, which are essential for progesterone synthesis

• Enhancing mitochondrial function and electron transport needed for steroidogenesis

• Supporting ovarian follicle development and corpus luteum function 

While zinc is also crucial (involved in hormone receptor function and ovarian signaling), copper plays a direct role in the enzymatic pathways that convert cholesterol into pregnenolone and then into progesterone. 

However, balance is key—excess copper can suppress progesterone, worsening estrogen dominance.  Optimal zinc-copper synergy is essential for hormonal health.

Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance:

In Women:

• Fluid retention (bloating, swollen colon, edema)

• Breast tenderness, fibrocystic breasts, fibroadenomas

• Uterine fibroids, endometriosis, ovarian cysts

• Mood swings, anxiety, insomnia

• Heavy or irregular periods 

In Men:

• Low testosterone

• Gynecomastia (enlarged breast tissue)

• Loss of drive, ambition, motivation

• Prostate enlargement, urinary issues

• Abdominal weight gain, fatigue

This is not just hormonal—it’s metabolic overwhelm, where trauma disrupts the body’s ability to clear excess estrogen.

OCHOs: When Standing Steals Your Vision

Orthostatic Cerebral Hypoperfusion Syndrome (OCHOs) isn’t POTS or low blood pressure.  It’s reduced blood flow to the brain upon standing, despite normal blood pressure and heart rate. 

Symptoms include:

• Blanking out when rising

• Flashing lights or squiggly lines across the visual field

• Visual dimness lasting 20–30 minutes

• Migraine and prolonged weakness

• Triggered by warmth, low blood sugar, holding bladder too long, or emotional stress

This happens because copper deficiency weakens blood vessels. Without enough lysyl oxidase (a copper-dependent enzyme), collagen and elastin don’t cross-link properly. The result? Fragile cerebral vessels that can’t regulate blood flow. 

OCHOs is diagnosed via tilt-table testing with transcranial Doppler, which shows reduced cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFv) during upright posture—without tachycardia or hypotension. 

You can be misdiagnosed with anxiety or psychosomatic illness—until the real cause is seen. 

Glaucoma Misdiagnosis: Systemic Fluid Retention, Not Just Eye Pressure

Many with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) are diagnosed with glaucoma—but if it doesn’t respond to treatment, reconsider.

Beta-blocker eye drops (like timolol) can worsen estrogen dominance by:

• Disrupting adrenal function

• Increasing fat storage and estrogen production

• Causing breast fibroadenomas, fibroids, and cysts

But the real issue may be systemic fluid retention due to:

• Free copper + estrogen → sodium/water retention

• Vascular weakness → poor lymphatic drainage

• Copper deficiency → impaired connective tissue integrity

This whole-body edema shows up in the eyes as pseudoglaucoma—a misdiagnosis when the root is metabolic, not ocular.

Collagen, Hair Growth & Connective Tissue

Copper is essential for lysyl oxidase, the enzyme that cross-links collagen and elastin.

Deficiency leads to:

• Weak blood vessels → OCHOs, hemorrhage

• Poor wound healing

• Hair that breaks easily or won’t grow long—due to weak hair matrix and poor follicle support

If you know someone whose hair won’t grow past a certain length, consider copper-zinc imbalance, not just “genetics.”

Replenishing Copper Safely: The Dual Deficiency

Both zinc and copper are needed for ceruloplasmin synthesis—the protein that delivers copper to cells. 

• Zinc deficiency → low ceruloplasmin → copper not delivered

• Copper deficiency → no ceruloplasmin made → copper stays unbound 

This explains why symptoms overlap: fatigue, brain fog, poor immunity, hair loss, mood issues.

Protocol:

1. Stabilize zinc first (22–33 mg/day) if pyrroles are high

2. Add low-dose copper glycinate (0.5–4 mg/day)

3. Monitor ratio: Ideal zinc:copper = 8:1

4. Support ceruloplasmin: B6, B12, folate, magnesium, taurine, glycine

Testing: HTMA & DUTCH Are Essential

• HTMA (Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis): Reveals intracellular copper, zinc, and toxic metals—blood tests miss tissue-bound copper.

• DUTCH Test: Shows estrogen metabolites (2-OH, 16-OH, 4-OH), cortisol, and melatonin—critical for assessing estrogen dominance. 

Without these, you’re guessing.

Trauma Is Biological Overwhelm

Trauma isn’t just emotional—it’s nervous system collapse. When the body lacks resources (like zinc and copper), it can’t:

• Detoxify estrogen

• Repair nerves

• Regulate blood flow

• Discharge survival energy

The result? Frozen biology—trapped in the brainstem, fascia, and organs—manifesting as OCHOs, vision loss, and even psychosis or schizophrenia-like symptoms.

Schizophrenia: A Nutrient Imbalance?

Prolonged copper deficiency or functional copper overload (free copper) is linked to:

• Psychosis

• Hallucinations

• Delusions

• Paranoia

For anyone with a loved one diagnosed with schizophrenia, consider this: what if some cases are nutrient-driven, not purely psychiatric?  Wilson’s disease and pyroluria are known to mimic schizophrenia—yet often go undiagnosed. 

Homeopathic & Miasmatic Support

While nutrients rebuild the body, homeopathy supports the energetic and emotional layers of healing.

Key Remedies for Copper Deficiency, Estrogen Dominance, Vision Disturbances & OCHOs

• Phosphorus: For those who are sensitive, empathic, with photophobia and nerve degeneration. “Saw too much horror.”

• Causticum: For trauma-based vision loss, especially after abuse or injustice.

• Plumbum metallicum: For mental exhaustion, constriction, and despair—feeling punished for existing. 

• Zincum metallicum: For nerve exhaustion, involuntary eye movements, and stress-driven decline.

• Cyclamen: For visual scintillations, veils, and flickering—especially when linked to hormonal shifts; can be very helpful for OCHOs. 

• Folliculinum: For estrogen-driven fluid retention, breast issues, and hormonal migraines.

• Sepia: For apathy, irritability, and hormonal fatigue—especially with low libido and pelvic heaviness. 

• Pulsatilla: For emotional sensitivity, weepiness, need for attention, comfort and validation, and hormonal mood swings. 

• Calcarea carbonica: For sluggish metabolism, fluid retention, and feeling overwhelmed.

Miasmatic Remedies for Deep Healing

• Syphillinum: For inherited toxicity, programs and beliefs in worthlessness, self-destruction, and prenatal poisoning.

• Leprosinum: For being cast out, shunned, or made the family scapegoat.

• Tuberculinum: For restlessness, change-seeking, and immune fragility.

• Carcinosin: For repressed emotion, perfectionism, and overgiving.

Working with an Experienced Homeopath: Why Individualization Is Essential

Homeopathy is not a one-size-fits-all system. It is deeply individualized, based on the principle that no two people are alike—even when facing the same diagnosis. 

An experienced homeopath doesn’t just treat symptoms. They listen for:

• Ancestral patterns and inherited miasms

• Trapped emotions and nervous system imprints

• Early life trauma and unconscious belief systems

• Energetic distortions—entity attachments, soul membrane hooks, thought forms

• Physical, emotional, and spiritual layers of imbalance 

Homeopathy speaks the language of the subconscious: symbols, feelings, symptoms, frequencies. The right remedy matches not just your condition, but your unique energetic signature—at the right potency, in the right sequence. 

Only a skilled practitioner can guide this process safely and effectively. What works for one may aggravate another. Healing unfolds best under wise, experienced care. 

Always work with a qualified homeopath—especially when navigating deep trauma, metabolic collapse, or spiritual distress.

Final Thoughts

Healing from long-term zinc-induced copper deficiency is possible—but it requires patience, precision, and compassion.

You didn’t get here overnight.
You won’t heal overnight.
But you will heal.

Start with zinc stabilization.
Then gently replete copper.
Support with homeopathy.
Honor your traumatized nervous system.
And trust that your body—and soul—knows the way back.

Disclaimer: This post is for educational purposes. Always work with a qualified practitioner. Individual needs vary.

If You're Ready to Heal from the Inside Out

I invite you to my 6-week course:
Safe & Nourished: The 6-Week Trauma-Informed Metabolic Reclamation Plan
— a deep integration of nervous system healing, metabolic support, and soul alignment.

Or, if you’re just beginning, start with my free 7-day mini-course:
Body Wisdom: 7 Days of Nervous System Safety
— gentle practices to help you feel safe in your body again.

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Scientific References

1. Copper & Estrogen Connection
   Walsh, W. (2014). Nutrient Power: Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain. Skyhorse Publishing.
   — Discusses copper overload, pyroluria, and estrogen dominance. 

2. Copper & Progesterone Synthesis
   Wang et al. (2008). Copper supplementation increases estradiol, progesterone, FSH and LH in heifers. Biological Trace Element Research.
   Liu et al. (2025). Copper promotes steroid hormone secretion in yak granulosa cells via StAR, CYP11A1, and 3β-HSD. MDPI Animals, 12(5), 428. 

3. OCHOs
   Novak, V. (2016). Orthostatic Cerebral Hypoperfusion Syndrome (OCHOs). Neurology, 86(8), 715–722.
   — Defines OCHOs via tilt-table testing and cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFv) drop. 

4. HTMA & DUTCH Testing
   Lyphos Labs. Clinical Utility of HTMA and DUTCH Testing in Functional Medicine.
   — Supports use of HTMA for intracellular minerals and DUTCH for estrogen metabolism. 

Homeopathic Remedies
Murphy, R. (2000). Homeopathic Clinical Repertory.
— Includes Cuprum metallicum, Cyclamen, Folliculinum, Sepia, Pulsatilla, and Calcarea carbonica for hormonal and neurological symptoms.