Using the NCC Formula (Non-Ceruloplasmin Copper)
The symptoms of fibromyalgia are caused by copper toxicity. How do you know if you're toxic? This formula will show you.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is classified as widespread muscle pain and soreness throughout the body that leads to fatigue, anxiety. But what is the root cause of Fibromyalgia and the pain it causes?
It’s important to take a look at intracellular copper and zinc levels and compare them to blood serum levels. All fibromyalgia patients that we’ve treated have high, almost toxic, levels of copper in their blood, but there is a severe copper deficiency within the cells themselves.
So why is fibromyalgia so heavily affected by copper? Well, a few of the main uses of copper in our bodies are to: help make red blood cells, protect nerve cells, promote a healthy immune system, promote iron uptake and so much more. Again, blood serum levels will show that your copper levels are “normal” or even high, but inside your cells, where it’s actually used, levels are devastatingly low.
This leads to a kind of copper toxicity where copper molecules build up around the body in key nerve points causing the widespread muscle soreness and pain.
Breaking down these buildups and normalizing intracellular levels is critical for the reduction of Fibromyalgia pains. Let’s look at the formula to see if your blood serum levels are too high.
NCC FORMULA
First, we need to get the three measurements into the same units, preferably ug/dL (micrograms per deciliter):
If your results were given in g/L multiply by 100,000 to get ug/dL. If your results were given in mg/dL, multiply by 1,000 to get ug/dL. If your results were given in mg/L multiply by 100 to get ug/dL. If your results were given in ug/L, divide by 10 to get ug/dL. If your results were given in ng/mL, divide by 10 to get ug/dL.
1) Zinc: If your results were given in umol/L, divide by 0.153 to get ug/dL
2) Copper: If your results were given in umol/L, divide by 0.157 to get ug/dL
3) Ceruloplasmin Results are usually given in mg/dL or g/L. Convert to ug/dL as above notes.
Now calculate the ratios, etc.
4) Calculate the Copper:Zinc ratio, divide Copper (2) by Zinc (1), Reference range is 0.7 to 1.0. (This is a ratio, not ug/dL.)
5) Calculate the amount of Copper bound in Ceruloplasmin, Ceruloplasmin (3) in ug/dL multiplied by 0.003. (Ceruloplasmin is 0.3% Copper by weight)
6) Calculate the amount of Copper not bound in Ceruloplasmin, Total Copper (2) in ug/dL minus Copper bound to Ceruloplasmin (5). Reference range is 5 to 15ug/dL
7) Calculate the percentage of Non-Ceruloplasmin-Bound Copper: Non-Ceruloplasmin-Bound Copper (6) divided by total Copper (2), then multiplied by 100. (Reference range is 5% to 20%.)
#7 IS THE IMPORTANT one to know!
If you would like guidance with this formula, feel free to reach out to Lois Schweigert on her Facebook Group End Fibromyalgia with Natural Options or get in touch with my office at info@danpursermd.com or 801-796-7667.
And remember, I do have a course on the subject of Copper Toxicity causing Fibromyalgia symptoms. It’s packed with great information and many patient examples. You can see that on Udemy here.
Dan Purser MD
Thank you Dr Purser for detailing this so thoroughly - I just signed up to your course on Copper. My NCC is 36%...maybe this explains a lot!