Is Everything You Know About Anemia Wrong?

The Root Cause Protocol is designed to activate the body's 'innate healer' by correcting fundamental mineral imbalances. It's structured into phases (Phase 1, 2, 3, and X) to guide individuals through the process without overwhelming them. The core principle involves a 'stops and starts' approach: stopping the intake of commonly supplemented nutrients like iron, calcium, zinc, and synthetic vitamin D, which are believed to contribute to dysregulation. Simultaneously, it emphasizes starting supplementation with key nutrients such as bioavailable copper, magnesium, whole food vitamin C, whole food vitamin E, and retinol (animal-based vitamin A). The protocol aims to restore the body's ability to produce energy efficiently and manage oxidative stress, which the speaker attributes to iron accumulation. The speaker views this protocol not as his invention, but as a rediscovery of 'mother nature's protocol.'

The adrenal cocktail is a specific component of Phase 1 of the Root Cause Protocol, designed to support adrenal function. The adrenal glands are crucial for managing stress, and the cocktail provides key nutrients—sodium, potassium, magnesium, and whole food vitamin C—that are vital for their optimal operation. The speaker explains that by nourishing these glands, the body can better deal with the constant stress it's under, which in turn helps to re-establish overall mineral balance. This is particularly important given the pervasive nature of chronic stress and its impact on iron regulation and copper bioavailability.

The speaker strongly advises against consuming iron-fortified foods and iron supplements, distinguishing them from organic heme iron found in animal products. He explains that iron fortification, which began in 1941 with the addition of iron filings to wheat flour, introduces highly inorganic forms of iron into the diet. These inorganic forms are not easily metabolized by the body and tend to accumulate in tissues, leading to the 'rusting' or oxidative stress that causes fatigue and other health problems. He cites Jim Moon's book 'Iron: The Most Toxic Metal' and historical attempts by the FDA to drastically increase iron fortification, which were met with strong opposition from iron toxicologists due to the carcinogenic nature of these inorganic iron forms. The body's natural iron recycling system only requires about 1mg of dietary iron daily, with the rest coming from internal recycling, making excessive intake from fortification or supplements counterproductive and harmful.

The speaker emphasizes the importance of consuming vitamin C and E in their complete, whole food forms. He explains that 'ascorbic acid,' commonly marketed as vitamin C, is merely the 'cover of the car' and lacks the full complex of components (engine, steering wheel, wheels) that make up true vitamin C. He cites Albert Szent-Györgyi, who received the Nobel Prize for discovering ascorbic acid, but clarifies that Szent-Györgyi himself stated that ascorbic acid alone does not cure scurvy; he worked with the whole complex found in Hungarian peppers. Similarly, for vitamin E, he notes that supplements often provide only alpha-tocopherol, while the full complex includes four tocopherols and four tocotrienols, often with selenium at its core. These whole food complexes are crucial for their intended physiological roles and for avoiding unintended consequences of isolated nutrients.

Retinol, the animal-based form of Vitamin A, is presented as a critical co-factor for copper bioavailability. The speaker explains that two crucial copper pumps in the body, encoded by the ATP7A (Mankey's gene) and ATP7B (Wilson's gene) genes, can only be activated by 13-cis retinoic acid, a hormone derivative of retinol. Therefore, if retinol is deficient in the diet, these copper pumps cannot function, preventing copper from being loaded into essential copper enzymes. This directly impacts the body's ability to utilize copper for its various functions, including iron regulation and energy production. The historical shift to low-fat diets, following events like Eisenhower's heart attack and Ancel Keys' influence, inadvertently reduced retinol intake, contributing to widespread copper dysregulation.

The speaker argues that the medical community's understanding of anemia is flawed because it relies heavily on blood tests, which only show circulating iron. Research by Bruce Ames in 2004-2005 demonstrated that tissue iron levels can be ten times higher than blood levels. Therefore, a low blood iron reading doesn't necessarily mean the body is deficient in iron overall; it often indicates that iron is sequestered in tissues, a protective mechanism against pathogens. This sequestration is often driven by chronic stress and a lack of bioavailable copper, which is essential for mobilizing iron. The speaker finds it illogical that humans, as an evolved species, would struggle to metabolize the most dominant element on Earth (iron) unless there was a fundamental misunderstanding of its regulation.

The speaker posits that aging is fundamentally about the accumulation of iron in the body's tissues, which causes an internal 'rusting' process, or oxidative stress. This idea was first put forth by Denham Harman in 1956 with his free radical theory of aging, which he later updated in 2006. While Harman's theory is widely adopted, the speaker highlights that the specific role of iron in this process is often overlooked. This iron-induced oxidative stress contributes to a decrease in ATP production, leading to fatigue even in individuals who appear outwardly healthy. The implication is that controlling iron accumulation is a primary strategy for combating aging and its associated symptoms.

The speaker explains that while historically, foods like organ meats, shellfish, nuts (especially cashews), and leafy greens were rich in copper, the modern food system is compromised due to glyphosate. Citing research by Don Huber, a scientist who studied glyphosate for 30 years, the speaker reveals that glyphosate chelates minerals from the soil at different rates. Calcium and magnesium are pulled out at a 'speed of three,' iron and zinc at a 'nine,' and critically, copper is depleted at a 'speed of twelve.' This means copper is removed from the soil a billion times faster than calcium/magnesium and a thousand times faster than iron/zinc. This severe depletion means that even 'organic' foods can be deficient, as glyphosate is now airborne and found in rainwater, affecting crops globally. This environmental factor is a major contributor to the widespread mineral deficiencies observed in human physiology, making it harder to obtain sufficient copper from diet alone.

The speaker asserts that the popular 'COVID cocktail' of high-dose ascorbic acid, vitamin D, and zinc, while intended to boost immunity, inadvertently created a significant problem for copper bioavailability. He even coined an acronym: COV (Coppers Vanished) and ID (Irons Dysregulated). He explains that these specific nutrients, when taken in high doses, interfere with the body's ability to utilize copper. This is particularly problematic because copper is essential for regulating iron. He references studies from 1928 that demonstrated withholding copper from animal diets led to iron accumulation in the liver, highlighting a long-established biological fact that copper is crucial for iron regulation. Therefore, the widespread use of this cocktail likely contributed to increased iron dysregulation and copper deficiency in the population.

The speaker highlights a concerning trend: the observed reduction in the number of copper atoms bound within ceruloplasmin, a large protein essential for numerous bodily functions. Historically, ceruloplasmin was found to contain eight copper atoms. However, scientific literature indicates a gradual decline, dropping to seven coppers by 1975-2000, and currently to six, with some scientists suggesting it might be as low as five. This reduction is likened to a V8 engine losing cylinders, severely impairing its function. Ceruloplasmin, despite being coded by a single gene, performs nine different enzymatic functions, acting as a 'transformer' for various substrates including iron, oxygen, and catecholamines. The speaker criticizes mainstream medical education for not teaching the multi-faceted importance of ceruloplasmin and its interaction with other proteins like lactoferrin and myeloperoxidase, which form a powerful triad for pathogen control and iron regulation. The decline in ceruloplasmin's copper content directly impacts its ability to regulate iron and oxygen, contributing to the 'rusting' process and fatigue.