Root Cause Profile
The Root Cause Protocol emphasises the disregarded role of bioavailable copper in our physiology. It has multiple roles, particularly in energy production – without it, the mitochondria cannot work. It is also essential for erythropoiesis (the production of new red blood cells), our antioxidant enzymes, thyroid function, neurotransmitter cofactors, and much more.
The Root Cause Profile is a specific set of markers that include the copper transport protein, caeruloplasmin (which is so rarely included in blood tests), retinol (the real vitamin A, which is vital for caeruloplasmin synthesis, and others. Ferritin is interestingly not a good marker of iron levels at all, though it is often the only one used. This profile includes a full iron profile, allowing it to be compared to copper, caeruloplasmin and the other markers to derive a pattern that is very useful in determining the underlying causes of what is often erroneously considered to be iron deficiency anaemia, but is actually the inability of the organism to carry bioavailable Cu to its needed targets.