Can copper bracelets help with arthritis?

Wearing a copper bracelet in order to treat arthritis has been a common practice. It has been used for long in human history. It has been popular for thousands of years, as it were. Even now you may be able to find cheap copper bracelets being sold at drugstores and counters. The question that needs to be asked in this case is how does copper work. People who sell these bracelets say that when you wear such jewelry on your hand small amounts of the metal come in contact with your skin and it is then absorbed by your body.

They say that copper helps your body grow back joint cartilage that may have gotten lost because of arthritis. This, in turn, helps ease the pain and cures the disease as well.

Do copper bracelets really help in this regard?

In a study done recently and published in a journal named PLOS One it was found that copper bracelets are just as effective as magnetic wrist straps, and placebo wrist straps and bracelets as far as healing arthritis is concerned. This would imply that Magnetic Jewelry made from copper would be highly effective as well. In the said study the participants were asked to wear one of the three bracelets but they were not told which bracelet they were wearing.

The scientists checked with the test subjects on a weekly basis in case they were experiencing issues in their joints. They looked for signs such as swelling, pain, and redness. Apart from that, they ran blood tests on a weekly basis as well. The participants were also asked if they were experiencing any pain or not. Researchers also took into account the medicines that the participants were consuming and the level at which the disease was at in their bodies.

Copper in human history

Copper was the first metal ever used by human beings. During 5^th and 6^th millennia, BC artisans in what is now known as the Middle East used this orangey red and highly bright metal to create jewelry, tools, vessels, utensils, and weapons. Apart from being a highly useful metal, copper is also extremely useful from a health point of view. This is because of the fact that it stops microorganisms such as bacteria from growing and in some cases outright kills them. Edwin Smith Papyrus remains one of the oldest books to have been discovered. In it, copper has been said to be used for sterilizing drinking water and chest wounds.

This book was supposed to have been written somewhere between 2600 BC and 2200 BC.

How important is copper for life?

Traces of copper can be found in the human body – it is present there as a mineral. It plays a critical overall role by supporting nerve function and helping the body use iron. The Copper Development Association says that copper also plays a major role in helping enzyme systems in your body, helps with skin pigmentation, and helps your body produce energy. Copper is found in a wide range of foods such as nuts, potatoes, green vegetables, shellfish, beef liver, and chocolate to name a few.