What is a healing bracelet?

In writing about alternative health in this blog, we have a tendency to focus on magnets and their purported therapeutic and palliative uses. However, although this is a blog for the Magnetic Products Store, we could also discuss copper.

After all, the medicinal value of copper has been argued by many - and accepted by some - for thousands of years. This is not exactly news therefore. More like history or even paleolithic anthropology. The wise men and women of the ancient past believed in the power of copper both to relieve pain and - in some cases - to cure the underlying ailment.

But of course, the beliefs of ancient humanity are not sacrosanct. They believed in a lot other things that were variously unjust and absurd.  From slavery to the belief that the earth was flat. So the mere longevity of a belief does not lend it credibility.

Nevertheless, it is legitimate to ask: "do copper bracelets really work?" The question may do violence to the conscience of a qualified doctor or medical researcher in the mainstream of contemporary orthodox medicine. But it is a question that surely cannot be ignored. The scope of human knowledge does not progress if we shy away from asking the awkward questions that rattle the test tubes of the white-coated boffins in the biochemistry labs of academia.

But it is important to stress that in asking the question, we are not giving an answer. Though some people might find it hard to tell the difference! However there are those who would indeed answer in the affirmative, including some who suffer from arthritis. So that in turn opens the door on a further question, along the lines of why does copper help arthritis?

Even with the statistical studies that suggest that it does, and the counter-argument that it yet another example of the placebo effect, we still need to seek out the underlying causation. One explanation suggests that copper atoms are absorbed by the skin and can find there into the body via that route. And it is well-known that trace elements of copper are beneficial for human health. But this is something that has yet to be studied in depth.

And even if the permeation of the skin can be studied, the question is how can copper help the body? That too need to be investigated further - although at least we have some knowledge in place to start off from.

And if we can get some answers to the issue of what are the health benefits of copper, then you would no longer have to ask anyone "why do you wear copper bracelets?" Because by then you'll know the answer. But there is a case for caution, because in some cases copper can cause rather than prevent disease. That is why it is best to get a copper bracelet that has magnets as well. Copper plus magnets - now there's a powerful combination.