Didja know? Copper is Antimicrobial

Frequently I find myself surfing the net rather than doing what I'm supposed to be doing. Who doesn't right? Often, copper is my first search and this morning I found an article that might be of interest to many of us.

Search for copper and you get either jewelry, as it should be or electrical/industrial information. This morning, I got all kinds of industrial information and just scanned through, but this article and web site caught my attention. Copper.org. Could it be that there is really something to wearing copper jewelry that can make us healthier? Check out this article at Copper.org.

Historically copper has been used for its antimicrobial properties "The Hippocrates Collection, 460 to 380 B.C., to which the father of medicine contributed, recommends the use of copper for leg ulcers related to varicose veins. Pliny, 23 to 79 A.D., used copper oxide with honey to treat intestinal worms. The Aztecs gargled with a mixture containing copper to treat sore throats." From Copper.org

In light of this, if my cat gets worms, I'm not sure I'd grind up some copper to add to their food, but it does make me wonder about the jewelry we make and the claims some have made about its ability to help with arthritis, a claim that has been made for thousands of years. Studies have now been funded to find out just how many health benefits there may be from copper and it's alloys, including brass and bronze, two other alternate jewelry metals including its antimicrobial properties.

Seems to me, if I can kill germs by wearing a beautiful piece of copper, I'm in. Maybe there is more to our jewelry than we first suspected.


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