Copper And Arthritis

Medical Copper

The first recorded medicinal use of copper is found in the Smith Papyrus, one of the oldest books known. The Papyrus is an Egyptian medical text, written between 2600 and 2200 B.C., which records the use of copper to sterilize wounds and drinking water.

Turning to more modern times, the first observation of copper’s role in the immune system was published in 1867 when it was reported that, during the cholera epidemics in Paris of 1832, 1849 and 1852, copper workers were immune to the disease.

In 1939, the German physician, Werner Hangarter, noticed that Finnish copper miners were unaffected by arthritis as long as they worked in the copper mine industry. This was particularly striking since rheumatism was a widespread disease in Finland, and workers in other industries and other towns had more rheumatic diseases than did the copper miners. This led to Finnish medical researchers utilizing copper complexes to successfully treating patients suffering from rheumatic fever, rheumatoid arthritis, neck and back problems, as well as sciatica.

Dr. Werner Hangarter, head of medicine at the University of Kiel, successfully used copper salicylate for over 20 years with more than 1100 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. Of 620 patients with rheumatiod arthritis 65% became symptom free and another 23% improved significantly, only 12% remained unchanged. With acute rheumatic fever 100% became symptom free. Also, neuromuscular problems such as sciatica, neuralgia, and cervical spine-shoulder problems responded very well. Even shot term treatment of rheumatoid arthritis resulted in long-term remissions or improvements.

Causes of Arthritis

An abundance of medical research dictates that there are two predominant causes of inflammation and arthritis. One is the infiltration of bacteria and viruses found in the synovial fluid of arthritic joints. The other is the overwhelming presence of Superoxide anion free radicals.

The bacteria found in the synovial fluid in arthritic joints comes primarily from two sources, the gut and the mouth. Enteropathic arthritis is a form of chronic, inflammatory arthritis associated with the occurrence of an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), the best known types are ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. A third well known disorder known as Leaky Gut Syndrome also allow the bad gut bacteria to pass through the walls of the intestine and enter the blood stream.

Considerable research also finds an abundance of oral bacterial DNA in the synovial fluid of arthritic joints.

Not only have considerable bacteria been found in these joints but also the antibodies of mumps, measles, polio, rubella, varicella zoster (chicken pox-shingles), herpes simplex 1 and 2, cytomegalovirus, parvovirus B19, Epstein-Barr and many more viruses have been found.

Arthritic joints are frequently inflamed and damaged by the presence of these pathogens.

Free Radicals and Cell Damage

In the last several years, medical researchers and scientist have learned unequivocally that the process we normally think of as “aging” is really a process of disease-states degrading the body. The typical diseases of aging – diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, and even cancer – are a result of free radical damage.

A free radical is an especially reactive atom or group of atoms that has one or more unpaired electrons. Electrons come in pairs and when one electron is lost from that pair, it makes the atom “highly reactive” as it looks to replace that lost electron anywhere it can. In your body, those replacement electrons come from cells in your body thereby destroying those cells in the process. Your body is constantly replacing and repairing cells damaged by free radicals. Today’s environment bombards our bodies with more free radicals than we can handle.

The most prevalent and harmful free radical is Superoxide. It is produced in the body as a byproduct of oxygen metabolism and causes many types of cell damage including the degradation of joints. Superoxide radical (O2-) most notably attacks the cell mitochondria which then dies from the inability to convert food to energy. Superoxide anion free radicals have been strongly implicated recently as mediators of inflammation and tissue injury and cause serious damage to arthritic joints.

How Copper Fights Inflammation and Arthritis

Copper in the body is found in three forms that fight inflammation and arthritis. One form is the free form such as colloidal copper which contains millions of nano-sized copper particles that can effectively enter the affected joints spaces and kill all pathogens in its path. Copper can kill over 600 known pathogens, bacterial and viral. Copper will kill ALL viruses, including the flu and corona viruses.

A second form is where copper is attached to a specific protein in the body to produce Ceruloplasmin. Ceruloplasmin is formed in the liver, and it stores and carries copper throughout the blood stream. Ceruloplasmin carries 65% - 90% of the copper found in the blood. The ceruloplasmin is in the blood that passes through the synovial fluid of arthritic joints where again the copper component will kill the pathogens within. Ceruloplasmin also functions as a powerful circulating free radical scavenger.

A third form of copper is found in the copper containing intracellular enzyme known as Superoxide dismutase (SOD1) that catalyzes the dismutation (break-down) of superoxide to peroxide and oxygen.

The body takes the free form of copper and makes ceruloplasmin and SOD1, which are very powerful superoxide radical destroyers. Medical studies find that 90% of the U.S. population is deficient in copper which means that the copper dependent ceruloplasmin and SOD1 will have a significantly decreased existence in the body and therefore nothing to combat the overwhelming superoxide free radicals.

Numerous medical studies have verified that the total serum copper (SOD1, ceruloplasmin, and free form copper) is significantly elevated with inflammatory conditions and arthritis flare-ups. Once the inflammation decreases, the serum levels return to normal. Studies have shown this same response in the synovial fluid found in the arthritic joints whereas these copper components are elevated when there is inflammation in the affected joints that decreases after the inflammation diminishes.

Colloidal copper is the purest elemental form of copper that is easily assimilated (absorbed) because of the nano-sized particles. This form of copper not only kills all pathogens, but it is the best source of copper that can be utilized to form ceruloplasmin and SOD1, which are absolutely essential in destroying the superoxide free radicals.

The benefits of Copper

Decreases inflammation and arthritis
Promotes healthy skin
Supports healthy cartilage and tendon regeneration
Plays a critical role in cellular energy production
Helps maintain the integrity of connective tissue in the heart and blood vessels
Plays a role in bone formation
Necessary for the metabolism of the neurotransmitters, epinephrine and dopamine
Functions as a powerful antioxidant
Necessary for normal iron metabolism and red blood cell formation
Plays an important role in the development and maintenance of immune system function
Copper increases the body’s ability to absorb iron
And copper has many more essential functions

Not only thousands of years of history, but also current findings indicate the necessity and power of copper for an optimal immune system and its ability to fight inflammation and decrease the impact of arthritis. Colloidal copper and colloidal silver are the two most powerful immune defense weapons that exist!