Copper is a natural element in our world. It has been used for centuries in drinking glasses, cookware, tongue scrapers, and many other things. I thought it was just because it was durable and handled heat well and evenly, which is why I use copper cookware in my home.
However, I learned it has other benefits when I was reading the other day about some studies conducted on copper surfaces in an intensive care unit. With healthcare acquired infections being a huge problem in medical care facilities, I found this study very interesting.
They tested copper surfaces in intensive care units, and then measured the percentage of germs and bacteria in those rooms.
Here is a quote from the article:
“Results. The rate of HAI and/or MRSA or VRE colonization in ICU rooms with copper alloy surfaces was significantly lower than that in standard ICU rooms … Conclusions. Patients cared for in ICU rooms with copper alloy surfaces had a significantly lower rate of incident HAI and/or colonization with MRSA or VRE than did patients treated in standard rooms.” (1)
The study involved sixteen intensive care hospital rooms. They put copper surfaces in half (eight) of those rooms. The result was that the rooms with the copper surfaces had about half the rate of infectious germs, MRSA (methicillin resistant staph infections), etc., than the rooms that did not have the copper surfaces. Another study I read found that the bacteria counts found on copper surfaces were 83% less than non-copper surfaces. That is huge. That is wonderful and so easy to implement.
If you are remodeling a kitchen, I would think that copper surfaces would be a healthy countertop to install.
Furthermore, copper was believed throughout history to support the lymphatic system.
One thing I have found that is important to be aware of, is that copper depletes our zinc levels.
A zinc deficiency is a world-wide problem. According to research published in Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, a zinc deficiency contributes to poor growth, intellectual impairments, perinatal complications, and increased risk of morbidity and mortality.(2)
Zinc deficiency is now attributed to be responsible for 176,000 (14.4%) diarrhea deaths, 406,000 (6.7%) pneumonia deaths, and 207,000 (10.4%) malaria deaths. These deaths are mainly in Africa, in the Eastern Mediterranean, and in South-East Asia, “among children between 6 months and 5 years of age.” (3)
In addition to that we may be getting too much metal or minerals, because the glyphosate, in the herbicides used, which are now in our rain water, chelates minerals and heavy metals. According to my comversations with Dr. Stephanie Seneff, Senior research scientist at MIT, that is because of the heavy metals and minerals chelated by the herbicide glyphosate (which is now so extensive it’s hard to avoid it), that there are large amounts of heavy metals in our water and foods. Glyphosate also crosses the blood-brain barrier, because it is water soluable and can escort aluminum, lead, copper, etc. into the brain.
The use of copper piping in homes in the US, since the 1960s, means that about 98 percent of all homes built after 1970 have copper pipes. According to studies, copper in our diet is beneficial to a certain extent, but when we have too much of it, it can contribute to Alzheimer’s Disease. (4)
in my own conclusion, using copper in our homes, as door handles or light switches, can have very positive results for the anti-bacteria properties, but when it’s in our pipes, cookware, or drinking glasses, can be harmful to our health if we ingest too much of it. So use copper wisely.
Source: 1 – Copper surfaces reduce the rate of healthcare-acquired infections in the intensive care unit.
Article source: Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2013 May; 34(5):479-86. PMID: 23571364
Author(s): Cassandra D Salgado, Kent A Sepkowitz, Joseph F John, J Robert Cantey, Hubert H Attaway, Katherine D Freeman, Peter A Sharpe, Harold T Michels, Michael G Schmidt
Article Affiliation: Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina.
2.Annals of Nutrition & Metabolism, The Epidemiology of Global Micronutrient Deficiencies, by Bailey R.L.a, b · West Jr. K.P.b · Black R.E.b – https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/371618
3. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009 May;63(5):591-7. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2008.9. Epub 2008 Feb 13. Global and regional child mortality and burden of disease attributable to zinc deficiency. by Fischer Walker CL1, Ezzati M, Black RE.
4. Dr. Mercola, Trace amounts of copper linked to Alzheimer’s Disease. https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/12/copper-alzheimers-disease.aspx
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