Copper Bracelets: Are There Real Benefits?

If you’re looking for a solution to arthritis pain, there’s good reason to look for relief. It can be frustrating and tiring to live with the stiffness and swelling that make even holding your morning cup of coffee a chore.

So when you read about the supposed benefits of copper bracelets and their effects on people living with arthritis (and a host of other woes), you want to believe it.

But is it for real? Can wearing a copper bracelet really make that big of a difference?

We talked with wellness and preventive medicine specialist Robert Saper, MD, MPH, about the claims made about the benefits of copper bracelets.

Does copper have healing properties?

Copper helps your body to make red blood cells, support brain function and keep your bones healthy, among its other benefits. So you could say that, in a way, yes, copper is healing. It's an essential trace mineral that we all need in our diets.

“Essential means our bodies need it in order to function properly,” Dr. Saper explains. “Trace means that we only need it in very small amounts.”

But that’s all based on copper as a nutrient in the foods we eat. When you consider the potential for copper jewelry having healing properties ... it’s a different story.

“The theory behind copper bracelets is that by wearing the metal, your body will absorb tiny particles of copper and enjoy certain medicinal benefits from that,” Dr. Saper shares. “But that theory hasn’t been proven in any meaningful scientific way.”

Supposed benefits of copper bracelets

Copper bracelets are perhaps best known as a pain-relieving remedy for people living with arthritis of the hands and wrists. Others will tell you that copper bracelets can benefit your well-being in a variety of other ways, too, like:

• Increasing circulation
• Promoting relaxation and better sleep
• Boosting immunity
• Preventing heart disease
• Balancing spiritual energy

The trouble is that none of that has been shown by reliable research studies.

In fact, a 2013 research study concluded that wearing a copper bracelet was no better than a placebo bracelet at relieving pain or improving function in people with arthritis.

The placebo effect in effect

If copper bracelets don’t actually fix things, why do so many people continue to wear them?

Because sometimes the placebo effect is enough to do the job.

“Even if they don’t physically transfer a medical benefit, that doesn’t mean they can’t make you feel better,” Dr. Saper says.

In other words, there’s no medical reason that a copper bracelet would change anything about your sleep, your pain or any other factor related to your health. But you still might feel like it does.

Our minds are funny like that. If you expect your copper bracelet will improve your arthritis symptoms, you may feel better. And that’s worth something.

But proceed with caution. There’s no obvious harm in wearing a copper bracelet. It’s not going to harm you (unless you’re allergic to it or wearing it so tight that it limits your circulation).

The problem lies in choosing to wear one in place of seeking scientifically sound treatments. Arthritis can advance quickly without proper treatment. And a copper bracelet isn’t going to stop that. So don’t delay seeking medical advice.