Ancient writing indicates people have used copper for health for at least 4000 years.  Here are a few of the historic uses that have been reported:

• Ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and Aztecs used copper thousands of years ago to stop sore throats and skin infections and to heal wounds.
• Hippocrates, often called the father of modern medicine, used copper in ancient Greece to stop infections in wounds and skin ulcers.
• For hundreds of years the British navy used copper to keep water clean on long ocean voyages.
• Civil War doctors used copper when available to disinfect battlefield wounds. They didn’t know about bacteria and viruses, but now we do.
• When Cholera spread in the 1800s, one group that seemed never to catch it was copper workers. They probably had traces of copper on hands and fingers and copper dust in the nose and in their homes.
• American doctors sometimes used copper in their offices before antibiotics came along.

Antibiotics became available in the 1930s.  They seemed like the ultimate solution until people overused them, and even used them against viruses, though they don’t kill viruses, only bacteria.

As a result, many disease-causing bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics.  Science is still struggling to find more powerful antibiotics, with little success.

That’s why the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) turned back to copper in the fight against MRSA, influenza, and other infections that tend to spread in hospitals and are resistant to antibiotics.

Tests show copper kills microbes, including bacteria, viruses, and fungus, that cause various illnesses.  High-power microscopes show germs like the Covid virus starting to die instantly when copper touches them.

Scientists say the high conductance of copper disrupts the electrical balance in germ cells, destroying them in seconds.

The EPA urged hospitals to use copper for surfaces like faucets and doorknobs. Those that did cut the spread of bad germs by over half and saved lives.

The EPA results gave me the idea to try touching solid copper to a tickly spot in my nose when it felt like I was about to get a cold.  It worked, and CopperZap® was born.

The ancients had a clue 4000 years ago about copper’s ability to treat and prevent illness.  Recent science has added new knowledge, bringing the use of pure copper to a new level.

Now thousands of people are using it to kill germs that would otherwise cause a variety of illnesses.  The ancients would be amazed.

Happy Zapping!

- Doug Cornell PhD