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The Original Copper Heeler

Discussion in 'United Kingdom' started by Bruce McLaggan, Mar 29, 2008.

  1. Bruce McLaggan

    Bruce McLaggan Active Member


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    Hi

    I need some help- A client came in to see and had a pair of The Original Copper Heeler (they are made in the UK) orthotics and she said it helps her with RA. She wants me to get her a new pair Has anybody prescribed these type of orthotics and where can I get them from. There are people selling them online, but I need to find out who makes them so I can contact them directly
    Any help would be appreciated

    Regards
    Bruce
     
  2. Admin2

    Admin2 Administrator Staff Member

  3. Psycho

    Psycho Member

    Related Copper article; Researchers at the University of Southampton have established that copper surfaces can inactivate the virulent hospital superbug Clostridium difficile.Weaver, L.. Michels, H.T. and Keevil, C.W. (2008). Survival of Clostridium difficile on copper and steel: futuristic options for hospital hygiene. Journal of Hospital Infection 68, 145-151

    www.authorpoduk.com
     
  4. davidh

    davidh Podiatry Arena Veteran

    Hi Bruce,

    Thse are not an item I would want to endose, but happy to help you.

    You should be able to Google for the address.

    They are distributed (and manufactured?) by a shop in London, just off Marylebone High St (don't have the address to hand).

    They are clearly designed for self-help, so not sure if a professional rate to buy in is available.
     
  5. Interesting. Although how much C Diff lives under peoples heels i'm not so sure.

    Living and working near Maidstone hospital (the world leader in deaths caused by C Diff) I would suggest the the
    should perhaps not be considered until the "historical options" have been exhausted.

    Scraping the poo of the underside of commodes might be a good place to start, but i'm a biomechanist not a cross infection nurse so what do i know?

    Oh and so far as copper heels are concerned, they have no evidence backing them and nothing approximating to a rational to their use. IMVHO this should be a "snake oil" tag rather than "alternative therapies".

    Regards
    Robert
    The skeptic.
     
  6. W J Liggins

    W J Liggins Well-Known Member

    I recall a 'bracelet' described, I think as the 'Rheumaton' in the small ads of red top "newspapers". By wearing this copper bracelet, it was claimed, all manner of arthritic complaints could be treated. The 'evidence' was the usual depressing "Mrs Trestle of North Wales wore one for x days and her x arthritis miraculously stopped hurting her."

    We haven't moved far since snake oil have we?

    Bill Liggins
     
  7. Bruce McLaggan

    Bruce McLaggan Active Member

    Hi

    Thanks for all your input, I think I will give the copper insoles a miss and advise the client not to waste her money


    Regards
    Bruce
     
  8. Returns us to the old dilemma with placebos.

    We know that the placebo effect can reduce pain, reduce blood pressure, stress, etc etc. RA is a multifactoral condition and some elements may in fact be improved with the use of a good placebo to reduce these factors. Therefore, paradoxically, it is possible that an intervention with no more actual physical effect than drinking rainwater might actually have a real theraputic effect:bang:.

    However a huge part of the placebo effect is the contact with the clinician and the whole medical drama played out in your clinic. For this to work they need to beleive that YOU beleive that the wretched things work.

    This leads you to three options.

    If you say that the copper insoles WILL help her RA because of magnetic vibrations in leylines of chi or some such tosh, you will, in a sense, be lying to your patient, undermining the Clinican - patient trust and behaving not altogether ethically. However there is a chance that via the placebo effect you will affect a genuine improvement of symptoms. Meaning you lied... but were proved right anyway. Bit like telling someone its safe to jump off a cliff when you did'nt know if there was a safty net or not. You might be right. But you don't know that you are!

    If, conversly, you tell the truth, which is that they only work if she THINKS that it will and that she would get as much genuine medicine with them as a bit of tinfoil as with a £20 (or however much) bit of copper you will be behaving honestly, ethically, and observing the standards of informed consent which patients are entitled to. You might also be denying them genuine improvement of their symptoms not available through any other modalities!

    The third option is to base your beleif that they work on some very, very dodgy science and deny yourself access to any evidence or argument which might damage your self fulfilling beleif in the placebo you are selling. This option gives you the means to offer the effective placebo without comprimising your morals... however it requires a degree of self control to not actually question what you are doing lest you find answers which disturb you. It also explains why some alternative practitioners get angry when challenged (if you are trying to avoid thinking about something its intensly annoying when people shout it at you).


    The placebo paradox. Gotta love it.

    Of course option three is no longer available to you without hypnosis induced amnesia of anything you may have learned here. Sorry. Its also never a trick i could master.

    Option one might work if you can stomach the initial deception. I could never cope with that either.

    Option two is the one i've always gone with, with the addition that i can occasionally bring myself to send the patient to someone who does option 3. Morally flacid, to empower somebody else to offer the velvet lies i choked on, but there you go.

    So contestant number one (or anyone else jogging along), which of out three batchelors are you going to pick?

    Suspensful music......



    Regards
    Robert
     
  9. This is interesting:
    Bratton, Robert L. et al. (2002). "Effect of 'Ionized' Bracelets on Musculoskeletal Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial". Mayo Clinic Proceedings 77, 1164-1168

    Apparently found that copper bracelets were effective in approximately three quarters of the cases of musculoskeletal pain, this is allegedly comparable to the rate of effectiveness of standard drugs used to treat arthritis and other musculoskeletal pain disorders. I would think that this is probably higher than the commonly reported rates for placebo effect?

    Just because we don't know how something works, doesn't mean it doesn't work, right? :confused:

    I remember "them" giving gold for RA, how did that work?
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2008
  10. cornmerchant

    cornmerchant Well-Known Member

    Bruce

    With respect, the client has already had a positive benefit from these insoles so you can hardly now tell her not to waste her money.

    Bigtoe also quotes, in podiatry trivia, a patient having similar success from these insoles-
    with plenty of replies saying that they cant possibly work! But they did!

    IMO we need to keep a very open mind and not think that we always know best!I have seen plenty of conventional orthoses that have been a total failure!

    Regards
    cornmerchant
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 31, 2008
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