The enduring "power" of Copper

Or "here's another product which plays off the weirdly durable myth that copper has magical pain-relieving qualities, brought to us from the finest minds of pre-Renaissance Europe!"

Seriously, in a nation where millions of people rub on, breathe in or actually consume "essential oils" when they aren't guzzling "skinny tea" in an attempt to "detox" as if they don't already have kidneys and a liver, maybe I shouldn't be surprised that Magic Healing Copper is still a thing.  I mean, the phony-as-it-gets Holistic Wellness Industry- be it the "nutrition" aisle at your local grocery store, the GNC brick and mortar cave at the local mall, or that non-friend you barely remember from High School attempting to "enlist" you to her Arbonne, Younique or Young Living downline through random, emoji-encrusted Facebook messages- brings in tens of billions of dollars to a very tiny group of people at the top of what sure looks like a pyramid every single year.  Copper socks?  What's so astonishing about that?

Still- this isn't the 9th century.  The Earth isn't flat, leeches aren't intentionally being used to suck "excessive blood," there are a  lot more than four elements, and no amount of boiling and mixing will turn base metals into gold.  So why does anyone buy the concept of copper as a pain reliever?  Especially when we already have prayer, chants, and crystals that, when placed properly, take care of that problem already in combination with plenty of water, rest, a proper diet and two Aleve tablets every four hours?

(Oh, but these are "improved"- in that, they are easier to put on than "normal" compression socks.  They don't even have 10 percent more copper healing power, what a ripoff!)