DMSO - is it as maligned as aspirin because of potential benefits?

[Sunniva]

SOURCE: A MIDWESTERN DOCTOR, THE FORGOTTEN SIDE OF MEDICINE

DMSO Could Save Millions From Brain and Spinal Injury

The decades of evidence showing DMSO revolutionizes the care of many "untreatable" circulatory and neurologic conditions.

Sep 15

Story at a Glance:

•DMSO is a remarkably safe chemical that protects cells from otherwise fatal stressors (e.g., freezing, burning, shockwaves, ischemia). Since the heart, brain, and spinal cord are particularly vulnerable to injury, DMSO can produce miraculous results for those conditions.

•The usage of DMSO completely transforms the management of strokes (including brain bleeds), heart attacks, and spinal cord injuries. As I will show here, had the FDA not sabotaged DMSO’s adoption, in addition to countless lives being saved, millions could have been protected from a lifetime of disability or paralysis.

•DMSO has many other remarkable properties. For example, it stabilizes proteins, and thus treats many challenging protein disorders (e.g., amyloidosis and numerous genetic disorders).

•Many conditions DMSO treats are typically considered to be incurable. In this article, I will focus on DMSO’s remarkable utility for the conditions that respond best to intravenous DMSO (e.g., a variety of circulatory disorders like varicose veins or Raynaud’s) and complex neurological disorders (e.g., Down’s Syndrome, Developmental Delay, ALS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s), along with how to administer IV DMSO and DMSO stroke protocols.

If I were stranded on a desert island or knew the world was ending and I could only bring a few therapies with me, one of them, without a doubt, would be DMSO. This is because:

•It treats a wide range of severe illnesses which are often otherwise incurable and frequently fatal or lead to a lifetime of permanent disability.

•It effectively treats acute injuries and rehabilitates chronic musculoskeletal disorders (e.g., arthritis). Because of this, it’s one of the best “pain medicines” out there and has allowed many to get their lives back.

•It has a variety of unique properties that open up a completely different dimension to how medicine can be practiced.

•It is one of the safest medically active substances in existence.

Remarkably, in the 1960s, this was recognized and DMSO took the nation by storm (e.g., people everywhere were clamoring for it, gas stations would often advertise they sold it, and tens of thousands of research studies were conducted by enthusiastic scientists around the globe). Now however, outside of it being a laboratory chemical or an alternative therapy some people use for joint pain, few are even aware of DMSO’s existence.

This was due to the FDA waging a multi-decade long war against DMSO (despite widespread outcry from Congress and the public), which I believe was arguably the worst thing the FDA has ever done to the country.

Since I am uniquely positioned to present many of the forgotten sides of medicine to the public, I’ve long felt the DMSO story needs to be told. Simultaneously however, since there is a wealth of data on this topic, I wanted to ensure I honored the importance of this subject and accurately present it. For this reason, I’ve spent the last three months reading and arranging thousands of pages of literature. Since there is so much to say on this topic, this series will be broken into a few parts. In the first installment, I will cover the key properties of DMSO and the challenging conditions where it provides the most profound benefits.

What is DMSO?
Dimethyl sulfoxide, as the name implies, is comprised of two methyl groups and an oxygen atom bonded to sulfur. This simple chemical and its breakdown products exist in nature (e.g., they can be found in small amounts in milk, tomatoes, tea, coffee, beer clams, and cooked corn, while the salty smell of the ocean is, in part, due to microalgae near the surface creating dimethyl sulfoxide—some of which also makes it into the rain).

In the body, DMSO is then oxidized or reduced, with the oxidized form (more commonly known by the name methylsulfonylmethanethe or MSM—a common joint healing supplement) being the primary fate of it, while the reduced form DMSO (which naturally exists in trace amounts in the body) is the more notorious metabolite because it is responsible for DMSO’s characteristic “side effect,” a distinctive garlic or clam-like odor (or taste) that is excreted through the mouth and skin which certain individuals have difficulty tolerating (and forcing certain longterm DMSO users to creatively arrange their social life). This effect typically lasts a few hours, but in certain cases can last up to 72 hours, and appears to be reflective of the overall health of the body (since as people detox, their DMSO odor decreases).

Note: one school of thought in integrative medicine (e.g., Dr. Mercola is a strong proponent of this model) argues that insufficient oxidation, which leads to a build-up of reduced molecules in the body (termed reductive stress) is a root cause of many illnesses (e.g., the mitochondria cannot function properly if the electron transport chain is reduced). The susceptibility to the DMSO odor is one of the best illustrations I have found of this model, particularly since there are many reports showing that concurrently taking chlorine dioxide (an oxidizing agent) eliminates it (as does a user’s overall health improving over time). Likewise, some DMSO users and one study have found that when DMSO was taken at the same time as alcohol (another oxidizing agent), the odor was reduced, whereas when alcohol was given an hour after DMSO, the opposite occurred (which touches upon the fact DMSO can sometimes cause excessive drowsiness if combined with a sedative).

Due to its relatively small size, having both a polar and non-polar half, being able to form hydrogen bonds slightly stronger than those found between water molecules, and not releasing protons, DMSO has two remarkable properties:

•It acts as a near-universal solvent (e.g., it interacts with a vast range of biomolecules and can easily mix with any concentration of water).

•It’s able to pass through biological membranes without damaging them (something to my knowledge, nothing else can do).

Because of this, DMSO will rapidly enter the body (including the brain) regardless of its route of administration (e.g., within 5 minutes after going on the skin it can be found in the blood, and within an hour it can be found within the bones), but simultaneously does not accumulate within the body after prolonged use (and virtually none remains a week after administration).

Note: in one study of rats, radio-labeled DMSO was found to enter all tissues of the body within 30 minutes (with the highest levels seen in the plasma, kidney, spleen, lung, heart, and testes and the lowest in the lens of the eye), with DMSO levels declining to minimal levels after 24 hours, while another study found orally administered DMSO reached a peak blood level in 4 hours and was undetectable after 120 hours, while MSM appeared in the blood after 48 hours and disappeared after 400 hours (with another human study finding similar results).

DMSO in turn, has an almost endless amount of uses as it can be applied in almost any manner (e.g., it is frequently applied through the skin—although less is absorbed in this manner than the other routes of administration). Almost any drug or substance can be combined with it and administered through the skin (e.g., steroids, NSAIDs, numerous antibiotics or antivirals, glucose, vitamin C, hydrogen peroxide, or chlorine dioxide). In many cases, the effect of those drugs is enhanced, and simultaneously, their toxicity is reduced (although, in some cases, the toxicity increases).

Note: DMSO is less effective at bringing larger molecules into the body (e.g., it had been hoped it could be mixed with insulin so diabetics could have a way to bypass the need for injecting insulin—but this didn’t work).

Cellular Protection
DMSO’s ability to spread throughout the body (including into the brain) initially seems concerning—however rather than be toxic to cells, DMSO heals them and protects them from damage and a wide range of otherwise lethal stressors. Since DMSO does not expand when it freezes (at 65.4°F), this property (and the fact that a 66% DMSO 33% water mixture freezes at -99.4°F), has made it a revolutionary substance for preserving frozen cells (e.g., stem cells). In contrast, very few other substances exist that cells can tolerate such a high concentration of.

Note: since some of the information I need to present here is a bit technical for those wanting more references, if you find some of the information is too dense, skip over it. Additionally, I need to acknowledge many of these experiments were cruel and go against my own values of supporting animal welfare.

DMSO, in turn, has been shown to:

•Protect tissue from dying when its blood supply is cut off (e.g., in skin flaps, in the kidneys [replicated here], in the small intestine, in the liver, or in the heart—particularly when hydrogen peroxide is given concurrently as an oxygen donor), prevent a reperfusion injury when its blood flow is restored, prevent the formation of clots when blood flow is restored (e.g., in mesenteric veins), reduce the amount of permanently damaged tissue following a myocardial infarction and maintain the heart’s ability to circulate blood when its blood supply is cut off.

•Prevent heart damage caused by dietary copper deficiency and kidney failure caused by toxic mercury exposure.

•Increase the production of ATP in cells (e.g., minute concentrations of DMSO have been shown to increase metabolism by shunting metabolites from glycolysis to the mitochondrial Krebs cycle), which likely both accounts for some of DMSO’s protective effects and its anticancer effects.

•Prevent a rapid influx of calcium or sodium ions, a process which frequently occurs when a cell’s viability is threatened (and then results in the death of the cell).

•Prevent asphyxiation from being lethal (e.g., one study put rats into a pure nitrogen environment for 210 seconds, and found that 90% who received DMSO in advance survived compared to 15% of those that received saline).

•Protect cells from being destroyed by sonic disruption via an ultrasonic vibrator (with 78% of cells receiving 10% DMSO surviving compared to 13% of controls).

•Save the fingers of individuals with severe frostbite that would otherwise require amputation. DMSO has also been shown to protect cells from freezing damage, and to protect rabbit ears and thighs from being damaged by frostbite induced by immersion in a -42°C bath.

•Treat a variety of burns without being prone to producing infections (e.g., a 1985 study by Russian burn specialists, in adolescents, found DMSO was superior to the other treatment options [nitrofurazone, trimecaine, and monomycin]). This includes severe acid skin burns (along with preventing their progress), and both acidic and alkaline burns that erode the esophagus (e.g., by inhibiting the destructive inflammatory response following those esophageal burns).

Finally, a study of 1371 patients with skin disorders (including 173 patients with second or third-degree burns on the hands, feet, and legs) who received a topical DMSO spray approximately three times a week found that 95.04% had a complete recovery, with the majority of the remaining 4.96% being due to premature cessation of DMSO or the patient no longer being under observation.

There are also cases of severe burns that within minutes stopped hurting (a major problem with burns), didn’t blister, and recovered completely. One of the most extraordinary ones (reported by William Campbell Douglass) involved six year old girl who’d slipped her index finger in a light socket for a prolonged period, after which it was cooked through and burned ash white at the tip. Within 30 minutes Douglass got the finger into a full-strength DMSO bath, and after 20 minutes, the searing pain had disappeared, the next day the finger turned pink, and then rather than be lost, fully recovered.

Note: patients have also reported DMSO relieves sunburns in 10-30 minutes.

•Protect cells from being damaged by (often otherwise fatal) radiation. For example, numerous reports showed applying DMSO to newborn rat skin protected them from damage from x-ray exposure, while in fruit flies, DMSO significantly reduced x-ray mortality and mutations of their sperm and in golden hamster embryos, DMSO protected them from gamma rays—the strongest form of radiation. DMSO has also been shown to prevent damage to mouse eyes following radiation exposure and to prevent the harmful (bystander) signals irradiated cells emit in their vicinity from damaging non-radiated cells (a fascinating phenomenon which I believe is mediated through mitogenic radiation). Likewise, DMSO has been repeatedly shown to reduce chromosome damage from radiation.

Note: DMSO has also been found to prevent damage from radiation therapy in non-cancerous cells and thus has been used as complementary cancer treatment.

•Neutralize harmful free radicals (e.g., those caused by radiation like hydroxyl) through scavenging charged ions (e.g., H+) and forming protective DMSO radicals. This, for example, was shown to be a mechanism behind DMSO’s ability to protect DNA from being damaged by radiation. Additionally, one study found DMSO prevented 80% of the DNA damage caused by gamma radiation and 100% of the DNA damage caused by a free radical generating system (which used iron and hydrogen peroxide).

Finally, due to these protective qualities, DMSO’s toxicity is extremely low (e.g., due to the immense scrutiny DMSO has been subject to, a large number of animal safety studies were conducted, and in these, animals survived extraordinarily high doses of DMSO). Many human studies have also been done, the most significant of which involved 78 prisoners over the course of 14 and then 90 days applying 1 g/kg to their skin (over 3-30 times the maximum amount of DMSO typically used) and then being subject to an extensive battery of toxicology tests—all of which showed DMSO was safe. In turn, despite millions of treatments having been given, no death has ever been linked to DMSO (and the only two ever considered, one in 1965, and one in 1994 did not make a strong case DMSO was the cause of death).
Note: thousands of papers have been published on the biological effects of DMSO and I have not yet found one that reported an adverse event from DMSO. Because of that, I’ve mostly avoided mentioning each study I site here, “detected no adverse events from DMSO.”

Along with the garlic breath, the most common side effect (affecting 50-75% of users) is (reversible) irritation at the site when 70% DMSO is applied topically on the skin (which can be mitigated by applying a lower concentration of DMSO and frequently decreases with increasing topical application), that occasionally after prolonged used can lead to minor reversible changes in the skin (e.g., scaling). In roughly 15% of patients this skin reaction is marked and in 3.5% it is significant enough that they stop treatment.

Less common side effects include nausea, increased urination, sleepiness, and difficulty tolerating high IV doses. The most consequential (but fairly rare) side effect is an allergic reaction to it (which affects roughly 1 in 2000 users—although it does not ever seem to manifest in an anaphylactic fashion). Additionally, there is a high theoretical risk of a poison being on the skin when DMSO is applied and brought into the body (hence why patients are advised to wash their skin before applying DMSO) but significant instances of this have been extraordinarily rare despite millions of DMSO treatments being performed (rather the more common issue arises from using incompatible IV tubing which DMSO can dissolve as it travels to the body). Lastly, it is generally advised not to inhale DMSO (although it rarely vaporizes).

Circulatory Disorders
In addition to protecting tissues from death, DMSO is remarkably effective at removing excess fluid from outside the bloodstream, increasing circulation, and eliminating circulatory obstructions (e.g., clots). As each of these issues comes up quite frequently, DMSO is often extremely helpful in a variety of circulatory disorders.

For example, the leading DMSO researcher found that 50% of patients with Raynaud’s syndrome had their symptoms eliminated with DMSO and that thrombophlebitis responds excellently to DMSO. Likewise, DMSO has been shown to improve diabetic circulatory impairments such as peripheral neuropathy, or diabetic ulcers (where one study of hundreds of patients reported over a 94% treatment success rate) and prevent future amputations.

DMSO (topically and especially intravenously) is also quite helpful for varicose veins, in some cases improving the varicose veins within minutes and having the wiggly veins not reappear for months, which has been hypothesized to result from DMSO strengthening the vessel walls and their tone alongside generally improving venous and capillary circulation. Likewise, a study of 67 patients with varicose ulcers (39 females and 28 males), found they had a remarkable response to DMSO (even chronic ulcers which had been present for years).

Additionally, DMSO has been shown to help many other circulatory disorders:

This is likely because, in addition to the previously mentioned properties:

DMSO can also increase or decrease the force of heart contractions (e.g., a 70 mM DMSO concentration or less has a positive inotropic effect, while a higher one can do the opposite or create a mild hyperpolarization that prolongs the action potential) in a manner independent of beta-adrenergic receptors, and does not alter cardiac rhythm. A slow infusion of DMSO can also cause a reduction of systemic vascular resistance and an increase in cardiac output (which was also shown in this study that simulated a heart attack).

DMSO prevents blood clot formation in the body and is a powerful platelet deaggregator (which prevents clotting). For example, it was found to reverse the reduction of coronary blood flow induced by a critical stenosis on the canine [dog] circumflex coronary artery without changing their other circulatory parameters, and it’s been shown with electron microscopy that DMSO prevented clots from forming at surgically blocked carotid arteries.

DMSO’s effects on platelets are thought to be because:

•DMSO is a sulf-hydryl inhibitor (which platelets need to bond) and a hydroxyl radical scavenger (which also inhibits platelet function).

•DMSO inhibits tissue factor (TF) expression (a key part of clot formation—especially in the presence of TNF-α), thrombus (clot) formation, and vascular smooth muscle cell activation. TF (a platelet protein) is a key link between inflammation and blood clotting.

•It increases cAMP (cAMP inhibits platelet aggregators) by inhibiting one or more of the platelet enzymes that breaks cAMP down (PDE2, PDE3, and PDE5—which is how many circulation improving drugs like Viagra also work, along with certain cognitive improving ones).

•It is a selective inhibitor of COX-1, it stimulates PGE1, and inhibits PGF2α, blocks PGE2 synthesis and likely blocks the release of thromboxane A2.

In short, DMSO provides a variety of anti-clotting activities which are similar to (but eclipse) the effects of aspirin and unlike aspirin, does not have any associated adverse effects, which leads to a remarkable number of potential uses for it (e.g., incorporating it into a drug eluting coronary stent). These charts in turn tie together much of the above:

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[Sunniva]

WALTER LAST - DMSO

https://health-science-spirit.com/Healing_the_Body/MSM-and-DMSO.html

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MSM and DMSO

Organic Sulphur as a Versatile Healer

by Walter Last

MSM, dimethylsulfone or methylsulfonylmethane with the formula (CH3)2SO2 occurs naturally in many fresh foods but is lost during processing. Its main use in the body is for collagen synthesis, forming skin, blood vessels, hair and nails. Its main benefit is to keep cells, skin and blood vessels elastic, which is the attribute of youth. That is why organic sulphur is often regarded as the beauty mineral. It keeps cell walls permeable so that nutrients can freely flow into the cells and wastes and toxins can easily be removed.

Amino acid chains are usually linked with each other through flexible sulphur bridges. Also the oxidative energy production of cells requires reactive sulphur compounds. Without sufficient organic sulphur as in the form of MSM cells and body structures lose their elasticity and flexibility. The result are the well-known signs of aging: inelastic skin with increasing wrinkles, scar tissue, hardening arteries, varicose veins and also hardened lungs causing emphysema. Sufficient MSM is able to reverse these conditions to a significant degree, including emphysema. It is believed that the MSM in Aloe Vera is the active ingredient for repairing damaged skin.

MSM is used by athletes to increase stamina and minimise sore muscles. Its use for this purpose is even more widespread with racehorses and greyhounds. This effect may be mainly due to the ability of MSM to greatly increase the body's ability to eliminate metabolic residues, wastes and toxins from the cells. In a similar way it appears to help those with chronic fatigue. With this it also helps us to recuperate from severe physical and mental exhaustion. MSM reduces the effects of stress and the incidence of stress related deaths in animals

MSM tends to reduce or eliminate allergic reactions to foods, chemicals and inhaled allergens. It also reduces reactions to the bites of mosquitoes, bees, poisonous spiders and snakes. It lessens inflammation, pain, stiffness and swellings due to arthritis or from other musculoskeletal system disorders and helps to normalise the blood chemistry in these conditions. It also reduces inflammations of the skin and mucous membranes. MSM relieves leg and back cramps and muscle spasms, be it after periods of inactivity (night cramps) or during athletic activities.

Other conditions that often benefit from MSM supplementation are hot flashes (or hot flushes) as well as discomfort due to the monthly cycle, also acne, asthma, back pain, Candida, constipation, diabetes, diarrhoea, diverticulitis, gastro-intestinal ulcers, hypertension, inflammations of all kinds, itching skin, migraines, nausea, pain, stress, sunburn and wound healing. It should also be helpful with other chronic degenerative or inflammatory conditions, especially Alzheimer's disease, cancer, Crohn's disease, myasthenia gravis and Parkinson's disease. Melanoma cells of a particularly aggressive strain were treated with a 2% MSM solution. After one day of exposure the cells had become completely normal and remained so indefinitely.

Fingernails and hair have a high sulphur content and generally improve with MSM. It also reduces parasite infections in the intestinal and urogenital tracts. MSM appears to normalise our mental condition. Individuals on MSM tend to report increased alertness, reduced mood swings and less depression. It seems to improve the immune system and the senses of taste and smell. In addition, it neutralises the toxicity of anticholinesterase, thereby providing protection against insecticide exposure or ingestion. It also aids the liver in the detoxification of chemicals and, with this, is useful to ease drug withdrawal symptoms.

The Oregon Health Service University demonstrated in many years of clinical use that MSM

1. inhibits pain impulses along nerve fibres (analgesia),

2. lessens inflammation,

3. increases blood supply,

4. reduces muscle spasm,

5. softens scar tissue.

How to Use MSM

MSM is a natural food ingredient and is free of unpleasant taste and odour. It is reported to be completely safe even in very high amounts. Because of its inert composition, it does not normally cause allergies or undesirable pharmacological effects. It can even safely be used to dilute blood. The body will use what it needs and remove any excess through the kidneys. The water-soluble MSM is easily absorbed and provides a therapeutically important source of organically bound sulphur.

The daily maintenance intake commonly ranges from 5 to 20 g in several divided doses. Try to adjust the dose according to your wellbeing or observed effects. You may use more or less of these commonly used amounts. Initially I suggest starting with about 1 g and increase the dosage gradually to the full amount.

The reason for a slow increase is that MSM often causes some beneficial but uncomfortable cleansing reactions. This may result in headaches, nausea, diarrhoea or weakness for a few days. If you are already on a high dose when this happens, just reduce or stop the intake until it is over. Cleansing reactions are a common and necessary part of effective natural healing methods.

If you want to overcome a specific health problem faster you may experiment with taking more than your usual maintenance dose. To spread the intake more evenly during the day you may dissolve the daily amount in a glass of fruit juice or herb tea and taking a sip now and then. The exact amount used each day is not critical. You may equate a rounded teaspoonful of the fine, white crystals as being approximately 5 g. The benefit of MSM will be enhanced by a diet high in vitamin C or with additional vitamin C supplements.

You may also use MSM externally to carry other nutrients or remedies into the skin. With arthritis or connective tissue problems or generally for skin rejuvenation, you may dissolve glucosamine, copper salicylate, sodium ascorbate, magnesium chloride and MSM in a small amount of (warm) water and aloe vera gel and rub it into the affected area, although DMSO is more effective for skin absorption. MSM in amounts of 10 to 20 grams in addition to several teaspoons of DMSO can be used as an alternative oxygen supply system to greatly increase energy. For details see Increase Your Energy.

Caution: Individuals who are sensitive to sulphites (often used as preservative) also may react to MSM and DMSO. This is usually due to a deficiency of molybdenum and can be overcome with supplementation (try 500 mcg).

DMSO or DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE

DMSO (CH3)2SO is a natural substance derived from wood pulp. It is generated during the normal decomposition of plants and therefore is in low concentrations present in many foods. DMSO is an antioxidant, by taking up oxygen it is converted into MSM. Unlike MSM which is sold as a powder or fine crystals, DMSO is an odourless, clear liquid which is completely water miscible. It has a high boiling point of 189°C and solidifies at about 18°C. It has all of the beneficial properties of MSM but often at a higher degree, and it has some additional healing properties. These are based on the combination of its antioxidant nature with its excellent solvent properties for a wide range of nutrients and remedies. There is no other biological solvent that can so easily penetrate the skin and carry such nutrients and remedies into the body.

There is a very long list of health benefits from using DMSO, the main ones are:

• It is an all-round microbicide effective against bacteria, fungi, mycoplasmas and viruses

• It improves the immune system and reduces allergies

• It is strongly anti-inflammatory with good antioxidant properties

• It blocks pain when rubbed onto affected muscles or joints

• It improves blood circulation by inhibiting formation of blood clots and hypercoagulation

• It even dissolves newly formed blood clots

• It dilates blood vessels and improves the function of the heart

• It efficiently transports molecules across cell membranes and moves through the blood-brain barrier

• It improves connective tissue, softens collagen and stimulates wound healing

• It is a potent diuretic and very effective with chronic bladder inflammation/cystitis

Equally impressive is the long list of diseases that have benefited from its use, including some that may not respond to other remedies, such as brain and spinal cord damage, Down's Syndrome, schizophrenia, and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). It is able to dissolve blood clots and prevent damage after a stroke, improves skin conditions such as psoriasis and scleroderma, and is effective with autoimmune diseases, arthritis, ulcers, cystitis and other inflammatory conditions. With diabetes it can improve insulin control and blood circulation. Also eye problems have been successfully treated with DMSO, including macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, glaucoma and cataracts, sometimes just with oral use but sometimes also with added remedies as eye drops.

DMSO is frequently used as a carrier in conventional chemotherapy or in antiviral therapy because of its ability to easily enter affected cells. With cancer it specifically zooms in on cancer cells and can be used to carry remedies along, good for treating brain tumours which are otherwise difficult to reach. There are also reports of an anti-cancer effect of DMSO on its own. It is apparently beneficial with many cancers such as breast, lung and prostate cancers, leukaemia and lymphomas. Relatively weak (2%) solutions of DMSO were eliminating leukaemia cells and, with the addition of suitable remedies, induced a variety of cancer cells to become normal cells. DMSO also caused cancer cells to die naturally (apoptosis), and it has been shown to protect against radiation damage, especially in regard to cancer treatment.

DMSO kills the pleomorphic microbes that are the basic cause of cancer and autoimmune diseases. One of its most impressive functions is its ability to easily enter cells and kill viruses and mycoplasma that may hide there. There are patents combining DMSO with antiviral remedies, anti-tumour agents, and amino acids and other nutraceuticals to enhance memory and other brain functions. DMSO is also excellent for healing deep tissue, muscle injuries, burns, and other wounds. It has extensively been used in sports medicine and horse racing.

Because it is so rapidly absorbed - it can be tasted in the mouth only minutes after applying it to the skin - and combined with its ability to block pain signals to the brain, DMSO also acts very fast to stop or greatly reduce pain from arthritis, muscle injuries, insect bites, and other sites of pain or inflammation. While the pain may come back after several hours, it tends to lessen with each re-application of DMSO. Unlike other pain relievers, especially of the medical kind which may cause long-term damage, DMSO greatly speeds up healing of damaged areas. This is due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, and its ability to improve blood circulation, nutrient supply, dissolve obstructions, and remove stress.

After oral use or skin application DMSO not only penetrates all soft tissues but also the bones. This is not only good for treating tumours and cancer of the bone, but also jawbone infections and cavitations. Molecular or elemental iodine easily dissolves in DMSO. Therefore I would dissolve a small amount of iodine or Lugol's solution in DMSO and frequently dab that from both sides on the affected gum. Dilute sufficiently so that it does not irritate. DMSO with iodine is also effective for fungal problems of nails, skin or scalp, e.g. manifesting as hair loss.

DMSO seems to inhibit Helicobacter pylori and help heal peptic ulcers in relatively low doses but higher doses are required with Candida. I found the research on DMSO and Candida somewhat amusing. Different researches got inconsistent and varying results for investigated fungicides until one recently had the bright idea to test DMSO which is commonly used as a solvent for antifungal drugs. It was found that the more DMSO was used as a solvent the stronger was the effectiveness of the investigated fungicides. DMSO protects body cells against oxidative stress but increases stress on fungi.

If given soon after a stroke, DMSO has been shown to dissolve the stroke-causing clot, restore circulation and prevent paralysis. It is best to start DMSO therapy within a few hours. In one reported case a male with a stroke refused to go to hospital and waited for 11 hours until his wife had talked to Dr Jacob. Then she gave him one ounce of 50% DMSO in orange juice every 15 minutes for two hours and afterwards every half hour for two hours. The next day, he was better and soon returned to normal.

In another case a 16-year-old girl broke her neck while diving into a pool. and became a complete quadriplegic. She was on DMSO for an entire year and gradually her organs began to function again until finally she could also walk. Another quadriplegic did not start DMSO therapy until two years after his accident. Six months later he could lift both arms over his head, and sensation began to return to his lower chest and right hip. Later he also learned to move both of his legs. Dr Jacob helped two other quadriplegics recover completely when DMSO was started within one hour after the accident.

How and what to use

DMSO has been described as a clear colourless, very hygroscopic liquid, with practically no odour or slight garlic odour, slightly bitter taste with sweet after-taste. Because cheap industrial grade DMSO can contain dangerous impurities, only good quality products with at least 99% and preferably higher purity should be used. Because DMSO is hygroscopic (it attracts water) the main impurity at the higher grades is water. Commonly used are Laboratory reagent and medical/pharmaceutical grades with about 99.5 to 99.9% purity. While glass bottles are best for retail sales, even highest grades of DMSO are commercially stored and shipped in HDPE (Type 2) containers which do not seem to cause any leaching problem.

Pure DMSO is not toxic and generally very safe but some precaution needs to be taken. For instance when applying DMSO for transdermal treatment the skin should be clean and free of undesirable chemicals, such as from commercial lotions or sunscreens. DMSO can be used on its own and applied over inflamed, stiff or painful muscles or joints, or over troublesome organs, or it can be used to carry remedies or nutrients through the skin into the body. However, it does not carry microbes, large molecules or chemicals into the body that normally cannot penetrate the skin; it only enhances the absorption rate of those that are able to penetrate on their own but at a much lower rate. One needs to be very careful not to apply DMSO to the skin with any cloth other than white or uncoloured cotton – synthetic fabric would carry potentially toxic chemicals into the skin.

To avoid skin irritation apply DMSO only in diluted form at 70% or less. However, for sprained ankles higher concentrations, up to 90%, may work faster. Some products on the market are already diluted. For common use you may make a treatment solution, e.g. in another glass bottle, by diluting full strength DMSO. To make it about 70% mix 2 parts of 100% DMSO with 1 part of water, and for a weaker solution (50%) mix equal parts of DMSO and water. If you also add other dissolved remedies, such as Magnesium Oil, Glycerine, MSM or Lugol's, then you can count this as part of the water. It is probably alright to mix DMSO with non-acidified MMS/sodium chlorite for transdermal application, but the acidified MMS will become inactive by oxidising DMSO to MSM.

Be careful, the solution gets warm when mixing DMSO with water, and while it does not harm the skin, spills may damage painted or plastic surfaces. Strength for topical use may vary according to the sensitivity of the skin. DMSO has been applied to fresh cuts and other wounds and greatly speeded up healing without causing pain or other discomfort. Depending on the degree of pain or inflammation DMSO may be applied several times during the day over the area of pain, but the need for multiple applications may reduce on following days. The effect may be felt within minutes. Also swellings such as from sprained ankles can quickly disappear if kept covered with DMSO.

While DMSO mixes freely with water and glycerine, it does not mix with oils or kerosene. It does not dissolve magnesium chloride but it can improve absorption by carrying along water in which the magnesium is dissolved. The same seems to apply to vitamin B12 which also does not dissolve directly in DMSO but can be better absorbed with its addition. For general applications it may be good for the skin to add a small amount of glycerine.

Alpha lipoic acid dissolves very well in DMSO, and Glutathione and Coenzyme Q10 to some degree. Transdermal application of these may give a better absorption rate than oral use. Generally strong oxidants oxidize DMSO to MSM while microbes reduce it to Dimethylsulfide or DMS which creates a strong sulphur smell. It has been noticed that during periods of infection individuals emit a much stronger garlicky smell when using DMSO than when they are well.

This is actually the main drawback of DMSO, and why some individuals do not like to use it - it can lead to social problems, especially at the workplace. Not everyone has this problem, and one may be able to minimize it by using only a relatively small amount in the evening or experiment with spraying or rinsing mouth and exposed skin with diluted non-acidified MMS (sodium chlorite) solution (e.g. 1 teaspoon of MMS in 500 ml of water) which can oxidize and so deodorize smelly sulphur compounds.

Oral intake is the other major form of DMSO use. As to its safety: Dr Stanley Jacob who pioneered the medical use of DMSO has taken an ounce of it orally every day for more than 40 years. The only side-effect seems to be that he has not been sick in years. Others have taken even higher doses for weeks or months.

DMSO is effective in heart attacks and angina; prompt use of it in heart attacks has been credited with preventing damage to heart muscle but rather high doses should be used. Dr Morton Walker suggested 2 grams per kilogram of body weight in the treatment of heart attacks.

Except for emergencies, it is always best to start with low doses, such as half a teaspoon in a drink, and increase gradually to the intended maximum or until there is some unexplained reaction. Generally effective healing methods tend to induce some kind of reaction, be it microbial die-off effects or skin eruptions or gastro-intestinal effects, such as diarrhoea. In such case temporarily cut back and when the reaction subsides gradually increase again.

A suitable daily maximum intake with chronic diseases may be 20 to 30 ml in divided doses, good to take it in a drink together with specific supplements to enhance their absorption. As with all supplements, It is also good not to remain at the same dose for a long time but rather slowly cycle up and down between a maximum and a minimum level. Finally, as long as there are problems in specific parts of the body it is preferable to use topical applications in addition to oral use.

While DMSO is widely used in most countries as a medical drug, in the USA it is only approved for the treatment of interstitial cystitis. In Australia DMSO is a prescription poison and cannot be used for treating humans but it can be sold and used for veterinary purposes and as a solvent. For a good account of the DMSO saga see http://www.thehealingjournal.com/node/1347.

With DMSO having so many superb features you may wonder if there is still a place for MSM. I believe there is. MSM provides the many benefits of a high sulphur intake for detoxifying and regenerating connective tissue without any apparent side-effect, while DMSO can cause an odour problem in social and work-related settings. DMSO can also cause excess intestinal gas and loose bowels. It has the ability to carry not only desirable but also undesirable chemicals through the skin and into the brain, therefore one needs to be much more careful, and it can induce microbial die-off reactions which are ultimately beneficial but need to be understood and managed.

As MSM and also DMSO are effective in cancer treatment but in a somewhat different way, it may be preferable to use them both combined. MSM may be dissolved in DMSO at a rate of 34 grams per 100 ml. For breast cancer, melanomas and other tumours close to the skin this solution may be diluted 2 : 1 or 1:1 with water and kept as a pack over the tumour until it appears to normalize. For accessible internal tumours, such as in stomach, uterus etc it may be best to expose them frequently to this solution by assuming a position which tends to pool the ingested or instilled solution around the tumour. However, DMSO should not be used rectally as it may carry toxins into the blood. For inaccessible tumours a combination of high-dose topical and oral intake could be tried.

I do not believe that there is a genuine allergy to DMSO. Instead some individuals react because they are deficient in the trace mineral molybdenum which is required by enzymes to oxidise sulphur compounds such as sulphites to sulphates.

[Serotoninskeptic]

@Sunniva Very imformative post. Thank you.

[DavidPS]

@Sunniva - thanks for compiling all of this information.

In the past, when I used cronometer.com to track my nutrients they did not tally the amount of sulfur in my diet. I assume that the amount of sulfur varies to much from place to place.

Stephanie Seneff likes to think out-of-the-box. She seems to think that the blue-zones were indebted to the sulfur in the volcanic rock in their gardens. If you have not already read her thoughts on sulfur here is a 14 year old blog post.

Could Sulfur Deficiency be a Contributing Factor in Obesity, Heart Disease, Alzheimer's and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

[Sunniva]

@DavidPS , I had not seen that article. Thank you.

[Sunniva]

@DavidPS , I have not listened to this, but remember Patrick Timpone on one radio network was always talking about sulphur?

https://oneradionetwork.com/patrick-mcgean-oxygen-is-the-enemy-of-all-disease-got-sulfur-august-3/

[Sunniva]

This post is deleted!

[DavidPS]

Chris MasterJohn writes about how sulfur may be seriously aggravating your allergies.

https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/why-your-allergies-may-just-be-a