Supplements

DMSO (Dimethylsulfoxide)

Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) is a byproduct of wood processing for papermaking. It is a somewhat oily liquid that looks like mineral oil and has a slightly garlicky odor.

It is a solvent that is used as a degreaser, paint thinner, and antifreeze. It also has remarkable therapeutic properties, especially for the healing of injuries. It can eliminate the pains of sprained ankles, pulled muscles, and dislocated joints. By blocking conduction of the nerve fibers that transmit pain signals, DMSO often works when standard pain killers fail.

DMSO is absorbed through the skin by osmosis. It is then distributed through the circulatory system and ultimately excreted in the urine. It has been used successfully to treat brain and spinal cord damage, arthritis, Down syndrome, sciatica and other back problems, keloids, acne, burns, musculoskeletal problems, sports injuries, cancer, sinusitis, headaches, skin ulcers, herpes, and cataracts.

Due to the fact that it works as an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, and because it can penetrate the skin, it can be used to treat arthritis.

In one experiment, 220 people with duodenal ulcers began to take 500 mg of DMSO orally every day. By the end of the study they had fewer than half of the ulcer recurrences experienced by people taking cimetidine alone.

DMSO showed remarkable results for twenty-six of forty-two scleroderma patients who participated in a small study. In addition, the solvent apparently was most effective in sparing the kidneys from secondary amyloidosis, in which sclerodermalike fibrillar growths occur in conjunction with certain chronic diseases.

Macular degeneration was studied in a group of older people and their sight improved by simply rubbing on their skin a DMSO solution that contained nutrients known to reverse the course of the eye disease. When DMSO penetrates the skin, it brings along whatever else is mixed with it, and this has allowed for this particular application.

DMSO is widely used by sports teams for the treatment of sprained ankles. Rubbing it directly on the injured joint relieves pain and reduces swelling within an hour.

The FDA has allowed the solvent to be used for the treatment of intersitital cystitis, a bladder condition affecting primarily women, where symptoms include pain or a burning sensation upon urinating and an almost constant urge to void. A large study showed that the majority of women treated with a DMSO cocktail that included steroids, heparin, and bicarbonate injected into the bladder through the urethra relieved the agony of the condition.

Sources: DMSO is a byproduct of wood processing for papermaking.

Precautions: Use DMSO only under the supervision of a physician. Thoroughly wash and rinse the area on which you apply it, as well as your hands, as DMSO with bring virtually anything that's on your skin into your bloodstream.

Dosage Ranges and Duration of Administration: The FDA has not set DMSO standards.