There’s a “miracle” compound called dimethyl sulfoxide, that has the power to relieve pain, diminish swelling, reduce inflammation, encourage healing, restore normal cell function — and even eliminate scar tissue?
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a simple by-product of the wood industry, is the compound that even doctors are calling a “wonderful medical miracle.” It was first synthesized by Russian scientist Alexander Saytzeff in 1866. But it wasn’t until after World War II that chemists began to discover that DMSO could dissolve almost anything and carry any dissolved substances along with it. As such, it has long been used as an industrial solvent.
DMSO’s medicinal properties came to light in 1961 when Dr. Stanley Jacob, head of the organ transplant program at Oregon Health Sciences University picked up a bottle of the colorless liquid. During his investigation of DMSO’s potential as a preservative for organs, he discovered that it had the ability to penetrate the skin quickly and deeply — without damaging the skin.
Indeed, it has been observed that if someone were to apply a small amount of the DMSO liquid on the sole of their foot, it would penetrate through the skin and all other material in the body with extreme speed that they would “taste” the DMSO in their mouth almost instantly.
Dimethyl sulfoxide is said to be more “liquid” than water and has been shown to penetrate areas in the body that nothing else can reach as fast.
Because it moves rapidly through cell membranes, it has been called
“water’s alter ego.” It changes the water structure within the cell,
increases cellular permeability, accelerates the living processes of the
cell … thereby allowing healing to transpire at unprecedented speed. Dimethyl Sulfoxide Speeds All Healing … Approximately Doubling or Tripling All Healing Responses
DMSO uses include:-
• relieve pain and swelling
• relax muscles
• relieve arthritis
• improve blood supply
• slow the growth of bacteria.
In addition to providing great relief for sufferers of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, burns, sprains, back and neck problems, DMSO also delivers antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal effects.
Some of dimethyl sulfoxide’s more unusual applications are as follows:
-
• If administered intravenously within 90 minutes of a stroke, it prevents permanent damage to the central nervous system.
• When applied topically, repeatedly, it flattens a raised keloid scar. It also prevents the contracture of scar tissue that accompanies burns.
• Studies show that it protects against the tissue damage induced by radioactivity.
• It is used as an excellent antifreeze, preventing tissue damage ordinarily caused by freezing conditions.
• It minimizes the swelling of the brain and spinal cord following traumatic injury.
DMSO attained even more widespread recognition when the popular television program 60 Minutes aired a presentation entitled “The Riddle of DMSO” on March 23, 1980, and again on July 6 of that same year. The show reached the homes of 70 million viewers, and as a result, Dr. Jacob’s office was swamped with thousands of phone calls from pain victims clamoring for the miracle painkiller called DMSO. The phones of other physicians who were known to prescribe DMSO also rang continuously for several days following the broadcast of 60 Minutes.
Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been used most widely as a topical analgesic, in a solution consisting of 70% DMSO and 30% water. Laboratory studies show that DMSO cuts pain by blocking peripheral nerve C fibers. Relief from the pain of burns, cuts, and sprains has been reported to be almost immediate, lasting up to 6 hours.
DMSO is also widely used in sports medicine. Professional sports organizations, in particular, use it to get their athletes recovered from injury and back on the playing field rapidly. Dr. Jacob said at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Health in 1980, “DMSO is one of the few agents in which effectiveness can be demonstrated before the eyes of the observers …. If we have patients appear before the Committee with edematous sprained ankles, the application of DMSO would be followed by objective diminution of swelling within an hour. No other therapeutic modality will do this.”
Despite overwhelming evidence pointing to DMSO’s therapeutic benefits, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) refuses to approve the use or prescription of DMSO for anything other than the treatment of an obscure bladder condition called interstitial cystitis. That’s in spite of the fact that DMSO is known to be safer than aspirin. Only 8 states have effectively bypassed the authority of the FDA because their respective state legislatures have legalized the prescribing of DMSO. These states are Florida, Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
In these 8 states, doctors who are experienced with DMSO often use intravenous drips to treat the symptoms of cancer, atherosclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and arthritis.
Legally, dimethyl sulfoxide is sold commercially only as a solvent. However, that hasn’t stopped osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis sufferers from using it with regularity, often at the recommendation of fellow arthritis sufferers. “Only medical grade — never industrial grade — should be used on the human body,” insists Dr. Ron Kennedy. That’s because the industrial grade DMSO contains acetone and acid contaminants. Medical grade DMSO is available from Terra Pharmaceuticals, in Buena Park, California. Distributors, such as Rimso and Domoso, obtain it from this source and put their private label on it. DMSO is available at health food stores or from online retailers
