Chip

According to my current knowledge, DMSO (dimethyl-sulfoxide) is still basically illegal to use in the United States for treating any medical conditions though it has been legal in many countries for more than a decade or two. Most health food stores sell pharmaceutical grade DMSO in the U.S. “only for use as a solvent” which is legal. Somewhere in my files I have an article where one of the staff of the United States Food and Drug Administration states that the main reason why it is illegal is that DMSO would replace many profitable drugs as it is more effective and not covered by any patent. My understanding is that DMSO is made from lignin, a component of wood and costs about a quarter a gallon to manufacture. Patented drugs, with associated exclusive manufacturing and marketing rights for the patent holding company (20 years I believe), give a degree of monopolistic control to the provider, which means exclusive profits.

I have heard claims that DMSO is the most effective treatment for one of two major forms of arthritis, relieving pain and swelling when applied directly to the skin of the affected areas. I know of no one who has experienced this personally.

As a welder for over a period of many years, I carried a small bottle of DMSO with me all the time, but alas, I could not use it for burns as it is illegal to use that way. I am grateful that though I was a welder, unlike others who have spent similar time with such work, I have no burn scars to attest to my years at that work. Some claim that there is no better treatment for burns than DMSO, rendering 3rd degree burns to 2nd and 2nd to 1st with subsequent less scarred tissue remaining. It is also said to alleviate the pain of burns better than any other existing topically applied substance. I can’t attest to the results of this illegal use of DMSO but I sure found there were times when I was most grateful to have that little bottle with me, for paint solvent usage only, of course.

It is claimed that DMSO alleviates pain and swelling and speeds healing of sprains and strains involving muscles and ligaments. I once hurt my back quite a few years ago being stupid, lifting a couch by myself. I really don’t think I could of gotten any sleep at night if it were not for the DMSO which, of course, I did not apply to my sore back but only slept with a bottle of it shaped like a teddy bear that gave me much comfort.

DMSO has been called the least toxic and most powerful absorbent known. It is said that if you place a few drops of it on your clean hand (people say cleanliness is important when working with this solvent) you can taste it’s slight garlic like flavor a few seconds later in your mouth as it has crossed all of the cell membranes in your body but of course, I’ve never experienced this myself, using DMSO only for stripping paint.

DMSO has been claimed as an excellent way to introduce therapeutic agents or supplements into the body. I heard of a study involving Down’s Syndrome children in Chile (If I recall correctly) where phenylalanine, an amino acid that Down’s syndrome children do not synthesize (if I remember correctly), was mixed with DMSO and applied to these kids. Apparently, most were able to grow up without becoming classifiable as mentally retarded, pretty amazing for a Down’s Syndrome suffering person. I find some data concerning down’s Syndrome and DMSO at <a href="http://www.down-syndrome.com/walker.htm" target="_blank">http://www.down-syndrome.com/walker.htm</a>

I really don’t know about any of the above as I have only used DMSO for stripping paint but let me tell you this from my own personal experience, it is one hell of a paint stripper.

Honestly, Chip

Here are some more URLs:

<a href="http://www.dmso.org/subLevels/what.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dmso.org/subLevels/what.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.gnc.com/health_notes/Supp/DMSO.htm" target="_blank">http://www.gnc.com/health_notes/Supp/DMSO.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.dmso.org/articles/scleroderma/sclero3.htm" target="_blank">http://www.dmso.org/articles/scleroderma/sclero3.htm</a>
<a href="http://www.k2internet.com/demos/HSclassic/dmsoinfopage.html" target="_blank">http://www.k2internet.com/demos/HSclassic/dmsoinfopage.html</a>