Coauthor: Paul Sansonetti, Polymath Paul. The Rumble video link is HERE.
I knew nothing about DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) until a few weeks ago when I read several books that reported it was efficacious for many diseases. I started using it and am hoping to improve my eyes and ankle arthritis and possibly even get rid of some mercury to improve my neurological status. I sound gullible, and you are about to think I lost my head again. How could one medicine have so many healing effects?
However, the Pharma-FDA’s aggressive opposition to DMSO makes this credible. Long before the open warfare of the COVID era, the FDA "blackballed" DMSO. To do this, they used a 1965 pig study in which the animals were given massive doses and developed (reversible!) lens changes in their eyes. In other studies, primates were unaffected. The drug was suppressed because it would have eliminated the market for many expensive patent drugs.
DMSO is a biological product that should be called “Natural Tree Sap Therapy.” But that is in an alternative universe, and dimethyl sulfoxide sounds nasty. Pharma companies use generic names like this to discourage sales, then put sexy brand names on profitable patent drugs. Wikipedia makes it look like it is made in a Frankenstein laboratory by leading with chemistry descriptions. It completes the hatchet job by citing the efforts to suppress DMSO as evidence that it is harmful.
DMSO is marketed as an alternative medicine. Its popularity as an alternative cure stems from a 60 Minutes documentary in 1980 featuring an early proponent.[33] [This describes the FDA suppression and is worth a look; see below.] However, DMSO is an ingredient in some products listed by the U.S. FDA as fake cancer cures[34], and the FDA has had a running battle with distributors.[33] One such distributor is Mildred Miller, who promoted DMSO for a variety of disorders and was consequently convicted of Medicare fraud.[33]
The use of DMSO as an alternative treatment for cancer is of particular concern, as it has been shown to interfere with a variety of chemotherapy drugs, including cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin.[35] There is insufficient evidence to support the hypothesis that DMSO has any effect,[36] and most sources agree that its history of side effects when tested warrants caution when using it as a dietary supplement, for which it is marketed heavily with the usual disclaimer.
This is the Table of Contents from The DMSO Handbook for Doctors by Archie H. Scott (2013). It gives you an idea of DMSO's potential.
More than 12,000 scientific articles about the use of DMSO and 28,000 about its chemistry have been published that support DMSO's usefulness and safety. No confirmed reports of fatalities exist. But yes, my wife reminds me repeatedly that I reek of the stuff.
DMSO is unique. It is a small molecule that dissolves in both water and fat. After skin application, it penetrates throughout the body, including the brain. It carries other substances with it, and this can be good or bad. For example, if you use rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) to cleanse an area before applying DMSO, it goes internally, which is toxic and even potentially poisonous in large quantities. On the other hand, DMSO allows antibiotics to work better by taking them into tissues, even bones. For example, in osteomyelitis (bone infection), antibiotic treatment works better.
DMSO is not caustic or volatile. It can be used topically, orally, intravenously, or intramuscularly. One to two tablespoons a day—15 to 30 grams—is a safe, conservative dose, but it has been proven nontoxic in massive doses. The “Father of DMSO,” Stanley Jacobs, wrote:
Richard Brobyn, who conducted human [DMSO] trials in 1967 and 1968, concluded that after exposing the test group to 30-times recommended quantities of DMSO (equivalent to ½ cup of DMSO per day for 90 days with no adverse reactions, DMSO appears to be a very safe product for human administration (Yoho emphasis).
DMSO is widely used in veterinary and sports medicine because it heals injuries and decreases pain. It is a true NSAID or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, but it has no significant side effects. Ordinary NSAIDS such as Motrin occasionally cause fatal intestinal bleeding and many other issues. Another, Vioxx, caused 88,000 heart attacks and 38,000 deaths before it was taken off the market. (Moral: keep all Pharma products out of your body unless there is a damn good reason for them.)
From the Equis horse magazine HERE:
“DMSO is not just another medicine; we’re looking at a whole new therapeutic principle,” says Stanley W. Jacob, MD, of the Oregon Health and Science University medical school, who was the first in the United States to investigate the medical potential of DMSO. “A medicine treats a particular disease. A therapeutic principle is a new method for treating diseases in general.” In other words, DMSO doesn’t just have specific effects on the body; its actions can also help other treatments work better. “DMSO is an economical therapy, and many people who have used it over the years swear by it and feel that it is a great help for many medical conditions…”
My sources recommend only buying 99.995% pure DMSO because any impurities are conveyed internally when you rub it on your skin. To obtain this, use pharmaceutical or laboratory grades.
DMSO is inexpensive and available everywhere. At the DMSOstore.com, I bought a gallon for $109 and two quarts of aloe vera liquid for $20 to dilute it. It is less effective if not diluted 20 to 50 percent in water or a water-based liquid. Some sources say to buy it only in glass containers to avoid the plastics going internally, but this website says its products do not dissolve the plastic bottles they use.
It has been widely used in human medicine since the 1960s but is still only FDA-approved for interstitial cystitis. This painful bladder condition feels like a perpetual urinary tract infection. Because it is a drug approved for one condition, doctors can prescribe it “off-label” for IV, IM, oral, or topical use for anything else. However, most is bought over the counter.
Its nontoxic nature and the high freezing point (63 degrees F) make it ideal for preventing donor organs from freezing during transport.
DMSO’s vascular dilation, antibiotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other properties contribute to healthy tissue healing and remodeling, even deep within the body. For example, DMSO is the only effective treatment for the thickened internal organ scars and skin scars seen in scleroderma:
Source: Wiki.
Stanley Jacobs wrote,
In serial biopsy specimens taken from the skin of systemic sclerosis [scleroderma] patients treated with topical DMSO, collagen dissolution was observed, while normal elastic fibers remained intact. Urinary hydroxyproline levels were also increased in scleroderma patients treated with topical DMSO. Keloids biopsied in humans before and after DMSO therapy [showed similar] improvement toward normalcy.
The books I read contain hundreds of stories about how DMSO benefits health. Although some are case reports, others are formal studies. They present a conclusive and credible picture of this medicine’s value and safety.
I used to believe placebo controls were necessary for medical studies, but by now, the academics and their statistical evaluations have all vanished down the toilet with a foul smell of fraud and pretension. (See Butchered by “Healthcare.”) The entire medical literature about placebos seems to be one big psy-op meant to discourage interpretation using common sense and first-hand observation. For DMSO, because it produces garlic breath, patients know when they are using it, so it cannot be as easily studied against placebos. The FDA fraudulently extrapolates this to mean no study can ever be credible.
Stanley Jacobs wrote about the stink, “Unless the situation involves intolerable acute pain, serious disorders of the central nervous system (e.g., head injury, stroke), or is otherwise life-threatening, it is difficult for anyone who wishes to maintain social and sexual relationships” to tolerate the DMSO smell.” My interviewee, Roi Richards, says that the smell is a sign of detoxification, and when your health improves, it goes away despite continued use.
DMSO sometimes causes a Herxheimer reaction. This is a 12-24 hour self-limited period of malaise, sometimes accompanied by fevers, headaches, and other symptoms. It was described initially for penicillin treatment of syphilis. It means the therapy works and lends credibility to it.
Here are some assertions, reports, and studies
“DMSO is a reliable detoxifier of heavy metals. It binds to aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and nickel and eliminates them through sweat and urine.” From THIS book, but it has no citation.
DMSO suppresses bacterial growth.
IV DMSO relieves spinal injuries, especially the accompanying spasms
Post-accident whiplash responds marvelously
Good trial data says that DMSO lowers intracranial pressure after stroke or trauma, thus improving survival.
One of the most extensive scleroderma studies using DMSO was conducted at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio where 43 patients were treated starting in 1965.
DMSO reduces baldness, presumably through increasing local blood flow
Most, if not all, cancer patients on chemotherapy should receive DMSO as part of their treatment. Side effects of chemotherapy are often extreme and can be fatal. DMSO reduces and sometimes eliminates these toxic side effects, and at the same time, it enhances the positive aspects of the chemotherapy. With the proper use of DMSO with chemotherapy, cancer survival rates might increase.
The radioprotective properties of DMSO have been known for over 40 years. Therefore, it is logical that DMSO should be used as a protective agent when any cancer patient is given radiation. This idea was tested in a study involving cervical cancer patients in Russia and was reported in the Russian radiological journal Meditsinkskaia Radiological. (These last two points were quotes from one of the books.)
Phantom limb pain after amputation is alleviated
Bronchiolitis and asthma respond
The following is about treating blunt head trauma:
According to Dr. Jacob, “DMSO is a potent free-radical scavenger and diuretic that reduces swelling and improves blood supply to the brain. This improves blood oxygenation to brain tissue. Injured brain cells often aren’t dead. When these cells get increased blood supply and more oxygen, and when the free radicals are scavenged, dying cells can recover, and brain swelling is reduced very rapidly.”
Dr. Jacob notes that in studies conducted from 1978 to 1982, “we observed that when the human brain was treated with intravenously administered DMSO after a head injury, the swelling could be reduced within five minutes. No other treatment comes close to acting that quickly. In patients given other commonly used therapeutic agents such as intravenous barbiturates, the brain continued to swell. We’ve known about DMSO’s efficacy for this type of injury for a long time.”
The MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) story
This supplement is closely related to DMSO and has similar effects. It is manufactured by combining plant DMSO with hydrogen peroxide and is taken as an oral capsule, powder, or topical liquid. MSM does not cause body odor or bad breath.
MSM has been shown to be taken up by sulfur-containing amino acids in the body.' The sulfate reserve in humans is among the smallest of animal species ‘ and may be depleted by a low-protein diet" and by acetaminophen,” among the most commonly prescribed analgesics for osteoarthritis.
[MSM creates] 1) Analgesia and nerve blockade, 2) increase of blood supply, 3) anti-inflammatory action, 4) effects on collagen-it tends to soften collagen, lessen scar tissue, and 5) reduction of muscle spasm.
MSM may exert [tissue remodeling] effects, as we have observed reduced incidence of scarring and overall improvement in scleroderma patients who used MSM topically.
Most people take MSM to try to relieve the swelling and pain caused by tendinitis, rheumatoid arthritis, or osteoarthritis. It primarily assists with collagen synthesis, forming skin, blood vessels, and hair, and strengthening nails. What’s great about MSM is that there are no known side effects that come along with taking it. It is also a bonus that, unlike DMSO, there is no smell of oysters or garlic on the skin or breath afterward. When a person uses DMSO, 15 percent of it is converted into MSM, also called DMSO2, as it oxidizes. You might be wondering why the two should be used together, as DMSO basically turns into MSM in the body. One reason is to obtain all the sulfur-enriching benefits without the DMSO smell. MSM and DMSO together are excellent for supporting more serious conditions like Lyme disease, lupus, and cancer (from one of the referenced books; I misplaced the citation).
Paul’s most excellent rant about DMSO
Abridged for clarity. He sends me one of these on a new topic every 48 hours.
I read some reviews on Amazon and bought some. It works wonderfully to reduce pain and inflammation. It does not create tolerance, build-up of toxins, or psychoactive effects.
The FDA ignored this compound. The 99.995% pure type gives people a garlicky taste in their mouths, which precludes double-blind placebo-controlled studies because everybody knows whether they got the actual compound or the placebo. This was an excuse to ignore it because it would cannibalize too many high-priced drugs. Their goal has never been to make us healthy.
We use DMSO everywhere for horses, including precious million-dollar racehorses. DMSO is sold over the counter in large amounts at Tractor Supply. How toxic could it be? It has been suppressed just like ivermectin and for the same reasons.
A massive problem with the US diet is the need for more sulfur since we stopped using organic fertilizer and substituted nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous.
Sulfur is why manure stinks. Just because we don’t like the smell doesn’t mean we don’t need it. The sulfur cycle serves a vital purpose, just like the carbon cycle/compost.
Carbon breaks down rapidly in the soil into carbonic acid, which leaches minerals out of stones into the soil to replace them. Since carbonic acid has such a short half-life, it is hard to study but essential.
Industrial farmers claim that artificial fertilizers grow crops approximately twice as fast as traditional methods. This is mostly true, but it’s sophistry because nobody mentions why. The reason is that sulfur is necessary for building the intracellular matrix between the cells, which provides resilience and flexibility. (Yoho note: DMSO is a close relative of important sulfur compounds in the body and may be converted into glucosamine, MSM, chondroitin, alpha lipoic acid, allicin (from garlic), N acetylcysteine, SAME (S-adenosylmethionine) and glutathione.)
Orthopedic injuries that would have frequently been catastrophic to our hunter/gatherer ancestors are common in modernity. These are likely caused by something environmental—something different between then and now.
Vegans eat little sulfur, so they are almost certainly deficient unless they eat garlic and onions all day.
Eggs from free-range chickens are the best source of sulfur and choline. (Unlike unactivated folic acid, choline can’t become toxic and lowers neural tube defects by a factor of 17, while folic acid approximately cuts them in half.)
I have helped many people with orthopedic pain using DMSO. It’s cheap, non-toxic, and has no side effects except occasional mild skin rashes. Diluting DMSO with aloe vera gel preparations to about 70% prevents nearly all of these.
A few years ago, I awkwardly fell off a seven-foot wall and landed almost entirely on my right leg. I was immediately in incredible pain.
Luckily, I save my adrenals for times of stress instead of using them to wake me up in the morning with coffee. After 30 minutes, the pain subsided a bit. I could barely move, but I shuffled a few inches at a time in incredible pain to a bus stop. When I got home, I started drinking an ounce of DMSO [about five teaspoons or 150 grams] every few hours for pain management.
This was a Wednesday night. I was able to work a valet shift two days later, although I was in lots of pain. I believe I broke something, although I have no X-rays.
That was the worst pain of my life. But seven days later, I was 95% better. The only thing I couldn’t do was squat for more than a few seconds.
The only pain that I have had that compares to this was when I got sun poisoning on my shins years ago. I could walk but couldn’t stand for more than a second.
I have a pretty high pain tolerance. I had permanent teeth pulled with no novocaine before I got my braces. I once stuck my finger in a lawn mower and didn’t go to the hospital. I had a kidney stone. I think my leg was broken, but I cannot prove it.
DMSO doesn’t taste bad per se, but holy hell, is it strong? It feels like it gets into my soul when I drink it. (Yoho note: it warms in my mouth if I do not dilute it as advised in 4 ounces of water.) IV might be the way to go if one can go that route.
DMSO is wonderful. God bless Dr. Stanley Jacob for doing whatever he could to get the word about DMSO out despite the almost complete media blackout. R.I.P.
Yoho note: Stanley Jacob, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery at the University of Oregon, was the DMSO OG who contributed the most to our knowledge. He passed in 2015 at 91, but his proteges are still practicing. A video showing the fights he had with the FDA is HERE.
Kerri Rivera wraps this post up.
Sharing her experience using DMSO to treat autism:
I have read all the books by Dr Stanley Jacob, who spent his life researching DMSO. He was at the University of Oregon. I have a ton of experience, and I used DMSO on 40 kids for three months. My own son took 25ml a day divided into three doses [5 teaspoons or about 25 grams] for 40 days. None of the kids had any noticeable improvements. DMSO is great for pain. I love it as a topical solution. Children with autism have sulfur pathway issues. The S is sulfur. So, oral DMSO is not a solution for autism, but it is amazing, and I love it. Like everything else, it has its place.
Approximate DMSO dosing and measurements reviewed
DMSO is so nontoxic that it is hard to make a dosing mistake. I have recently been brushing my teeth with about a tablespoon daily, swallowing it, and rubbing it liberally on my ankles. Drinking a liter, however, is likely inadvisable.
DMSO is dosed in grams, which are 1000 milligrams
One gram is a milliliter of water, is one cc, is 1000 milligrams. I used water weight here to make it simple. Gram is a unit of weight. Milliliters, teaspoons, and tablespoons are volume.
One fluid ounce = 2 tablespoons. One tablespoon = 15 grams or 15 milliliters or 3 teaspoons. One teaspoon is 5 grams or 5 milliliters
One gram per kilogram for me is 70 grams (same as cc), which is about five tablespoons of DMSO diluted in water in divided doses over the course of a day.
Kerri’s young son took 25ml a day divided into three doses [5 teaspoons or 25 grams] for 40 days. Presumably, he was less than 40 kg at that time.
Sources
DMSO Dimethylsulfoxide for Humans: Recipes & Treatment (2022) by Herb (Roi) Richards. Super clear writing, based on huge experience, and easy to understand.
Healing with DMSO: The Complete Guide to Safe and Natural Treatments for Managing Pain, Inflammation, and Other Chronic Ailments with Dimethyl Sulfoxide (2021) by Herb Richards
Roi Richard’s main website and product sales website. You can get DMSO, MSM, chlorine dioxide preparations, and more. Buy at least a pint of DSMO. You will not regret it.
The DMSO Handbook for Doctors by Archie H. Scott (2013). Excellent.
MSM The Definitive Guide: The Nutritional Breakthrough for Arthritis, Allergies and More (2015) by Stanley Jacob. Technical.
MSM: On Our Way Back To Health with Sulfur: The Forgotten Nutrient by Beth Ley, Ph.D.
“DMSO: Extensively Researched, Criminally Ignored." Good summary article by Life Extension magazine HERE
DMSO: Many Uses, Much Controversy, by Maya Muir. A well-referenced white paper from Alternative & Complementary Therapies, July/August 1996.
A UK physician’s summary HERE.
Glossary: DMSO is a free radical scavenger
This is a substance, such as an antioxidant, that helps protect cells from the damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that are made during normal cell metabolism. They can build up in cells and cause damage to other molecules. This damage may increase the risk of cancer and other diseases.
About the co-author, Polymath Paul:
Pittsburg native Paul Sansonetti picked me up from our shared interest in William Brigg’s writing about statistics and current events HERE. We gradually developed a friendship, and he sends me an unruly torrent of ideas almost daily. Despite his formidable intellect, he is modest about his accomplishments. He says he knows so much because he has never pursued a demanding career and instead read two books a week. I say anyone with an IQ like his is forced to constantly feed the hungry beast.
“Legal” disclaimer
As always, since I am retired, you are on your own to verify this information. I am not your doctor. Although these are some of the safest supplements I have ever written about, in theory, you need supervision to use them. Do not blame me if they turn you into a leprechaun with halitosis.
PS: thanks!
My paid subscribers doubled to over 200 in one week.
307. DMSO IS A HARMLESS NATURAL WONDER DRUG WITH JUST ONE SIDE EFFECT--BAD BREATH