A colleague recently asked me what my favorite supplement is. As a personal user of a fairly large number of nutritional supplements, biologically active substances and botanicals, it took me a few moments to mentally run through the list.
However, DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) emerged as the clear winner, even though most people have never heard of it. Of course, what I've noticed, especially as an Integrative clinician, is that people are mostly interested in what a particular supplement can do for THEM, and I'm no different.
I was introduced to DMSO by a fellow medical resident in the late '80s. He handed me a small bottle and suggested it might be helpful to improve my persistent foot numbness that even our neurology attending didn't have an answer for.
I applied it to the skin on my ankle, where the offending nerve runs, and within a few minutes the numbness had resolved!
In all transparency, since it's been close to 40 years, I can't guarantee the exact sequence, but I literally don't remember having to reapply it even once for the numbness.
Fast forward to my current personal usage of DMSO. I've been using DMSO roughly two years, topically at first for various aches and pains, including knee and back pain and muscle “knots”, eventually transitioning to mostly oral use, which has been a massively helpful addition to my daily "wellness" routine.
Again, to be transparent, I have a highly complex daily regimen of natural substances, along with a fairly large assortment of frequency-based devices which have allowed me, as a person diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition said to be “incurable” by the conventional medical system in which I received training, to reverse that condition to a large extent.
Given that disclaimer, the list of improvements I've experienced since starting DMSO includes:
- Improvement in sacroiliac and low back pain that had seemed to sneak up on me in the previous five to six years
- Improvement in neck and shoulder pain/ stiffness, even to the point of recent increased responsiveness to cervical Chiropractic manipulation
- Reduced knee pain and stiffness
- Greatly improved sleep (most nights!)
- Some improvement in varicose veins
- Improved vision; for example, I rarely use glasses to drive anymore, or at church or around the house, mostly just for reading.
A handful of my patients have also started DMSO, both topically and orally and report similar effects:
- Increased concentration
- Less overall joint stiffness
- Some improvement in "spider veins"
People are frequently surprised that a readily available, non-prescription natural substance has so many benefits. To provide context, it’s helpful to point out that despite numerous positive clinical trials, FDA pushed this promising substance into obscurity as this source details.
In fact, even a partial list of conditions DMSO has significantly improved, mostly documented in scientific studies, is impressive, even to the point of straining believability:
- Chronic pain, acute injuries, and strokes
- Asthma, inflammatory bowel diseases (e.g., ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome)
- Interstitial cystitis (painful bladder syndrome), ITP, lupus and other autoimmunity
- Multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, and uveitis
- Amyloidosis, surgical scars, abdominal adhesions, Dupuytren’s contractures, and Peyronie’s disease
- Scleroderma and fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva
- Arthritis, bursitis and gout
- Sprains, strains and contusions
- Fibromyalgia and disc disease
- Headaches and fibromyalgia
- Restless legs syndrome
- Strokes and brain bleeds
- Brain and spine injuries
- Paralysis
- Dementia
- Developmental delays
- Down Syndrome
If you'd like to do a deep dive into the use of DMSO for any of these particular conditions, you'll find a treasure trove of information here:
https://www.midwesterndoctor.com/p/how-dmso-treats-incurable-autoimmune
If you have questions about DMSO or would like to know whether DMSO could be helpful for your particular condition, feel free to reach out here to set up a free 15 minute consultation call.
Of course, none of the above information constitutes medical advice, diagnosis or treatment and is for educational purposes only. You should not disregard, avoid or delay obtaining medical or health related advice from your health-care professional as a result of anything I've said in this article.
I hope this article has given you a vision for how DMSO could fit into your lifestyle, and maybe even take your health to the next level!
