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The DMSO Handbook for Doctors
Archie H. Scott
iUniverse, LLC
Bloomington
Liberated by:
2015.02.01
THE DMSO HANDBOOK FORDOCTORS Copyright © 2013 by Archie H. Scott. All rights reserved. No part of this book maybe used or reproduced by any means, graphic,electronic, or mechanical, includingphotocopying, recording, taping or by anyinformation storage retrieval system withoutthe written permission of the publisher exceptin the case of brief quotations embodied incritical articles and reviews. The information, ideas, and suggestions in thisbook are not intended as a substitute forprofessional medical advice. Before following
any suggestions contained in this book, youshould consult your personal physician.Neither the author nor the publisher shall beliable or responsible for any loss or damageallegedly arising as a consequence of youruse or application of any information orsuggestions in this book. iUniverse books may be ordered throughbooksellers or by contacting: iUniverse1663 Liberty DriveBloomington, IN 47403www.iuniverse.com1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677) Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet,any web addresses or links contained in thisbook may have changed since publication and
may no longer be valid. The views expressedin this work are solely those of the author anddo not necessarily reflect the views of thepublisher, and the publisher hereby disclaimsany responsibility for them. Any people depicted in stock imageryprovided by Thinkstock are models, and suchimages are being used for illustrativepurposes only.Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock. ISBN: 978-1-4759-9792-7 (sc)ISBN: 978-1-4759-9793-4 (ebk) Library of Congress Control Number:2013912102 iUniverse rev. date: 07/02/2013
Contents
AcknowledgementsForewordsChapter 1 IntroductionChapter 2 AmyloidosisChapter 3 Alzheimer’s and otherDementiaChapter 4 ArthritisChapter 5 Athletic InjuriesChapter 6 Brain InjuriesChapter 7 BurnsChapter 8 DMSO and ConventionalTherapy in the Treatment of Cancer
PatientsChapter 9 DMSO and Laetrile in TreatingCancer PatientsChapter 10 Carpal Tunnel SyndromeChapter 11 Cirrhosis of the LiverChapter 12 DiabetesChapter 13 Digestive ProblemsChapter 14 Ear & Hearing ProblemsChapter 15 Emergency MedicineChapter 16 Eye ProblemsChapter 17 FibromyalgiaChapter 18 Fungus InfectionsChapter 19 Hair and Scalp ProblemsChapter 20 HeadacheChapter 21 Infections
Chapter 22 InflammationChapter 23 Interstitial CystitisChapter 24 Legality of DMSOChapter 25 LupusChapter 26 Mental IllnessChapter 27 Mental RetardationChapter 28 Multiple SclerosisChapter 29 PainChapter 30 Protection from RadiationDamageChapter 31 Respiratory ProblemsChapter 32 SclerodermaChapter 33 Shingles & HerpesChapter 34 Spinal Cord InjuriesChapter 35 Skin Problems
Chapter 36 StrokeChapter 37 Tooth & Gum DiseaseChapter 38 Toxicology of DMSOChapter 39 ConclusionAbout the Author
Acknowledgements
There are many people who haveprovided information andencouragement to the author over theyears that he has been involved inresearch and investigation ofDMSO.
Stanley Jacob M.D., the father ofDMSO and my mentor, provided memuch early information on DMSOand was the person most responsiblefor getting me interested in DMSO
and medical research and treatmentin general.
Frank Cousineau and LorraineRosenthal of the Cancer ControlSociety have always giveninformation and encouragement.
Others who have had a majorinfluence either on this book or onmy experience with DMSO or healthinformation or products in generalinclude Linda Walton, Dr. VeronikaVoss, Dr. Carolyn Goldman, IrvingSchultz, Gary Schultz, IrvingSchaeffner MD, Marjorie Ward,Leona Reams, Travis Thomas, and
Evelyn Jackson.We would also like to thank
Jessica “Jay” Yurick for her typingand computer skills.
Ron Bronson proved to be anexcellent editor with a great abilityto spot errors.
Two organizations also deserverecognition for what they have donefor medical and health research andinformation. These are the New YorkAcademy of Sciences and TheCancer Control Society. Both ofthese organizations are known forproviding honest, reliable
information.
Forewords
We have known Archie Scott since1976. He did not introduce us toDMSO, but he did provide practicalknowledge in how to use DMSO toimprove daily life. Further, heprovided the inspiration to share theknowledge with family, friends andcolleagues.
Over the years since we met, wehave increased our knowledgeexponentially from discussions and
collaboration with Archie. Hisknowledge of the compound istremendous. His practicalapplications in the clinical settingare well-known to physicians in theUnited States and Mexico, plusnumerous other countries around theglobe. Archie is among the top twoor three world-wide sources forvaluable, accurate informationrelated to DMSO, its properties, itsuses and its applications in theclinic, home and work place.
This volume is designed to be ofbenefit to clinician, researcher and
ultimate consumer. It contains thereferences necessary to satisfy themedical professional and technicalinformation so the practicingphysician can administer DMSO tohis patients. Every emergency roomshould have this book in order tosave lives from a wide variety ofmedical conditions. The use ofDMSO in veterinarian medicine iswell-known and accepted. It is timefor human medicine to adopt its nearmiraculous benefits without thenegative effects associated withtoxic and potentially fatal
pharmaceutical products.A bottle of DMSO should be in the
locker room of every athletic facilityand First Aid Kit of every athleticCoach and Trainer. This book shouldbe included with the bottle ofDMSO.
This book is also written so thenon-professional can read it andbenefit from the safe and effectiveproperties of DMSO. It is organizedin a logical format to make it easy touse as a convenient and accessiblereference.
Archie Scott has provided a very
valuable benefit to mankind with thepublication of this book. His raisond’etre is to alleviate suffering andadvance scientific knowledge. Webelieve this compact volume will doboth.
Frank Cousineau
President, Life SupportPresident, Cancer Control Society
President, International Associationof Cancer Victors and Friends
May 2013
Chapter 1Introduction
Dimethyl sulfoxide, commonlycalled DMSO, has been describedby its supporters (nearly everyonewho has ever used it) as a truemedical miracle. It has been used inthe treatment of hundreds of ailmentsthat afflict people throughout theworld. In fact, by itself, or incombination with other medications,DMSO has proven useful in thetreatment of practically every
medical problem known.What is DMSO? It is a natural
chemical compound derived fromtrees as a by-product from themanufacturing of paper. It iscomposed of two methyl groups(CH3) and a sulfur and an oxygenatom. It was first synthesized by aRussian chemist, Alexander Zaytsev,in 1866. For over eighty yearsDMSO was basically ignored.During the late 1940s industrialchemists started investigating thesolvent capabilities of DMSO.Improved solvents were needed, and
there was interest in utilizing treederived waste products.
Commercial development ofDMSO was started in the 1950s.Crown Zellerbach, a large Americanpaper manufacturing company,started producing DMSO during thistime and became the largestproducer of DMSO in the world. Atthis time Robert J. Herschler was thesupervisor of applications researchin the chemical products division ofthe Crown Zellerbach plant inCamas, Washington, which is acrossthe Columbia River from Oregon
Health Sciences University. As achemist Mr. Herschler conductedresearch on DMSO and other treederived chemicals.
Stanley W. Jacob, M.D. was headof the organ transplant team at theUniversity of Oregon MedicalSchool which is now called OregonHealth Sciences University. Heneeded a way to preserve transplantorgans at a low temperature withoutthe formation of ice crystals. Variousproducts and procedures were triedwithout success. Before DMSOthere was no way to preserve organs
without the formation of ice crystalswhich killed the tissue.
In 1961 Dr. Jacob and RobertHerschler met for the first time, andDr. Jacob was introduced to the anti-freeze capabilities of DMSO. Thepreservation of transplant organs isstill one of the many uses of DMSO.While 100% DMSO will freeze at66 degrees, a 50% mixture ofDMSO and water will not freeze attemperatures far below the freezingpoint of straight water.
Dr. Jacob soon discovered thatDMSO had many other properties
that would later prove to makeDMSO one of the most importantmedical products ever discovered.Just a few of these properties, oreven one by itself, could makeDMSO an important product in thetreatment of a wide variety ofconditions. When all theseproperties are combined in onesubstance, we have a truly amazingproduct.
DMSO has been described by Dr.Jacob as a new medical principle. Itis a substance that is totally strangeto medical science. Its mode of
action is not completely understood,and it is used to treat some ailmentsthat have long been considered asuntreatable. Also, because of itsdistinctive odor, it is very difficult toconduct double blind studies withDMSO. However, it is alwayspossible to have studies involvingDMSO where the results arecompared to current treatment. As anexample, if a disease at a certainstage has an expected mortality rateof 80% within one year, and there isa 10% mortality rate for thosetreated with DMSO, it shows that
DMSO is a successful treatment. Ifthe mortality rate stays in the 80 %range, it shows no improvement.
Methylsulfonylmethane, commonlycalled MSM, is a product that isderived from DMSO. MSM hasmany of the properties of DMSO, butis generally regarded as a foodsupplement. It has not been subjectto the medical studies of DMSO andis not considered to be as effectiveas DMSO in treating most ailments.However, it also does not cause thepatient to have the garlic-like DMSObreath.
DMSO is one of the mostpowerful free radical scavengersknown. Free radicals are unstablecharged molecular fragments thatattack other molecules causingsevere damage to cells throughoutthe body. This disrupts the normalfunctioning of various organs in thebody. Free radical damage is usuallyslow and accumulates over theyears. Eventually this can lead tosuch ailments as cancer and arthritis.It can also lead to premature aging. Itis possible that the regular use ofDMSO may completely prevent
some serious ailments.Another important action of
DMSO is its immune normalizingeffect. This makes DMSO importantin the treatment of autoimmunediseases and can also help thenatural immune system fight offvarious infectious and contagiousdiseases.
DMSO also passes through theskin and other cellular membranes ofthe body. This is the reason that theapplication of a small amount ofDMSO applied topically to the skincan cause a garlic like breath odor.
DMSO is one of the few productsthat are able to cross the blood brainbarrier. It is also able to take otherproducts that normally do not crossthis barrier with it. This could makeDMSO valuable in the treatment ofmany brain problems.
Another important action ofDMSO is it is a vasodilator. Thiscan increase blood flow, allowingblood to more easily reach areaswhere damage may have occurred.Often an injury causes decreasedblood flow to the injury site, andsome of the damage is caused by the
lack of blood to the area after theinjury, and not just the injury itself.
In many cases DMSO is used totreat one problem, and it ends uphelping a completely unrelatedhealth problem. It is hoped that thisbook will lead more doctors both inthe United States and other countriesaround the world to try DMSO,especially in treating their moredifficult cases where nothing elseseems to help.
Chapter 2Amyloidosis
Amyloidosis is a diseasecharacterized by amyloid proteinsabnormally deposited in varioustissues in the body. A protein isamyloid if due to an alteration in itssecondary structure, it takes on anaggregated insoluble form similar tothe beta-pleated sheet.
Approximately 60 differentamyloid proteins have beenidentified, and at least 36 have been
found to be involved in some waywith a human disease.
Amyloidosis can be very difficultto diagnose especially in the earlystages. Symptoms vary widelydepending upon where in the bodythe amyloid deposits accumulate.
Many patients go undiagnosed.Amyloidosis can affect so manyinternal organs, and the symptomscan resemble so many other ailmentsthat other problems are oftensuspected.
Amyloidosis can be localized orsystemic. The localized form only
affects one organ or one part of thebody. It does no damage to the restof the body. Two common conditionsassociated with localizedamyloidosis are Type 2 diabeteswhere the amyloid protein builds upin the pancreas and Alzheimer’swhere the amyloid proteins build upin the brain. The next chapter offersmore details on the amyloid proteinsof Alzheimer’s.
Systemic amyloidosis can causedamage to any organ in the body.Often a variety of unrelated organsare involved, and death can be
caused by toxic activity in any ofthese organs.
The heart is often involved, andthere can be a wide variety ofsymptoms in the heart ranging fromarrhythmia and irregular heartbeat tocongestive heart failure. Therespiratory tract can be affected. Thespleen can enlarge and sometimesrupture. The gastrointestinal tract issometimes affected causing diarrhea,vomiting, and hemorrhaging.
Conventional treatment foramyloidosis has consisted mostly ofsteroids and chemotherapy. Stem
cell transplants are also sometimesdone. All of these treatments haveusually resulted in limited success.
An important mouse studyinvolving the use of DSMO wasconducted by Mordechai Ravid, IgalKedar, M. Greenwald, and EzraSohar at the Sachler School ofMedicine, Tel Aviv University inIsrael. Amyloidosis was induced inthese mice by injecting them dailyfor 18 days with vitamin-free casein.They were then studied for thefollowing 60 days until they werekilled and autopsied.
The urine of the mice treated withDMSO showed broken up amyloidfibrils starting shortly after the startof DMSO treatment. When theDMSO treated mice were autopsiedtheir livers were completely free ofamyloid deposits. The livers of thecontrol mice that were not treatedwith DSMO were loaded withamyloid. This study showed thatDMSO dissolved the amyloidprotein.
Other studies have shown mixedresults. However, no studies haveshown any adverse reactions when
treating amyloidosis with DMSO.Therefore, there is no reason not totreat all cases of amyloidosis withDMSO. This does not mean thatDMSO should be the only treatment.DMSO could be combined with anyother treatment that may be usedallowing such other treatment towork more effectively.
Chapter 3Alzheimer’s and other
Dementia
Dementia of various types,especially Alzheimer’s, has becomeincreasingly more of a problem asthe general population ages. DMSOwould logically be expected to helpwith all forms of dementia. In thetest tube DMSO causes immaturebrain cells to mature. It alsoincreases blood flow in the brain.
As a person ages circulation
usually gradually becomes impaired.This can result in a lack of oxygenand nutrients to the brain. With areduced amount of oxygen andnutrients brain cells can be injuredor killed. DMSO can prevent thisfrom happening. DMSO also helpsthe neurons in the brain tocommunicate with each other. All ofthis helps enable the person to retainmental capabilities into advancedage.
This writer had a friend who diedat the age of 101. She was a strongadvocate of DMSO and had used it
regularly for over 30 years. Whenshe was 101 she showed no sign ofmental decline. She was an authorityon the Bible and had a generalintelligence level that was betterthan the average 30 year old. No oneknows how well her mind wouldhave worked without the DMSO, butit is probable that her superior mindat such an advanced age was at leastpartially due to DMSO.
One of the most important uses ofDMSO is in the treatment of patientswith Alzheimer’s. DMSO has beenshown to dissolve amyloids, the
proteins that occur in the brainlesions of patients with Alzheimer’s.It has now become generallyaccepted that the beta amyloidprotein is involved in thedevelopment and progression ofAlzheimer’s. Large numbers ofamyloid plaques and tangles arealways present in confirmed cases ofAlzheimer’s and the extent of thisamyloid corresponds closely withthe amount of dementia. A thoroughdescription of the amyloid proteinsis contained in a 1989 article in
Microbiology of Aging.1What causes a normal protein to
become amyloidgenic? There areseveral theories that are possible.One of the most probable is thatsome form of inflammation couldcause damage to a normal protein.Once an abnormal process starts theprocess can replicate and becomemore abnormal.
Professor Jeffrey Kelly of ScrippsResearch Institute has put forth thetheory that inflammation could be thestart of a process that ultimately
leads to Alzheimer’s. Normal braincells can be disrupted as a result ofinflammation. and this could causeamyloid beta proteins in the brain tomisfold. According to Kelly theinflammation process might occuryears before the onset ofAlzheimer’s and could be caused bya variety of infections.
To test his theory Kelly andcolleagues checked the brains ofAlzheimer’s victims and foundevidence of a substance calledatheronals. Atheronals have onlyrecently been discovered and refer
to the way ozone reacts with normalmetabolites to produce toxiccompounds during inflammatoryprocesses taking place in the body.
Kelly and his associates alsoperformed test tube experiments andfound that atheronals and lipidoxidation products can greatlyaccelerate the misfolding of amyloidbeta proteins. Kelly admits that itwill be difficult to prove his theory,but it is an interesting and realisticidea.
The results of a study involvingthe use of DMSO in the treatment of
patients with Alzheimer’s waspresented at the Fourth InternationalConference on Alzheimer’s Diseaseand Related Disorders.2 In this study18 patients with probableAlzheimer’s were treated withDMSO and tested regularly for ninemonths.
Great improvements were noted inthese patients after only three monthsof treatment. The improvement wasespecially noticeable after sixmonths of treatment. Efficacy oftreatment was obtained from the
results of neurological andneuropsychological testing thatshowed improvement in memory,concentration, and communication.Disorientation in time and spacealso decreased greatly.
Based on the previous examples itis probable that everyone sufferingfrom Alzheimer’s or any other formof dementia should be treated withDMSO. Treatment should be startedas soon as major decline is noted inthe patient. Improvement is moredramatic with early stage patients. Ifthe condition has been allowed to
progress beyond a certain point itcan be impossible to reverse thedamage. Those that really desire tomaintain good mental health into oldage should probably be on DMSObefore any decline in mental healthis noticed.
Chapter 4Arthritis
Over 21 million Americans sufferfrom arthritis according to theArthritis Foundation. This arthritiscan be relatively mild with minorpain some of the time or very severewith major pain and loss of mobility.Arthritis is the number one cause ofdisability for people over 65.
Conventional medical treatmentuses a dangerous combination ofpainkillers whose purpose is only to
stop the pain from the arthritis.Medication such as aspirin,cortisone, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs do not prevent orcorrect the problem. They do reducepain, but can be very detrimental tothe health of the patient, especially iftaken for a long period of time.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatorydrugs can be especially harmful tothe patient’s joints. NSAIDs blockthe enzymes that help produceinflammatory compounds. However,they also inhibit the action ofenzymes that help produce cartilage.
Therefore, the patient will probablyhave some pain relief while takingthe NSAIDs while at the same timethey may be actually making thearthritic process worse.
How about other more naturalmedications? Many patients havereported positive effects withglucosamine sulfate. Even more havereported good results from usingMSM. Neither of these productsseems to produce negative sideeffects while at the same time thereis often greatly reduced pain. Anumber of medical studies have
shown low levels of sulfur inarthritic joints. This would lead tothe probability that lack of sulfur is afactor in osteoarthritis.
Most people with arthritis thatvisit hot spring health resorts reportpositive results. The water in thesehot springs usually contains a largeamount of natural sulfur. While thehot water may also be of benefit, themost important healing aspect ofthese hot springs is most likely thesulfur in the water.
There have been arthritis clinicsusing injections of DMSO that have
claimed results in three days. Thesehave not generally been reliable. Ittakes more than three days tocompletely treat arthritis and obtainlasting results. However, there arecases where immediate temporaryrelief is obtained.
There is general agreement amongdoctors who have treated arthritispatients and the patients themselvesthat DMSO is the best treatment forarthritis, whether it is osteoarthritisor rheumatoid arthritis. Thistreatment may be straight DMSO, orDMSO combined with other
products. Also, the DMSO may beapplied topically to the affectedarea, injected, or taken by mouth.
When DMSO was first used, mostarthritis patients were treatedtopically with DMSO applied to theaffected area. There are now topicallotions that contain DMSO and otherproducts in combination that areeven more effective than straightDMSO.
An example of a patient who gotimmediate results was a 67 year-oldman who could not move his finger.A lotion containing DMSO and
capsicum pepper was applied to thisman’s finger. A few minutes later hewas moving his finger. He wasamazed and kept moving the finger.His wife watched him move thefinger and while watching asked:“Jack, can you really move thatfinger?” His answer was: “Yes,don’t you see it moving?”
DMSO does several things to helpimprove arthritis and does not havethe negative side effects of manyother medications such as theNSAIDs. First DMSO greatlyreduces the pain and muscle spasms
around arthritic joints. It improvesblood flow which helps bringneeded nutrients to the damagedarea. It provides biologicallyavailable sulfur to the damagedjoint. DMSO also reducesinflammation.
It is my opinion that the mostimportant factor about DMSO in thetreatment of arthritis is the fact thatDMSO is the most potent freeradical scavenger known. Freeradicals have been implicated as theleading or one of the leading causesof many degenerative ailments. It is
logical that free radicals do play arole in both rheumatoid andosteoarthritis.
Free radical activity as a cause ofarthritis was simply a logical theoryfor a period of time and to myknowledge no study of the freeradical activity in arthritis has beendone in the United States. However,a very good private study wasperformed in Brazil.
The study in Brazil involved 30patients with the purpose ofconfirming the relationship betweenfree radical synthesis and arthritis.
This study was conducted at CentroInternacional de Medicina Preventiain Sao Paulo, Brazil. Even thoughosteoarthritis is a degenerativedisease and rheumatoid arthritis isconsidered to be an autoimmunedisease, they have certain things incommon. The symptoms are similar,and both can severely cripple thepatient.
This clinic regularly used DMSOto treat arthritis patients, and it wasknown that the treatment was of greatbenefit to the patient. However, thisstudy was to verify that DMSO not
only provided clinical improvement,but also reduced the formation offree radicals.
The patients chosen were regularpatients at the clinic. Fifteen of thepatients had osteoarthritis and 15had rheumatoid arthritis. The HLB(Heiton-La Garde-Bradford) testwhich measures the reactive oxygentoxic species was used to test forfree radical production.
The treatment used was the sameas had been used on all arthritispatients for the previous five years.For this study 5ccs of DMSO were
used along with B complex, vitaminC and magnesium sulfate. Aninfusion was given two times a weekfor five weeks, then once a month for18 months. These patients weretested for free radicals before thestudy started, immediately after aDMSO infusion, and again after thestudy was completed. The resultsshowed a 66% decrease in freeradical production after DMSOadministration. Followingcompletion of the study there was a52% decrease in free radicalproduction from the level at the
beginning.With this protocol they have had
good clinical improvement ofsymptoms in over 85% of thepatients with osteoarthritis and 77%of the patients with rheumatoidarthritis. These results were longlasting and obtained without the useof any steroidal or non-steroidalanti-inflammatory drugs.
Nearly all the arthritis patientstreated with DMSO that this writeris familiar with have notedimprovement in both relief of painand increased range of motion. One
patient, who is now 63 years-old,was a high school football andbasketball player. He later ranmarathons (26 miles races) for over20 years. He first noticed increasingpain in his knees and hips. Later hesaid he had pain everywhere. Hisdoctor gave him prescriptions formore powerful pain killers and aninjection of cortisone. He was toldthat he should be on pain killers forthe rest of his life.
This man knew that themedications were harming his body,but he also wanted relief of pain. He
was finally told to try more naturaltreatments. He found that there wasslight improvement when he usedglucosamine sulfate. One year laterhe was introduced to DMSO. A 90%solution of DMSO was applied tohis knees every day, and he alsodrank DMSO—one teaspoonfulevery day in four ounces of juice. Heimmediately started to feel betterand also noted increased energy.Two years later this man has littlepain and says that he can also thinkmore clearly.
Doctors who have treated arthritic
patients with DMSO haverecommended various combinationsand methods of treatment. Someprefer topical application. Othersprefer to have the patient drink theDMSO in juice or water. If thepatient is taking many powerfulmedications it may be necessary totake great care in reducing andfinally eliminating the medication.
Patients who have been on MSM,which is derived from DMSO,usually continue on MSM as it is nottoxic and can be used when thepatient does not want the DMSO
breath odor. Those who are usingglucosamine sulfate also cancontinue using it along with theDMSO.
Some patients have said that theyfeel better if they combine theDMSO with glucosamine sulfate.Others prefer to combine DMSO andMSM. There is no harm in either orboth combinations. The individualdoctor can observe how his patientsperform on the variouscombinations.
Often patients who have been onprescription medication for many
years feel so good that they want tostop all other medication and relysolely on DMSO and other morenatural products. This should not bedone without medical supervision. Ifyou are a patient who has been on aprescription for a long period oftime, you should not stop or reducethe medication on your own nomatter how well you feel. It is bestto consult the doctor who wrote theoriginal prescription and tell him orher that you feel well and would liketo stop the prescription. You mayneed to stop the medication
gradually over a period of days oreven months. If this is the case youneed professional help to avoidpossible severe results.
Any doctor who treats patientswho have arthritis should becomethoroughly familiar with DMSO. Thepatient can be treated topically forlocalized arthritis such as in a fingeror in a knee. The patient can begiven injections or he can take it bymouth. Various combinations can begiven with the doctor making thechoice on how best to use the DMSOto best help the patient.
Chapter 5Athletic Injuries
Athletic injuries have beensuccessfully treated with DMSO fornearly 50 years. When one thinks ofathletic injuries, the usual idea is ofa sudden injury that may requiresurgery, setting of a broken bone, orother trauma that requires immediatemedical treatment. Actually the morecommon injury is the one that comeson gradually or after an intenseworkout or competition. Many times
the patient will say there was nosingle incident, but he thinks thereshould be an incident that caused theinjury.
Actually, any activity or sport thatinvolves constant minor trauma,pounding, or repetitive use of certainmuscles, joints, tendons, etc. canlead to a major problem. Theextreme effort and fatigue involvedin major endurance events, such asmarathons, can cause a continualstress that may show up suddenlyafter many days or months as apainful injury to a knee, hip, or other
part of the body.Repeated small scale trauma to
muscle tissue can accumulate andlead to scar tissue and adhesions.When the muscle is worked too hardrepeatedly, muscle fiber can beseverely damaged or actuallydestroyed. These injuries canactually make heavy exercisecounter-productive in some cases.There is often a narrow marginbetween beneficial exercise andexercise that does damage. This isespecially true of older athletes,such as those in their 60s or 70s.
All the damage listed above canbe greatly reduced with DMSO. It isoften beneficial to take DMSO justbefore and shortly after majorworkouts or competition. As acompetitive runner is his 70s, I usecompounds containing DMSO everyday before I run. Usually it is justapplied on the legs. However, ateaspoonful of DMSO is also takenby mouth in juice prior to importantraces.
What is the reason for usingDMSO both before and aftercompetition? The main reason is to
reduce inflammation. Also DMSO,as mentioned earlier in this book, isone of the most powerful, if not theabsolutely most powerful, freeradical scavenger available. Muchof the damage in injuries is causedby free radicals after the actualinjury. Thus, this damage isprevented or greatly reduced by theproper use of DMSO.
Sam Bell, former track coach atOregon State University, was one ofthe first track coaches to use DMSOfor the treatment of athletic injuries.In 1963 he had two outstanding
runners who were having chronicinjuries that were preventing themfrom training as they should. MorganGroth, his miler, had a very badAchilles tendon, and Norm Hoffman,who ran the 880, had a chronic sorehamstring. So coach Bell took bothathletes to see Dr. Jacob, and hetreated them with DMSO. They wereboth able to get back into heavytraining and both became nationalchampions that year.
Another of Sam Bell’s athleteswas Darrell Horn, one of the toplong jumpers in the country. He had
already graduated from OregonState, and in 1964, he was trainingfor the final trials for the UnitedStates Olympic Team. The finals forthe long jump were on Saturday andon the Wednesday before the meet hetold coach Bell that he was so soreand his hamstring was so discoloredthat he was not going to jump. Bellflew to Los Angeles and startedtreating Horn on Thursday morningeven though the situation lookedhopeless. From the base of hisgluteus to three inches below hisknee he was black and blue, and he
was limping severely. By Saturdayafternoon there was no discolorationor soreness. He jumped and missedmaking the American Olympic Teamby three quarters of an inch.
June Connelley, who attractedworld-wide attention as a distancerunner in 1967 and 1968, is anotherathlete who was greatly helped withDMSO.
In the late 1960’s women were notallowed to officially compete in anyAmateur Athletic Union authorizedrace of over one mile. This has allchanged, and now women routinely
run in official races of all distances.However, 45 years ago women werereally treated as the weaker sex, andit was feared by some people thatthe physical demands of running along race could damage the femalebody.
Under these conditions, Junedecided that she could and should bea marathon runner. She was not fast,but she was strong, determined, andhad good endurance. There wereother problems. She was blind andhad been blind since birth. She wasalso 39 years old. First she needed a
coach, so she called this writer andexplained the situation. Since shelived in San Francisco, and I lived400 miles away in Los Angeles, Itold her I would find a coach for herin the San Francisco area as I knewseveral track coaches up there.
It turned out that none of the SanFrancisco coaches were interested.One of them told me he was notinterested in coaching a woman,especially one who was blind.“Besides,” he said. “You know it isnot legal for her to run over one milein any race. She’s crazy to want to
run a marathon. She could have aheart attack. She could also falldown and break a bone. You shouldreally try to talk her out of doinganything this crazy.”
Since it was impossible to findher a coach in San Francisco, Ifinally told her: “If you are crazyenough to try to run a marathon inspite of the difficulties you know youwill face, I am crazy enough to beyour coach.”
She then gained the support ofJames K. McGee, a sports editor forthe San Francisco Examiner, a
newspaper in San Francisco. Hewrote several excellent sportsarticles about her running. She wasable to get an assistant coach, DonFletcher, through one of Mr.McGee’s articles. A San Franciscodoctor also became interested inJune’s running and promised her freemedical treatment to help herrunning.
It soon became obvious that Junehad major problems when shetrained hard. She had trouble withher Achilles tendon. She had otheraches and pains in both legs. These
were all treated with DMSO. Finallyshe started using DMSO every dayon both legs and feet before she ran.This greatly reduced the chance ofinjury and made her training easier.
June’s first race was the PointReyes marathon, which was locatednorth of San Francisco in December,1967. When we arrived, the raceofficials informed us that she couldnot compete because she was awoman. She was not even to runalong the public roads on which therace was to be run.
Tony Stratta, one of the official
competitors who ranks among thelife time leaders in total miles run incompetition in the United States,asked the officials why they did notwant her to run. He pointed out thatthe race was on public roads, andshe should be given the chance tosee if she could run 26 miles andcompete with the men.
She was finally allowed to rununofficially and finished the racealong with her coaches who ran therace with her. After he finished therace Mr. Stratta also came back torun the final two miles with June.
One of the officials even gave Junean orange which caused Mr. McGeeto write an article in the SanFrancisco Examiner asking: “Wasthe AAU Saved by an Orange?”
The Point Reyes race was just atune up for the Artesia CollegeMarathon in Artesia, New Mexico,which was held on February 17,1968. This was one of the largestmarathons at that time, and everyone—young, old, male, or female wasencouraged to run.
Eight days before the ArtesiaCollege Marathon, June was running
with her guide dog and stepped intoa hole in the sidewalk, twisting herright ankle. For awhile it looked likeshe would not run at Artesia. Herankle was sprained and swollen.DMSO was applied to the sprainedankle immediately after the injury.She always carried a small bottlewith her when she ran. After theapplication of the DMSO the anklefelt better. However, she wasadvised not to run for the next twodays. After the two day break, sheresumed running lightly until the dayof the race.
June ran an excellent race inArtesia. Prior to the race, DMSOwas applied to both legs and arms.She also drank one teaspoon ofDMSO in cranberry juiceapproximately one hour prior to therace. June finished third among thewomen at Artesia. She finished178th out of 406 runners, male andfemale, who finished the 26 milerace. Without DMSO it is verydoubtful that she would have evenrun the race. In this instance DMSOreally saved the day for us.
What role did June Connelley andDMSO play in later decisions toallow women to officially competein longer races? We do not know forsure. However, June received verygood publicity for her running. Shedemonstrated that it was possible fora woman who was blind to run amarathon with no damage to herbody. It was not long after June’srunning that the official rules startedto change so that now women areallowed to officially run races of alldistances.
A large number of professional
athletes have used DMSO over thelast 40 years. Most don’t want totalk about it. Even though DMSO isnot a banned substance or listed as aperformance enhancing drug, mostprofessional athletes do not like totalk about what they use to reducedown time or to control pain.
Availability to compete is the mostimportant thing to an athlete. If aprofessional athlete is seriouslyinjured and unable to compete earlyin his career, the loss of income canbe many millions of dollars. Thereare those who say that we still need
double blind studies even forathletic injuries. No athlete wants tobe in a control group, and no athleteshould be in a control group whileothers that he has to compete againstare using DMSO. All athletes shouldknow about DMSO and feelcompletely free to use it and discussit openly for any purpose for whichit may be desired.
As this book was being written,there was much concern about braindamage suffered by professionalfootball players who were retired.The brain damage was not the result
of a single major injury. The damagecame from repeated head traumaduring years of hard physical contactwhile playing football.
Could this brain damage havebeen reduced by the routine use ofDMSO after every football game andalso after every practice where therewas physical contact where the headwas hit or badly shaken? The answeris that most likely the use of DMSOby all players would greatly reducethe chance of major mental problemsin the later years of these athletes.
All of the football players could
have DMSO applied to their headsafter every game and practice. Thisincludes those that have no injury ornoticeable damage to the head.Those that showed any sign ofpossible head injury could alsoreceive the DMSO by injection, thusreducing the possibility of long termdamage.
Boxers who are always hit in thehead in every boxing match shouldalso receive DMSO treatment afterevery fight. Various methods oftreatment should be tried. DMSOcould be applied topically to the
head of every boxer, and those whoare knocked out or receive headdamage could also receiveintravenous DMSO immediatelyafter the fight. This treatment wouldundoubtedly lead to a healthier,happier old age for these athletes.
How about football players,boxers, and other athletes whocompeted at high levels in contactsports years ago and are now retiredfrom active competition? Theyshould all be using DMSO. Thetreatment can be as simple as topicalapplication to the head for symptoms
of brain damage or to prevent thesesymptoms. The pateitn could alsodrink the DMSO in juice or water orthe DMSO could be injected. Alsothe DMSO could be given incombination with other products tofurther improve the results.
Injuries are to be expected in anyextreme athletic competition, butevery effort should be made toreduce these injuries and also toallow the athlete to recover fromthese injuries as rapidly and ascompletely as possible.
With the proper use of DMSO,
these athletes can not only reducedown time, but also reduce thepossibility of long term disability.
Chapter 6Brain Injuries
Severe brain damage, such as thatcaused by automobile accidents,industrial accidents, falls, or othertrauma, can be very difficult to treatby conventional methods. Theseinjuries result in a combination ofdamage involving nerve injury, freeradical formation, edema, decreasedblood flow, and a lack of oxygen.The unique properties of DMSOmake it the most useful agent known
in treating severe head injuries.DMSO treatment should be started
as soon as possible after the injury.However, the statements in somestudies and books that treatment mustbe started within four hours of theinjury are not true. There is nodefinite time limit. Generally thebest results are obtained if treatmentis started in the first few minutesafter the injury. It is a case of thesooner the better and better late thannever.
If there is a delay of many hours,there is often permanent damage.
Brain tissue is very fragile and candeteriorate rapidly if it is deprivedof oxygen. When treatment isdelayed certain brain functions canbe destroyed permanently or thepatient can die.
The usual DMSO treatment forsevere head injuries is by theintravenous slow drip method. Up tofive grams per kilogram of bodyweight have been given over a 24hour period with no toxic sideeffects. After the first 24 hours, thedosage is usually reduced to two orthree grams per kilogram of body
weight per day. Often on the first dayof treatment the first part of theDMSO dosage is given more rapidlyfor the first hour of treatment.
Even though the intravenous slowdrip method is considered to be thebest DMSO treatment for severehead injuries, it does not mean thatthis should be the first DMSOtreatment. Treatment should start assoon as possible. This may mean thatthe first DMSO treatment should beby an ambulance crew. The treatmentcould be topical application to thehead. Once the patient is in the
hospital, the DMSO can then begiven by the intravenous route.
When DMSO is infused there is animmediate increase in blood flow tothe brain. In head or brain injurymuch of the permanent damage iscaused by a reduction of blood flowinto the brain. The reduced bloodflow can result in a lack of oxygenand nutrients to brain tissue. If thislasts for a significant period of time,part or all of the brain can bedamaged or killed. The final resultcan be the death of the patient.
Another cause of death or
disability in head injuries is anaccumulation of blood thatcompresses the brain. The use ofDMSO which results in better bloodflow can help the vascular systemremove this excess blood from thecranial cavity.
Water can also accumulate in thebrain causing pressure on vital partsof the brain. DMSO is the bestproduct available to remove thisexcess water.
Ten patients with closed headtrauma and elevated intracranialpressure were treated with
intravenous DMSO in the Divisionof Neurological Surgery at theUniversity of Dicle in Turkey.3 Theten patients all had severe closedhead injury and had an intracranialpressure monitor installed epidurallythrough a burr hole shortly afteradmission. The intracranial pressureof these patients at the time ofadmission to the hospital rangedfrom 40 to 127 mm Hg compared toa normal reading of 5 to 13 mm Hg.
DMSO was given by intravenousdrip every six hours at a dose of
1.12 grams per kilogram of bodyweight. Four of the patients receivedoxygen for the first 24 hours afteradmission. The dosage of DMSOwas reduced by 50 percent when theintracranial pressure dropped to 10mm Hg and was continued until theintracranial pressure returned tonormal or full recovery wasobtained.
All patients responded positivelyto the treatment with an averagereduction of intracranial pressureafter 24 hours of 28 mm Hg withDMSO alone and 39 mm Hg with
DMSO and oxygen. After six daysthe average intracranial pressurereduction was 58 mm Hg for DMSOalone and 49 mm Hg with DMSOand oxygen. The lowering of theintracranial pressure was very fast.In most cases the pressure wasdropped within the first 30 minutesof treatment. Most patients requiredtreatment for two to 10 days todiminish fluctuation in intracranialpressure.
The reduction in brain swellingfollowing DMSO treatment wasconfirmed by CT scans. All patients
had a neurological assessment sixdays after the DMSO treatment. Sixpatients had mild or no problems,two had moderate impairment, andtwo had severe impairment. Twopatients eventually died of theirinjuries. In a follow up exam threemonths after discharge sevenpatients had minimal to noimpairment while one patientshowed no improvement.
The conclusion was that this studyshows that DMSO is effective inreducing intracranial pressure inpatients with closed head injury.
This study showed improvement inboth neurological function and insurvival of the patients. There wereno adverse side effects, and theDMSO proved safe in relativelyhigh doses over a 10 day period.The researchers recommended moreextensive clinical trials in patientswith severe injuries.
Jessie Yurick, who now lives inLos Angeles, was 13 years old withan IQ of 165 in August of 1998 whenshe was thrown off a horse. Thehorse then landed on her headcrushing her safety helmet. Her skull
would have been completely crushedwithout the helmet. She wasunconscious for a short time.
On the way to the hospital theparamedics tried to keep herconscious. At this time she waspartially conscious and drifting offand on into reality. She was notrational for the next six hours. Shethen slept for 16 hours. For the nextsix weeks she was unable to standby herself. She had severe short termmemory problems. She said her legsfelt like they were asleep for fourweeks after the accident.
She had severe memory problemsthat continued for 13 years. She hadnerve failure where she would dropthings. She was given a variety ofmedications to help relieve hersymptoms, especially her foggyheadaches. None of thesemedications provided much reliefand the side effects were oftenworse than the problem.
Over 13 years later in late 2011she received her first injection ofDMSO. Her mental clarity improvedafter her first injection. She hadmore energy and became more
positive. As this book is beingwritten her condition is improvingrapidly, and she is looking forwardto the future.
Based on the proceeding study andother research, it is the opinion ofthis author that all patients withsevere head injuries should receiveDMSO treatment. There have beenno harmful side effects, and theproper use of DMSO could save thelife of many patients with severehead injuries.
Chapter 7Burns
Skin lotions containing DMSO haveproven effective in treating burns.Severe burns that cover wide areasof the body can not only be verypainful, but these burns can also befatal. Besides the actual tissuedamage, the burn area can becomeinfected.
A Santa Barbara, California cookwas carrying a large flat container ofhot grease that was nearly boiling.
He slipped and fell in the kitchen ofthe restaurant splattering the greaseover a large part of his body. Thecook was rushed to the doctor andwas found to have second degreeburns over much of his body. It wasdecided to use a lotion containing50% DMSO and 50% aloe vera onthe patient’s burns. The firstapplication of lotion was doneimmediately. Another applicationwas made one hour later. A thirdapplication was made three hoursafter the second. Following this thelotion was applied every eight hours
for the next two days.This man completely recovered
from his severe burns. The doctorlater said that with any othertreatment, recovery would have beenslower, and there would possiblyhave been major complications. Onething he said was certain. Therewould definitely have been majorscarring that would nevercompletely go away. This patientwas off work two days. It wasestimated that if he had not beengiven the DMSO treatment, he wouldhave taken over one week to recover
sufficiently to return to work.DMSO lotions have also been
used for other types of burns. Theapplication of a DMSO-aloe veralotion will often prevent theformation of blisters when a personburns a hand on a hot pan. DMSOhas also been used to relievesunburn. Most doctors who treatmajor burns with DMSO have foundthe best results come from lotionsthat combine the DMSO with aloevera.
Chapter 8DMSO and
Conventional Therapy inthe Treatment of Cancer
Patients
DMSO has been used successfully inthe treatment of cancer for nearly 50years. There are several propertiesof DMSO that would tend to makeDMSO one of the most importantproducts known to treat cancer. It isa powerful free radical scavenger
and detoxifying agent. It can passthrough body tissue and individualcells in the body taking othermedications with it. DMSO is anti-cancer by itself and much more sowhen combined with other anti-cancer medications.
Any one of these importantproperties would indicate thatDMSO could be effective in treatingcancer. When all of these propertiesare combined in one product, wehave an agent that is one of the mostpotent anti-cancer medicines known.
Controlled studies have shown
DMSO by itself to have a positiveeffect on cultured leukemia cells.One of the earliest tests reportedwas conducted by Dr. CharlotteFriend, one of the world’s topvirologists. In experimentsconducted at Mt. Sinai Hospital inNew York City, she found that whenDMSO was added to the test culture,the cancer cells changed and becamelike normal cells.
Another study conducted at NovaUniversity in Fort Lauderdale,Florida, combined DMSO with thecancer drug cyclophosphamide, an
ester of nitrogen mustard. Whengiven straight the cyclophosphamidelowered the white blood cell countof test rats, and in high doses itkilled the rats. When DMSO wasgiven in a low dose in drinkingwater along with a low dose ofcyclophosphamide there was stronganti-cancer activity without thelowered white blood cell count. Ifthe treatment was given earlyenough, the cancers that wereimplanted in the rats were killed,and a number of the rats wereconsidered cured.
In tests at other hospitals andmedical clinics organisms frequentlyfound in cancer patients andsuspected as a cause of somecancers stopped growing whenDMSO was added to the culture.Other tests have shown that DMSO,both by itself and in combinationwith other products, has greatlyenhanced the immune system of thebody.
A major cancer study that ispossibly the most important cancerresearch ever done was conducted in
Chile between 1969 and 1971.4 Acombination of DMSO, amino acids,and cyclophosphamide was used on65 cancer patients at MilitaryHospital in Santiago. All patientswere classified as incurable, andmost had previously been treatedwith conventional methods. None ofthe patients had responded favorablyto the conventional treatment, and allwere expected to die from theircancers.
The toxicity of cyclophosphamideand other chemotherapeutic agents
reduces the length of time they canbe used. The toxicity of straightchemotherapy also often kills thepatient before it kills the cancer. Inthis study the cyclophosphamide wasdissolved in DMSO which greatlyreduces its toxicity and at the sametime increases its anti-canceractivity.
Oncologists disagree on whatdose of cyclophosphamide is mosteffective in treating cancer. In thisstudy it was decided not to use highand spaced doses of 10-30 mg/kg ofbody weight by intravenous injection
because these doses are dangerousto patients that are very weak, aswere most of the patients in thisstudy.
It was decided to give 4-5 mg/kgof body weight either daily or everyother day until 3 to 4 grams had beengiven if the patient did not have anyadverse side effects. When the firstcycle of treatment was completed,injections were stopped for 12 to 15days after which another cycle wasoften administered until another 3 to4 grams had been given.
Resumption of cycles depended on
the remission of the cancer and thegeneral condition of the patient. Thetotal dose of cyclophosphamidegiven to the patient varied with theaverage total dose being 6.4 grams.The maximum was 25 grams given toa patient who was treated for overone year. The average total dose of6.4 grams, which is considered to below, was sufficient to obtain aremission in a majority of thepatients without causing a serioustoxic reaction.
The best results were obtained bypatients with lymphomas. Twenty
two patients were treated with allpatients showing subjectiveremission and 21 of them alsohaving objective remission. Eventhough all remissions did not lastand some patients with remissionsdid not survive, results were muchbetter than would normally beexpected.
Objective or subjectiveremissions were obtained in 57 ofthe 65 patients involved in the study.Many of these patients were inextreme pain, and some of thesewere able to completely discontinue
the use of morphine and other painkillers during treatment. Normallythe pain caused by the side effects ofchemotherapy can be extreme. In thisstudy pain was reduced, notincreased, during treatment.
A Los Angeles, Californiaoncologist had a critically illlymphosarcoma patient that he didnot expect to live. The patient andhis family were told about theprognosis. The patient then asked hisdoctor about using DMSO to treathis cancer. The doctor then told thepatient that it was possible that he
could survive low dosechemotherapy combined with DMSOand that the treatment was legal, buthe could not guarantee that thetreatment would be successful.
The doctor decided to give thispatient intravenous slow dripinjections of 4 mg/kg of body weightof cyclophosphamide dissolved in 1gm/kg of body weight of DMSO.This was given in a normal salinesolution four times a week for sixweeks.
The patient respondedimmediately. After one week of
treatment he felt better. There werenone of the expected side effects ofcyclophosphamide, He actually feltbetter while taking thechemotherapy. At the conclusion ofhis six week treatment the patientsaid he felt stronger and healthierthan he had felt in years.
This patient also changed his lifestyle. He had smoked over one packof cigarettes a day his entire adultlife and also admitted that heprobably drank too much beer. Hequit both the cigarettes and beerbefore treatment started and
promised to never use them again.Six years after treatment for terminallymphosarcoma this man was aliveand enjoying good health.
Most, if not all, cancer patients onchemotherapy should receive DMSOas part of their treatment. Sideeffects of chemotherapy are oftenextreme and can be fatal. DMSOreduces and sometimes eliminatesthese toxic side effects, and at thesame time it enhances the positiveaspects of the chemotherapy. Withthe proper use of DMSO andchemotherapy cancer survival rates
could undoubtedly be greatlyincreased.
Radiation Therapy for Cancer
The radio protective properties ofDMSO have been known for over 40years. Therefore, it is logical thatDMSO should be used as aprotective agent when any cancerpatient is given radiation. This ideawas tested in a study involvingcervical cancer patients in Russiaand was reported in the Russianradiological journal Meditsinkskaia
Radiological.5In this study DMSO was applied
topically to 22 cervical cancerpatients prior to radiation treatment.The control group consisted of 59patients who received radiationwithout the protection of DMSO.The DMSO protected patients didnot get the radiation burns normallyexpected from this treatment. Thecontrol group had the normallyexpected radiation burns along withother toxic reactions.
A Los Angeles lady was suffering
from lung cancer. Her doctordecided that she should receiveheavy doses of radiation to bothlungs. She then told the doctor thatshe wanted to use DMSO whilereceiving the radiation. The doctorthen told her that she was not to useDMSO or any other product withouthis approval as it could interferewith the radiation treatment.Actually some studies have shownthat DMSO not only providesprotection against the toxic effects ofthe radiation, but it also makes theradiation more effective against the
cancer.At the conclusion of treatment the
doctor considered the radiation to besuccessful. However, this ladysuffered severe radiation burns toboth lungs. She required oxygen forthree months after the conclusion ofher radiation treatments. During herworst breathing episodes she wasnot sure that she would survive.
DMSO therapy that should havebeen given during her radiationtreatments started during the weekafter the termination of the radiationtherapy. This lady received DMSO
by injection once a week, drank oneteaspoonful twice a day in juice, andapplied a lotion containing DMSO toher chest twice a day. Recoveryfrom the radiation burns was rapid.However, based on the Russianstudy she could probably haveavoided these radiation burnsentirely by the use of topical DMSObefore each radiation treatment.
Another Los Angeles lady wassuffering from lung cancer and wasreferred to a radiologist whodecided that this lady should receivea heavy dose of radiation. This
radiologist informed the lady that hethought she should receive intenseradiation. He also told her that thisradiation could severely burn herlungs, and if her lungs were notprotected the treatment could causemore harm than good.
This radiologist knew about theRussian study and how the use ofDMSO could reduce or eliminateradiation burns. It was mutuallyagreed that just prior to the radiationDMSO would be applied topicallyto the patient. The radiationtreatment went much better than the
patient expected. She had no burnsor other adverse side effects fromthe radiation.
Three years after treatment thispatient says that she feels healthyand expects to live many more years.Her doctor agrees and says that it ishis opinion that the heavy dose ofradiation would have beenimpossible without DMSO. Hethinks the patient would now bedead without the combinationtreatment.
Chapter 9DMSO and Laetrile in
Treating CancerPatients
DMSO has been used in combinationwith laetrile in the treatment ofcancer since the 1970’s. It has beenused in a wide variety of ways,including intravenous injections bothby the slow drip method and by apush. It has also been administeredby intramuscular injections and
applied topically directly to thecancer. After the initial treatment, thepatient frequently takes laetriletablets and DMSO by mouth.
The DMSO laetrile combinationby the intravenous slow drip methodwas first officially used by ElmerThomassen MD in Newport Beach,California in 1977. An artist fromNew York who had over 30melanoma tumors on widelyscattered parts of his body wasflown to California for treatment.This patient was placed on acontinuous slow drip using DMSO,
laetrile, and vitamin C. In additionDMSO and laetrile were appliedtopically to his largest tumors.
This patient had an especiallylarge tumor on his shoulder, which iswhere his cancer originally started.The original cancer had beensurgically removed but grew back asother cancer tumors appeared onother parts of his body. This largetumor shrank by nearly 50 percentprior to the death of the patient.
Even though this first patient didnot live, the treatment wasconsidered successful. He was in
very serious condition and wasconsidered to be terminal with onlya few days to live when the DMSO-laetrile treatment was started. Hehad a major reduction in pain and hiscondition seemed to improve. Thedoctor that admitted this patient tothe hospital where he died originallyhad no real hope for the patient, butafter one week of treatment, hethought the patient might recover.
The second patient officiallytreated with the DMSO-laetrileintravenous combination was a ladywho was near death with cancer of
the tongue along with astaphylococcus infection. She wasmoved from a hospital to the homeof her brother, a medical doctor inPasadena, California.
This lady was unable to takeanything by mouth. DMSO, laetrile,and vitamin C were put in herintravenous solution as soon as shewas removed from the hospital. Atthis time the doctor when told thatthe treatment should help his sistersaid “We will know in a couple ofdays. If she is still alive after two orthree days, it will mean that the
treatment is successful.”Three days later this lady was
eating soft food. Three months latershe was leading a normal life andhad gained over 20 pounds. She wasconcerned about her looks and thefact that she was too thin. Sheremembered nothing about leavingthe hospital or what had happenedduring her worst days. However, bythis time this lady was well on herway to complete recovery.
The patient’s doctor later said thatwhen the treatment first started hedid not think there was any
possibility that she would live forone week. He went along with theexperiment only because his sisterwas terminal and he wanted to doeverything possible to save her life.He said that it was the most dramaticrecovery he had seen in over 30years of practicing medicine.
This patient continued to useDMSO along with laetrile tablets forseveral years after her recovery toreduce the chance of the cancerreturning. At last contact nearly 10years after starting treatment thislady was alive and in good health.
Inoperable brain cancer is usuallyfatal within a short time. In 1979,following brain surgery, a 19 yearold lady was told that part of hertumor could not be removed. Thesurgery was expected to reduceseizures and possibly giveadditional months of life. However,the surgeon gave no hope for longterm survival and said death wouldprobably occur in less than sixmonths.
The family of this young womandecided to have her treated withDMSO and laetrile at the
Degenerative Disease MedicalCenter in Las Vegas, Nevada.DMSO was administered at the rateof one gram per kilogram of bodyweight (about two ounces) alongwith six grams of laetrile and 25grams of vitamin C over a four hourperiod each day. Treatment wascontinued for three weeks.
Following the formal treatment atthe medical center the patientcontinued on oral DMSO, laetriletablets, and vitamins. She was alsoplaced on a healthy diet thatemphasized natural and raw foods.
Over 20 years later this patient wasalive and enjoying relatively goodhealth. Since no brain scan wasperformed since the original surgery,no one knows what happened to thetumor.
A more recent example of apatient who was treated with theDMSO and laetrile by the slow dripmethod was a 56 year old man inLos Angeles. He was suffering fromprostate cancer. However, he saidthat the prostate cancer did notconcern him that much. His mainconcern was radiation cystitis which
was caused by radiation given totreat his cancer. A surgeon who wastreating the patient also said thecystitis was the most immediateproblem as the man was bleedingheavily and had recently had severaltransfusions.
Even though the radiation cystitiswas top priority, it was possible totreat both the cystitis and cancer atthe same time. This patient received3 ounces of DMSO along with 25grams of vitamin C and six grams oflaetrile by an intravenous slow dripfive days a week for five weeks. He
also drank one teaspoonful ofDMSO in two ounces of aloe verajuice the same five days a week. OnSaturday and Sunday he drank thealoe vera juice and DMSO twice aday.
There was greatly reducedbleeding after three days oftreatment. Two weeks later thebleeding completely stopped. At thistime the patient said he felt betterand stronger than he had felt inmonths. Three years later this mansays he is now feeling the best hehas ever felt. He still drinks the
DMSO in aloe vera juice every dayand says that he intends to stay onthis program for the rest of his life.
Many doctors in the United States,Mexico, and other countries havereported success using laetrile andDMSO to treat patients with brain,liver, pancreas, and other cancersthat were considered terminal. Thesedoctors explain that the treatment isnormally more effective thanchemotherapy or radiation. It alsohas few or no adverse side effects.
Opponents of laetrile, which isalso called amygdalin or vitamin B-
17, make much of the fact that itcontains cyanide which ispoisonous. They ignore the fact thatmany substances that are deadly insufficient amounts are required bythe body. They also ignore the factthat all chemotherapy drugs are toxicand can kill the patient as well ascancer cells. The hope withchemotherapy is that it will kill thecancer before it kills the patient. Aspointed out in the previous chapter,the use of DMSO makes thechemotherapy more toxic to thecancer cells and helps protect the
normal cells.How does laetrile work, and why
are toxic substances released only atthe cancer site? When the laetrile iscarried through the body, it isnecessary to have a substance toactivate the poison. The substance isan enzyme called betaglucuronidase. This enzyme is notfound to any dangerous degreeanywhere in the body except at thecancer cell where it is alwayspresent in great quantities. The resultis the laetrile is activated at thecancer cell and nowhere else. The
action between the laetrile and betaglucuronidase causes the release ofhydrocyanic acid and benzaldehyde,both of which are poisonous bythemselves. However, thecombination is many times moredeadly than either one working byitself.
Normal cells produce anotherenzyme called rhodanese whichcancer cells are unable to produce.Rhodanese neutralizes cyanide andconverts it instantly into byproductsthat are beneficial to the body. Thisenzyme is found in every part of the
body except the cancer cell.Beta glucuronidase is found in
various concentrations throughoutthe body, especially in the spleenand liver. However, these organscontain an even greaterconcentration of rhodanese. Healthytissue is protected by this excess ofrhodanese. The cancer cell whichhas the greater concentration of betaglucuronidase and is totally lackingin rhodanese is thereby completelydefenseless against cyanide.
The diagram on the next pageshows how laetrile works to kill the
cancer cell, not the cancer patient.
Chapter 10Carpal Tunnel
Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is the mostcommonly reported repetitive straininjury in the workplace. It is causedby compression of the median nervewhich results in neuropathy of thenerve. The median nerve is the nervein the wrist that supplies feelingsand movement to parts of the hand.The compression of the mediannerve can lead to numbness, tingling,
weakness, or muscle damage to thehands and fingers. Long term carpaltunnel syndrome can lead topermanent nerve damage and atrophyof some of the muscles in the handsand fingers.
The conventional treatment hasbeen night splints and cortisoneinjections. Various anti-inflammatorydrugs have also been used. When allelse failed, surgery was used to cutthe transverse carpal ligament.Surgery has resulted in mixedresults. Some patients have foundthat surgery actually made the
condition worse.Some patients who tried various
drugs and even surgery havereported dramatic results with theuse of DMSO. Others have reportedsimilar results with MSM(methylsulfonylmethane), a naturalsubstance found in food and thehuman body which can also bederived from DMSO. Here we willonly talk about DMSO, even thoughMSM has also proven helpful.
DMSO can provide a number ofbenefits to the person with carpaltunnel syndrome. First DMSO is an
anti-inflammatory without any of theharmful side effects of somecommonly used anti-inflammatorydrugs. This is very importantbecause inflammation in the wristcan cause compression on themedian nerve. DMSO can also helpby improving circulation in the areaand reducing pain.
One Los Angeles man with carpaltunnel syndrome was especiallytroubled with one of his thumbs. Hewas diagnosed with “trigger thumb”where his thumb would be so stiff inone position that he could not move
it. He had previously had handsurgery. He said the surgery madethe condition worse.
This man was finally treated withtopical DMSO. The DMSO wasapplied twice a day to his thumb, allfingers, his hand and his arm up tohis elbow. Relief was immediate.He felt better after the firstapplication, and he had no problemat all with the thumb after twoweeks. He considered himself to becured.
Chapter 11Cirrhosis of the Liver
Cirrhosis of the liver can result in avery unpleasant death for the patient.A number of patients near thedowntown area of Los Angeles whowere heavy users of alcohol, hadpoor diets, and lived mostly on thestreets were ill, vomiting, and hadother digestive symptoms. A groupof these patients were found to besuffering from cirrhosis of the liver.These patients were considered
terminal, but they did want to live.First they were told that they couldpossibly be helped with anexperimental program using DMSO.They were told that if it wasdiscovered that they were drinkingany beer, wine, or other alcoholicbeverage, they would be droppedfrom the program.
These patients were given oneteaspoonful of DMSO in one ounceof aloe vera juice two times a dayfor a period of six months. Twelvepatients started the program, andeight continued for the full six
months. These eight patients allexperienced greatly improvedhealth, greatly reduced vomiting, andimproved liver function tests. Priorto treatment all eight of thesepatients were expected to be deadwithin one year. However, after oneyear all were alive and functioningbetter than when they had firststarted the study.
This study does not mean that aperson who has severe liver damagecan simply use DMSO and continueto abuse his body with alcohol orother products. The patient must also
stop the process that is damaging tothe body. DMSO does help to healthe body naturally.
Chapter 12Diabetes
Patients with both Type 1 and Type 2diabetes have reported good resultsusing DMSO as part of theirtreatment. This does not mean thepatient can stop using insulin.However, some patients have beenable to reduce the use of insulinthrough daily use of DMSO. Nopatient should change his insulinwithout the approval of his doctor.
DMSO has shown great potential
in treating diabetic neuropathy. Thisis often a major problem in olderpeople who have suffered fromdiabetes for many years. A goodexample of this is a Los Angelesarea man who had diabetes all hislife. By the time he was 64 years oldhe was having trouble walking. Hehad poor circulation and sufferedfrom severe neuropathy of the lowerlegs and both feet. He said he couldnot even feel the ground when hewalked. This man was treated withtopical DMSO twice a day on bothfeet and legs. He also drank one
teaspoon of DMSO in juice everyevening after dinner. He wasinstructed to be more carefulfollowing his diabetic diet. Eventhough he did not like it, he was alsogiven an exercise program. He wastold that if he did not do everythingcorrectly, he would probablycompletely lose his ability to walk.
Within a few weeks the feelingstarted to return to his feet. He couldfeel when his feet hit the ground.This man will probably remain oninsulin for the rest of his life, butwith the proper use of DMSO, diet,
and exercise, he is able to enjoy ahappier, more active life.
Another severe diabetic caseinvolved a Ventura, Californiaengineer with circulation problemsin his feet. He was told that two toesshould be surgically removed. Therewas no chance to save the toes andany delay could result in loss of atleast part of the foot according to thesurgeon. This engineer was totallyopposed to amputation. DMSO wasapplied topically to all the toes, bothfeet and both legs. The toes thatwere scheduled to be amputated
gradually improved so no surgerywas done.
DMSO improves the blood supplyby dilating the small blood vesselsthereby increasing circulation to theextremities. DMSO should be part ofthe normal medical treatment ofevery diabetic. The treatment shouldnot wait until there is a majorcirculation problem whereamputation is considered. Preventionof the problem should be the goal. Itis probable that most diabeticrelated amputations could beprevented with routine DMSO
treatment for all diabetics.
Chapter 13Digestive Problems
Digestive disorders of various typescan be very difficult to treat andeven more difficult to diagnose. Agood example involved an eight yearold girl in Los Angeles who vomiteddaily after breakfast. She was arecent immigrant to the United Statesand was staying with an aunt. Shewas taken to a doctor who said thatthe girl was suffering from internalbleeding. He referred the girl to a
specialist who found that she had apartial blockage caused by a verybad fungus infection.
The specialist thought that theinfected part of the intestinal tractwould probably have to be removedby surgery. Some conventional antifungus medications were triedwithout success. As a last resultbefore surgery, it was decided to tryDMSO. She was given ½ a teaspoonfull of DMSO in one ounce of aloevera diluted with two ounces ofwater after breakfast and dinner. Thevomiting stopped after three days.
The treatment was discontinued. Aweek later, the symptoms returned.After this, the treatment was resumedand continued for two weeks afterall the symptoms had disappeared.Fifteen years later the problem hadnot returned.
This is an example of an openminded doctor who wanted to avoidsurgery on a child. His decision totry DMSO before resorting tosurgery saved the girl from majorintestinal surgery that could havecaused her trouble for the rest of herlife.
Many DMSO studies have beenconducted by Dr. Aws Salim,regarded by many as the topresearcher in treating free radicaldamage. Several studies have beenconducted under his direction to seeif gastric problems could be reducedby the proper use of free radicalscavengers.
One study investigated whetherstress induced mucosal injury inpatients with pelvic fractures andhypovolemic shock could bereduced by the use of DMSO or
allopurinol.6 This study included177 patients with 57 receivingDMSO, 62 receiving allopurinol,and 58 serving as controls. Patientsin both the DMSO and allopurinolgroups showed positive results overthose in the control group.
During the first three days afterhospitalization 13 patients in thecontrol group developed stressinduced gastric mucosal injury whileonly two patients in each of theDMSO and allopurinol groupdeveloped this injury. Eight patients
in the control group and one patientin the allopurinol group deterioratedso that emergency surgery wasrequired. Three patients in thecontrol group died shortly aftersurgery while all patients in theDMSO and allopurinol groupssurvived.
The conclusion of this study wasthat free radicals are implicated instress induced gastric mucosal injuryand that removing the free radicalsprovides protection and reduces thechance of death from this injury.
Another study by Dr. Salim was
conducted to determine whether ornot free radicals are involved in therecurrence of duodenal ulcers. Thisstudy involved 302 patients withulcers that had healed. All patientswere smokers and social drinkers.These patients were dividedrandomly into four groups to receiveeither DMSO, allopurinol,cimetidine, or to serve as a placebofor a one year period.
The relapse rate where the ulcerreturned during the year was placebo65%, cimetidine 30%, DMSO 13%and allopurinol 12%. While the
conventional treatment of cimetidinewas much more effective than theplacebo this study showed that thefree radical scavengers DMSO andallopurinol provided the bestprotection against the return ofduodenal ulcers.
Five ulcer patients in New YorkCity had suffered from duodenalulcers off and on for over 10 years.All were social drinkers, and it wassuspected that the drinking washeavier than admitted in at least twoof the patients. These patients wereall treated with one teaspoonful of
DMSO in two ounces of aloe verajuice three times a day until the ulcerwas shown endoscopically to havehealed. During the next year thepatients were advised to take oneteaspoonful of DMSO in two ouncesof aloe vera juice every evening.
These patients were all examinedmonthly during the one year testperiod. All reported that they had noulcer symptoms. Their health wasbetter than expected, and their workattendance was excellent. Three ofthe patients did not miss any workdays because of illness during the
test period. Breath odor wascontrolled with chlorophyll andbreath mints.
Ulcers and acute gastric mucosalinjury can not only provide thepatient with much pain, they can alsoresult in the death of the patientunless properly treated. DMSOtreatment is easy for the doctor andthe patient and should probably betried on every ulcer patient.
An interesting case where thepatient was originally misdiagnosedinvolved a 55 year old woman withsevere digestive problems. She was
suffering from internal bleeding,shortness of breath, overallweakness, and fainting spells thatwere becoming increasingly worse.She finally consulted with a topspecialist at a well known medicalcenter in California. This doctordiagnosed her with angiodysplasia,an age related deterioration of thegastro-intestinal tract.
By then her hemoglobin was downto 5.0 and she required an immediateblood transfusion. After that theprescribed treatment consisted ofintravenous iron injections. When
the iron injections failed to stabilizeher hemoglobin, regular bloodtransfusions were given every fewmonths in addition to the intravenousiron. This continued over a period ofthree years. This treatment createdother complications, and by late2005 as her condition grew worseshe was considered terminal. Shewas receiving blood transfusionsevery month by this time, but thehematologist that was treating hersaid she had the potential for suddenmassive bleeding at any time. Whilehe did not know when this would
occur the hematologist said it wouldprobably happen within the next sixmonths with a fatal result.
At this time her daughter did someinvestigating on her own and foundsomeone else to also treat hermother. It was discovered that shedid not have angiodysplasia. She didhave deterioration of the gastric-intestinal tract, but it was not agerelated.
This lady had suffered fromsevere chronic headaches since shewas a girl. She began self-medication with aspirin to control
the pain in her head. Finally shestarted using aspirin every day. Overtime she found that aspirin takenwith Coca Cola seemed to make herfeel even better. She was theninformed that her actual problemwas not age related, but that she hadseverely damaged her gastro-intestinal tract from many years ofdaily aspirin and Coca Cola.
After the correct diagnosis wasmade, she was put on DMSO andother products in an attempt to saveher life. She was given injections ofDMSO, B-12, and other medications
twice a week. She was told that shehad to cut her dependency on aspirinand Coca Cola. She was told to usea DMSO compound topically for herheadaches. She was also told thatsince she did not completely stop theaspirin and Coca Cola she should atleast use one teaspoonful of DMSOin two ounces of aloe vera juicebefore taking the Coca Cola andaspirin.
Six years later, this lady is stillalive. She has not received a bloodtransfusion since her DMSOtreatment started. She has now
completely stopped the aspirin andCoca Cola. She has not completelystopped the bleeding, and she hassome damage that will never becompletely healed. However, she isnow no longer in danger of dyingfrom this problem in the near future.
There are some basic lessons tobe learned from the problem of theprevious lady. The first thing anymedical professional should realizeis that the best specialist can make amajor mistake in diagnosing apatient. It is always important to getas much information as possible
about the patient. Especially withproblems anywhere in the digestivesystem, the doctor should ask aboutdiet, medications, and other productsthe patient may be taking. Thesehave to be specific questions. Oftenthe patient will not give informationthat is really important because it isnot considered to have anything todo with the problem.
The doctor needs to be extremelyobservant. In the preceding case thepatient told her hematologist that shetook a small amount of aspirin, andshe actually carried with her to her
doctor’s appointment an open bottleof Coca Cola from which she hadbeen drinking. He asked noquestions of the patient and justassumed that her problem was agerelated when it was actually causedby products that she had taken in toher body.
Years ago this author brieflyworked for Elmer Thomassen, aNewport Beach, California surgeon.One of his employees gave a newpatient a very detailed questionnairethat the doctor wanted filled outbefore he saw the patient. This
patient told the doctor that most ofthe questions did not really apply inher case. Dr. Thomassen replied “Iam not smart enough to know what isimportant until I see your answers.Then I may know what answers areimportant.”
The doctor can sometimes tellwhat is wrong with the patient withexams, blood tests, etc., but often thecause is not so obvious. This writerdoes not know personally of anycases where a patient has actuallydied of age related deterioration ofthe gastro-intestinal tract. He does
know of cases where a patient hasdied because of combining aspirinand Coca Cola or using otherproducts that have resulted indamage, severe bleeding, and death.
DMSO can greatly reduce thedamage to the digestive systemespecially when it is combined withother products such as aloe vera.However, it is often not the finalanswer. You always need to find thetrue cause or causes of the patient’sproblem. The cause then needs to beremoved or at the very least reducedas much as possible
Chapter 14Ear & Hearing
Problems
Ear problems affect a large part ofthe population. Many small childrenhave ear infections nearly everyyear. This is often treated bypuncturing the eardrum to releasepus and relieve pressure. Thisoperation is very painful. In manycases DMSO in combination with ananesthetic makes it possible topuncture the eardrum without the
normal severe pain. In other casesthe patients with middle or inner earinfection may be treated with DMSOcombined with an antibiotic withoutpuncturing the eardrum.
One family in Los Angeles had sixchildren, all of whom had earinfections as babies and youngchildren. Even though the weatherwas never really cold, these childrenwould get their ear infections in thewinter. One winter the threeyoungest children aged seven, eight,and nine all had ear infections. Theycomplained of pain and also had
some hearing problems. This timethe children were treated withDMSO. An eye dropper was used toplace two drops of 50% DMSO ineach ear. A 90% solution was alsoapplied to the head and neck areanear the ears. There was immediaterelief. The mother of the childrenwas advised to continue thetreatment at home with drops ofDMSO in the ears twice a day and tohave the drops available to treat theears of her children at the first signof trouble. The children remainedinfection free for the rest of the
winter.The childrens’ doctor advised
their mother to treat the childrenwith the DMSO ear drops at leastonce a week during the followingwinter. This was done, and none ofthe children had any more eartrouble. Of course there is no proofthat the children would have had aninfection without the drops.However, it is probable that at leastone of them would have had an earinfection without the treatment.
Tinnitus
Tinnitus, which is a condition inwhich the patient suffers from avariety of ear noises, is a frequentcause of visits to the ear, nose, andthroat specialist. The most commonnoise is a hissing, buzzing, or ringingsound. However, there can be greatvariety in the noise. In some patientsit may even be music. The problemmay be constant or occasional and isoften accompanied by at least apartial hearing loss. If the noise iscontinuous and intense, it can
severely affect both the physical andmental health of the patient.
Prior to the use of DMSO therewas very little that could be done torelieve the symptoms of tinnitus.Surgery was tried in some cases.Other times doctors thought theproblem might be an infection andtried various antibiotics withoutsuccess. In some cases it was evensuggested that the patient might havemental problems. There was no realnoise, but the patient could definitelyhear the buzzing, hissing or evenmusic when there was none present.
A study conducted in Chile andpresented at the New York Academyof Sciences 1975 Conference onDMSO by Aristedes Zuniga Caroshowed excellent results in treatingtinnitus with DMSO.7 Fifteenpatients who had suffered fromtinnitus for a minimum of six monthswere included in the study. None ofthe patients had adapted to the noise.
The patients were treated for onemonth with a DMSO spray combinedwith anti-inflammatory andvasodilatory drugs applied in the ear
canal every four days for one month.The patients also received anintramuscular injection of DMSOand the other medications every day.
All patients had at least somerelief. Nine completely recoveredfrom the tinnitus, and no symptomsreturned during the following year.Four who had continuous symptomsprior to treatment had onlyoccasional symptoms after treatment.Two patients had a continuation ofthe noises but a lower intensity.
Other symptoms also improved.Prior to treatment 11 patients
suffered from headaches. Seven ofthese were completely cured, andthree others had less severesymptoms. All patients also hadinsomnia. This completely stoppedin eight patients, and the others allhad some benefit.
It was also noted that the eartemperature rose from 36.8 C beforetreatment to 37.9 C after thetreatment. This would indicate animprovement of the blood flow inthe inner ear which may be onereason for the improvement of all thesymptoms. The average normal
temperature in 10 adults without earproblems was 38.1 C.
The exact DMSO treatment fortinnitus has varied based on thedesires of both the doctor and thepatient. The treatments in many caseswere very simple, and the resultswere very positive.
A number of tinnitus patients weretreated with DMSO at a New YorkCity clinic. The treatment consistedof ear drops of 40 percent DMSOdeposited in the ear each day. Also,a lotion containing 90 percentDMSO combined with capsicum and
aloe vera was applied around eachear twice a day. The ear noises inmost cases were reduced almostimmediately. Usually the patient wasconsidered cured within one month.The symptoms did not normallycome back. If they did, the DMSOtreatment was redone, and relief wasnormally more rapid than during thefirst treatment.
This clinic treated patients for avariety of problems. Many timespatients had other complaints anddid not even mention any earproblems. They would be treated for
the other problem, and the treatmentincluded DMSO. Later they wouldmention the noise in their ears andsay that it had improved. This oftenhappened even when there was notreatment to the ears. In these casesthe ears were then usually treated,and complete relief was obtained.
Chapter 15Emergency Medicine
DMSO has proven to be so effectivein treating such a wide variety ofconditions and injuries with noharmful side effects that one wouldexpect it to be used in all emergencyrooms. It would also be logical forall who are trained in first aid toreceive instruction on the use ofDMSO.
It has been suggested that allambulances and paramedical units
should carry DMSO. Over 30 yearsago Bruce Halstead, M.D., aSouthern Californian doctor, stated“Hopefully DMSO will soon beavailable in all emergency roomsand ambulances and all emergencymedical personnel will be properlytrained in the use of DMSO.” At thetime this book was being writtenDMSO was still not widelyavailable in most emergency rooms.
There have been no logicalarguments presented against the useof DMSO under emergencyprocedures. There are certain
properties of DMSO that make it ahighly desirable agent in treatingvictims of major accidents or suddenserious illnesses such as strokes orheart attacks. DMSO reduces edema,is anti-inflammatory, increasesoxygen supply and as a free radicalscavenger helps protect the cellsfrom mechanical damage.
Over 30 years ago there was anindustrial medicine clinic in LosAngeles that regularly used DMSOon most patients that came to theclinic. The majority of the patientswere injured on their jobs and were
seen shortly after the injury. Many ofthe patients were seen withinminutes of their injuries. Often thesepatients were treated with DMSObefore the patient was fullyevaluated. This was done to preventthe damage from the injury fromprogressing needlessly while thepatient was being examined. Thedoctors at this clinic knew DMSOcould help a wide variety ofproblems and even if it was notbeneficial in every case there wasvery little chance of doing anydamage to the patient. Usually the
first DMSO treatment at this clinicwas topical applied to the area ofinjury.
Another example involved anuninformed emergency room doctorin the San Gabriel Valley east of LosAngeles. A lady had a major strokeand was taken by ambulance at nightto the hospital. Her family wantedher to be treated with DMSO. Theemergency room doctor said that hewould not allow DMSO because hehad never heard of it, and the patientwas going to die anyway. A nursewho was treating the patient agreed
with the family and helped with theDMSO. In the morning aneurosurgeon took charge of thepatient and ordered DMSO be addedto her intravenous injection. He saidhe did not expect it to be beneficialin this case because of the severedamage, but that he would want itdone if the patient were his wife ormother.
United States congressionalrepresentative Gabrielle Giffordswas shot in the head and seriouslyinjured while this book was beingwritten. A number of people asked if
she should be treated with DMSO.The answer is she should havedefinitely been treated with DMSO.The treatment would have improvedher condition. No one knows forsure how much it would havebenefited her, but my guess is thatthere would have been dramaticimprovement. Even now when youare reading this, even if it is yearslater, she would probably receivesome benefit from DMSO.
A good example where DMSOwas used immediately is a LosAngeles nurse who was hit by a car
while crossing the street. She wasknocked down, but no bones werebroken. She was in pain frommultiple injuries and said that shewas sure that she would not be ableto walk the next day. She expectedextreme stiffness with delayedadverse reactions from the accident.
DMSO was applied topically tomuch of the body of this nurse lessthan 10 minutes after the accident.She also drank one teaspoonful ofDMSO in a small glass of juice.Two hours later DMSO was againapplied topically. Even though she
was familiar with DMSO, she wassurprised at how well she felt. Bythis time she had very little painfrom the accident.
The next morning this patient wasfeeling much better and had nostiffness. She made the comment thatthe DMSO really helped. She alsosaid that she did not think theaccident was as bad as originallythought. She really expected to besuffering major disability from theaccident for a week or more.
Hopefully in the near futureDMSO will be prescribed in most
emergency medical situations.Especially topical application is sosimple and safe that nearly anyonecan be trained to use it safely andeffectively.
Chapter 16Eye Problems
Even though DMSO had beentemporarily banned and all researchwas stopped in the 1960s because ofpossible toxicity to the eyes of dogsand rabbits, DMSO has since notonly been proven to be non-toxic tothe eyes of humans, it is useddirectly in the eye to reverseconditions that could otherwise leadto blindness.
Some of the most dramatic vision
improvement with the use of DMSOhas occurred in the treatment ofretinitis pigmentosa. Retinitispigmentosa is a leading cause ofblindness. The
DMSO treatment is simple andeffective.
One of the first doctors to useDMSO in the eyes was DoctorRobert Hill of Longview,Washington. His early studies werereported in the January 1975 annalsof the New York Academy ofScience.8 One early patient with
retinitis pigmentosa could see onlyhand motion with his right eye andhad 20/200 vision in his left eye.Treatment, which consisted of 50%DMSO by eyecup twice daily, wasstarted on February 10, 1972. Fivedays later the patient’s visionimproved to 20/70 in the left eye andcould count fingers at five feet withhis right eye. Three months later hisvision was 20/50 in the left eye. Alater visual test in 1974 found hisvision still 20/50 in his left eye andhe could count fingers at six feetwith his right eye.
A later study by Dr. Hill involved50 patients with deterioration causedby either retinitis pigmentosa ormacular degeneration. Of the 50DMSO treated patients, 22 hadimproved visual acuity, nine hadimproved visual fields and fiveimproved in dark adaption. Only twopatients out of the 50 continued toget worse. The remaining patientshad no noticeable changes in vision.Without the treatment it is probablethat all 50 patients would havecontinued to regress.
Later patient treatments have
shown positive results in not onlyretinal problems, but other eyedisorders as well. In some cases thetreating physician does not know forsure what is causing an eye problem.In these cases treatment with DMSOis usually indicated. There havebeen many times that a patient istreated with DMSO for arthritis oran injury, and the eyes also getbetter.
Many doctors have reportedpositive results with a 40% DMSOsolution applied to the eye with aneye dropper. When this treatment is
done usually one drop is applied ineach eye once a day. This can bedone for all problems involvingvision or pain in the eyes. When theDMSO is applied there is normally astinging sensation in the eye for 30or 40 seconds. This is no cause forworry. Normally after the very briefstinging the eyes will feel better thanbefore the treatment.
DMSO has also been usedsuccessfully to treat vision problemsof the elderly. One Los Angeles areadoctor reported that several patientswere able to more easily read fine
print after only one week of using40% DMSO eye drops.
One 90 year old man was unableto read. He was highly educated andowned his own successful businessthat he had sold 15 years beforewhen he was 75. He had a largecollection of books that he hadplanned to read during his retirementyears. However, by the time hereached 90 he had maculardegeneration and other eye problemsthat made it impossible to read. Hiswife read some items to him, but forhis books he hired outside readers.
He was treated daily with 40%DMSO eye drops. One drop wasplaced in each eye every day. Healso drank one teaspoon of DMSOdaily in orange juice. His visionimproved during the first week oftreatment. One month after startingtreatment this man was able toresume reading the books in hiscollection. He also said he couldthink more clearly and his wholebody felt better.
A 78 year old Los Angeles mansuffered from a variety of eyeproblems and was having trouble
walking and working around hishouse. He was told by his doctor thathe should get used to having visionproblems and that his eyes wouldgradually get worse until he wascompletely blind. He was also toldthere was nerve deterioration andother problems that could not betreated. The doctor said he shouldaccept the inevitable and not wastehis time and money on any unproventreatment.
This man decided he would nottake “no treatment” for an answer.He visited another doctor and
showed him an article about usingDMSO to treat various eyeproblems. The new doctor told himthat he considered the treatment to beunproven but said it was worthtrying because the treatment was notdangerous. One drop of 40% DMSOwas applied in each eye by thedoctor. The patient was also advisedto take one teaspoonful of DMSO ina small glass of juice each day. Thewife of this patient later applied theeye drops in each of his eyes eachday. The doctor examined the eyesevery two weeks. Vision that was
20/200 improved to 20/100 in twoweeks. A month later the patient’svision was 20/70. His vision laterimproved to 20/50 with glasses.This patient has continued histreatment at home for several years.He now sees his doctor every threemonths for an examination andevaluation. He is considered to be inexcellent health for a man in his 80s.
This writer has used DMSO eyedrops with 40% DMSO in his owneyes when the eyes have felt tired.There has always been immediaterelief. After the initial stinging the
eyes always feel fresh with no pain.
Chapter 17Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a relatively commonrheumatic disease that affectswomen much more often than men.The incidence increases with ageand is most common in women over50. Unlike arthritis, fibromyalgiaattacks the muscles, tendons, andligaments.
It is a difficult ailment to diagnosebecause many other problems havesimilar symptoms. The diagnosis of
this problem generally requireswidespread pain that lasts for morethan three months and affects all fourquadrants of the body—both sidesand above and below the waist.There is also painful response topressure.
Some patients have bowel andbladder problems. Others havedifficulty in swallowing. It isfrequently associated withpsychiatric conditions such asanxiety and depression. Symptomsvary widely from patient to patient,and some of the symptoms are
completely lacking in some patients.The cause of fibromyalgia isunknown. One theory is that thesepatients have a lower threshold ofpain because of increased sensitivityto pain signals.
Conventional treatment consistingof painkillers, cortisone, andantidepressants has not had goodresults. Much better results haveoften been obtained using DMSOand MSM.
A 75 year old Los Angeles ladyhad been diagnosed withfibromyalgia three years earlier. At
first she had been told that there wasnothing wrong with her and that itwas all in her head. However, sheknew that she had a major problem.She could hardly walk because ofthe severe pain. She was referred toa psychiatrist who found hermentally sound, and he suggestedthat she might have fibromyalgia.This was later confirmed by anotherdoctor. She was prescribedpainkillers and cortisone, but theside effects were nearly as bad asthe original problem.
It was finally suggested that she
receive DMSO by a slow drip overa period of three hours. She feltbetter after the first treatment andcontinued taking three treatments aweek for 10 weeks. On her off daysshe drank one teaspoonful of DMSOin juice. After the 10 week treatmentshe took DMSO in juice every dayfor about one year. After this shereplaced the DMSO with 10 gramsof MSM per day. Since the originaltreatment with DMSO, this lady hasbeen able to enjoy a life that ismostly free of pain.
Chapter 18Fungus Infections
DMSO has proven very effective inthe treatment of fungus infections andother infections of the skin. It hasbeen used successfully to treatproblems ranging from athletes footand jungle rot to acne.
Jungle rot is a serious infectionthat is found in hot moist areas.Many veterans became infected withjungle rot in the South Pacific duringthe Second World War. Others
became infected in Vietnam. Usuallythose that became infected had notbeen able to have good foot hygiene.Their feet became wet in the hotjungle and they were unable tochange their socks and shoes formany days. This provided a perfectenvironment for any fungus,especially jungle rot. Once a patientcontracts jungle rot, it is verydifficult to treat.
Dr. Robert Entin of Los Angeleswas one of many veterans of theSecond World War who becameinfected with jungle rot in the South
Pacific. He said that he had spentthousands of dollars of his ownmoney in addition to the governmentmoney through the Veterans’Administration in an attempt toobtain relief. Finally he used a skinlotion containing DMSO and aloevera. He obtained immediate relief.The lotion did not completely curethe infection. It was still in hissystem and did come back later.However, the lotion provided muchmore relief than any othermedication that he had used.
The lotion was later used by a
Veterans’ Administration doctor inLos Angeles to treat a number ofveterans. The results in each casewere excellent. There wasimmediate relief. However, in everycase there were later infectionsbecause the fungus was notcompletely killed. The doctor whotreated these patients later said thathe considered the DMSO lotion tobe the best treatment for jungle rotand that he thought it should be usedon every veteran with any type offungus infection.
In the preceding examples the
jungle rot was controlled, but notcompletely cured using a DMSOlotion. The infections did come backduring hot summer weather unlesstreatment was continued.
Athlete’s foot is another fungusinfection that responds well toDMSO treatment. The DMSO hasbeen used in concentrations rangingfrom 50% to 90% DMSO. In somecases other products such ascapsicum pepper and aloe vera aremixed with the DMSO. Athlete’sfoot is often a chronic condition thatrecurs during the summer, especially
if the person wears enclosed shoesthat do not allow for heat andmoisture to be dispersed. TheDMSO will sometimes completelycure this fungus infection. However,it is also important to allow theshoes to thoroughly dry and air out tokill any fungus spores in the shoes.
Fungus under the finger nails andtoe nails can also be treated with thetopical application of DMSO.Usually the DMSO is applied bothon the nail and on the finger or toe inthe area of the infection. These areusually treated twice a day until the
infection is gone.Foot odor that is not caused by
infection can be an annoying andsmelly problem. This smell is notnecessarily due to poor foot hygiene.Clean dry socks and clean dry feetcan reduce this problem, but oftennot completely eliminate it. DMSOapplied lightly to both feet usuallystops foot odor and eliminatesexcess moisture on the feet.Temporary relief is often obtainedwith one application of DMSO.Long term relief usually requiresrepeated application. Generally the
longer the DMSO is applied, thelonger the odor stays away aftertreatment is discontinued.
Chapter 19Hair and Scalp
Problems
DMSO has been used to stimulatehair growth for at least 40 years.Patients that have recently lost hairusually have the best results. A manwho has been bald for many years isvery unlikely to experience greatimprovement or a full head of hairfrom the use of DMSO or any otherproduct. When hair growth occurs,the last areas that lost hair are the
first to grow new hair.The hair growth has also been
observed in animals treated withDMSO. Cats that had sufferedsevere hair loss in a few instanceshad the hair grow back completelywhen treated with a topical lotioncontaining DMSO. Other cats, whichhad not lost hair, had thicker hair onareas treated with DMSO.
Both men and women who hadlost hair during cancer chemotherapygrew hair back much more rapidlythan expected when a DMSO lotionwas applied to their heads. The
oncologist that reported these resultsdid not expect very rapid hairregrowth. He had these patientsexperiment with the treatmentbecause he knew the DMSO wouldnot harm the patient, and the patientswere anxious to have hair.
Why does DMSO stimulate hairgrowth? The primary reason is thatDMSO being an excellentvasodilator, dilates the smallcapillaries in the scalp. There is thenincreased blood supply to the rootsof the hair. Needed nutrients are thenbrought to the hair follicles allowing
the growth of hair to begin again.With normal male pattern baldnessthe hair growth is usually slow butmany patients have reported positiveresults.
This author has used a DMSOlotion on his hair for over 20 yearswith the goal of keeping a full headof hair. At the age of 75 he still hashis normal brown hair. There is noway to prove that this is the result ofusing DMSO, but it is probable thatif DMSO were not used there wouldbe some hair loss and also loss ofhair color.
An 80 year old man in Oklahomawas having seepage of a stickysubstance from his scalp. He soughtmedical help and was then referredto a specialist. The specialistrecommended a procedure wherethis patient would be scalped. Thespecialist said the patient had aninfection under his scalp and the bestway to treat the infection was tosurgically remove part of the scalpto expose the infected area. Thepatient rejected this procedure as tooextreme. Finally a DMSO lotion wasapplied to his head. Six months later,
there was no infection, and thepatient had a healthy scalp.
Chapter 20Headache
Headaches of various types affectmost people at some point in theirlives. In fact nearly half of thepopulation has at least one headachea month. Most headaches are at leastpartially caused by muscle spasms inthe neck and changes in bloodvessels going into the head.Emotional stress and the way thebody reacts to it is often anunderlying cause.
Aspirin is frequently the firsttreatment used by most headachesufferers. The results may vary, butespecially with migraine headaches,the pain reduction is often minimal.
DMSO has been used to treatheadaches for over 40 years. Theresults have generally been good,and there is the lack of side effectsfound with many of the conventionalpain medication.
Migraine headaches that havedeveloped to full strength do notseem to respond well to anytreatment. However, it has been
observed that if a migraine headacheis treated in the early stages, thecondition can be reversed withDMSO. This has happened with anumber of patients. It is importantthat the patient receive the DMSOtreatment early in the pain process.
The usual DMSO treatment forheadache is topical application tothe head, neck, or both. The topicalapplication can also be enhanced byinjecting the DMSO or having thepatient drink it in juice or water.
One interesting headache case wasa young woman in Newport Beach,
California. She was having frequentheadaches that had been gettingworse over a period of months. Anx-ray examination of her headrevealed a thin film of unknownorigin. It was decided to start topicaland oral DMSO treatment on thelady. DMSO was applied on thetotal head except for the face. Shewas also given one teaspoon ofDMSO in four ounces of water todrink. She was then told to do thesame treatment at home every dayuntil her next appointment.
Ten days later this lady returned to
the clinic and was asked if she stillhad headaches. She said yes, and theheadaches had gotten worse. She hadpreviously said that the treatmenthad helped her, and she felt better.Finally she admitted what she haddone. Since she felt better with thesmall dose of DMSO, she decided toincrease the dosage. She said shedrank four ounces of DMSO themorning after her originalappointment. Then she added that itwas taken with one quart of water.Instead of following her doctor’sinstructions, she just figured that if a
little is good a lot is a lot better.This is just one more example of a
patient who did not followinstructions. She was told that withmany drugs an extreme overdose canbe fatal. Luckily for this lady DMSOis very safe even at higher thanrecommended dosages. Whenever apatient has an unexpected side effectit can be beneficial to ask the patientthe dosage taken and how themedication was used. If the patient isasked if a drug was used asprescribed by the doctor the usualanswer is yes. However, if instead
the patient is asked how the productwas used and how much was used,correct information is more likely tobe provided to the doctor.
In this particular case after shefollowed the prescription given byher doctor, the headaches of the ladydiminished and she was completelyfree of her headaches six monthslater. During the six month periodshe drank only one teaspoon ofDMSO along with the topicalapplication. Since she did not returnto the clinic in the years followingthe six months of treatment, it is
assumed that she did not have anyproblem in the following years.
Chapter 21Infections
DMSO has proven valuable both byitself and in combination withantibiotics and other products in thetreatment of a wide variety ofinfections.
A 43 year old Los Angeles man inthe moving business had a heavy boxdropped on his right foot causing asevere crushing injury. The injurywould not heal and became infected.Various antibiotics were tried, but
the infection would not heal andstarted to spread. The possibility ofamputation was discussed. FinallyDMSO was given intravenously incombination with the antibiotics.There was immediate improvement.Two weeks later this patient waswalking on the infected foot. Onemonth later this patient was back atwork, and he now has no problemwith the foot.
Osteomyelitis is a serious anddifficult to treat infection of thebone. Often amputation is requiredto save the life of the patient if an
extremity is involved. Other times,especially when amputation is not anoption, the infection will be fatal.The first treatment is nearly alwaysstrong antibiotic treatment. This isoften not successful, especially if thepatient did not seek medical helpearly in the infection process.
A 36 year old Santa Monica,California man stepped on a largenail that penetrated deep into hisfoot. He treated the wound himselfwith the help of his wife. The injuryseemed to heal, and this man forgotabout the injury even though he still
had some pain. Finally after twomonths he decided to seek medicalhelp for the pain in the foot. Noobvious injury was present, and heneglected to tell the doctor about thenail. Pain killers were prescribedand the patient seemed to improve.
Three months later this patientreturned to the doctor. The pain wasworse, and he had trouble walking.An examination showed damage tothe bone. The patient was thenquestioned about any injury to thefoot. Finally he mentioned the nail,but only after he was asked if he had
ever stepped on a nail. He said yeshe had, and it was close to the areaof his pain. However, that injury wascompletely healed so he did notthink the pain was caused by theinjury. This man had osteomyelitis,an infection of the bone marrow.
Strong antibiotics were given withonly slight temporary improvement.The possibility of amputation wasdiscussed. As a last resort, DMSOwas combined with the antibiotics.There was immediate improvement.Within less than one month all signsof the infection were gone, and there
has been no problem with the footsince the DMSO treatment.
Unfortunately there has been alack of good recognized studies ofDMSO combined with variousantibiotics in the treatment ofinfection. Doctors who use DMSOin their medical practice frequentlyuse DMSO along with antibiotics totreat infections. However, thetreatment and the results of thetreatment are usually not written upor publicized.
Based on my observation andexperience with various infections,
this writer, who is not a medicaldoctor and has never claimed to beone, believes that all majorinfections should be treated with acombination of DMSO andantibiotics. This is especially true ifthe infections do not respond toconventional antibiotic treatment.
A 90 year old Los Angeles manwas suffering from a severe bladderinfection. Twenty five years earlierhe had prostate surgery whichcaused severe urinary problems.Prior to his infection this man hadbeen on diapers for many years due
to his inability to control his urine.He also had other medical problemswhich made it difficult for him towalk even using a walker.
This patient was admitted to thehospital and was treated with avariety of antibiotics and cranberrycapsules. After three weeks he stillhad the infection. There was somedoubt if he would survive theinfection. Finally it was decided toadd DMSO to the treatment. He wasgiven one teaspoonful of DMSO incranberry juice three times a dayalong with the original antibiotic
treatment. Improvement was rapid,and the patient returned home fourdays later with the infectioncompletely under control.
When this patient returned homehis care giver and the patient wereadvised that he should drink plentyof water along with cranberrycapsules and DMSO. For his firstweek at home the patient was to takethe DMSO twice a day. After thefirst week the DMSO was reducedto once a day. The infection did notreturn, and the patients’ mobility andoverall health became better than it
was before he suffered from theinfection.
Chapter 22Inflammation
Inflammation is a complex reactionof the body to injury or destructionof tissue that has been damaged bydisease or injury. In the acute form itis characterized by the classicalsigns of pain, swelling, heat,redness, and loss of function.
Certain conditions such as arthritiscan lead to chronic inflammationwhich increases the pain from theoriginal problem. Acute
inflammation can be caused byinjuries, burns, infections, or any ofa wide variety of illnesses or othercauses.
As mentioned in other chaptersdealing with specific ailments,DMSO is a potent anti-inflammatoryagent. It can minimize all thesymptoms of inflammation. In theclinics we have observed swellingin patients go down, felt localizedheat cool to normal, and the patientsoften mention immediate reduction inpain.
DMSO also increases the
effectiveness of cortisol. Cortisol,which is produced in the adrenalglands, is the body’s own naturalanti-inflammatory hormone. In alaboratory study it was found thatDMSO helped protect cells against avariety of agents even when cortisolconcentrations were drasticallyreduced.
Cortisone, which is a steroid, isoften used as a replacement for thenatural cortisol which the bodyproduces. Steroid drugs, includingcortisone, can be beneficial whenused for short periods of time and in
small doses. When used properly,steroids can save the life of a patientsuffering from acute asthma orallergy. However, when used for alonger period of time, steroids canprovide life threatening side effects.These include gastrointestinalbleeding, retention of fluids, mentalproblems, broken blood vessels,weakness, free radical formation,and suppression of the immunesystem. Sometimes the side effectsfrom treatment are worse than thecondition being treated.
Non steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) have many of thesame side effects as the steroiddrugs. These drugs can be especiallytoxic to the stomach and intestinaltract, causing severe bleeding, pain,and other problems. They are usedby millions of patients for the reliefof pain and inflammation.
One of the big problems of overthe counter NSAIDs is that they areoften taken by people without a goodreason to take them. These patientshave some pain and seeadvertisements, but may not eventalk to a doctor before trying the
drug. Often these patients have noidea that the drug they are trying canhave very serious side effects.
DMSO has proven effective notonly as an anti-inflammatory agent,but also as a treatment for some ofthe side effects of NSAIDs. Dr. AwsSalim, one of the world’s topauthorities on free radicals,conducted research on using freeradical scavengers to treat sideeffects of NSAIDs.9
This study involved 180 arthritispatients with erosive gastritis that
was caused by NSAID treatment.Fifty eight patients were givenDMSO orally four times a day while63 patients were given allopurinolorally four times a day. The other 59patients served as controls.
Endoscopic examination 48 hoursafter admission to the hospitalshowed that gastric erosions werestill present in significantly moreuntreated patients than those treated.The erosions remained in 50 percentof the untreated patients compared toseven percent in those treated withDMSO and nine percent for those
treated with allopurinol. Since theonly similarity between DMSO andallopurinol is that they are both freeradical scavengers, the conclusionwas that free radical scavengersreduce the NSAID induced gastritisand stimulate healing of thegastrointestinal tract.
An orthopedic medical clinic inNewport Beach, California hastreated many arthritis patients whohad previously been treatedelsewhere. Most of these patientswere previously treated withcortisone, NSAIDS, or both. This
clinic very rarely used these drugs.DMSO along with diet and exercisewas used to treat all patients witharthritis or injuries.
Many of the new patients sufferedfrom severe digestive problems. Thedoctors at this clinic were notfamiliar with Dr. Salim’s studies.However, they observed that whenpatients were treated for problemssuch as arthritis, chronic injuries,bone or joint problems, stomach andintestinal problems also showedrapid improvement. Long termbleeding often stopped in a few
days, and patients reported that theirlong standing abdominal pains hadcompletely stopped. In some casesthese patients had previously beentold that they would have to learn tolive with the pain and bleeding.
DMSO should probably be usedfor all inflammation problems. It isnot only a potent anti-inflammatoryagent, it is also one of the mostpotent free radical scavengers andinstead of harming the gastrointestinal tract, it actually helpsmake it more healthy.
Chapter 23Interstitial Cystitis
DMSO was first approved by theFDA for the treatment of interstitialcystitis in 1978. Prior to this timethere was no really effectivetreatment for interstitial cystitis.Interstitial cystitis is an inflammationof the inner lining of the bladder.The symptoms are similar to cystitis,a more common infection caused bybacteria which can be successfullytreated with antibiotics. However
interstitial cystitis is not caused bybacteria and does not respond toantibiotic treatment. DMSO is nowthe generally recognized andapproved treatment for thiscondition.
Interstitial cystitis can causesevere symptoms in the bladderleading to scarring, bleeding, and adecreased bladder capacity. Therecan be intense pain, especially if thebladder is allowed to fill close tocapacity. The pain is usually greatlyreduced after the patient urinates.Some patients feel that they must
urinate as often as 50 times a day.This urge usually continues both dayand night. The condition is estimatedto affect several hundred thousandpeople, most of them women.
When approval was first given forthe use of DMSO in the treatment ofinterstitial cystitis, the treatmentcalled for the use of a catheter toinstill the DMSO directly into thepatient’s bladder. Treatments areusually once or twice a week. Somepatients have so much pain that theinstillation method cannot be usedsuccessfully. When this happens, the
patient can take the DMSO orally injuice or water.
Many doctors contend that oralDMSO is the best way to treatinterstitial cystitis because it is somuch easier on the patient. In theoral treatment, the patient usuallydrinks one teaspoonful of DMSO incranberry juice once or twice a day.Patients often report nearlyimmediate improvement, and it is notnecessary for the patient to see herdoctor every day.
Other doctors combine the twomethods. They may give a bladder
instillation to begin the treatment.Then they have the patient drinkDMSO every day to keep thetreatment going.
A 38 year old lady in Las Vegas,Nevada, reported to the clinic withsevere abdominal pain and blood inher urine. She needed to urinateapproximately every 30 minutes, andshe told the doctor that she was surethat she would be dead in a fewmonths. She was sure that she hadcancer. After a completeexamination and tests this lady wasinformed that she did not have
cancer. The problem was interstitialcystitis. She was treated with abladder instillation of DMSO andtold to drink one teaspoonful ofDMSO twice a day in cranberryjuice. This lady felt better almostimmediately. Two months later hersymptoms had completelydisappeared. She had alsocomplained about depression andaches and pains in various parts ofher body. These were also gone, andshe said she felt like a new woman.
A 54 year old Los Angeles manwith prostate cancer was treated
with radiation. He went to seeanother doctor with a problem ofsevere pain and a large amount ofblood in his urine. An examinationrevealed that this man had radiationcystitis. The decision was made totreat him with DMSO as it wasknown that DMSO helps protectagainst radiation damage, andDMSO had already been approvedfor interstitial cystitis. He was toldto drink DMSO in cranberry juicetwice a day. A reduction in pain andbleeding was noted practicallyimmediately. Some bleeding
continued for a number of months,but one year later he had completelyrecovered from the radiation cystitis.
Both radiation cystitis andinterstitial cystitis can be veryserious problems for the patient. Theevidence shows that DMSO shouldnormally be the treatment of choicefor both of these ailments. SinceDMSO is not toxic, no harm is doneif the patient has an entirely differentproblem. This is often the case.Interstitial cystitis is difficult todiagnose, and it is estimated thatthousands of cases are misdiagnosed
every year. When DMSO is used thepatient can normally benefit even ifthe problem has no relation to thediagnosis.
Chapter 24Legality of DMSO
Many doctors seem to be unawarethat once a drug has been approvedfor one condition, it can also be usedto treat other conditions. Theapproval does not just apply to thecondition for which approval wasrequested and granted. Once DMSOwas approved for interstitial cystitisit could be used for other ailments.
This legality was clearlyestablished in a court case involving
H. Ray Evers, M.D. The Food andDrug Administration alleged that Dr.Evers was illegally administeringEDTA in the treatment ofarteriosclerosis while the approveduse of EDTA was only for thetreatment of heavy metal poisoning.This case, which was entitled TheUnited States of America vs H. RayEvers. M.D., Civil Action No. 78-93-N dated June 27, 1978 in theFederal District Court for theMiddle District of Alabama, Dr.Evers won a major victory not onlyfor his freedom to use EDTA but for
medical freedom in general in theUnited States.
The FDA attempted to obtain aninjunction to completely prevent Dr.Evers from using EDTA or any otherchelating agent to treat any of hispatients. The FDA even wanted theright to have regular inspections ofDr. Evers’ clinic to make sure that hewas obeying all orders.
The court first decided that thelegal issue was whether a licensedmedical doctor could be preventedfrom prescribing or using a drug onhis patients which has not been
specifically indicated for thepatient’s condition.
Even though many doctors were ofthe opinion that chelation had notbeen proven clinically to helparteriosclerosis, the evidencesubmitted to the court indicated thatthere was benefit. The court ruledthat the risks to the patient wereminimal and the probable benefitsexceeded the probable risks in thetreatment.
The court ruled that the laws didnot intend for the Food and DrugAdministration to interfere with the
medical practice between the doctorand the patient. The court furtherruled that the FDA had no right tointerfere with private medicalpractice by limiting the doctor fromtreating according to his bestjudgment. In summary the FederalCourt decision in the Ray Evers caseis that it is the right of the doctor todetermine the medical use of anydrug once that drug has beenapproved for any condition.
This writer knew Dr. Evers andconsidered him to be a real pioneerin certain phases of medicine. He
always seemed to be most interestedin what was best for his patient, andhe was willing to try something newif he thought it would be of benefit.In many ways he was similar to Dr.Stanley Jacob, the father of DSMO.
Chapter 25Lupus
DMSO has proven to be the mostimportant, or one of the mostimportant, products for the treatmentof lupus. It does not actually cure thelupus but it greatly reduces thesymptoms so the patient can livewith the disease. It does seem to bemore effective than cortisone, andDMSO does not have the side effectsof cortisone.
Lupus is an inflammatory disease
with a wide variety of symptoms thatcan vary from patient to patient. Itcan cause fever, skin rash, fatigue,and joint pain that is often similar toarthritis. It can also severely damageinternal organs, especially thekidneys. Lupus can cause severepain and lack of mobility for aperiod of time and then suddenlyimprove. This improvement isusually only temporary, and then thedisease can come back even morestrongly.
One Los Angeles area womanwho has had lupus for over 10 years
has been avoiding the severe andpainful episodes with the frequentuse of DMSO. She usually receivesan injection every week of DMSOand vitamins and applies a lotioncontaining DMSO to painful joints.She had originally used othermedications that did not control thepain and also had many harmful sideeffects.
When she changed doctors, theoriginal doctor, who was consideredto be a specialist in auto-immunediseases, warned her about changingdoctors. He told her that the
treatment she was trying was notproven and that he knew much moreabout lupus than the new doctor.
The original doctor also told herthat she would suffer much morewithout the methotrexate that he wasusing on her. He was very surprisedwhen she later told him that shewould never again use methotrexatefor lupus or any other problem.
Methotrexate is achemotherapeutic drug that is usedfor cancer. While it may reducesome of the symptoms of lupus, thelong term side effects can be
devastating and actually increasedisability.
This lady is now working at a fulltime job. She has some mildsymptoms of lupus, but no extremepain. Her internal organs are allfunctioning normally and are notexpected to fail. Her only side effectwith the DMSO is the garlic likebreath odor. She says she now feelsthe best she has felt in over 10 yearsand plans to live a long healthy life.
Chapter 26Mental Illness
DMSO has been used to treatpatients with severe psychiatricproblems including schizophrenia,alcoholic psychoses, obsessive-compulsive neurosis, severe anxiety,and other mental problems for over40 years.
A major DMSO study involving42 patients conducted in Peru waspublished in the Annals of the NewYork Academy of Sciences.10 This
study involved 25 schizophrenicpatients, four manic depressivepsychotics, four alcoholicpsychotics, four compulsive-obsessive neurotics and five patientswith severe anxiety states. A controlgroup composed of 16 patients withsimilar problems was established.The patients in the control groupreceived the normal psychiatrictreatment for their conditions.
Before starting the DMSOtreatment the patients were taken offall previous medications for at leastone week. They were given DMSO
in 5 ml intramuscular injections ateither 50% or 80% concentrations.Most of the patients started with an80% injection two or three times aday. In the most disturbed patients upto five injections a day wereadministered. Patients showing mildsymptoms were started on one ortwo vials of 50% DMSO. As theirsymptoms improved, all patientswere put on a 50% solution ofDMSO.
The results of this study showedthat DMSO is effective in treatingmental illness. It also showed that
acute patients responded much betterthan chronic patients.
Of the 25 schizophrenic patients,
14 were acute and 11 wereconsidered chronic. There was rapidand dramatic improvement in the 14acute cases. The most noticeableeffect was the reduction of theagitation state. This improvementstarted with the first few doses andwas particularly the situation withthe six catatonic-paranoid patientswho entered the hospital in a veryagitated condition.
The 14 acute cases were alldischarged from the hospital in 45days or less. Three of these patientsmade a complete recovery 15 daysafter admission to the hospital. Oneof the patients said “I have been outof my mind. I don’t know whathappened to me. I wonder what mychildren are going to say.”
The 11 chronic patients consistedof four patients who were underconventional treatment asoutpatients, but were hospitalizedwhen necessary. The other sevenchronic patients were in a very bad
mental state and had been inpermanent hospitalization for oversix years. These seven patients hadall been unsuccessfully treated withelectro shock, insulin, andphenothiazine drugs for more thanfour years.
The four long term schizophrenicswho had been repeatedlyhospitalized had completeremissions and were dischargedfrom the hospital. Their response toDMSO treatment was faster thanwith conventional treatment, andtheir hospital time was shorter than
it had been with previoushospitalizations of these patients orwith similar chronic schizophrenicstreated with conventional therapy.The remaining seven chronicschizophrenics showed improvementwith the DMSO treatment, but werestill unable to leave the hospital.
The four patients with manic
depressive psychoses were in themanic phase when treatment wasstarted. They were in a state ofpsychomotor agitation for an averageof 15 days with megalomaniac ideas,
verbosity, fighting, and otherproblems. These four patients allshowed great improvement in theiragitated condition. They becamecalmer and greatly reduced theirverbosity and megalomaniac ideas.The manic phase was shorter andless intense than it had been in theprevious episodes treated withconventional therapy.
Two of the patients suffering fromalcoholic psychoses had alcoholichallucinations, and the other twowere in a delirium tremenscondition. All four had been
previously hospitalized for the samecondition. They all showedimprovement from the start oftreatment. Restlessness decreasedafter the first few days even thoughhallucinations remained longer.Later these symptoms decreased infrequency and intensity until theystopped.
The patients with obsessive-compulsive neurosis and severeanxiety responded positively withthe DMSO treatment. The patientswere calmer, ideas did not upsetthem as before, they were able to act
in a more spontaneous way, and theywere able to overcome theirobsessive compulsions.
This study showed complete andlasting remission of acute patientswith a variety of mental problemsand chronic schizophrenics withacute episodes. Improvements in the7 chronic schizophrenics who hadall been hospitalized for over sixyears lasted from 1 to 4 weeks aftercompletion of treatment. Whentreatment with DMSO was againgiven to relapsed patients, theyresponded with the same favorable
results as in the original study.A more recent case in the United
States involved Aaron Petras ofSanta Rosa, California, a patientwith a severe mental problem thatwas treated with DMSO. He hadbeen diagnosed as a paranoidschizophrenic with severe delusions.His biggest problem was the ideathat his foot was buzzing and that thisnoise disturbed other people andeven dogs and cats in theneighborhood. He was an adult whowas being cared for by his motherand was only hospitalized when he
had severe episodes.One time when I was visiting Mr.
Petras in his home a dog across thestreet started barking. Mr. Petrasimmediately said “My foot isbuzzing. That is why the dog isbarking. I am disturbing him.” I thenhad him remove his shoe and sockand checked the foot with astethoscope. I could hear a loudheartbeat. Then I had him listen tohis foot with the stethoscope andasked him if this is the noise that hehears from his foot. He said that wasthe noise and that it was upsetting the
dog. I explained to him that thebarking of the dog caused the loudbeat and that there was no way thatthe dog or any person could hear hisfoot without a stethoscope.
It was decided to use acombination of DMSO, GH3, andvitamin B-12 injections on Mr.Petras. Before starting the injections,Mr. Petras’ psychiatrist took him offall psychotropic drugs for twoweeks. She said they were not reallydoing him much good anyway as hiscondition had declined over theprevious 10 years.
Injections were given three timesa week, and improvement wasimmediate. Mr. Petras became morecalm and less fearful. He becamemore alert and clear in his thinkingand better able to cope with reality.When treatment was discontinued hiscondition gradually reverted back toa more active chronic paranoidschizophrenic state. Later injectionsgave positive results similar to theoriginal treatment.
There was one important lesson tobe learned from this case. When Mr.Patras was first diagnosed, no one
listened to his foot with astethoscope so no noise was heardfrom his foot. Many times there issome basis in what a mental patientsays. The doctor should alwayslisten to what the patient says and tryto determine the basis for the beliefof the patient. Even though thepatient is mentally ill, it can bebeneficial to the recovery of thepatient if he realizes that there issome basis to what he may feel orhear.
Recommendations for FutureStudies
DMSO has been proven to safelyreduce the symptoms of mentalpatients with a wide variety ofproblems. It is a product that shouldbe used in all mental hospitals. Toomany patients are admitted to mentalhospitals with no hope of realimprovement. Many of these patientscould be helped to enjoy aproductive life outside the mentalinstitution with the proper use ofDMSO.
There is no reason not to useDMSO in all state mental hospitals.Since there are no fatal or harmfulside effects, there is no risk. Variousdosages could be tried along withcombinations with various drugs andvitamins to find out what works best.There is no reason for elaboratestudies. The studies can be verysimple with the methods andprocedures as well as the resultspublished so that others can takeadvantage of the research.
Many states and other governmentagencies are running low on money
and face a major cash flow problem.Housing mental patients ininstitutions consumes much cash thatcould be used for other purposes orreturned to the tax payers. Theproper use of DMSO couldundoubtedly reduce the population ofthe mental hospitals by over 50%,thereby reducing the cost. Even moreimportant, many of those who arenow confined to institutions couldbecome happy, free, productivepeople.
Chapter 27Mental Retardation
DMSO has proven to be veryeffective in the treatment of mentalretardation. In some cases DMSO isused by itself while in others it iscombined with amino acids,vitamins, or other products. TheDMSO has also been administeredin various ways including oralwhere the patient drinks the DMSOin water, juice or milk, byintramuscular injection, or by topical
application.One major well documented study
was conducted in Chile on 55children with severe mentalretardation caused by Down’ssyndrome11. Patients with Down’ssyndrome, which is also known asmongolism or trisomy ofchromosome 21, are born with threechromosome 21’s instead of thenormal two. Those with the extrachromosome 21 are mentallyretarded, and until DMSO littlecould be done to help them.
The patients in the Chile studywere given DMSO and amino acidsby intramuscular injection. The vialsfor injection consisted of 5ccs of 5%DMSO along with 5mg of gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA), 10mg ofgamma amino beta hydroxybutyricacid (GABOB) and 10mg of acetylglutamine.
The children were divided intotwo groups, those under 3 ½ yearsold and those over 3 ½ years old. Ofthose under 3 ½ years 15 childrenreceived the treatment, and 13 of thechildren served as controls. In those
over 3 ½ years old with the oldestbeing 14, 16 children received thetreatment while 11 children servedas controls.
For the children under 3 ½ yearsold the dosage of the 5cc ampulecontaining the 5% DMSO combinedwith the amino acids was adjustedaccording to body weight. Those thatweighed less than 8kg wereadministered .5cc, those between 8and 11kg 1cc, and those that weighedmore than 11kg received 2cc. All ofthe children over 3 ½ years oldreceived the entire 5cc ampule in
each injection.With the children who were less
than 3 ½ years old, the injectionswere given every other day for 90days. There was then a one monthbreak without the DMSO. All thechildren received a minimum ofthree cycles of injections. During theone month break the patients weregiven capsules that containedGABA, GABOB, acetyl glutamineand arginine, but no DMSO.
The children who were more than3 ½ years old received injectionsever day for 20 days alternating with
20 days off. During their 20 daysbreak they were given the aminoacid capsules that contained GABA,GABOB, acetyl glutamine, andarginine, but no DMSO. They allreceived five series of 20 injectionseach for a total of 100 injections.
Both groups of children showedlarge advances compared to thecontrol groups. The psychometrictesting of the children under 3 ½years old was figured in accordancewith Gesell’s development quotient.Those treated with the DMSOimproved in all areas with the
results summarized below:Motor area: In the control group
there was very little change with anaverage of 56 before treatment and58 after one year. In 10 patients outof 13 the motor index did not changewhile it dropped in one and rose intwo. In the DMSO treated group thebeginning average was also 56, butafter one year it was 72.
Adaptive area: In the controlgroup the beginning average was 52and at the end of one year it haddeclined to 49. The DMSO treatedgroup started with an average of 50
which increased to 60 after one yearof treatment.
Language area: The control grouphad an average of 56 at the beginningand 54 after one year. The DMSOtreated group had an average of 52before treatment which increased to58 after one year of treatment.
Children over 3 ½ years:Motor area: In the control group
the motor index average beforetreatment was 34 while after oneyear the average was 36. In theDMSO treated group the motor indexaverage was 38 before treatment and
49 after one year of DMSOtreatment.
Language area: Both the speakingand comprehension of the subjectswas tested. In the control group thespeaking average was 21 initiallyrising to 23 after one year while incomprehension the average was 25in the beginning and 34 after oneyear. In the treated group the averagescore for speaking was 27 prior totreatment and 37 after one yearwhile in comprehension the averagewas 42 prior to treatment and 52after one year.
Intelligence Quotient: Thechildren in the control group beganthe study with an average I.Q. of 34and had an average I.Q. of 33 afterone year. Those treated with DMSOhad a beginning average I.Q. of 29and had an average of 40 after oneyear of treatment.
The treating doctors agreed thatthe DMSO amino acid therapy is abig advance in treating children withsevere mental retardation. They alsorecommended increasing the numberof children treated and extending thelength of treatment time. In the
treatment of other children notrelated to this study theyadministered higher doses andobtained better results. Finally theystated that even though they have notarrived at an ideal treatment, theDMSO-amino acid therapy providesprogress in treating a condition inwhich there has been no otherprogress in decades.
In another study presented at theNew York Academy of Sciencesconference on DMSO 26 non-mongoloid retarded children inArgentina were treated with the
same DMSO amino acid therapyused in the Chile study.12 Thirteenof the children received the DMSOtreatment while the other 13 servedas the control group. The groupranged in age from 5 to 20.
The DMSO treated childrenreceived a 5cc intramuscularinjection three times a week in aseries of 20 injections with a breakof 15 days between each series overa total treatment time of 180 days.
The results of this study weresimilar to the previous study. There
was very little change in the controlgroup children while the DMSOchildren all showed someimprovement.
Billy King of Portland, Oregon, isprobably the best known patient inthe United States to be treated withDMSO for Down’s syndrome. Hewas a patient of Dr. Stan Jacob at theUniversity of Oregon MedicalSchool (now Oregon HealthSciences University) beginning inthe early 1970s.
He was treated with DMSO everyday. His mother told me back in the
1970’s that he drank the DMSO inmilk every morning. Of course this issomething that every child could do.It is a simple and effective treatmentthat costs very little and can have avery big gain.
The picture on the next pageshows how Billy looked inDecember 1971 before he wastreated with DMSO and also how helooked after one year of treatmentand after two years of treatment.When treatment first started he was14 years old and had the mentalcapacity of a 10 month old. He could
walk and feed himself. However, hecould not speak or understand whatother people said to him. At the timeof the third picture after usingDMSO for two years he had themental abilities of a seven year old.He could speak and understand whatwas said to him. He could write hisname and identify 269 Peabody flashcards. As shown by the pictures hehad lost his Mongoloid looks. Hecould also swim across a swimmingpool
Billy King continued to improveover the years. As an adult heworked in a Portland book store.This is an example of someonewhose life was completely changedwith DMSO. He went from a personwho had a very poor future, and whowould have probably beendependent on others for support, to a
productive adult who brought homea pay check every week.
What is the current status of thementally retarded in the UnitedStates and other countries around theworld? Many children who are likeBilly King was before his DMSOtreatment are in state institutions.Many, if not most of those who areseverely retarded or who havesuffered severe brain damage, couldleave the hospital and lead normallives. Your tax dollars are beingthrown away in mental hospitals,and worse, patients who could be
cured continue to be giventranquilizers to quiet them instead ofDMSO treatment to cure them. It istime to start really treating thesepeople and for those involved in thetreatment to really believe that theseverely retarded can be helped tobecome productive people.
Chapter 28Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is aninflammatory disease in which themyelin sheaths around the axons ofthe brain and spinal cord aredamaged leading to demyelinationand scarring. The disease reducesthe ability of nerve cells tocommunicate with each other.
There are two general types ofmultiple sclerosis. One type iscalled the progressive form. This
form generally disables and kills thepatient more rapidly. The other typeis called the remitting form. In thistype there can be much recoverybetween attacks that damage themyelin sheath. Often patients withthe remitting form live for manyyears. The recovery between attacksgenerally becomes less and lesscomplete, and the attacks becomemore destructive until the patientdies.
Thirty four patients in Russia withmultiple sclerosis were treated withDMSO as reported in a 1984
medical journal report.13 Theresults were very positive in thepatients who had the remitting typeof multiple sclerosis. There wasremyelination (growth of the myelinsheaths), a reduction in edema, andimproved communication betweenthe nerve cells. The improvement inthe progressive type of the diseasewas not nearly as great as in theremitting type.
One patient in South Pasadena,California with the progressive formof multiple sclerosis was confined to
a bed and a wheel chair. She wasliving in a convalescent hospital in afetal position. Her knees were nearlyup to her chest and it was notpossible to move her legs. She wasexpected to be dead within a fewmonths.
The family of this lady wanted hertreated with DMSO, vitamins, andnatural food. It was decided to giveher intramuscular injections twice aweek. She was given oneteaspoonful of DMSO in water bymouth every day, and the nursingstaff applied a lotion containing
DMSO to her arms and legs everyday.
Shortly after treatment started, thislady complained that the treatmentwas causing pain in her legs. Priorto treatment she had very littlefeeling in her legs so even this painwas considered to be positive.Slightly over a year after treatmentwas started, this lady was able tomove her legs. She later was able tofeed herself. Improvement continueduntil this lady was moved to anotherstate to be closer to some membersof her family who thought the same
treatment would be available in hernew location.
There was another interestingaspect to this case. The patient wason Medicare, and she neededphysical therapy in addition toDMSO and conventional medicaltreatment. At first she was turneddown by Medicare for physicaltherapy. A representative fromMedicare explained that she hadcontractures and would never makemuch improvement. The situationwas explained to the Medicarerepresentative. He was told that she
had already improved, and he wasinvited to visit the patient, reviewher medical records, and ask anyquestions he may have. He thenagreed to reevaluate the case.However, he emphasized that theodds were against approval forMedicare reimbursement. Aftercareful evaluation of the progress thepatient had already made, she wasapproved for Medicarereimbursement for physical therapy.
This is another example of howany medical professional can oftenget other help that the patient may
need. If you think the patient needsany treatment where reimbursementmay be needed, and it has beendenied, the denial should not beconsidered final. Often all that isneeded is proof or a good indicationthat the proposed treatment offersbenefits that exceed the cost.
Chapter 29Pain
One of the major benefits of DMSOis its ability to greatly reduce pain.Pain comes in many forms and someproblems that can cause severe painare covered in other chapters. Thischapter deals with pain in instanceswhere pain is the primary problem.
Pain is basically anelectrochemical warning from yourbody telling you that there is aproblem. It is a warning to the
patient that his body faces a potentialdanger that can cause, or is causing,actual tissue damage. DMSO canusually greatly reduce any pain.However, it is always best to findout what is causing the pain.
DMSO is not intended to replacethe physician. If a patient has apersistent pain, there is a problemeven if the cause of the problem isunknown. If the patient hasappendicitis, the use of DMSO is notthe answer. Medical advice andtreatment should be obtainedimmediately. Surgery may be needed
on an emergency basis to save thelife of the patient.
Once the cause of the pain isknown, DMSO can be used to thebest advantage. Many times the bestmedical advice, examination, andtests fail to discover the cause of thepain. Also two people can have thesame condition that looks similar onan x-ray, and one patient may havesevere pain while the other patienthas minimal pain. This canespecially be true in back pain.
A patient in Newport Beach,California had suffered a severe
back injury 10 years before firstbeing seen at the clinic of ElmerThomassen, MD. The patient hadbeen involved in a major automobileaccident and despite surgery hadsuffered from nearly constant painsince the accident. An examinationshowed some damage to the spine,but nothing in the area of mostsevere pain.
It was decided to treat this patientwith a topical lotion of 90 percentDMSO. He was advised to have thelotion applied lightly to his entireback two times a day. The patient
received some temporary relief afterthe first treatment. There was slightreduction of pain and less stiffnessin the back. Treatment continued, andthere was further improvement. Afterone year of treatment, the pain wasnearly gone, and the patient hadfreedom of movement that hedescribed as equal to what he hadprior to the accident.
The patient was then advised tocontinue to apply the DMSO dailyand to see the doctor every sixmonths for examination andevaluation. The patient continued to
improve. Two years after theoriginal appointment he was hikingin the mountains, often walking over10 miles on a Saturday or Sundayafternoon. He considered his generalhealth to be better than before theaccident. He said he would use theDMSO for the rest of his life andthat neither he nor his wife objectedto the smell of DMSO.
A controlled study involvingpatients with open chest surgery atPennsylvania Hospital inPhiladelphia showed excellentresults in the control of post-surgical
pain. In this study DMSO wasapplied to the 12-15 inch incisionevery six hours. Those receivingDMSO required only one half thenormal amount of pain killers. Theyalso had fewer complications suchas nausea, vomiting, andconstipation. They also recoveredmore rapidly from their surgery.
One of the worst pains that apatient can experience is a pain thatis called phantom pain. This is apain in a part of the body that is nolonger there. An arm or leg may havebeen lost in an accident or the limb
may have been amputated. However,it may feel to the amputee as thoughthe limb were still there.
This phantom pain can be aburning or tingling feeling, a dullache or very severe pain in all, orjust a small part, of the missing bodypart. Sometimes the arm or leg willfeel like it is getting numb, but itdefinitely feels like it is still there.The pain arises from various typesof nerve stimuli which are notcompletely understood. The pain isreal, not imaginary, even though thelocation of the pain is no longer
attached to the patient. This pain isoften difficult to treat.
A good example of phantom painwas a motorcycle rider in LosAngeles who had his right armcrushed in an accident. The arm waslater surgically removed at hisshoulder. This patient suffered painthat was mainly in his right elbow.At times the pain was sharp andsevere and at other times he said itfelt like the arm, especially at theelbow, was not getting a sufficientamount of blood.
This patient was first treated with
DMSO in 1998, long after theaccident. He had used a variety ofpain medication, both over thecounter and prescription, withoutany real relief. He considered mostof his pain pills to be counter-productive as he said they providedmore side effects that he did not likethan pain relief that he did desire.
A lotion containing DMSO,capsicum pepper, and aloe verajuice was applied to the patient’sshoulder at the amputation site. Hemade the comment shortly before thetreatment that he was probably crazy
to go for a voodoo treatment likethis. He said: “You are treating mefor a pain that is out in the air. Thepain is not attached to my body.Maybe the pain is just in my mind.Nothing else has worked. I know thiswill not work either, but I am willingto show you that it won’t work.”
Minutes after the application ofthe lotion the patient said his arm feltbetter. He said: “I don’t believe it,but my elbow feels much better. Thisstuff really works.”
This patient was then advised touse the lotion twice a day whether he
had pain or not. Three months laterthis man no longer had any phantompain, and he was told that he coulddiscontinue the treatment. Thephantom pain did not come back.The patient used the lotion for otherminor problems such as muscleaches and pains and said he wouldnever again be without the lotion orplain DMSO which he drank incranberry juice.
Any doctor who treats patientswith pains of unknown cause, andthis includes just about every doctor,should have DMSO available and
know how to use it. Most painmedications have some potentiallyharmful side effects. With DMSO wehave an effective and safe painkiller.
Chapter 30Protection from
Radiation Damage
The radio protective properties ofDMSO have been known for over 40years, DMSO has been used toprevent radiation damage from x-raytreatment and also to protect fromhigh atmospheric levels of radiationsuch as that caused by accidents atnuclear power plants.
There is direct and immediatenoticeable damage such as radiation
burns. Radiation also produces freeradicals that damage cells throughoutthe whole body. These free radicalscause the cells to age more rapidlyand also cause the cells to mutatecausing cancers, birth defects, andother diseases. DMSO is the mostpotent free radical scavenger known.Even low concentrations of DMSOcan greatly reduce the radiation andfree radical damage.
A study involving cervical cancerpatients in Russia who receivedradiation treatment was reported inthe Russian radiological journal
Meditsinskaia Radiological.14 Inthis study DMSO was appliedtopically to 22 cervical cancerpatients prior to radiation treatment.The control group consisted of 59patients who received radiationtherapy without DMSO. The DMSOprotected patients did not getradiation burns and other symptomsof radiation toxicity while thecontrol group had the normallyexpected toxic reaction.
A study at Kyoto University inJapan involving the use of DMSO to
protect DNA from radiation damagewas reported in the Journal ofRadiation Research in 2010.15 Inthis study Chinese hamster ovarycells were exposed to radiationwhile being protected by a dilutesolution (0.5%) of DMSO.
DNA is composed of two strandsin the form of a double helix. Itcontains the genetic instructions usedin the development and functioningof living organisms. The main roleof DNA is the long term storage ofinformation. DNA is often compared
to a set of blueprints or plans since itcontains the instructions needed toconstruct other components of cells.DNA can be from any organism suchas a person, a dog, a cat, or ahamster. The DNA in hamster cellsdetermines that the baby will be ahamster while the DNA in humancells determines that the baby willbe a human. The DNA alsoinfluences the size, color,intelligence, etc. of the organism.
The DNA can be damaged in avariety of ways, one of which isexposure to radiation. Radiation can
cause a break in some of the DNAstrands. Previous studies by theKyoto University researchersconfirmed that a two hour treatmentof irradiated cells with 10% DMSOcould suppress deadly effects in theirradiated cells, but theconcentration of DMSO was foundto be toxic. The research showedthat higher concentrations wereeffective in preventing double strandbreaks. Generally the higher theconcentration of DMSO, the fewerdouble strand breaks in the DNA,but since high concentrations proved
toxic, the 0.5% DMSO was tried.This study showed that 0.5%
DMSO provided protection fromradiation by helping repair doublestrand breaks rather than throughindirect action of free radicalsuppression. Anyone who desiresmore detailed information on theJapanese study can access it on theinternet. It is an excellent study eventhough it can be difficult tounderstand.
In their conclusion the authors ofthe study say that further studies areneeded to truly understand the effects
of DMSO in protecting the cellsfrom radiation damage. Previously itwas thought that the benefit was anindirect action caused by freeradical suppression. However, asthis study shows there is also directaction with the DMSO itself helpingto repair the radiation damage to theDNA. There is still much to belearned about treating radiationdamage.
How can the knowledge that wehave now be used to help those whomay have been exposed to anexcessive amount of radiation, such
as that from the damaged FukushimaDaiichi power plant? There were nopreviously written protocols forusing DMSO in the treatment ofradiation poisoning from damagedatomic power plants prior to 2011.The original protocols were writtenshortly after the Fukushima accidentand should be considered subject tochange as more information isobtained. However, it does providea good basic starting point untilmore exact protocols are laterdesigned. Also, the current treatmentprotocols can be varied to treat each
individual case.All of those exposed to excess
radiation should be treated withDMSO immediately. The DMSO canbe given by mouth, by injection, orby topical application to the skin. Insome cases all three methods can beused. Those who have majorexposure such as the workers at thepower plant should be given heavydoses of DMSO. A maximum of 5grams per kilogram of body weighton the first day is safe over a 24hour period. However, this heavydose is recommended only if the
patient has received a massive doseof radiation that is considered to beimmediately life threatening. Ofcourse the patient should also beimmediately removed from thesource of the excess radiation. In thecase of a nuclear power plantaccident, this might mean that thepatient should be moved 100 milesor more away from the accident site.
After the first day the dosage isgreatly reduced. A permanent doseof up to one gram per kilogram ofbody weight can be taken by aperson who is receiving a regular
dose of excess radiation such asfrom a nuclear power plant accidentor nuclear bomb. Protection fromradiation is especially important forpregnant women. The DNA of thedeveloping fetus is especiallyvulnerable to radiation damage. Theresult of radiation poisoning can bea deformed child, leukemia, or someother health problem.
Topical DMSO can be at a
concentration of 90% for much of thebody. Generally for the face theconcentration should be 70% or less.
It should be applied lightly at first tosee how the patient responds. If thepatient has radiation burns ScottSupreme Skin Lotion which contains50% DMSO and also aloe vera hasproven effective. Those that continueto receive radiation can applyDMSO or Scott Supreme SkinLotion lightly on the whole body twoor three times a day. The skin shouldbe clean with no rubbing alcohol onthe area where DMSO is applied asthe DSMO can take other productswith it through the skin.
When DMSO is taken by mouth,
the concentration should be kept to20% or less DMSO. The patientshould drink the solution slowlyafter eating. Usually it is best to putthe DMSO in juice to cover up thetaste. However, it can also bediluted with water.
Other treatments can also be givenalong with the DMSO. These willnot be covered in this book, but theyinclude potassium iodide to helpprotect the thyroid if radioactiveiodine is one of the contaminatingagents. Epsom salt baths are alsoused along with other toxin reducing
agents. Excess radiation can beobtained from many other sourcesthat are not life threatening at thetime, but can build up during the lifeof the patient. When the patientreceives a diagnostic x-ray, the restof the body is normally protected bya lead shield. If DMSO is appliedtopically to the area to be x-rayed,this will further reduce damagewithout harming the effectiveness ofthe x-ray.
DMSO has been used tosuccessfully treat a wide variety ofproblems for over 50 years. It is
considered to be one of the safestmedicines ever used, and eventhough it has been used by millionsof people there have been nodocumented cases of anyone everhaving a fatal reaction to DMSO.The only side effect usually is garliclike breath. With topical use theremay be some minor skin irritationwhich usually only lasts a fewminutes. Anyone who receives aheavy dose of radiation from anynuclear power plant accident orother source should receive longterm DMSO treatment to reduce the
long term radiation damage.
Chapter 31Respiratory Problems
Respiratory problems severelyaffect the lives of many people bothin the United States and in othercountries around the world. Theseailments can be especially deadly ininfants and the elderly. DMSO,usually combined with otherproducts such as antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs, has been proveneffective in the treatment of mostrespiratory problems.
A study in Chile involving 60babies with severe bronchiolitisshows the effectiveness of addingDMSO to the conventionaltreatment.16 These babies weredivided into two groups. Thirty ofthe babies were used as controls andwere treated with antibiotics, oxygenand the steam tent. The DMSO groupreceived the same treatment, but alsoan aerosol spray containing DMSO,an antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory drug. Those treatedwith DMSO had an immediate
recovery. Thirty minutes after theDMSO treatment, 80 percent of thebabies had sensorial and coughingimprovement and 75 percent haddecreased respiratory rate andimproved breathing ability.
There was also a deferred benefitas the DMSO group did not requirethe use of the steam tent. The DMSOspray decreased the inflammatoryprocess and the viscosity of therespiratory secretions so they couldmore easily be coughed up. The finalconclusion of those conducting thisstudy in their own words was “Since
the application is easy, there are notoxic side effects and in view of thefavorable results in the clinicalevolution of the acute respiratoryobstructive processes, we considerthe use of this therapeutic spray veryuseful and beneficial inbronchiolitis.
One example of the children whowere treated at this hospital was athree year old child who was veryill with a high fever, cough, anddyspnea. His condition continued todeteriorate, and he was given atracheotomy 12 hours after his
admittance to the hospital. Two dayslater he was transferred to thebronchopulmonary service where hisgeneral condition was considereddeficient.
It was decided to give this patientone ml of DMSO spray by use of atracheal cannula. He reacted bysevere coughing and temporarysuffocation, followed by theexpulsion of a large amount ofsecretion. His breathing immediatelyimproved, and he became calmer.He was discharged from the hospitalnine days after he entered and was
considered cured.Asthma is considered to be the
most common chronic illness ofchildren. It is an inflammatorycondition of the bronchial tubes.Excessive amounts of mucusdevelop. An acute asthmatic attackcan make breathing so difficult thatthe patient can die from lack ofoxygen. Asthma can affect people ofall ages, not just children, and thecondition can actually be moreserious in the elderly.
The normal medical treatment forasthma has mainly centered on
symptom reducing drugs. Inhalersare used to expand the air passages.Anti-inflammatory drugs are used toprevent the formation of mucuswhich can in extreme casescompletely block breathing.Cortisone is often also used. Whilethese treatments can be lifesaving inan emergency, they can have badside effects, especially when usedfrequently and for long periods oftime.
DMSO has been proven effectivein treating asthma without the sideeffects of cortisone and
bronchodilators. This is often donein a very simple manner such astopical application of DMSO eitherby itself or in combination withvarious medicines and herbs.
This writer has a great grandsonthat was a rather severe asthmatic asa baby. His mother took him to adoctor who prescribed the standardmedical treatment at that time. Thisprovided some relief as he was ableto breathe a little better although notas well as desired. His mother wasalso concerned about toxic sideeffects of the medication.
Complete relief from his asthmawas finally obtained by the use of aDMSO lotion. This lotion containedaloe vera juice and eucalyptus oilalong with the DMSO. The lotionwas applied on his chest, around hisnose, and on his forehead at nightjust before he went to bed. He hadimmediate relief. He could breathewithout difficulty. For a number ofyears after this he would not go tobed without his lotion. He has sincequit using the lotion every night as heno longer has the asthma. Somechildren grow out of their asthma as
they get older. However, it ispossible in this case that once thecycle of the asthma was completelystopped by the lotion for a period oftime, the asthma did not come back.
This example is just one of manythat show that DMSO shouldprobably be tried in the treatment ofmost respiratory problems. Thisdoes not mean that a person withasthma who is on other medicationssuch as cortisone should stop thatmedicine suddenly after taking it foryears. This can result in severeproblems, even death. Some
medications must be stopped slowly.This should be done only under thesupervision of a doctor. When youtake cortisone for a long period oftime your adrenal glands stopproducing cortisol, the naturalcortisone hormone. You cannot stopcortisone suddenly. There are teststhat can be given by the doctor tohelp determine how cortisone andother medications can be reducedand eliminated.
There are other natural things thatcan be done to help all respiratoryproblems. One of the most important
is to keep the body hydrated. Wateris the preferred drink. Coffee andalcoholic drinks do not count asliquids as they tend to dehydrate thebody.
Allergies are often a prime orcontributing factor in asthma andother respiratory problems. DMSOcan help these allergies. In fact somepeople who started taking DMSO forarthritis found that their coughing,sneezing and other allergicsymptoms to pollen were stopped.Still the patient should also try tostay away as much as possible from
any irritant. This includes foodallergies, any pollen that may causean allergic reaction, and tobaccosmoke.
Chapter 32Scleroderma
Scleroderma, an ailment of unknowncause which calcifies body tissueand can attack various internalorgans, is a disease where DMSO isthe only effective treatment. Thiscondition affects over twice as manywomen as men and most oftenattacks those between 25 and 45years of age.
The progress of this diseasevaries greatly from person to person.
In some patients only the fingers maybe affected for several years. Somepatients suffer from scleroderma forover 25 years. Others die within afew years of diagnosis due primarilyto organ failure caused by thedisease. Seventy percent of thepatients with systemic sclerodermadie within seven years of diagnosis.
One of the largest sclerodermastudies using DMSO was carried outat the Cleveland Clinic in Ohiowhere 43 patients were treatedstarting in 1965. These patients hadbeen diagnosed as mild, moderate,
or severe, and had suffered fromscleroderma for from 1 to 25 years.They were treated with DMSOconcentrations of 30 to 100 percentapplied to various areas of the skinor even over the entire body.
Dr. Arthur L. Scherbel, who ledthe study, reported that this researchprovided the first time they hadobserved any positive changes inthis ailment. After the patients hadbeen treated for from 3 to 23 months,Dr. Sherbel and his group rated theprogress made by each of thepatients. Twenty six of the 43 had
made good to excellent progress.Generally those showing the leastsymptoms showed the greatestimprovement.
Only two patients whosescleroderma was far advancedscored good to excellent. Sixpatients with severe advancedscleroderma died during treatment orwithin three months of completingtreatment. Neither those that diedduring treatment nor any of the otherpatients showed any harmful effectsdue to the treatment. Three patientsstopped treatment after one year
because all symptoms haddisappeared, and they remainedsymptom free for at least six monthsof observation. Nine other patientsdiscontinued treatment when theirsymptoms left, but pain and othersymptoms recurred so they resumedtreatment.
Other studies have providedsimilar results. Every studyinvolving the treatment ofscleroderma with DMSO with whichthis writer has knowledge hasproduced very positive results.
A more recent case involved a
Santa Barbara, California womanwho had suffered from sclerodermafor many years. When she firststarted DMSO treatment, sheweighed 79 pounds, bled from herkidneys, and frequently passed out.The prognosis was that the faintingspells would increase and eventuallyshe would not wake up, unless shedied of kidney failure first. She wasin constant pain despite painmedication and was unable to work.
DMSO was applied on the arms,hands, feet and legs of this womantwice a day. She also drank a
teaspoonful of DMSO in juice twicea day. She was also placed on anexercise program where shegradually increased her walkingdistance. She was given a diet thatemphasized raw fruits andvegetables and no refined sugar.
Positive results were noted almostimmediately. The pain was greatlyreduced and she had more energy.Seven years later she no longerpassed out or bled from her kidneys,and her weight had increased to 107pounds. She had no sclerodermapain, was physically active, and
seemed to be heading for completerecovery.
There has been no contact withthis woman for a number of years.We assume and hope that herscleroderma stayed in remission. Ifthe disease had come back therewould most like have been contact inlater years.
Chapter 33Shingles & Herpes
DMSO has been proven effective inthe treatment of viral infections,including the herpes virus. Resultshave been obtained with acombination of DMSO and variousanti-inflammatory and antiviralmedicines as well as with DMSO byitself.
Herpes zoster, more commonlyknown as shingles, can be especiallyserious. This disease comes from the
same virus that causes chicken pox.The current theory is that the patienthad chicken pox as a child and laterin life, usually as a senior citizen,the virus is activated and there is anattack of shingles. Usually shingleswill last up to a few weeks, and thepatient then makes a full recovery.However, if the disease attacks theface, the shingles can get into theeyes of the patient sometimescausing permanent blindness.
When the sores of shinglesdisappear there can be a conditioncalled postherpetic neuralgia. This
can be extremely painful, and thepain can last for years. DMSO andother medications can reduce thepain of postherpetic neuralgia, butnot eliminate it. One of the mostimportant things in treating a patientwith shingles is to preventpostherpetic neuralgia. It is mucheasier to prevent than to treat. Thebest way to prevent the neuralgia isto treat the shingles in its earlieststage.
A DMSO spray which alsocontained other antiviral and anti-inflammatory medicines was used by
Lazano Sehtman, a dermatologist atAlrear Hospital in Buenos AiresArgentina, to treat patients with bothherpes zoster and herpes simplex.Results were dramatic, all 17 casesof herpes (10 herpes simplex andseven herpes zoster) showed resultswithin 48 hours with twoapplications of the spray per day.
Dr. William Campbell Douglas, anAmerican doctor, had a clinicalstudy of DMSO involving 46patients with shingles in 1971. Inthis study he applied DMSO atstrengths ranging from 50 percent to
90 percent on the skin lesions. Someof the patients received only DMSOwhile others had DMSO combinedwith dexamethasone. There seemedto be no difference in the resultswhether DMSO was used by itselfor combined with the other drug. Thebest results were usually obtained onpatients that were treated early in thedisease process.
Some doctors, especially thosethat specialize in natural treatments,have used DMSO and lysine to treatboth herpes zoster and herpessimplex. Lysine has been
scientifically proven to retard thegrowth of the herpes virus and toinhibit viral replication. Usually upto 3000 mg of lysine is taken orallyalong with oral and topical DMSO.
It is usually more effective to bothapply DMSO to the affected areaand to give the DMSO by mouth orinjection. Often the patient can beadvised to take a teaspoonful ofDMSO in water or juice three timesa day. Topical DMSO can also beapplied at strengths of 50 to 90percent. The highest concentrationpossible that does not give the
patient excessive pain is usuallyused. The topical applications canalso be diluted with aloe vera juiceinstead of water. This can make theDMSO lotion even less painful.
All the studies and clinical resultsseem to indicate that early treatmentis important to get the best results.The sores heal faster with DMSOwhen they have been present for ashorter time. Also postherpeticneuralgia can probably becompletely prevented if DMSOtreatment is started in the first fewdays of the disease.
Chapter 34Spinal Cord Injuries
Severe back injuries, especiallythose involving the spinal cord, areoften very difficult to treat byconventional methods. It is oftenimpossible to know until later howmuch damage if any was done to thespinal cord by automobile accidents,industrial accidents, divingaccidents, sports injuries, or othertrauma.
Back and neck injuries present
complex medical problems that ofteninvolve much more than the possibleimmediate damage to the spinalcord. These injuries also cause freeradical formation, edema, decreasedblood flow, and a lack of oxygen.One of the first things that happensafter spinal cord injury is areduction of oxygen and blood flowas the blood vessels constrict.Without proper treatment the tissuecan then swell. This can lead toparalysis, either temporary orpermanent, even if the spinal cordwas not severely damaged by the
original injury.The unique properties of DMSO
make it the most useful agentcurrently known to treat theseproblems. DMSO is the mostpowerful free radical scavengerknown. It reduces edema, and ithelps increase blood flow to thedamaged area. The increased bloodflow also increases the amount ofoxygen and other essential productsgoing through the injury site. Ofcourse if the spinal cord iscompletely severed, there iscurrently no treatment that can
relieve the damage. No surgery,DMSO, or other treatment can at thepresent time repair a severed spinalcord, and the patient will remainparalyzed from the point ofseverance down.
Usually the most effective DMSOtreatment for spinal cord injury is bythe intravenous slow drip method.Immediately after the intravenousinjection of DMSO, there is anincrease in the amount of blood flowin the area of the spinal cord injury.
The DMSO can also be given bymouth in juice or water, or it can be
applied topically to the spinal area.DMSO treatment should be startedas soon as possible after the injury.The longer the delay in treatment, themore likely there will be permanentdamage. However, DMSO treatment,even years after the injury, can bebetter than no DMSO treatment.
An Orange County, California,engineer suffered a severe backinjury in an automobile accident. Hewas paralyzed below the point ofinjury and was confined to awheelchair. However, his spinalcord was not severed. It did suffer
damage, but there was no break.DMSO treatment was offered, butthis man refused the treatment. Hewas convinced that it would notwork, and he would never walkbecause a few months after theaccident he still had no feeling in hislegs.
Twelve years after the accidentthis man changed his mind anddecided to try topical treatment witha DMSO lotion. The lotion wasapplied twice a day to the entireback of this patient. After threemonths this man was able to move
the toes on his right foot. He neverregained the ability to walk, but thetreatment restored some feeling andthe ability to move a part of his bodybelow the injury site.
Would this patient be able to walkif he had received DMSO in a timelymanner shortly after the accident?No one can say for sure. However,this man now believes that if he hadreceived proper DMSO treatmentimmediately following the accident,he would now be walking.
Any doctor in private practice cantreat any patient with DMSO. It is
often impossible to know at first theexact extent of an injury to the spinalarea. There is never any danger inusing DMSO even if the spinal cordis severed, and the patient ispermanently paralyzed. If the patienthas what appears to be a majorinjury, but the spinal cord is notsevered, treatment with DMSO cansometimes lead to completerecovery by the patient.
Chapter 35Skin Problems
A large study of 1371 patients inChile with chronic skin ulcers waspresented in the 1975 Annals of theNew York Academy of Sciences.17
The skin ulcers were due to awide variety of causes such asdiabetic sores, infected wounds, andburns. The majority of the burnswere infected. Many of the sores hadbeen present for years and had beentreated unsuccessfully with other
medications.This treatment consisted of DMSO
mixed with antibiotic and anti-inflammatory agents. The mixturewas sprayed directly on the wounds.In the majority of the cases, thetreatment was given three times aweek. In some cases of deepwounds, there was some pain at thetime of application. However, thispain only lasted a short time and didnot prevent treatment. Most patientsreceived immediate relief and insome cases the pain completelystopped after the first treatment.
Dr. Mirando-Tirado said theywere surprised by the rapid healingwhich occurred after only threetreatments in some superficialinfected wounds. Of the total numberof patients 1313 (95.04%) wereconsidered to be completely curedand able to resume their normalactivities.
Several individual examples weregiven. One involved a 60 year oldman who had been suffering from anulcer of the right leg for 15 years.This ulcer which was two inches indiameter was caused by the rupture
of a varicose vein. Various types oftreatment had been tried over the 15years that he suffered from theproblem. However, nothing reallyworked. After 20 treatments with theDMSO spray, the ulcer healedcompletely and the sore did notreturn.
Another example given was a 55year old man who had postphlebiticand hypostatic syndrome of the rightleg with ulcerations and dermatitisfollowing prolonged bed rest whichwas required as a result of anelevator accident. Because of the
fractures the patient was in a plastercast for 18 months and again for twomonths. During the following sevenyears he was treated by variousdermatologists and was hospitalizedseveral times at the University ofChile Clinical Hospital.Improvement was always temporaryand the ulcers reappeared within afew days of discharge from thehospital. After only 10 treatmentswith the DMSO spray over a periodof less than four weeks the ulcershealed completely and the patientwas able to return to work and to
walk without problems.More recently a 90 year old lady
in Los Angeles suffered from severevaricose ulcers in both legs. Thislady, who was a retired schoolteacher, was afraid that she hadcancer of both legs. It was explainedto her that she had varicose veins.These later caused sores or ulcers toform. The dermatologist wanted tooperate to remove the bad veins.This lady was treated with a skinlotion containing DMSO, aloe vera,and eucalyptus oil. The lotion wasapplied to both legs twice a day.
There was immediate reduction ofpain. One month later the sores werecompletely healed and have notreturned.
How about skin problems ofanimals? A few years ago a cat inLos Angeles was having severe skinproblems. The hair on a large part ofher body was falling out. The skinwas raw and bleeding. The owner ofthe cat took her to variousveterinarians who tried a variety oftests and treatments. Nothing seemedto work, and it appeared the catmight be terminal. Finally a lotion
containing DMSO was tried. Painseemed to be reduced within amatter of minutes. The cat quitscratching herself. Her skin healed,and her hair grew back. Two monthslater she was a beautiful healthy cat.The treating doctor said he did notknow what caused the skinproblems, and he did not want toguess. However, he said that anyfuture problems of that nature or anyother skin problem of unknowncause suffered by another cat wouldfirst be treated with the DMSOlotion.
Skin grafts are sometimes neededfollowing severe damage to the skin.They can be especially importantwhen used in facial reconstruction.The biggest problem with these skingrafts is that survival of the grafts,except for the very smallest, isunpredictable.
A study was conducted by theDepartment of Otolaryngology-Headand Neck Surgery, University ofMinnesota School of Medicine,Hennekin County Medical Center,Minneapolis, Minnesota on theeffects of angiogenic growth factors
and DMSO on composite grafts. Inthis study the angiogenic growthfactors, basic fibroblast growthfactor, and endothelial cell growthfactor and DMSO were applied tografts to determine their effects onvascularization and survival. Thiswas administered either topically orby intradermal injection to 120auricular grafts in New Zealandwhite rabbits.
Dermabrasion was performed intwo groups in an attempt to increasetransdermal delivery. The graftswere evaluated three weeks later
and had a 40% increase in vascularingrowth compared to the controls.An important discovery was thatDMSO with dermabrasion increasedgraft survival even without anangiogenic agent.
DMSO can be the best friend ofthe dermatologist. Often a patientwill come in with a skin problem ofunknown cause. Sometimesextensive tests fail to reveal thecause. The patient can feel and seethe problem. The doctor can see theproblem and check for possiblecauses and not find the true problem.
In these cases he can try DMSO byitself or with other products.Generally if the treatment does notprovide relief, it will at least notharm the patients.
Chapter 36Stroke
DMSO should probably be used inthe treatment of all stroke patients.DMSO has a number of propertiesthat make it valuable in treating anyproblem involving the brain.
One very important property ofDMSO is the ability to cross theblood-brain barrier. It is one of thefew products to cross this protectivebarrier. The blood-brain barrierserves as a protective mechanism
that exists between circulating bloodand the brain. It protects the brainfrom substances which are toxic tobrain tissue.
There is normally an accumulationof water in the brain as a result ofthe stroke because the stroke damagebreaks down some of the cells. Thefluid buildup in the craniumcompresses other brain cellsresulting in the death of more cells.DMSO actually helps to remove theexcess fluid from the brain resultingin lower pressure and less braindamage. There can also be an
accumulation of blood that should beremoved if it is providing pressureon brain cells. The best way toremove this blood is through the useof DMSO. The DMSO helps otherblood vessels take over the work ofthe damaged blood vessels, therebypotentially saving the life of thestroke victim.
DMSO also protects nerve cellsfrom any disruption following strokeinjury. Other products have beenused for this, but DMSO providesbetter protection than the otherproducts. Another important
consideration is the fact that thereare no harmful side effects whenusing DMSO. The proper use ofDMSO could save the lives of manystroke victims each year.
When the patient has a strokeDMSO treatment should start assoon as possible. Emergencypersonnel should all be trained in theuse of DMSO. Ambulance crewsshould at least give DMSO treatmenttopically to all stroke patients whenthe patient is first picked up. Whenthe patient arrives at the hospital hecan have DMSO added to his
intravenous infusion. Delay instarting treatment can result inpermanent brain damage or death.
Immediate treatment is desirableeven if the stroke is relatively minor.With a minor stroke immediateDMSO treatment will minimize thepossibility of any permanentdamage. If it is a major strokeimmediate treatment with DMSO canoften prevent major permanentdisability or death. Brain tissue isvery fragile and deteriorates rapidlyif it is deprived of oxygen. Whentreatment is delayed certain brain
functions can be destroyedpermanently or the patient can die.
Even though early treatment isdesirable good results have beenobtained when treatment is startedlong after the stroke. A goodexample of a patient who was nottreated immediately is a lady inEugene, Oregon who did not receiveDMSO treatment until three monthsafter her stroke. This lady was in acoma in a convalescent hospital andhad been in the coma since herstroke. She was given little chanceof recovery and was expected to
remain in a vegetative state until herdeath.
When I first observed this lady,there was no response to any type ofstimulus. She was alive, butappeared lifeless. It was decidedthat her treatment should be topicalDMSO applied to her head dailyeither by her husband or by one ofthe nurses at the facility.
One month after the start oftreatment, there were positive signsin the lady. Her brain was starting torespond to the DMSO. The treatmentcontinued, and four months after
treatment started this lady was ableto return to her home. After herreturn to her home, this patientstarted drinking one teaspoonful ofDMSO in a small glass of watereach day in addition to the dailytopical treatment. This treatmentcontinued for a period of years.
Three years after the start ofDMSO treatment this writer returnedto visit this patient. At this time thelady was living a normal life, not thelife of a stroke victim. She was ableto look after the house and walkednormally. The only lingering effect
of the stroke was a slight speechdefect. At this time she said that hermemory was better than that of herhusband who had not had a strokeand who was considered to becompletely normal.
A Los Angeles school teacher hada major stroke shortly after the startof the Christmas break. She wasunconscious on her living roomfloor. DMSO treatment was startedimmediately after the stroke. TheDMSO was first applied topically toher head within minutes of thestroke. Less than one hour after the
stroke she was given DMSO byintramuscular injection. This patientwas never taken to the hospital forthis stroke. A prominent surgeonwho was a family friend told thehusband of this patient that it wasimportant to keep her out of thehospital. The surgeon said that eventhough the treatment was completelylegal, it would be difficult to getapproval to give the DMSOespecially by injection at hishospital.
This patient made a dramaticrecovery. She regained
consciousness later in the day inwhich she had her stroke. Treatmentcontinued for the next week. Eachday she received two topicalapplications of DMSO, oneintramuscular injection of DMSO,and two doses of one teaspoonful ofDMSO in juice. Her conditionimproved each day. When schoolresumed after the first of January,this teacher was back in the schoolteaching the students as if nothinghad happened during the Christmasvacation. She never even mentionedit to the other people at the school.
She continued teaching until sheretired. She retired healthy with nodisability.
DMSO has been known to be asuperior treatment for strokes formany years. Some very well-knownpeople have died needlessly ofstroke. A good example was formerpresident Richard Nixon who diedfour days after a major stroke. Hisfinal cause of death was listed asswelling of the brain. The swellingcould have been prevented with theproper use of DMSO. Many yearsbefore Nixon’s stroke, Dr. Stanley
Jacob at Oregon Health SciencesUniversity had been treating strokeswith DMSO. The DMSO wouldhave prevented the swelling. Thiswriter remembers when it wasannounced that Mr. Nixon hadswelling of the brain and had only ashort time to live. At that time I saidthat his life could have definitelybeen saved if he had been treatedimmediately after the stroke. I alsosaid that even though the swellinghad started, there was still thepossibility of reversing the conditionwith intravenous DMSO. Even
topical application to the head mighthave been beneficial. However,DMSO was never used and a formerpresident died without medicaltreatment that would have probablysaved his life.
Chapter 37Tooth & Gum Disease
Periodontal disease is the leadingcause of tooth loss in middle agedand elderly people. It is a disease ofthe supporting structures of the teethsuch as the gums, the periodontalmembrane, and the bones supportingthe teeth. It is generally caused bypoor oral hygiene and a bad diet thatoften includes an excess of refinedsugars. This encourages the growthof bacteria. Regular brushing with
DMSO greatly reduces the bacteriagrowth.
Gum and supporting tissue diseasegoes through a process that in theearlier stages is called gingivitis.This is an inflammatory condition ofthe gums. Bacteria feed on foodparticles around the gums causingthe formation of plaque which iscomposed of thousands of livingbacteria. This forms in the gingival,the space between the tooth and thegum. The gums become swollen andbleed. If not properly treated, theplaque spreads to the underlying
membrane and bone which can beseverely damaged.
At this stage gingivitis becomesperiodontitis. There is a progressiveinfection and more inflammation.The teeth become loosened and canfall out. If the process has notdeveloped too far dentists can stillsave some loose teeth, especially ifDMSO is used.
The bacteria have to eat tosurvive. They live on food particlesleft in the mouth after the patienteats. The bacteria also have toeliminate wastes, disposing of fecal
matter on the teeth and gums. This iswhat causes the foul odor from themouth of a person with gum disease.
The bacteria causing the plaquereproduce, and if left for a period oftime die off. Dead plaque hardensand calcifies and is then calledcalculus or tarter. When the tarterbuilds up around the teeth, it causesthe gums to pull away from the teeth.When this happens it creates a spaceallowing more food particles toaccumulate causing even morebacteria. This also allows bacteriato enter the bloodstream. Studies
have shown that heart disease isnearly twice as high in people withgum disease as it is for those withhealthy gums.
DMSO has been used successfullyin the treatment of tooth and gumproblems since the 1960s. Anofficial study in Poland involved 32patients with periodontal disease.18These patients had inflammation andbleeding of the gums. In 13 of thepatients the disease only involvedbleeding and swollen gums. In theother 19 the infection extended deep
into the gum, sometimes involvingbone and loose teeth.
First the teeth were cleaned and asmuch bacteria as possible wasremoved. Then the patients weretreated with compresses containing30 percent DMSO for 10 minutesevery other day for seven to tentreatments.
Great improvement was reportedin all patients with superficialdisease. Pain was eliminated,bleeding was greatly reduced andloose teeth became tighter in allpatients. All patients with deep
infections had less inflammation andless pain. Very loose teeth did nottighten up in any of the patients.
All periodontal disease should betreated by a dentist as soon aspossible. Treatment is much easierin the earliest stages, and the resultsare much better. Loose teeth cantighten if they are not very loose.However, the use of DMSO has not,to this writer’s knowledge, evercaused very loose teeth to tighten.
Many people use a 50 percentsolution of DMSO as a mouth wash.Others brush their teeth with DMSO.
This writer has brushed his teethwith DMSO for over 40 years withgood results. His teeth and gumshave caused much less problemssince he started using the DMSOregularly. Other people applyDMSO when they have a tooth acheto relieve pain until the dentist isseen.
Some dentists regularly useDMSO in their dental practices tosolve a number of pain, infection,and swelling problems. It is usedboth by itself and in combinationwith antibiotics and other
medications. It is especially usefulin treating the gum after extractionsof teeth. The DMSO reducesswelling and pain and also reducesthe risk of infection. Topical DMSOcan also be applied to the externalsurface or the cheek or jaw next tothe extraction site.
One dentist in New York(Probably many more dentists alsodo this) uses DMSO to reduceradiation damage from dental x-rays.He applies DMSO topically to thearea to be x-rayed shortly before thepictures are taken. Of course he also
uses the normal lead protectionnormally used by all dentists.
The regular use of DMSO by thedentist and his patient can preventmany dental problems fromdeveloping. If a problem is presentthe DMSO can be used to reduce thisproblem. Teeth should last a lifetime. With the proper use of DMSOthe patient is much more likely tolive a long life with healthy teeth andgums.
Chapter 38Toxicology of DMSO
DMSO has long been considered tobe one of the safest products everused in medicine. There have beenno documented cases of death orserious injury from the use of DMSOeven though millions of people haveused it in the United States and inother countries around the world.
Despite the record of extremesafety clinical testing of DMSO wasstopped in the United States on
November 11, 1965 by the FDA.Dogs, rabbits, and pigs that weregiven massive doses of DMSOdeveloped changes in the lens oftheir eyes. These changes werereversible and the lens becamenormal when treatment was stopped.It is noted that this problem did notoccur in monkeys or moreimportantly in humans. However, atthis time DMSO gained anunderserved reputation of extremetoxicity. This continued until theVacaville toxicology studies whichproved the extreme safety of DMSO.
Two major studies on thetoxicology of DMSO wereconducted at the Vacaville,California State Prison Hospital in1967 and 1968. These studies weredivided into a short term study and along term study. The short term studywas conducted in October, 1967,and the long term study fromNovember 21, 1967 to February 20,1968.
These studies were conductedusing 80% DMSO topically appliedto the skin at a rate of one gram perkilogram of body weight each day.
This was from 3 to 30 times theestimated normal human treatmentdose. Volunteers selected werehealthy male inmates between theages of 21 and 55. These men wereall given a complete physicalexamination to make sure that theyhad no preexisting ophthalmologic,hematologic, pulmonary, renal,cardiac or hepatic ailments.Emotionally unstable inmates werenot included in order to minimizedistortion of any side effects.
The short term study was for 14days. It consisted of 65 subjects who
received DMSO and 33 subjects in acontrol group who received noDMSO. Blood and urine sampleswere taken from all subjects 7 and14 days after the start of thetreatment. At the end of the study allsubjects also received a physicalexamination identical to the examgiven prior to the treatment. Thephysical examination covered bloodpressure, respiration, pulse,temperature, urinary and rectalsystems, lungs, heart, eyes, ears,nose, throat, liver, kidney, spleen,skin, extremities, and neurology.
A complete ophthalmologicalexam was done at the end of the 14day study and again two weeks aftertreatment and four weeks after theend of the treatment. The examconsisted of a complete testing ofrefraction and vision fields and anexam with the slit lamp andophthalmoscope. Theophthalmological examinationshowed no significant negativechanges such as those that hadoccurred in previous animal studies.
The physical examination did notindicate any problems. There was
some skin drying and scaling, but allthe skin returned to normal withinthree weeks of the end of treatment.The systolic blood pressure wasslightly reduced in some of thepatients, but this was not consideredto be a problem. The finalconclusion was that no serious sideeffects were observed in this study.Of course the garlic like odor ofDMSO was observed in all patients.
The 90 day study was conductedin the same manner as the shorterstudy. Forty patients completed the90 day study on DMSO and 16
patients served as controls. Testsand test results were similar in thetwo studies.
According to these studies whereDMSO was given at 3 to 30 timesthe usual treatment dose for humansDMSO appears to be an extremelysafe medication for human use. Mostimportantly, this study showed thatthe changes in the lens of the eye thatoccurred in certain animal speciesdid not occur in man in this highdose, long lasting study.
What about the use of DMSOduring pregnancy? There have been
no official studies of which thiswriter has any knowledge. However,women have used DMSO whilepregnant for the sole purpose ofhaving a superior child. One of thesewas a nurse at Cedars Sinai Hospitalin Los Angeles. Her child was muchsmarter than average. Another was awell-known author whose wife usedDMSO every day while pregnant.Again the child was above average.While these two examples do notprove that the use of DMSO leads tosmarter, healthier children, itdefinitely did not harm these
children.While I am not a doctor there are
certain circumstances where I wouldadvise my grandchildren to useDMSO during pregnancy. If mygranddaughter were exposed toheavy radiation, such as from anuclear power plant accident, Iwould definitely advise the daily useof DMSO throughout the pregnancy.
What are the long term risks oftaking DMSO for a period of manyyears? No double blind studies ofthis use have been made. However,people have used DMSO for over 40
years with no observed side effects.This writer first used DMSO in
1964 and has used it nearly everyday for the last 49 years. During thistime he has used it topically andtaken it by mouth thousands of times.He now brushes his teeth daily withDMSO. He has also receivedhundreds of injection of DMSO. At76 years old he has lived longer thanthe average age of both his parentsand grandparents. He is the oldest offour children, three of whom are stillliving. He is the only one withoutany age related health problems. He
also has a full head of hair whichhas retained its natural brown color.He is a top runner in his age groupand uses a DMSO compound priorto any race.
Stan Jacob, MD, the father of themedical use of DMSO, is now near90. He still works long hours doingmedical research and writing. Mostmen his age who are still alive quitworking many years before theyreached 80. He is one of the fewpeople in the world who hasprobably consumed more DMSO inhis life than this writer. These
examples show no long term toxicityin the use of DMSO.
Does long term use of DMSOincrease human life expectancy? Wedo not know for sure, but the answeris probably it does. DMSO is apotent free radical scavenger, andfree radicals contribute to the agingprocess so there is evidence that theregular use of DMSO can actuallyextend the life of the average person.
Chapter 39Conclusion
DMSO has proven to be one of themost important products ever for therelief of human suffering. It is usefuleither by itself or in combinationwith other products in the treatmentof nearly every ailment from whichone may suffer. It has also beenproven to be extremely safe. Despitethe fact that DMSO has been used bymillions of people, there have beenno documented cases of death or
extreme toxic reactions to DMSO.Every doctor should become
knowledgeable about DMSO. Its usecan be incorporated into any type ofmedical practice. Often the doctordoes not know what is wrong with apatient. Symptoms may be vague andtests inconclusive. However, it isknown that something is definitelywrong. Under these circumstances,DMSO is often useful. It is veryunlikely to do any harm.
Some medical authorities havepointed out that there is difficulty inperforming double blind studies
involving DMSO. The distinctivegarlic like breath of those who use itoften makes double blind studiesimpossible. There is an easy wayaround this problem. A group ofpatients can be compared with theresults of untreated patients or thosepatients treated with the mostcommonly used treatments. If, forexample, the normal treatment helps50 per cent of the patients, but 80per cent have undesirable sideeffects while the new treatment hasthe same effectiveness but noharmful side effects, the new
treatment is definitely better. Theplacebo effect is often greatlyexaggerated. Usually there is noreason for a patient or a doctor toautomatically think one treatment isbetter than another unless it actuallyis better.
Since DMSO has so many medicaluses, it does not fit into the idea thata medicine or treatment should justbe for a specific ailment. Somedoctors and regulators have aproblem with a medication that helpsa widely diverse range of problems.
Medical treatment is constantly
changing. In the early years of theUnited States highly regardeddoctors bled their patients with theidea of getting rid of bad blood. Inmany cases this bleeding led to deathof the patient. Years ago sailors thatused limes, lemons, and oranges toprevent scurvy were ridiculed bysome members of the medicalestablishment. They thought it wascrazy that vitamin C could prevent aserious disease like scurvy. Theyalso pointed out that these sailorswere not doctors, so they knewnothing about medicine.
DMSO is not the only treatmentthat has been mostly ignored in theUnited States. Homeopathicmedicine is also now not generallyaccepted even though it has beenproven to be safe and effective.
A number of years ago this writerread a book entitled Great Men ofMedicine. This is a book that shouldbe read by every medical student.The men and women mentioned inthis book presented ideas,medicines, and treatments that wereoften ridiculed. The doctors wereoften persecuted because they had
truths that conflicted withestablished errors and treatments.Often it was not until many yearsafter their death that thecontributions of these men andwomen were finally recognized.
Governments at all levels are inbad financial shape. In the UnitedStates Medicare payments couldeventually bankrupt the country.State and county medical facilitiesspend too much money for too littleresults. If all these agencies properlyutilized DMSO, results would bebetter and much tax money would be
saved.When DMSO is finally used as
widely as it should, peoplethroughout the world will be able toenjoy healthier, happier lives at amuch lower cost for medical care.
About the Author
Archie Scott is a 1959 graduate ofthe School of Science at OregonState University. Mr. Scott was firstintroduced to DMSO in 1964. Hehad suffered a major injury to hisright knee in basketball in January,1955, during his senior year of highschool. Over eight years later inOctober, 1963, his left knee wasinjured in football. Despite surgeryand other medical treatments both
knees were taped during any athleticcompetition.
Starting in early 1964 DMSO wasapplied to both knees with goodresults. Pain was greatly reduced,and he was able to run much better.
He first met Dr. Stanley JacobM.D., the father of DMSO, in 1966and was placed on the mailing list ofthe University of Oregon MedicalSchool (now Oregon HealthSciences University) from which hereceived information on DMSO andother medications for a number ofyears. This led to contacts with other
doctors both in the United States andother countries. Even though he isnot a doctor and has never claimedto be one, the knowledge he obtainedled Mr. Scott to become arecognized authority on the medicaluse of DMSO.
Archie has served as a consultantto doctors and clinics in California,Oregon, Nevada, Florida,Minnesota, New York, and Mexicofor over 40 years.
Endnotes
1 Caputa, Claudio B. and Andre I. Salama.
The Amyloid Proteins of Alzheimer’sDisease as Potential Targets for DrugTherapy, Microbiology of AgingVolume 10, pp451-461.
2 Goppa, S. A. New Possibilities in theTreatment of Patients with Alzheimer’sDisease. Department of Neurology andNeurosurgery, Medical University,Kisheiner, Moldova.
3 Karaca, M., U.Y. Bilgin, and M. Akar,Dimethyl sulfoxide Lowers ICP After
Closed Head Trauma, Division ofNeurological Surgery, University ofDicle, Turkey
4 Garrido, J.C., and R.E. Lagos. “DimethylSulfoxide Therapy as Toxicity-ReducingAgent and Potentiator ofCyclophosphamide in the Treatment ofDifferent Types of cancer,” Ann. N.Y.Acad. Sci., 245:412-420, 1975.
5 G. M. Zharinov, S.F. Vershinina, and O.I.Drankova “Prevention of RadiationDamage to the Bladder and RectumUsing Local Application of DimethylSulfoxide” Meditsinkskaia Radiologiia20:16-18 March 1985.
6 Salim, A. S. Protection Against StressInduced Gastric Mucosal Injury by Free
Radical Scavengers, Intensive Care Med1991:17(8): 455-460.
7 Aristides Zuniga Caro “DimethylSulfoxide Therapy in Subjective Tinnitusof Unknown Origin” Annals of the NewYork Academy of Sciences Volume 243pgs. 468-474
8 Hill, Robert V. “Dimethyl Sulfoxide inthe Treatment of Retinal Disease”Annals of the New York Academy ofSciences, Volume 243, pgs. 485-493
9 Salim, A. S., A New Approach to theTreatment of Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Induced Gastric Bleedingby Free Radical Scavengers, SurgGynecol Obstet, May 1993; 176(5)484-90.
10 Ramirez, Eduardo and Segisfredo Luza.“Dimethyl Sulfoxide in the Treatment ofMental Patients.” Annals of the NewYork Academy of Sciences, Vol. 141,pgs. 655-667, 1967.
11 Aspillaga, Manuel J,. GhislaineMorizon, Isabel Avendano, MilaSanchez, and Lucila Capdevile.“Dimethyl Sulfoxide Therapy in SevereRetardation in Mongoloid Children,”Annals N.Y. Academy of Sciences 243:421-431.
12 Giller, Ana and Maria E. M. deBernadou, “Dimethyl Sulfoxide Therapyin Nonmongoloid InfintileOligophrenia,” Annals N.Y. Academy ofSciences 243: 432-448.
13 Zingerman L. I “Dimexide (DimethylSulfoxide) in the Treatment of MultipleSclerosis Zhurnal Neuropatologii IPsikhiatrii Imeni SS Korsakova, 84 (9);1300-1333, 1984.
14 G. M. Zharinov, S.F. Vershinina, and O.I.Drankova “Prevention of RadiationDamage to the Bladder and RectumUsing Local Application of DimethylSulfoxide” Meditsinkskaia Radiologiia20 : 16-18 March 1985
15 Genro Kashino, Youn Liu, MinorSuzuki, Shin-ichiro Masunaga, YukiKinashi, Koja Ono, Keiz Tano, andMasami Watanabe “An AlternativeMechanism for Radioprotection byDimethyl Sulfoxide, Possible
Facilitation of DNA Double StrandBreak Repair” Journal of RadiationResearch. Vol. 51, 733-740 2010
16 Zuniga, Aristides, Radolfo Burdach, andSantiago Rubio,” Dimethyl Sulfoxide inBronchiolitis,” Annals of the New YorkAcademy of Sciences, 243: 460-467
17 Miranda-Tirado, Rene “DimethylSulfoxide Therapy in Chronic SkinUlcers” Annals of the New YorkAcademy of Sciences, Volume 243 pgs408-411.
18 Krzywicki, J. Czas Stomat, 1969,1007-10.