Introduction
DMSO is a remarkably safe and naturally occurring substance (provided you use it correctly) that rapidly improves a variety of conditions medicine struggles with — particularly chronic pain. For reference, those conditions included:
Strokes, paralysis, a wide range of neurological disorders (e.g., Down Syndrome and dementia), and many circulatory disorders (e.g., Raynaud’s, varicose veins, hemorrhoids), which I discussed here.
A wide range of tissue injuries such as sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, and spinal cord injuries (discussed here).
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Chronic pain (e.g., from a bad disc, bursitis, arthritis, or complex regional pain syndrome), which I discussed here.
A wide range of autoimmune, protein, and contractile disorders such as scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis (discussed here).
A variety of head conditions, such as tinnitus, vision loss, dental problems, and sinusitis (discussed here).
A wide range of internal organ diseases such as pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis (discussed here).
A wide range of skin conditions such as burns, varicose veins, acne, hair loss, ulcers, skin cancer, and many autoimmune dermatologic diseases (discussed here).
In turn, since I started this series, it struck a cord and has now been seen by millions of people, and I have received over 1400 reports of remarkable responses to DMSO many readers have had (which can be read here).
This begs an obvious question — if a substance capable of doing all of that exists, why does almost no one know about it? Simply put, like many other promising therapies, it fell victim to a pernicious campaign by the FDA which kept it away from America despite decades of scientific research, Congressional protest, and thousands of people pleading for the FDA to reconsider their actions.
DMSO and Infectious Diseases
DMSO has a variety of unique properties that make it incredibly well suited to addressing microbial infections (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites).
These include:
•While non-toxic, it has an antiseptic effect that is harmful to microorganisms, especially the smallest ones (mycobacteria, cell wall deficient bacteria, and viruses). This property appears to be the most beneficial for herpes, shingles, and other complex conditions, which I believe have a microbiological component (e.g., cancer and autoimmunity).
•It can remove the antibiotic resistance of bacteria. This is particularly helpful in widespread problematic infections that have gradually developed a resistance to many existing antibiotics (e.g., tuberculosis) and challenging infections that are not responding to antibiotics (e.g., ones that would otherwise require an amputation).
•It can further increase the sensitivity of already susceptible microorganisms to antimicrobial agents.
•It can deliver antimicrobial agents to areas that are typically difficult to reach (e.g., deep in a bone) and also directly to regions that would otherwise require a systemic application of the medication.
•It can increase circulation to many parts of the body, something which is often critical for resolving illnesses (as a healthy blood supply allows the immune system to enter and heal diseased areas). Likewise, pretreatment with DMSO has been shown to increase the immune system’s ability to resist a subsequent infection.
•Much in the same way DMSO protects cells from a wide variety of lethal stressors, it can also protect them from the harmful effects of bacterial toxins (e.g., with the most pertinent applications studied being for sepsis and clostridium difficile). Likewise, it can also mitigate the toxicity of antimicrobial agents taken for a prolonged period.
Many of these properties are exceedingly unusual and can completely transform the practice of medicine. I will now provide much of the data substantiating the above claims.
Note: unless otherwise specified, all pharmaceuticals listed here are antibiotics.
Shingles and Herpes
Since many people struggle with Herpes (HSV-1 or HSV-2) and Shingles (Herpes Zoster), especially the pain which follows shingles (known as post-herpetic neuralgia or PHN), DMSO has been extensively studied for these uses. For instance, as discussed previously, there was a brief boom in DMSO research (during the 1960s and 1970s many pharmaceutical companies realized DMSO was a remarkable drug for them to sell) that was then abruptly shut down by the FDA banning virtually all DMSO research so they would not have to deal with the influx of new drug applications (as DMSO had so many remarkable uses).
Immediately prior to this ban, Merck for example, which had made significant investments in testing DMSO, sent out a guidance to all of their investigators detailing what they had learned after roughly a year of testing and over 4,000 patients which included:
Herpes Zoster has responded most favorably.
DMSO in turn, has been repeatedly found to treat herpes throughout the body (e.g., on the face and the genitals), shingles, and post-herpetic neuralgia.
Note: DMSO has also been found to be quite helpful for aphthae (canker sores).
DMSO alone works for these ailments, but is even more effective when combined with an antiviral, particularly when combined with 5-iodo-2′- deoxyuridine (IDU), an antiviral that has poor penetration into tissues
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For example, at a 1980 Congressional Hearing, one researcher, Dr. Scherbel of the Cleveland Clinic (a highly respected dermatologist), was asked if DMSO could be used for shingles. He stated that they’d found acute shingles responds to DMSO alone in a high percentage of patients, that acute vesicular lesions dry up rapidly, and that with the application of DMSO, they never saw post-herpetic neuralgia follow shingles (which is a major complication of the disease).
Note: Stanley Jacob also mentioned that while the FDA was stonewalling DMSO, DMSO plus IDU was an approved topical prescription in England and Ireland. Sadly, it is still not available in North America.
Herpes Simplex
A 1965 study used 1% IDU in 90% DMSO (and 10% distilled water) in 7 patients with severe cutaneous Herpes simplex infection and noted significant improvement in all cases, with the only side effect being slight skin irritation from the solution.
After preliminary research suggested 5% and 10% idoxuridine (IDU), an antiviral when mixed with 100% DMSO showed promise in treating primary herpes in guinea pigs, a 1966 RCT (randomized controlled trial) of 21 patients with recurrent herpes was conducted. It found DMSO halved the durations of herpes, and when given with 5% idoxuridine, cut them into a third (whereas idoxuridine alone did not do anything).
Additionally, there were no recurrences within 6 months in the DMSO IDU group (whereas 1.7 on average were expected) and only 4 recurrences happened in the 11 person DMSO only group.
•A 1967 study found DMSO plus 5-IDU was more effective for treating early severe herpes simplex lesions than DMSO alone).
In 1972, a physician reported success using 100% DMSO and 5% IDU to treat severe herpes simplex in 5 patients.
A 1983 study found that DMSO effectively brought acyclovir (ACV) into the skin, caused a moderate reduction in herpes lesions, and dramatically reduced them when combined with acyclovir.
Note: DMSO also helps herpes fever blisters, and DMSO with IDU has been reported to be effective in treating HSV whitlow (herpes on the fingers).
A 1990 RCT gave 80% DMSO mixed with 15% IDU to 301 immunocompetent female patients experiencing a recurrence of genital herpes, which reduced the mean duration of pain by 1.3 days and the healing time to loss of crust by 1.7 days. When only classic herpes lesions (vesicle, ulcer, or crust formation) were evaluated, a greater effect was seen (the duration of pain was reduced by 2.6 days and the healing time to normal skin by 2.3 days).
A 2002 cell study found 0.65% DMSO reduced herpes viral replication by 50% (while 1% mostly stopped it) and did so in a manner suggesting it inhibits multiple viral replication points, suggesting that this inhibitory effect was synergistic and that it could affect both early and late stages of an infection. Specifically, DMSO reduces the virus’s ability to infect cells, markedly inhibits viral DNA replication, and blocks the transcription of many HSV-1 genes.
Note: this open access study provides a very detailed analysis of how DMSO inhibited each aspect of herpes viral replication.
Note: while DMSO has not been studied for human viral encephalitis (e.g. from herpes), it has been used as a therapy for equine herpesvirus-1.
