HWN Suggests

DMSO Is Not a Cure-All. But the FDA’s Panic Over It Birthed a Myth

Imagine a drug so powerful, your government didn’t want you to have it. Now, add the claim that this drug is all natural (it’s not) and that people report it cured them of any ailment you can think of, and you have the recipe for a good old-fashioned conspiracy theory... The story of DMSO is a good illustration of why this belief is so widespread. This foul-smelling by-product of the wood-pulp industry has acquired over the decades a very broad health halo, which includes treating sprains, pains, strokes, and scars. But the main reason for this halo is what happened when the FDA, in the shadow of a worldwide tragedy, had to decide what to do with DMSO in the 1960s.

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Featured

 DMSO: Many Uses, Much Controversy

Yet in the United States, DMSO has Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval only for use as a preservative of organs for transplant and for interstitial cystitis, a bladder disease. It has fallen out of the limelight and out of the mainstream of medical discourse, leading some to believe that it was discredited. The truth is more complicated... It may be premature to call for the full rehabilitation of DMSO, but it is time to call for a full investigation of its true range of capabilities.

Articles of Interest

Debate rages on DMSO despite its users' claims

AS with many other unproved substances with seemingly miraculous properties, DMSO has been dubbed alternately a panacea and a snake oil. The drug has also attracted a considerable cult following, enormous journalistic attention and highly profitable sales for unapproved uses.

Adverse reactions of dimethyl sulfoxide in humans: a systematic review

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been used for medical treatment and as a pharmacological agent in humans since the 1960s. Today, DMSO is used mostly for cryopreservation of stem cells, treatment of interstitial cystitis, and as a penetrating vehicle for various drugs. Many adverse reactions have been described in relation to the use of DMSO, but to our knowledge, no overview of the existing literature has been made.

Dimethyl sulfoxide

I’m an amazing solvent with a checkered history of medical uses... In the 1960s, scientists observed that DMSO penetrates human skin with little effect on tissues; and the solvent was tested as a way for medicines to be carried into the body as an alternative to oral formulations or injectables. Since then, DMSO has been used in some transdermal drug delivery systems (i.e., patches). In 1978 the US Food and Drug Administration approved it for use for the symptomatic relief of chronic interstitial cystitis (bladder pain syndrome)—the only FDA approval for DMSO as an actual medication.

DMSO induces drastic changes in human cellular processes and epigenetic landscape in vitro

Though clinical trials for medical applications of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) reported toxicity in the 1960s, later, the FDA classified DMSO in the safest solvent category. DMSO became widely used in many biomedical fields and biological effects were overlooked. Meanwhile, biomedical science has evolved towards sensitive high-throughput techniques and new research areas, including epigenomics and microRNAs.

Medicine: Blackout on DMSO

Until 1963, dimethyl sulfoxide was just another liquid solvent used in industry. Then University of Oregon researchers reported that DMSO had varied medicinal properties—that, in fact, it was a wonder drug. Daubed on the skin, they said, it soothed not only the superficial pain of burns, but also the deep pain of crippling rheumatoid arthritis. It helped burns and wounds to heal faster; it eased itching—and cured athlete’s foot.

The Untapped Healing Potential of DMSO

Research on DMSO’s vast healing properties dates back 50+ years, yet it’s only been approved to treat one uncommon condition. DMSO prevents oxidative stress and reduces swelling of the brain to improve its blood supply. Human brains treated with DMSO immediately after a head injury have reduced swelling within as little as five minutes. Clinical trials have shown significantly extended survival rates in patients with TBI treated with DMSO. In addition, results from numerous studies indicate that DMSO can treat pain and assist with many inflammation driven conditions. An urgent need exists to find better treatment options for those affected by these conditions.

Use of DMSO

DMSO is a product that has not undergone the rigorous scientific testing required to ensure that it actually works for certain medical conditions and that it is safe for short and long-term use by patients. In Canada, DMSO is currently only approved for a few very select chronic genitourinary conditions and is only available through prescription. Individuals who obtain DMSO from sources other than their pharmacy cannot be certain of the quality of the product they are using and it may contain additional medications or contaminants that could cause serious side effects. Despite the above, many Canadians continue to place themselves at potential risk by using DMSO for a wide variety of medical conditions, even though there is little or no scientific evidence that DMSO is effective in treating these conditions.

Resources

7 things you may not have known about DMSO use in horses

This odiferous compound has become a common treatment for a variety of inflammatory conditions in horses. Here are a few interesting facts about DMSO's history and action.