Dimethyl Sulfoxide, generally called DMSO, is a result of the process of paper-making. This substance basically comes from wood. DMSO has several qualities, and it has been used as an industrial solvent from around the mid-1800s. From the 20th century mid, researchers have found it to be useful as it has anti-inflammatory properties. Even the FDA has approved DSMO to be used as a prescription drug for treating painful symptoms of bladder syndrome. There are other uses of this drug as well, and that includes shingles treatment.
It can be easily absorbed by the skin, and it is even used to increase the absorption of other medications in the body. DSMO can be available without prescription in the form of gel or cream. You can also find it in health stores or online without prescription as cream or gel.
The safety of oral supplements of DSMO is still unclear, although it can be found. However, it is mainly used for application on the skin.
Uses of DMSO
DMSO is particularly used to help with the pain of osteoarthritis. Also, it is famous for alternative cancer treatment. It also helps with the treatment of burns, wounds, and other such injuries. There have also been reports of it being used for the treatment of conditions like eye problems, scars, headache, and scleroderma.
You can find all about DMSO, how to use it when applying it on the skin.
There are main prescription benefits of DMSO, but other than those, there is no clear evidence to support the effectiveness claims about DMSO. The cancer society of America also says that there is not enough evidence to agree with the claims of DMSO use for the treatment of cancer.
There are still a few surprising facts about DSMO that may interest the readers.
1. The healing properties of DSMO were discovered by accident
As a byproduct of paper-making, DMSO was mainly found to be used as an industrial solvent. But people who handled the chemical noticed that if any bit of DMSO is spilled on the skin, the distinct garlicky taste would be in the mouths after a while. So, the chemists were intrigued by how the liquid passed through the skin & mucosa, however, none of them had the intention to find the medical applications of DMSO.
Soon after, in the 1960s, Stanley Jacob, MD, started investigating DMSO for being used as a preservative for destined transplant organs. The work he initiated sparked a rush into the possible medical uses of DMSO.
The FDA closed the clinical trials because of safety concerns in 1965. DSMO has only been approved for some applications since 1965. For human medication, it is only used to preserve organs for the treatment of bladder related disease called interstitial cystitis. It was approved for use in horses and dogs in 1970.
2. It may provide pain relief by itself
It is mixed with other compounds to offer pain relief, but some studies show that even DMSO alone has analgesic properties. It slows the conduction of impulses along with the nerve cells, which in turn reduces pain for about a few hours.
3. DMSO can carry other substance through the skin
The molecular structure of DMSO allows other substances to dissolve within it completely. Then these chemicals within DMSO can be transported through the cell membranes without any damages. Even the substances that can’t penetrate the skin on their own can go with DMSO cells.
DMSO is a revolutionary substance found accidentally, and it can have a lot of medical uses if it is researched more deeply and extensively.