DMSO
From RationalWiki
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DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide), a by-product of paper manufacturing, is a solvent that rapidly penetrates the skin and has the ability to carry other substances with it.
This property led to its being studied from 1963-1965 for several potential medical uses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration halted tests in 1965 over safety concerns, but during that time it became a short-lived alternative medicine fad, with the usual claims that it was a new wonder drug. DMSO advocates continued to promote it and criticize the FDA for "suppressing" it, and it again became an alternative medicine fad starting in the late 1970s, which still persists today. A number of claims have been made about it by proponents, including that it can heal arthritis by removing "toxin"s from the skin and muscles, or that it has anti-aging and anti-inflammatory properties, or that used in conjunction with anti-fungal medications it makes those medications more effective in difficult areas (such as toenails). It is applied topically.
It is sold legally only as an industrial solvent (although some "health food" stores carry it), and is illegal to sell as an over-the-counter medicine. It was approved by the FDA only for limited veterinary use, and by prescription for treatment of interstitial cystitis, a bladder condition, in humans. Self-treatment with industrial-grade DMSO carries a number of safety concerns, including that the industrial-grade DMSO often found on the market is not pharmaceutical-grade (doh!) and may contain contaminants like other chemicals and bacterial toxins which the DMSO transports into the bloodstream. Side effects of such use have included skin rashes, nausea, and possible links to glaucoma. It also makes your breath reek of garlic.
[edit] Literature
- Hanslick JL, Lau K, Noguchi KK, et al. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) produces widespread apoptosis in the developing central nervous system. Neurobiol Dis. (2008), PMID 19100327
