davew@shark.UUCP (Dave Williams) (07/17/85)
I was wondering what the current thinking was on the use of
DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide)? It made a lot of news several years
ago, but things seem to be rather quiet on the subject lately.
DMSO is a solvent first used by the wood products industry. It
was found that workers who can in contact with the chemical
had less complaints about joint disorders than the general
population. Several doctors, notably Dr. Stanley Jacobson
of Oregon Health Science University in Portland, ran tests
on using DMSO for joint disorders. He had some significant
success with the program. The problem is the FDA. It would
cost about $50 million dollars to run the testing of the
product for FDA acceptance. Since DMSO is cheap to produce
and no one holds a patent on it there is no financial
incentive for a drug company to underwrite the expense of
qualifying it. The same problem exists for using super glue
(cyanoacrylate) for surgical purposes in this country.
The reason I am interested in the subject is I used DMSO
successfully a number of years ago for a chronic case of
bursitis I had in my right knee. I had injuries to both
knees as a result of an auto racing accident. I had cartilage
removed from my left knee and it healed well. I got bursitis
very bad in the right knee where my knee got tangled in the
steering column and brake pedal. It was very painful and I
engaged in an exercise program for several years which gave only
marginal relief. I finally obtained some DMSO and applied it
to the skin in the affected area twice a day after showering.
DMSO is rapidly absorbed by the skin and I got a taste not
unlike oysters in my mouth about 30 seconds after applying it.
I applied it for two weeks in this manner and after that time
the bursitis was gone. About one year later I had a reoccurrence
of the pain. I applied DMSO once a day for one week and the
pain left. That was over ten years ago and I have never had
anymore problems.
Critics of DMSO say because it is absorbed through the skin
so easily that it can draw bacteria or other harmful matter
into the body with it. I have never heard of any problems
of this nature. The other problem stated is a double blind
test using a placebo would be difficult as the person using
the DMSO can taste it when it enters the system.
I would have thought the Arthritis Foundation or some other
organization would have championed the cause of DMSO, but
as far as I know no organization has stepped forward. Here
in Oregon you can get DMSO in Veterinary Supply outlets and
places like hardware stores (for cleaning purposes only ;-)).
One can only guess at the sterility and efficacy of the
product sold in this manner.
Please excuse this long winded spiel. Have other people out
there in netland had similar experiences? What is the thinking
in the professional community on the subject these days?
--
Dave Williams
Tektronix, Inc.
Graphic Workstations Division
"The 6000 Family"
"The workstations that made
Wilsonville famous."