DMSO works IMMEDIATELY upon application to the skin for back pain and only 1 application was required and it's been over 60 days now without pain I lived with for 30 years. Severe disc degeneration L1-S1.
Tried it last night for the first time. Used pure 99% DMSO applied with wash cloth on my feet with neuropathy, my left knee which has a implant that is still painful since being installed 11 months ago, and my L4-L5 with degenerative issues. For the first time in months, I only woke up once, whereas normally I toss and turn and have to get up 4 or 5 times because of the chronic pain. My soon to publish book called: Seven Innocents and the Trail of Death has a chapter on NSAIDS that details the high risks for adverse events. Rarely will I take Ibuprofen. My friend overdosed on Ibuprofen and went into cardiac arrest because his potassium blood level was depleted by the drug. I stick to baby aspirin. Thanks MIDWEST Doc for covering the pain topic. Sure the Tylenol folks and etc. don't like the idea. Cuts into their sales. I cover drug marketing in the book also.
The DMSO Store. If you tell me what you want to use it for I can provide instructions on what to buy and how to use it. Prices include tax and shipping.
Thank you for being willing to help! My husband has chronic pain due to wrestling (not WWE, the other.😊) So he has elbow and shoulder pain that has plagued him for years. He now has a torn meniscus, but dealing with one thing at a time. So we thought we would start with his elbow and see. Just wondering how often to apply. Any help would be so greatly appreciated! Thanks
I applied it once to my lower back, about a 4 inch wide strip about 8 inches long. It worked immediately and I haven't had to use it for my back again. That was about 60+ days ago. Shower well, you can even clean the area with 99% alcohol and wait 15 minutes for it to evaporate. Clean your hands well and apply the liquid with a cotton ball. Make sure everything is sterile, clean, including skin. Start with his elbow and that will tell you if you need to apply it again the next day, or not. To eliminate neuropathy in my fingertips from chemotherapy I had to apply it daily for 2 weeks. My back, one time.
Im 64 with tons of arthritis in hands, fingers, wrists, low back, neck, shoulders and elbows! Everywhere but I don’t rest or relax I’m super high energy so I have pain everywhere .. I’ve had two low back fusions but I’ll never go to another dr again .. I walk a lot, bike ride a lot, and do silly arts and crafts thus exhausting my entire body .. I’d rather die than sit down .. I do sit down to do yoga poses and stretches .. but I hurt all the time
DMSO is a carrier drug used to mix with drugs that won't dissolve in saline or water. It has to be used under sterile conditions when used topically. First, shower, use a wash cloth and clean your skin thoroughly, air dry, no towel. Get the DMSO and 3 or 4 organic cotton balls. Wash your hands again. Then liberally soak a cotton ball with DMSO and apply it to any painful areas. Wash your hands thoroughly when done. Allow the DMSO to dry, about 15 minutes, before putting clothes on. Sterile conditions are the key. Remove as much bacteria as possible from skin, hands as clean as possible, apply as clean as possible. DMSO works best for bone pain but it's relived my fingertip neuropathy by about 85% just from applying it periodically. One application on my degenerated discs was all it took. It's been well over 60 days and the pain I lived with for 30 years is completely, 100% gone.
I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice. This is what I would do. I would use 99.9% pure DMSO in a sterile environment. Clean scrubbed skin, clean scrubbed hands and I would apply DMSO full strength to the neck where the pain is radiating from with a sterile cotton ball in a 1-2 inch strip and 4-5 inches long. It should work immediately. I would apply it at the lesser occipital nerve on the lower neck up to the greater occipital nerve.
DMSO is used to carry drugs into the body that won't dissolve in saline or water, etc. It will carry anything on your skin, bacteria for example, into your body as well. Scrub clean shower, air dry no towel, wash hands, get cotton balls and DMSO and open bottle. Wash hands again. You can also use alcohol on your skin but give it 15 minutes to evaporate. Apply to skin in as sterile an environment as you can create.
What source do you use for DMSO and what percentage in particular for Osteonecrosis of the 2nd metatarsal head with mild articular surface flattening and surrounding marrow
I use The DMSO Store. I can't answer your second question. I use the liquid, 99.9% pure at full strength topically and diluted to 70% with saline for subcutaneous injection with Hematoxylin.
Hi. I had the same problem. May I suggest a carrier oil first? I use either coconut or almond oil and then apply. Stops redness and itching. If you read further in the article it does talk about this. Good Luck.
I dilute 50% with distilled water (not tap) and has reduced 90% of itchiness and redness. I have princess skin. Even holding a bag of groceries gives my skin temporary welts.
I also have a roller bottle 1/2 DMSO & 1/2 magnesium fir muscle pain. I use the water/DMSO for joints.
I have RA and have found that applying castor oil with frankincense and some rosemary EO first and then applying straight 99.9% DMSO (allowing it to dry for 20-30 minutes) works best for my joints when painful.
I bought magnesium flakes and dilute with distilled water to mix. Then 70dmso/30 mag concentration. I have no skin problems. I bought a pharmaceutical grade DMSO w aloe and I did have skin problems and the smell was worse.
I dilute 50% with distilled water (not tap) and has reduced 90% of itchiness and redness. I have princess skin. Even holding a bag of groceries gives my skin temporary welts.
I also have a roller bottle 1/2 DMSO & 1/2 magnesium for muscle pain. I use the water/DMSO for joints.
I found it depends on the skin, as some areas are thinner than others. So I use different strengths depending. Also be sure your skin is clean as if there is residue from, say, hair products, that could be the cause of the irritation because DMSO makes what's on the skin absorb.
Immediately after your first article about DMSO I purchased it and use it almost daily, I am so thankful for the information as it has literally been a lifesaver. After 16 months of tight muscles, pain, and numerous other issues, along with the full medical establishment gaslighting; I was able to ask for the correct test (GAD 65) and get myself to Mayo Clinic where I received a diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome. For those wondering - Yes I was stupid enough trust the government and medical establishment in 2021 and got the COVID 19 shot. Anyway, DMSO relieves the tension in my back, calves, feet, chest and any other areas that might be undergoing spasms. I have it with me at all times. Fortunatley I can use it at 100% strength; sometimes my skin gets dry but really who cares because it works. Thank you for the information! No doctor or physical therapist that I have met even knows anything about it. I like the DMSO store brand that you can purchase from Amazon or directly. No odor. DMSO was the only treatment I had for almost 22 months that I was in pain from constant muscle spasms.
I often take tart cherry powder and white willow bark for muscle and joint pain from a hard day's work, as well as DMSO. Could white willow bark or tart cherry be applied topically with DMSO to any benefit?
This is a free article from a well known herbalist and herbal instructor, Jim McDonald. A lot of great information on herbal protocols for pain. The article is about back pain, but herbs are not limited to one part of the body, though many herbs have some specificity for certain body systems. (I would love to see the different schools of medicine converge and combine the best parts of each type of practice.)
Also it doesn’t make you have that horrible smell. I asked my husband if I still had the DMSO smell. He said no & he was thankful because it was unpleasant 😄
Not sure whether you're asking about the more toxic solvent I mentioned, or the other thing, so:
The toxic solvent: entertainment and social lubrication, mostly. It tends to come in the form of whiskey, at least in my case. ^_^
Dextromethorphan hydrobromide: cough suppression and dissociative experiences. It tends to come in the form of cough syrup. The pure powder tastes ungodly awful, which is why they have to cover it with so much sweetener.
Yes it does mask the taste but I never had too much of a problem with the taste. I believe since I had cut sugar & carbs from my diet years ago. I can’t say I know exactly what it has helped concerning my rheumatoid arthritis as I do so many other things to aid with getting myself into remission. I am leaving for a trip for 10 days so I will be off of it for then. So maybe I might have a better idea. I bought a gallon as it was cheaper that way 😃
I'm going to try it, thanks. I quit taking DMSO internally a few years ago because my little grandchildren told me I smelled bad and didn't want to hug me! It was either deal with more pain or no hugs, and I chose hugs. 😁
Stiff Person Sydrome is a rare disease. Celine Dion has suffered with it for over 15 years and it caused her to halt her LV residency.
She has talked about this extensively during the past 3 years.
Wondering whether she or any of her doctors and therapists have ever heard of DMSO or if they have, simplt refuse to give it a go?
Eg: My son, who is now 28 and afflicted with a rare post-jab autoimmune disease, RA and recurring Necrotizing Scleritis, continues to ignore any links I send him. Am certain he will not comment on the contents of this article either but I can't give up on him.
I have DMSO in stock and use it to treat this and that. Have recommended it to many folks over the years.
Same situation here. It's heartbreaking. How miserable do you have to get before you realize what is going on? I will be here nonetheless, if the dawn ever breaks over his propagandized mind. Hoping it comes sooner than later.
The mRNA may have exasperated her symptoms considerably or made progression of her illness worse. Similar to how people in remission from cancer had their cancers return.
This is great to hear! I’m happy you are out of pain :-) I’ve been using dmso for a couple decades and looking for stories to send a friend who is having low back pain with right sciatic burning and numbness. The VA keeps pushing hard drugs on him but he refuses them. I think maybe topical dmso and castor oil could help him. That’s usually what I do but he lives with a pharma billing person who feeds him with “she’s crazy” about my self care ..
Someone should tell Celine Dion. She has a severe case of stiff persons disease. I’m 100% sure she got it from the mRNA shot. It is listed as a severe side effect. She refuses to believe it was from the vaccine from what I hear. Maybe DMSO can help her. She literally has nothing to lose. DMSO is safe. Her life and millions of others has had their lives destroyed by the mRNA shot.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience & commentary. Many of my meds cause muscle cramps. In constant joint, tendon & muscle pain so I hope it helps.
I had the same problem. Did a workaround by subscribing for free with a different email. That allowed me to read enough to know whether I wanted to go online to get the full article with the other email. I think it's a Substack issue, but their service isn't so much.
Just had a family meeting at the hospital with a group of Doctors regarding mother and hospice. We were all there in one room. My sister had to interject: "I'm just an OBGYN"...to which the head Dr had to reply: "Oh, you're MORE then "just" an OBGYN!
Point being, even upon my mother's death bed (which it will be in a couple days time), one has to seek validation, approval andrecognition for their superior "status".
It was disgusting. Especially since mother is dying from Diabetes-related complications. And not a single "Dr" could reverse or even cure it. Just same on grind ...in and out.
Not a single person recommended Keto...and in fact the hospital fed her sodas, pudding, jello, cookies and all other concoctions of sugar.
But we still literally worship Doctors!
And my brilliant sister could see nothing wrong whatsoever!
Totally understand and sorry to hear of your situation. My wife has diabetes and we just went to a naturopath who recommended Keto. Her sugar levels have been the best she has had for 20 years now that she has gone Keto with me. Not one endocrinologist or doctor of any type has ever recommended anything helpful. They have become employees and not doctors. My wife’s heart doctor is miserable in her job and ask for the naturopaths number to get help for herself. Simply amazing how the medical world has imploded.
My Mom has dry macular degeneration, and her retinologist wisely told her to avoid all white foods (flour, rice, sugar, etc.). Unfortunately, although she doesn't eat "junk" food, she still eats the grains and has a sweet tooth. It's very sad for me, to see my Mom gradually losing her sight, and to think the modern diet has done that to her.
sunlight - without intervening windows, glasses or sunglasses can help - in other words get outside when it's sunny, foggy or even rainy - our eyes need the natural rays from the sun to maintain health. i know, it is the last thing an opthalmologist will tell you . . .
also there is an Indian herb, gymnema sylvestre ("gurmar") which means "sugar destroyer" - has been used for millenia in India for diabetes. best taken before meals - and especially if eating a sweet food like cherries or even sugar to ameliorate the bad effects. if you chew it just before eating something sweet, you literally cannot taste the sweetness of the food! (better to break it in half and pop both halves in throat before eating - or ideally take with warm water a little before the sweet treat). it works. also seems to help alleviate the desire for sweets . . . it is sold in compressed herbal tablets. Himalaya is a good brand, comes from india tho distributed by a place called Sugar Land, Texas if you can believe it. maybe they realized they needed it there. (;
My mother was diagnosed with dry macular degeneration in 2003. I did some researched, offered a list of dietary changes (blueberries, spinach, etc) and her condition vanished within 2 years.
Her opthalmologist was "stumped"... 😉
My son's opthalmologist: "I guess she was misdiagnosed"...
Absolutely, but more than just seed oils. Dr. Chris Knobbe MD, is a fascinating man to look up, and has a book on Amazon--he read all the early medical books on eye diseases, and in a few of his interviews (one with Dr. Paul Saladino in June '23), said that eye doctors in the mid 1800s had lenses that enabled them to see the retina and macula, and they carefully documented abnormalities they saw. Dr. Knobbe said these doctors were not documenting anything that described AMD, until I think it was the 1880's, and then there was a gradual increase through the early 1900s--and now, just go to a retinologist's office and see how common it is! The insidious term "AMD" (age-related macular degeneration), implies that the condition has nothing to do with lifestyle or diet. This is just one more example of institution-wide intellectual laziness--in contrast, Dr. Knobbe is a beacon of light, having dedicated his career to curing this disease.
The thing is kidneys are the issue with diabetes. Actually kidneys are a lot of times the issue with medical problems. Keto, doing just an all meat diet, is actually an acid diet. Keto can be hard on the kidneys when her kidneys are already struggling. Though I have seen some people do well on keto for a period of time. I don't think you can have an acid diet on an elderly woman and do well. You need alkaline food. Not acid. Please look up meat and whether it is acid or not. I think the reason people do well on keto is their kidneys still has some life left and keto often times eliminates so much other toxins found in processed foods.
You can't give an acid diet to a person who is already so sick and expect them to do well.
I would recommend you follow Dr. Robert Morse. He has cured so many people with just using a all fruit, berries and melon diet. Give her some watermelon for lunch, just watermelon, and watch her come alive. Watch her have a conversation with you. :) Some people say fruit is all sugar. Fruit sugar and processed sugar is two different things.
Yes, I don't disagree . However, this "health issue" has literally gone on since 1996 w her first bought of pancreatitis. So there has been ample opportunity for true help along the way.
Instead, the garage is packed full of old Styrofoam shipping boxes which have accumulated for her insulin.
When on deaths door, I say let people eat whatever they want!
And yes your sister wanted attention. She wanted everyone in the room to think she really is the smartest person in the room,after all she is a doctor. Everyone look at me. However soda, cookies for a diabetic? WTH? I can't see her saying this if she had a clue. Even very, very basic knowledge says you don't just feed soda and cookies to a diabetic, unless of course their blood sugar is ultra low and they are in crisis from low blood sugar. Wow! Sorry you got one of those stupid, arrogant sisters. I got one too. :(
My father was diabetic and said he ate better food at home than at the hospital. They would give him foods like animal crackers and canned peaches. Praying for your mother and your family.
I was a hospice nurse for 6 years. To qualify for the program you have 6 months or less to live but the average person spends 30-50 days there. The time to start keto is years earlier and that’s if the patient is interested in it. Keto does help some muscle aches but can be difficult to follow long-term and not everyone wants to eat high fat, moderate protein and low carb. I believe if it is the end of your life, you should live it the way you want to. If you want ice cream for breakfast, go for it. This is definitely not the time for restrictions and the idea that family would do this to a loved one is cruel.
Good Morning. I'm not a very good writer...but you conveyed exactly what I meant to say- that no hero last minute action would save someone with years of decline behind them. The time to "help" is years before! But instead all she received was "standard of care"...that is, Drugs, Drugs, Dialysis, Eyeball Injections....and oh, did I mention Drugs?? And I agree, if one wants to eat Gummy Bears and drink Jack Daniels towards the end, by all means let them. BTW she's now dead, in the refrigerator, awaiting burial.
It's mind numbing. When my mother was dying of congestive heart failure due to inadequate thyroid treatment, my son was putting all her meds in the dish which totaled 11 pharma drugs and 1 one a day multi. He started laughing out lout loud. It was funny in a Monty Python sort of way.
Near and dear to my heart. In the rush to 'control opiate' abuse they've labeled patients for whom nothing else works 'addicts'. Some of these are the elderly like my mother with a spine of cottage cheese in intractable pain, which without the help of these drugs, they cannot function, their life is constant pain. I get angry when I think about it as there is no justification - if I am 85 and an 'addict' but I function well and enjoy the remaining years - tell me how I am 'harming society'?? Why is it I need to test monthly as the addicts do? Only get my pills 1 time per month AND sometimes the offices forget to call it in? Leaving me in incredible pain? And they think there is nothing wrong with it? Because of course they are young and the elderly may be a bit addicted...
I'm in the same position. I've been taking opioids for 20+ years now due to FBSS. Had a spinal fusion that I was told had a 93% success rate! No Dr. Should be spouting those stats. Anyway, I've been judged by my peers, family and pharmacists. I'm not sitting in a tent w a needle in my arm. I follow all the rules, get drug tested and have a once a month appt w my pain specialist. I hate that I've been caught in the middle of this crisis as well as yourself.
Look into kratom. Works very similar to opioids, great for pain, you can get it just about everywhere without a prescription. Many use it to wean off opioids.
This is a VERY POWERFUL alternative to opioids and one the FDA is trying to corral in use but has faced severe backlash because of those addicted to prescription opioids have used it very successfully to get clean.
Kratom does has addictive properties, but it's much less severe than opioid withdrawal.
I tore my hip labrum and boy you talk about pain! DMSO doesn't do as much for ligaments and joints like it does for muscular pain. The doctors wouldn't give me anything stronger than ibuprofen. So I started researching and decided to try kratom. It was a godsend. Works great for pain. I did about 18 months physical therapy on my hip, using kratom the whole time. I switched back and forth between red and green to not build up a tolerance. When I quit taking it, not gonna lie, I felt pretty bad the first day. Run down, a little nervous anxiety, flu like symptoms. Day two was much better, and by the fourth day I was feeling fine. Nothing like the horror stories I've read about opiate withdrawal, but yes, be aware if you take it for months you will have some withdrawal symptoms.
There are those of us that have been responsible. That pain can be progressive is no need for punishment. We hear over and over that only cancer related pain is real. That all other pain is subjective. I am sorry for your family's suffering.
I have an 81 year old patient today going through opiate withdrawals, she is on suboxone now. I don’t blame her and my heart breaks for her for what she is going through with her opioid addiction. I blame the prescribing doctors, shame on them.
She isn’t addicted. You are. To power. Why make an 81 year old suffer in pain for the brief life span they have. Ask your self is this TRUE compassion? Or power and lust to control others to ‘conform’. I think the answer will show YOU are the problem. Not the patient. If my mother was EVER subject to you? I’d have her out of the US and to a country that respects the elderly and doesn’t seek to force them to suffer… but what the heck. You can’t see your own complicity in it can you? The beast is rising.
Thanks to you, I bought a couple of roll-on DMSO applicators, one with aloe vera, the other with lavender, and just randomly and often applied them to my knee which has been red and swollen for many years. But no pain, just affects my gait, which kills my other hip. Anyway, the swelling is gone!!!!! Took a month, I think. I will now use a castor oil pack to try and dissolve old scar tissue still there from an old arthroscopy. My fear is that the scar tissue and whatever is what keeps my bone on bone from hurting, but that is another problem to solve.
I had not really considered that; an assumption is that the DMSO store would have considered it. In any event, my knee was so inflamed (oddly painless) that it would not bend fully, which affects my gait, which puts so much pressure on the other hip that it is always painful. If I can correct that, quite frankly, I am happy no matter what. I am 79. No jabs or any medications, I take supplements, but last regular prescription was for birth control, that's how long ago. I am lucky in that, I know. But the thought that I could walk normally again overrides pretty much everything. I will be trying the DMSO on my hip, but I have not much expectation of relief as long as my gait jams the socket with each step. So - now to dissolve scar tissue on knee, which is very pronounced now that the inflammation is lessened. Ant doctors I have seen, at my age, are just running out my clock and offer no help or even suggestions at all.
Pain’s underlying causes have been the focus of my medical practice the entire time being a physician. I agree with all you have here, and, I’ll add a very skinny version of my stepwise approach. The earlier the layer, the more effect it has on the whole process.
Step 1: Timing. If attention, support, reserves, life’s appropriate journey and resources aren’t sufficient/optimal, a healing journey is not possible. The typical processes of healing take 2 years.
Step 2: Spiritual. 40+ years has taught me a lot, both personally & professionally—age 10 is when I had a major medical condition begin. The challenges serve to teach, guide, and bring forward greater versions of one’s authentic self. ‘Fixing’ a problem is hollow compared to this view.
Step 3: Energy. From mitochondria to esoteric forms, without sufficient energy, healing is not possible.
Step 4: Emotional. From NF-kb induced inflammation to trauma’s downstream effects causing metaphorical—if not literal—abscesses within a person. The ego is the training program for this life. No person is healing without sewing trauma’s loose ends back into the tapestry of their whole self.
Step 5: Physiologic. Too many to list. Functional physicians are well appreciated in this area. My own studies surround the effects of a unique beta glucan that’ll be distributed soon.
Step 6: Neurology. I integrate 6 levels, as harmoniously as possible. Sympathetic relaxation is generally the most important. Very complicated level.
Step 7: Structural. Nearly 20 years ago, this is where I started with stem cell procedures. The procedural techniques for this layer represent at least 5 volumes—1 reserved for the neck only.
Integrating that much information effectively requires a team of 8. It’s my hope that what we’ve learned over our careers will be shared liberally with many in the coming years.
One last comment:
Healing and feeling better are vastly different processes and journeys. Everyone wants the latter. Few are willing/able to meaningfully embrace the former.
Besides very superficial structures and the small amount absorbed, a deeper effect occurs. I believe this is most likely via calming superficial sensory nerves—mimicking effects of Neuroprolotherapy.
And, we’re likely dealing with quantum effects as well.
Thank you, Ron, for sharing this! As a specialist paramedic in the UK who moved to primary care with the hope of providing a more preventative holistic approach to health, I realised the NHS and primary care was not going to allow scope for that. (I’m no longer working in the NHS.) My dream would be to work in a team like yours!
Also thank you, MWD, as I have learnt so much from your writing. My chiropractor husband got huge relief from his disc problem with topical DMSO, and he now passes that information on to his patients.
It’s a long road to provide the techniques, education and the SPACE for people to realize their healing capacities and own pathway. Enjoy the journey. It refined me more than I ever could have anticipated.
Many people are confused that healing = reduction in symptoms. That’s just killing the messenger. Feel free to add to my definition based on your experience:
'Healing describes intentional and guided processes that reduce interference patterns, refine the mind, minimize physical suffering, bolster the heart, and encourage forward the spirit. These forces create positive inertia to elevate present moment awareness, awakening a person to their authentic nature as divine creators and greater connection to divinity’s fullness.'
You’re welcome to focus upon, and you certainly will see, what is not possible. I focus on and see what is possible. Few more profound differentiators between people exist than this.
"If attention, support, reserves, life’s appropriate journey and resources aren’t sufficient/optimal, a healing journey is not possible."
"Energy. From mitochondria to esoteric forms, without sufficient energy, healing is not possible."
I am not the one saying that the [ dubious at best ] preponderance of advantages necessary for healing - if not available - disqualify the sufferer from relief. I am aghast that you would predicate healing on such superficial and transient fortune. Unless you have a far different dictionary that defines attention, support, reserves, life's appropriate journey and resources than the one on my shelf, what I am reading is: only the wealthy can benefit.
All that huffing and strenuous use of big words, and you haven’t an idea what I believe healing actually represents. Healing and relief aren’t in the same time zone.
No matter, you already revealed your perceived state of victimhood to the wealthy. Can’t heal in a state of externalization. Endure that swirling vortex as long as you must.
I work with those ready to embrace the healing process. As they’ve learned, that has nothing to do with $$$$.
You’ll understand eventually that everything is perfectly intentional and for each of our best growth/refining.
I’m a massage therapist in a chiro office and the effect of a hip flexors/QL imbalance on back pain cannot be overstated. Another one is tight SCM from either poor posture or poor breathing mechanics compressing the suboccipitals… that one is the case in probably 80% of my clients with neck pain. And completely treatable with noninvasive methods.
And 100% agree with the failed ‘pain management’ model, we see these clients all the time after they’ve done everything the way their doc wants and they’re still in tremendous pain.
Thank you for the work you do writing this column. This one and several others have helped me tremendously.
Does the chiropractor help to heal hip flexor/back pain? I was thinking of getting stem cell injections from using my own fat-derived cells. Maybe I just need a chiropractor? Massage? Also, I will try the DMSO cream. Not sure how to use it though.
As far as I know they don’t do PRP or other biologics (usually referred to as stem cell injections) around the spine, at least not the docs I use. I would definitely recommend chiro and massage before doing anything medical, even PT once you know what the specific problem is. If it’s a muscle imbalance the combination can work wonders. If you can find a place where you can get chiro and massage together, it works even better. It’s worth a try, at least.
And where I work we take insurance for both chiro and massage, although it’s getting harder to find, and not every insurance plan will have that coverage. Oh, also, make sure if you can’t find a massage therapist in a chiro office you find one that’s trained in orthopedic or medical massage (it should state training on their website). Even sports massage would probably work.
Such a valuable and true article. Thank you. DMSO is my go to. Luckily I learned long ago to not obey my doctors, Or at least be very skeptical. That has saved me countless drug prescriptions of the dangerous drugs you mention above, And at least 11 surgeries at last count. I am 70 years old now and have never had surgery, And I get around just fine without pain, but if I listened to my doctors there's no telling what I would be like now.
I have had success with 70% DMSO applied topically to my partially numb toes (from ankle surgery), which burn at night. Sometimes I reapply it, but it has made going to sleep much easier without my toes burning (which can keep me awake). I have recommended it to others with nerve pain. I have also rubbed it into my hands and can now crochet again (same strength).
Yes, wash feet and hands and then rub on. Rinse hands with water afterwards to avoid soap being absorbed into hands. Let dry before putting sock or clothing over area you are applying it. I usually just let my feet hang over the edge of the bed before I go to sleep.
AMD, please keep these brillant articles coming! I have been using DMSO for lumbar pain for almost a year now, putting it on after an application of 3000 mg CDB balm twice a day. This topical application strategy has worked well for my low back pain. However, adding stretching and/or dangling is an important piece of the pain relief regimine because I know a contributor to the chronic pain is tight muscles secondary to L3-l5 spinal misalignment. As long as there are no peripheral neuropathies, this will remain my pain management strategy. Your introductory articles on DMSO for use of pain prompted further research, and a major contributor to the pain relief. Thank yous are not enough!
So glad to see you mention Dr. John Sarno! I was diagnosed (by an x-ray taken by my wife's chiropractor) with an extruded lumbar disc some 20-odd years ago. I was under tremendous stress trying to keep a business afloat, working 70+ hrs. per week, and the pain would just not go away. During that time I also developed IBS-D. A local psychologist was advertising biofeedback to manage IBS symptoms, so I made an appointment. I showed up at his office in so much pain from my still ailing back, that he commented on it sympathetically and simply suggested I might benefit from Sarno's Mind Over Back Pain. I read it in an afternoon, and the next day my pain was completely gone. The biofeedback didn't help much with the IBS, but I'll always be indebted to Dr. Edward Sorel of Ithaca, NY for curing my back pain in one day, with no drugs or surgeries! (It wasn't an "imagined" pain, in the pejorative sense. In certain types of people, the brain converts a genuine injury into chronic pain via a process he dubbed Tension Myositis Syndrome. It's a fascinating read if you can still find it. It was a revelatory experience for me. As Dr. Sorel always said to me: "The mind is a powerful thing!")
This happened to our mom; she suffered greatly before, during, and after multiple back surgeries, which left her worse off than before and on opiate pain killers for the rest of her life. She was told she would be paralyzed if she didn’t get the surgeries.
Of course, we didn’t have the benefit of AMD’s advice decades ago. So angry and sad about what she and our family endured at the hands of the pain treatment industry.
I have been taking two teaspoons of DMSO diluted in water daily for about 3 months with no known side effects. I have low kidney function and three years post heart bypass surgery. Since starting this pattern my reflux has disappeared and I am feeling great. I also had occasional sharp pains in my feet which disappeared. My main reason for starting DMSO was for the general protein healing properties including vessels, brain, and blood flow.
I use topical DMSO for skin abrasions and local pain. Taking it PO is more convenient for me.
But do people say you smell? I was taking about less than a teaspoon almost everyday and sometime a 70/30 dilution topically. My son said I smelled bad and he was a couple feet away from me. I'm trying to find a balance.
I wonder if the smell is only with certain people? I can tell when my husband has been taking DMSO. It even lingers on his clothes. I wish there were a way to counteract it... other than hiding his DMSO. : )
DMSO works IMMEDIATELY upon application to the skin for back pain and only 1 application was required and it's been over 60 days now without pain I lived with for 30 years. Severe disc degeneration L1-S1.
Tried it last night for the first time. Used pure 99% DMSO applied with wash cloth on my feet with neuropathy, my left knee which has a implant that is still painful since being installed 11 months ago, and my L4-L5 with degenerative issues. For the first time in months, I only woke up once, whereas normally I toss and turn and have to get up 4 or 5 times because of the chronic pain. My soon to publish book called: Seven Innocents and the Trail of Death has a chapter on NSAIDS that details the high risks for adverse events. Rarely will I take Ibuprofen. My friend overdosed on Ibuprofen and went into cardiac arrest because his potassium blood level was depleted by the drug. I stick to baby aspirin. Thanks MIDWEST Doc for covering the pain topic. Sure the Tylenol folks and etc. don't like the idea. Cuts into their sales. I cover drug marketing in the book also.
Can u refer a dmso
The DMSO Store. If you tell me what you want to use it for I can provide instructions on what to buy and how to use it. Prices include tax and shipping.
https://dmsostore.com
Thank you for being willing to help! My husband has chronic pain due to wrestling (not WWE, the other.😊) So he has elbow and shoulder pain that has plagued him for years. He now has a torn meniscus, but dealing with one thing at a time. So we thought we would start with his elbow and see. Just wondering how often to apply. Any help would be so greatly appreciated! Thanks
I applied it once to my lower back, about a 4 inch wide strip about 8 inches long. It worked immediately and I haven't had to use it for my back again. That was about 60+ days ago. Shower well, you can even clean the area with 99% alcohol and wait 15 minutes for it to evaporate. Clean your hands well and apply the liquid with a cotton ball. Make sure everything is sterile, clean, including skin. Start with his elbow and that will tell you if you need to apply it again the next day, or not. To eliminate neuropathy in my fingertips from chemotherapy I had to apply it daily for 2 weeks. My back, one time.
Thank you so much Jeff!
Im 64 with tons of arthritis in hands, fingers, wrists, low back, neck, shoulders and elbows! Everywhere but I don’t rest or relax I’m super high energy so I have pain everywhere .. I’ve had two low back fusions but I’ll never go to another dr again .. I walk a lot, bike ride a lot, and do silly arts and crafts thus exhausting my entire body .. I’d rather die than sit down .. I do sit down to do yoga poses and stretches .. but I hurt all the time
DMSO is a carrier drug used to mix with drugs that won't dissolve in saline or water. It has to be used under sterile conditions when used topically. First, shower, use a wash cloth and clean your skin thoroughly, air dry, no towel. Get the DMSO and 3 or 4 organic cotton balls. Wash your hands again. Then liberally soak a cotton ball with DMSO and apply it to any painful areas. Wash your hands thoroughly when done. Allow the DMSO to dry, about 15 minutes, before putting clothes on. Sterile conditions are the key. Remove as much bacteria as possible from skin, hands as clean as possible, apply as clean as possible. DMSO works best for bone pain but it's relived my fingertip neuropathy by about 85% just from applying it periodically. One application on my degenerated discs was all it took. It's been well over 60 days and the pain I lived with for 30 years is completely, 100% gone.
Hi, what should I buy for chronic muscle/fascia pain body wide? Can I drink DMSO? Thank you
Iwould love your thoughts on use for ear fullness, pressure some pain. Er put me on prednisone which I had awful side effects. I asked too. Idiots.
Please share thoughts about how to use DMSO for cervical neck pain radiating to the occipital nerve.
Thank you.
I'm not a doctor and this is not medical advice. This is what I would do. I would use 99.9% pure DMSO in a sterile environment. Clean scrubbed skin, clean scrubbed hands and I would apply DMSO full strength to the neck where the pain is radiating from with a sterile cotton ball in a 1-2 inch strip and 4-5 inches long. It should work immediately. I would apply it at the lesser occipital nerve on the lower neck up to the greater occipital nerve.
Thank you! I may just give this a try.
I see the DMSO store has some scented options.
You emphasize a sterile environment and clean/scrubbed skin. Can you say more about this? Is contamination of some sort a concern?
I'm happy you've had a good experience. :-)
DMSO is used to carry drugs into the body that won't dissolve in saline or water, etc. It will carry anything on your skin, bacteria for example, into your body as well. Scrub clean shower, air dry no towel, wash hands, get cotton balls and DMSO and open bottle. Wash hands again. You can also use alcohol on your skin but give it 15 minutes to evaporate. Apply to skin in as sterile an environment as you can create.
What source do you use for DMSO and what percentage in particular for Osteonecrosis of the 2nd metatarsal head with mild articular surface flattening and surrounding marrow
edema (Freiberg's infraction).
I use The DMSO Store. I can't answer your second question. I use the liquid, 99.9% pure at full strength topically and diluted to 70% with saline for subcutaneous injection with Hematoxylin.
Hi. I had the same problem. May I suggest a carrier oil first? I use either coconut or almond oil and then apply. Stops redness and itching. If you read further in the article it does talk about this. Good Luck.
I dilute 50% with distilled water (not tap) and has reduced 90% of itchiness and redness. I have princess skin. Even holding a bag of groceries gives my skin temporary welts.
I also have a roller bottle 1/2 DMSO & 1/2 magnesium fir muscle pain. I use the water/DMSO for joints.
I have RA and have found that applying castor oil with frankincense and some rosemary EO first and then applying straight 99.9% DMSO (allowing it to dry for 20-30 minutes) works best for my joints when painful.
I bought magnesium flakes and dilute with distilled water to mix. Then 70dmso/30 mag concentration. I have no skin problems. I bought a pharmaceutical grade DMSO w aloe and I did have skin problems and the smell was worse.
I dilute 50% with distilled water (not tap) and has reduced 90% of itchiness and redness. I have princess skin. Even holding a bag of groceries gives my skin temporary welts.
I also have a roller bottle 1/2 DMSO & 1/2 magnesium for muscle pain. I use the water/DMSO for joints.
Whenever I have accidentally burned myself w too strong a concentration, I slather it with high-quality castor oil til it heals.
And no, it is not an instant panacea for every pain.
There are other cautions too - which often are not mentioned.
This does happen to some. You could decrease dosage amount or mix with a very small amount of filtered water.
I found it depends on the skin, as some areas are thinner than others. So I use different strengths depending. Also be sure your skin is clean as if there is residue from, say, hair products, that could be the cause of the irritation because DMSO makes what's on the skin absorb.
I had the same reaction, with the 70% so I mixed 50-50 with distilled water. Works great!
Just bought the "Warrior" brand DMSO cream on Amazon, worked very well last night.
I received this comment via email:
Immediately after your first article about DMSO I purchased it and use it almost daily, I am so thankful for the information as it has literally been a lifesaver. After 16 months of tight muscles, pain, and numerous other issues, along with the full medical establishment gaslighting; I was able to ask for the correct test (GAD 65) and get myself to Mayo Clinic where I received a diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome. For those wondering - Yes I was stupid enough trust the government and medical establishment in 2021 and got the COVID 19 shot. Anyway, DMSO relieves the tension in my back, calves, feet, chest and any other areas that might be undergoing spasms. I have it with me at all times. Fortunatley I can use it at 100% strength; sometimes my skin gets dry but really who cares because it works. Thank you for the information! No doctor or physical therapist that I have met even knows anything about it. I like the DMSO store brand that you can purchase from Amazon or directly. No odor. DMSO was the only treatment I had for almost 22 months that I was in pain from constant muscle spasms.
I often take tart cherry powder and white willow bark for muscle and joint pain from a hard day's work, as well as DMSO. Could white willow bark or tart cherry be applied topically with DMSO to any benefit?
Wait for the next article.
This is a free article from a well known herbalist and herbal instructor, Jim McDonald. A lot of great information on herbal protocols for pain. The article is about back pain, but herbs are not limited to one part of the body, though many herbs have some specificity for certain body systems. (I would love to see the different schools of medicine converge and combine the best parts of each type of practice.)
https://www.herbcraft.org/writings/back
Thanks, I'll check it out.
Thanks for sharing that link... what a treasure trove of information.
I like white willow tea.
I have been using tart cherry concentrate to dilute DMSO with distilled water to take orally.
Haha, does it mask the taste? DMSO has to be about the nastiest tasting stuff on earth. 😁 What benefits do you think you gain?
Also it doesn’t make you have that horrible smell. I asked my husband if I still had the DMSO smell. He said no & he was thankful because it was unpleasant 😄
Huh. I barely notice the taste. Maybe because I'm so accustomed to another, more toxic solvent.
You've never tasted dextromethorphan hydrobromide. ^_^
What is it used4? How is it used?
Not sure whether you're asking about the more toxic solvent I mentioned, or the other thing, so:
The toxic solvent: entertainment and social lubrication, mostly. It tends to come in the form of whiskey, at least in my case. ^_^
Dextromethorphan hydrobromide: cough suppression and dissociative experiences. It tends to come in the form of cough syrup. The pure powder tastes ungodly awful, which is why they have to cover it with so much sweetener.
Yes it does mask the taste but I never had too much of a problem with the taste. I believe since I had cut sugar & carbs from my diet years ago. I can’t say I know exactly what it has helped concerning my rheumatoid arthritis as I do so many other things to aid with getting myself into remission. I am leaving for a trip for 10 days so I will be off of it for then. So maybe I might have a better idea. I bought a gallon as it was cheaper that way 😃
I'm going to try it, thanks. I quit taking DMSO internally a few years ago because my little grandchildren told me I smelled bad and didn't want to hug me! It was either deal with more pain or no hugs, and I chose hugs. 😁
margo - are you using tart cherry for its anti-arthritic effects? or just for taste - or do you think it masks the dmso body odor?
Well, both but primarily to mask the DMSO body odor. Most anti-arthritic modalities seem to work more for regular arthritis. RA is a different animal!
Stiff Person Sydrome is a rare disease. Celine Dion has suffered with it for over 15 years and it caused her to halt her LV residency.
She has talked about this extensively during the past 3 years.
Wondering whether she or any of her doctors and therapists have ever heard of DMSO or if they have, simplt refuse to give it a go?
Eg: My son, who is now 28 and afflicted with a rare post-jab autoimmune disease, RA and recurring Necrotizing Scleritis, continues to ignore any links I send him. Am certain he will not comment on the contents of this article either but I can't give up on him.
I have DMSO in stock and use it to treat this and that. Have recommended it to many folks over the years.
"You can lead a pony to water but"...
Same situation here. It's heartbreaking. How miserable do you have to get before you realize what is going on? I will be here nonetheless, if the dawn ever breaks over his propagandized mind. Hoping it comes sooner than later.
That is such good news. I hope Celine Dion knows about using DMSO to mitigate her suffering.
She's covid poisoned and that is going to be the x factor unknown for many that took the poison darts.
She had her SPS for years before her announcing that she had it in 2022. Symptoms starting in 2008. Long before Covid.
The mRNA may have exasperated her symptoms considerably or made progression of her illness worse. Similar to how people in remission from cancer had their cancers return.
It certainly wouldn't have helped.
This is great to hear! I’m happy you are out of pain :-) I’ve been using dmso for a couple decades and looking for stories to send a friend who is having low back pain with right sciatic burning and numbness. The VA keeps pushing hard drugs on him but he refuses them. I think maybe topical dmso and castor oil could help him. That’s usually what I do but he lives with a pharma billing person who feeds him with “she’s crazy” about my self care ..
Someone should tell Celine Dion. She has a severe case of stiff persons disease. I’m 100% sure she got it from the mRNA shot. It is listed as a severe side effect. She refuses to believe it was from the vaccine from what I hear. Maybe DMSO can help her. She literally has nothing to lose. DMSO is safe. Her life and millions of others has had their lives destroyed by the mRNA shot.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience & commentary. Many of my meds cause muscle cramps. In constant joint, tendon & muscle pain so I hope it helps.
I tried DMSO liquid mixed it 50/50 with Magnesium Chloride, no real affect and it stings for some time
Get a test. Get a disease.
There are no diseases only symptoms according to Florence Nightingale and Tom Cowan.
Tell your girl friend you have learned from the Mayo Clinic you have received a diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome.
Can you address heat therapy(infrared vs traditional Scandinavian sauna) as an adjunctive for MSK pain control?
I had the same problem. Did a workaround by subscribing for free with a different email. That allowed me to read enough to know whether I wanted to go online to get the full article with the other email. I think it's a Substack issue, but their service isn't so much.
Just had a family meeting at the hospital with a group of Doctors regarding mother and hospice. We were all there in one room. My sister had to interject: "I'm just an OBGYN"...to which the head Dr had to reply: "Oh, you're MORE then "just" an OBGYN!
Point being, even upon my mother's death bed (which it will be in a couple days time), one has to seek validation, approval andrecognition for their superior "status".
It was disgusting. Especially since mother is dying from Diabetes-related complications. And not a single "Dr" could reverse or even cure it. Just same on grind ...in and out.
Not a single person recommended Keto...and in fact the hospital fed her sodas, pudding, jello, cookies and all other concoctions of sugar.
But we still literally worship Doctors!
And my brilliant sister could see nothing wrong whatsoever!
Totally understand and sorry to hear of your situation. My wife has diabetes and we just went to a naturopath who recommended Keto. Her sugar levels have been the best she has had for 20 years now that she has gone Keto with me. Not one endocrinologist or doctor of any type has ever recommended anything helpful. They have become employees and not doctors. My wife’s heart doctor is miserable in her job and ask for the naturopaths number to get help for herself. Simply amazing how the medical world has imploded.
Get a test
Get a disease.
I'm so sorry for what you're going through, with your Mom.
Thank you.
The literal untold misery witnessed this past 4 years (AMD, renal failure) experienced by one person...
Take that and multiply that by 100's of millions of people globally...it's unbelievable the state of "Medicine".
I guarantee the system had made $5-6M off my mother alone!
It's a rotten, rotten world. I hope the truth prevails over utter ignorance.
And yes, I tried.
My Mom has dry macular degeneration, and her retinologist wisely told her to avoid all white foods (flour, rice, sugar, etc.). Unfortunately, although she doesn't eat "junk" food, she still eats the grains and has a sweet tooth. It's very sad for me, to see my Mom gradually losing her sight, and to think the modern diet has done that to her.
sunlight - without intervening windows, glasses or sunglasses can help - in other words get outside when it's sunny, foggy or even rainy - our eyes need the natural rays from the sun to maintain health. i know, it is the last thing an opthalmologist will tell you . . .
also there is an Indian herb, gymnema sylvestre ("gurmar") which means "sugar destroyer" - has been used for millenia in India for diabetes. best taken before meals - and especially if eating a sweet food like cherries or even sugar to ameliorate the bad effects. if you chew it just before eating something sweet, you literally cannot taste the sweetness of the food! (better to break it in half and pop both halves in throat before eating - or ideally take with warm water a little before the sweet treat). it works. also seems to help alleviate the desire for sweets . . . it is sold in compressed herbal tablets. Himalaya is a good brand, comes from india tho distributed by a place called Sugar Land, Texas if you can believe it. maybe they realized they needed it there. (;
Check out the book
Vision for life.
There are exercises for the macular.
My mother was diagnosed with dry macular degeneration in 2003. I did some researched, offered a list of dietary changes (blueberries, spinach, etc) and her condition vanished within 2 years.
Her opthalmologist was "stumped"... 😉
My son's opthalmologist: "I guess she was misdiagnosed"...
Uh huh.
My mother went blind from it as well. I've seen some videos that have said it's the seed oils in the processed foods. Avoid them at all costs.
Absolutely, but more than just seed oils. Dr. Chris Knobbe MD, is a fascinating man to look up, and has a book on Amazon--he read all the early medical books on eye diseases, and in a few of his interviews (one with Dr. Paul Saladino in June '23), said that eye doctors in the mid 1800s had lenses that enabled them to see the retina and macula, and they carefully documented abnormalities they saw. Dr. Knobbe said these doctors were not documenting anything that described AMD, until I think it was the 1880's, and then there was a gradual increase through the early 1900s--and now, just go to a retinologist's office and see how common it is! The insidious term "AMD" (age-related macular degeneration), implies that the condition has nothing to do with lifestyle or diet. This is just one more example of institution-wide intellectual laziness--in contrast, Dr. Knobbe is a beacon of light, having dedicated his career to curing this disease.
Thank you. I'll look for him.
Sure it is the seed oil but they put so much toxic stuff in processed food. Hard to say the problem is just the seed oil.
The thing is kidneys are the issue with diabetes. Actually kidneys are a lot of times the issue with medical problems. Keto, doing just an all meat diet, is actually an acid diet. Keto can be hard on the kidneys when her kidneys are already struggling. Though I have seen some people do well on keto for a period of time. I don't think you can have an acid diet on an elderly woman and do well. You need alkaline food. Not acid. Please look up meat and whether it is acid or not. I think the reason people do well on keto is their kidneys still has some life left and keto often times eliminates so much other toxins found in processed foods.
You can't give an acid diet to a person who is already so sick and expect them to do well.
I would recommend you follow Dr. Robert Morse. He has cured so many people with just using a all fruit, berries and melon diet. Give her some watermelon for lunch, just watermelon, and watch her come alive. Watch her have a conversation with you. :) Some people say fruit is all sugar. Fruit sugar and processed sugar is two different things.
You can also throw in some healthy herbs too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvGtDnv0DXk
You can Dr. Robert Morse site. Got to Dr. Morse tv site and sign on. https://morses.tv/video/questions-answers-744/
Good luck
Yes, I don't disagree . However, this "health issue" has literally gone on since 1996 w her first bought of pancreatitis. So there has been ample opportunity for true help along the way.
Instead, the garage is packed full of old Styrofoam shipping boxes which have accumulated for her insulin.
When on deaths door, I say let people eat whatever they want!
I'm always learning , so thanks!
Does she want to die?
I don't think so, no. But in the last 8 months, she's been home for maybe 2 or 3 weeks maximum.
And yes your sister wanted attention. She wanted everyone in the room to think she really is the smartest person in the room,after all she is a doctor. Everyone look at me. However soda, cookies for a diabetic? WTH? I can't see her saying this if she had a clue. Even very, very basic knowledge says you don't just feed soda and cookies to a diabetic, unless of course their blood sugar is ultra low and they are in crisis from low blood sugar. Wow! Sorry you got one of those stupid, arrogant sisters. I got one too. :(
My father was diabetic and said he ate better food at home than at the hospital. They would give him foods like animal crackers and canned peaches. Praying for your mother and your family.
I go out for coffee each morning. Today I saw a lady who was off the charts. We can and do see it every day. I don't know whether to scream or cry.
While they can still walk, I know exactly what's in store for them. It's beyond awful.
I was a hospice nurse for 6 years. To qualify for the program you have 6 months or less to live but the average person spends 30-50 days there. The time to start keto is years earlier and that’s if the patient is interested in it. Keto does help some muscle aches but can be difficult to follow long-term and not everyone wants to eat high fat, moderate protein and low carb. I believe if it is the end of your life, you should live it the way you want to. If you want ice cream for breakfast, go for it. This is definitely not the time for restrictions and the idea that family would do this to a loved one is cruel.
Good Morning. I'm not a very good writer...but you conveyed exactly what I meant to say- that no hero last minute action would save someone with years of decline behind them. The time to "help" is years before! But instead all she received was "standard of care"...that is, Drugs, Drugs, Dialysis, Eyeball Injections....and oh, did I mention Drugs?? And I agree, if one wants to eat Gummy Bears and drink Jack Daniels towards the end, by all means let them. BTW she's now dead, in the refrigerator, awaiting burial.
It's mind numbing. When my mother was dying of congestive heart failure due to inadequate thyroid treatment, my son was putting all her meds in the dish which totaled 11 pharma drugs and 1 one a day multi. He started laughing out lout loud. It was funny in a Monty Python sort of way.
So sad. Condolences to you.
Near and dear to my heart. In the rush to 'control opiate' abuse they've labeled patients for whom nothing else works 'addicts'. Some of these are the elderly like my mother with a spine of cottage cheese in intractable pain, which without the help of these drugs, they cannot function, their life is constant pain. I get angry when I think about it as there is no justification - if I am 85 and an 'addict' but I function well and enjoy the remaining years - tell me how I am 'harming society'?? Why is it I need to test monthly as the addicts do? Only get my pills 1 time per month AND sometimes the offices forget to call it in? Leaving me in incredible pain? And they think there is nothing wrong with it? Because of course they are young and the elderly may be a bit addicted...
I'm in the same position. I've been taking opioids for 20+ years now due to FBSS. Had a spinal fusion that I was told had a 93% success rate! No Dr. Should be spouting those stats. Anyway, I've been judged by my peers, family and pharmacists. I'm not sitting in a tent w a needle in my arm. I follow all the rules, get drug tested and have a once a month appt w my pain specialist. I hate that I've been caught in the middle of this crisis as well as yourself.
Look into kratom. Works very similar to opioids, great for pain, you can get it just about everywhere without a prescription. Many use it to wean off opioids.
Red kratom to be precise.
This is a VERY POWERFUL alternative to opioids and one the FDA is trying to corral in use but has faced severe backlash because of those addicted to prescription opioids have used it very successfully to get clean.
Kratom does has addictive properties, but it's much less severe than opioid withdrawal.
I tore my hip labrum and boy you talk about pain! DMSO doesn't do as much for ligaments and joints like it does for muscular pain. The doctors wouldn't give me anything stronger than ibuprofen. So I started researching and decided to try kratom. It was a godsend. Works great for pain. I did about 18 months physical therapy on my hip, using kratom the whole time. I switched back and forth between red and green to not build up a tolerance. When I quit taking it, not gonna lie, I felt pretty bad the first day. Run down, a little nervous anxiety, flu like symptoms. Day two was much better, and by the fourth day I was feeling fine. Nothing like the horror stories I've read about opiate withdrawal, but yes, be aware if you take it for months you will have some withdrawal symptoms.
I'll look into it, ty
Our household, mostly due to poor surgical outcomes, are suffering as well. I am very sorry.
There are those of us that have been responsible. That pain can be progressive is no need for punishment. We hear over and over that only cancer related pain is real. That all other pain is subjective. I am sorry for your family's suffering.
I have an 81 year old patient today going through opiate withdrawals, she is on suboxone now. I don’t blame her and my heart breaks for her for what she is going through with her opioid addiction. I blame the prescribing doctors, shame on them.
She isn’t addicted. You are. To power. Why make an 81 year old suffer in pain for the brief life span they have. Ask your self is this TRUE compassion? Or power and lust to control others to ‘conform’. I think the answer will show YOU are the problem. Not the patient. If my mother was EVER subject to you? I’d have her out of the US and to a country that respects the elderly and doesn’t seek to force them to suffer… but what the heck. You can’t see your own complicity in it can you? The beast is rising.
Lovely useful stuff, thank you!
Thanks to you, I bought a couple of roll-on DMSO applicators, one with aloe vera, the other with lavender, and just randomly and often applied them to my knee which has been red and swollen for many years. But no pain, just affects my gait, which kills my other hip. Anyway, the swelling is gone!!!!! Took a month, I think. I will now use a castor oil pack to try and dissolve old scar tissue still there from an old arthroscopy. My fear is that the scar tissue and whatever is what keeps my bone on bone from hurting, but that is another problem to solve.
DMSO is magical. IMO, and many many thanks.
Are your full-on DMSO applicators plastic? If so is there an issue with micro plastics here? AMD comment? Thanks so much!
I had not really considered that; an assumption is that the DMSO store would have considered it. In any event, my knee was so inflamed (oddly painless) that it would not bend fully, which affects my gait, which puts so much pressure on the other hip that it is always painful. If I can correct that, quite frankly, I am happy no matter what. I am 79. No jabs or any medications, I take supplements, but last regular prescription was for birth control, that's how long ago. I am lucky in that, I know. But the thought that I could walk normally again overrides pretty much everything. I will be trying the DMSO on my hip, but I have not much expectation of relief as long as my gait jams the socket with each step. So - now to dissolve scar tissue on knee, which is very pronounced now that the inflammation is lessened. Ant doctors I have seen, at my age, are just running out my clock and offer no help or even suggestions at all.
Only use glass to store, (clean) hands to apply.
Please explain...earnest question. Thank you.
DMSO will take any toxin it is exposed to directly into the bloodstream.
Plastic/metal contact is therefore ill advised, as are dirty hands. The area to which it is applied must also be very clean.
Excellent article, as usual.
Pain’s underlying causes have been the focus of my medical practice the entire time being a physician. I agree with all you have here, and, I’ll add a very skinny version of my stepwise approach. The earlier the layer, the more effect it has on the whole process.
Step 1: Timing. If attention, support, reserves, life’s appropriate journey and resources aren’t sufficient/optimal, a healing journey is not possible. The typical processes of healing take 2 years.
Step 2: Spiritual. 40+ years has taught me a lot, both personally & professionally—age 10 is when I had a major medical condition begin. The challenges serve to teach, guide, and bring forward greater versions of one’s authentic self. ‘Fixing’ a problem is hollow compared to this view.
Step 3: Energy. From mitochondria to esoteric forms, without sufficient energy, healing is not possible.
Step 4: Emotional. From NF-kb induced inflammation to trauma’s downstream effects causing metaphorical—if not literal—abscesses within a person. The ego is the training program for this life. No person is healing without sewing trauma’s loose ends back into the tapestry of their whole self.
Step 5: Physiologic. Too many to list. Functional physicians are well appreciated in this area. My own studies surround the effects of a unique beta glucan that’ll be distributed soon.
Step 6: Neurology. I integrate 6 levels, as harmoniously as possible. Sympathetic relaxation is generally the most important. Very complicated level.
Step 7: Structural. Nearly 20 years ago, this is where I started with stem cell procedures. The procedural techniques for this layer represent at least 5 volumes—1 reserved for the neck only.
Integrating that much information effectively requires a team of 8. It’s my hope that what we’ve learned over our careers will be shared liberally with many in the coming years.
One last comment:
Healing and feeling better are vastly different processes and journeys. Everyone wants the latter. Few are willing/able to meaningfully embrace the former.
Thank you, great comment.
Regarding topical DMSO:
Besides very superficial structures and the small amount absorbed, a deeper effect occurs. I believe this is most likely via calming superficial sensory nerves—mimicking effects of Neuroprolotherapy.
And, we’re likely dealing with quantum effects as well.
Thank you, Ron, for sharing this! As a specialist paramedic in the UK who moved to primary care with the hope of providing a more preventative holistic approach to health, I realised the NHS and primary care was not going to allow scope for that. (I’m no longer working in the NHS.) My dream would be to work in a team like yours!
Also thank you, MWD, as I have learnt so much from your writing. My chiropractor husband got huge relief from his disc problem with topical DMSO, and he now passes that information on to his patients.
LightShiner—
It’s a long road to provide the techniques, education and the SPACE for people to realize their healing capacities and own pathway. Enjoy the journey. It refined me more than I ever could have anticipated.
Yes - I think often people want the quick results, but it just doesn’t work like that. And you so much ☺️
Many people are confused that healing = reduction in symptoms. That’s just killing the messenger. Feel free to add to my definition based on your experience:
'Healing describes intentional and guided processes that reduce interference patterns, refine the mind, minimize physical suffering, bolster the heart, and encourage forward the spirit. These forces create positive inertia to elevate present moment awareness, awakening a person to their authentic nature as divine creators and greater connection to divinity’s fullness.'
This is a great definition!
"If attention, support, reserves, life’s appropriate journey and resources aren’t sufficient/optimal, a healing journey is not possible."
Based on what I see everyday, that stipulation disqualifies most of the people on Earth.
Are you trying to add something constructive to the discussion? If so, I’m not quite grasping it
That's too bad.
You’re welcome to focus upon, and you certainly will see, what is not possible. I focus on and see what is possible. Few more profound differentiators between people exist than this.
"If attention, support, reserves, life’s appropriate journey and resources aren’t sufficient/optimal, a healing journey is not possible."
"Energy. From mitochondria to esoteric forms, without sufficient energy, healing is not possible."
I am not the one saying that the [ dubious at best ] preponderance of advantages necessary for healing - if not available - disqualify the sufferer from relief. I am aghast that you would predicate healing on such superficial and transient fortune. Unless you have a far different dictionary that defines attention, support, reserves, life's appropriate journey and resources than the one on my shelf, what I am reading is: only the wealthy can benefit.
All that huffing and strenuous use of big words, and you haven’t an idea what I believe healing actually represents. Healing and relief aren’t in the same time zone.
No matter, you already revealed your perceived state of victimhood to the wealthy. Can’t heal in a state of externalization. Endure that swirling vortex as long as you must.
I work with those ready to embrace the healing process. As they’ve learned, that has nothing to do with $$$$.
You’ll understand eventually that everything is perfectly intentional and for each of our best growth/refining.
I appreciate your consistent thoroughness.
Yes, DMSO was wonderful for my arthritis.
Then, I went carnivore. Now I’m off the DMSO. Arthritis is gone.
However, I’ll always have DMSO in my medicine cabinet.
¼ tsp of 20 mule Borax in my ☕ every day has cured my arthritis.
Bingo. I also take a good Selenium supplement daily.
What? Say more please! Thanks.
Can download the article about it here. Be quick though, before it disappears. It's getting more and more difficult to find: https://www.chrismole.co.nz/the-borax-conspiracy-walter-last
Carnivore - herein lies the gold.
Doc, you are singing my favorite tune!
I’m a massage therapist in a chiro office and the effect of a hip flexors/QL imbalance on back pain cannot be overstated. Another one is tight SCM from either poor posture or poor breathing mechanics compressing the suboccipitals… that one is the case in probably 80% of my clients with neck pain. And completely treatable with noninvasive methods.
And 100% agree with the failed ‘pain management’ model, we see these clients all the time after they’ve done everything the way their doc wants and they’re still in tremendous pain.
Thank you for the work you do writing this column. This one and several others have helped me tremendously.
Thank you. SCM comes up a lot too.
Does the chiropractor help to heal hip flexor/back pain? I was thinking of getting stem cell injections from using my own fat-derived cells. Maybe I just need a chiropractor? Massage? Also, I will try the DMSO cream. Not sure how to use it though.
As far as I know they don’t do PRP or other biologics (usually referred to as stem cell injections) around the spine, at least not the docs I use. I would definitely recommend chiro and massage before doing anything medical, even PT once you know what the specific problem is. If it’s a muscle imbalance the combination can work wonders. If you can find a place where you can get chiro and massage together, it works even better. It’s worth a try, at least.
And where I work we take insurance for both chiro and massage, although it’s getting harder to find, and not every insurance plan will have that coverage. Oh, also, make sure if you can’t find a massage therapist in a chiro office you find one that’s trained in orthopedic or medical massage (it should state training on their website). Even sports massage would probably work.
DMSO and castor oil speed healing for me, I rarely use it for pain.
I'm glad the house of cards is slowly starting to fall down.
We live in the world of the movie Idiocracy, including healthcare.
https://www.thebignewsletter.com/p/private-equity-unitedhealth-take
Such a valuable and true article. Thank you. DMSO is my go to. Luckily I learned long ago to not obey my doctors, Or at least be very skeptical. That has saved me countless drug prescriptions of the dangerous drugs you mention above, And at least 11 surgeries at last count. I am 70 years old now and have never had surgery, And I get around just fine without pain, but if I listened to my doctors there's no telling what I would be like now.
Good for you! 👏👏👏
I have had success with 70% DMSO applied topically to my partially numb toes (from ankle surgery), which burn at night. Sometimes I reapply it, but it has made going to sleep much easier without my toes burning (which can keep me awake). I have recommended it to others with nerve pain. I have also rubbed it into my hands and can now crochet again (same strength).
Do you just dilute it in distilled water, e wash hands and rub it on?
Yes, wash feet and hands and then rub on. Rinse hands with water afterwards to avoid soap being absorbed into hands. Let dry before putting sock or clothing over area you are applying it. I usually just let my feet hang over the edge of the bed before I go to sleep.
I buy it already mixed. But you can dilute it yourself from liquid. I order natures gift brand on Amazon.
Thanks, glad it helps you. I’ll try on my hands. 🌹
I put it on clean hands and then try not to use them until it dries.
I have found a non synthetic paint brush works great, one that artists use about 1/2 flat brush.
AMD, please keep these brillant articles coming! I have been using DMSO for lumbar pain for almost a year now, putting it on after an application of 3000 mg CDB balm twice a day. This topical application strategy has worked well for my low back pain. However, adding stretching and/or dangling is an important piece of the pain relief regimine because I know a contributor to the chronic pain is tight muscles secondary to L3-l5 spinal misalignment. As long as there are no peripheral neuropathies, this will remain my pain management strategy. Your introductory articles on DMSO for use of pain prompted further research, and a major contributor to the pain relief. Thank yous are not enough!
So glad to see you mention Dr. John Sarno! I was diagnosed (by an x-ray taken by my wife's chiropractor) with an extruded lumbar disc some 20-odd years ago. I was under tremendous stress trying to keep a business afloat, working 70+ hrs. per week, and the pain would just not go away. During that time I also developed IBS-D. A local psychologist was advertising biofeedback to manage IBS symptoms, so I made an appointment. I showed up at his office in so much pain from my still ailing back, that he commented on it sympathetically and simply suggested I might benefit from Sarno's Mind Over Back Pain. I read it in an afternoon, and the next day my pain was completely gone. The biofeedback didn't help much with the IBS, but I'll always be indebted to Dr. Edward Sorel of Ithaca, NY for curing my back pain in one day, with no drugs or surgeries! (It wasn't an "imagined" pain, in the pejorative sense. In certain types of people, the brain converts a genuine injury into chronic pain via a process he dubbed Tension Myositis Syndrome. It's a fascinating read if you can still find it. It was a revelatory experience for me. As Dr. Sorel always said to me: "The mind is a powerful thing!")
RE Failed Back Surgery Syndrome...
This happened to our mom; she suffered greatly before, during, and after multiple back surgeries, which left her worse off than before and on opiate pain killers for the rest of her life. She was told she would be paralyzed if she didn’t get the surgeries.
Of course, we didn’t have the benefit of AMD’s advice decades ago. So angry and sad about what she and our family endured at the hands of the pain treatment industry.
We continue to love these abridged articles!
I have been taking two teaspoons of DMSO diluted in water daily for about 3 months with no known side effects. I have low kidney function and three years post heart bypass surgery. Since starting this pattern my reflux has disappeared and I am feeling great. I also had occasional sharp pains in my feet which disappeared. My main reason for starting DMSO was for the general protein healing properties including vessels, brain, and blood flow.
I use topical DMSO for skin abrasions and local pain. Taking it PO is more convenient for me.
But do people say you smell? I was taking about less than a teaspoon almost everyday and sometime a 70/30 dilution topically. My son said I smelled bad and he was a couple feet away from me. I'm trying to find a balance.
I wonder if the smell is only with certain people? I can tell when my husband has been taking DMSO. It even lingers on his clothes. I wish there were a way to counteract it... other than hiding his DMSO. : )