Weird question, no doubt, but as I was describing a problem one of our horses was having with a mild limp, my father got on the phone and emphatically told me to get some DMSO from the vet and use it on the effected leg. He has been using it on HIMSELF for years and swears by it! He went on to tell me you used to be able to buy it over the counter, just about anywhere. My father got it at a gas station about 15 years ago, because he read where some famous football coach was using it on the players to relieve pain from sprains and strains. However, it is supposed to be an industrial solvent. Now, surely that can't be good to use on humans? Dad insists the only side effect is a nasty taste in your mouth about 15 minutes after you apply the liquid to your skin. Otherwise, he says it helps with pain in his old knees. I have to take into account that this same man treats his recurrent skin cancers with battery acid, rather than go to his doctor. Maybe DMSO does something to the brain cells? :) Just wondered if anyone else finds this scary? Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), January 13, 2001

Answers

Jan, My father used DMSO for years on his race horses leg injuries. He used this product without the use of heavy rubber gloves. He now suffers from alzheimers disease and no one else in our family has had this disease. Scary? YES! DMSO is absorbed into the skin very quickly and is not selective on the parts of the body that it affects in other words the kidneys, liver, brain. This product was taken off the market for awhile but was released for animal use only. It is available at some feed stores. If you do decide to use this product please use caution and heavy rubber gloves. Sandra

-- Sandra (S.E. Texas) (rory@readynet.net), January 13, 2001.

DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) is indeed an extremely powerful solvent, and will carry not only itself but substances on your skin thru your skin and into your bloodstream if they have a small enough molecular structure.

I worked in a pharmaceutical research lab for several years in the late 80's and early 90's and routinely used DMSO as a reagent in some protocols. When handling it we wore special chemical proof gloves, as it was listed as carcinogenic, mutagenic, and solvent. I would not use it on my body, despite what any old timer told me they did with it. You may be able to get an MSDS (materials safety data sheet) on DMSO from your local vet or a supplier or manufacturer which will outline the chemical structure, and all hazards involved with it's use and handling.

-- Hannah Maria Holly (hannahholly@hotmail.com), January 14, 2001.

Jan, there is a ton of information available on DMSO. Several years ago, when I first started out in the natural foods/supplements industry, I read up on it. We sell a few bottles a week at the store where I now work. I would not dump it in my hand and rub it on, but I would not be afraid to use it. I've always understood that our customers apply it to the area with a Q-tip. It does act as a carrier- there are some very interesting medical studies being done with DMSO mixed with ?? other meds. There is fascinating research on the use of DMSO in severe head trauma. I think it's like most anything else, you need to learn as much as possible, then make your decisions based on that knowledge.

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), January 14, 2001.

As a vet tech, I used it routinely on dogs and cats with deep muscle strains. It works wonders, but who knows what the overall side effects could be. We used rubber gloves, but mainly because of the most obvious side effect--very bad garlic breath. I would hesitate to use it on myself.

-- melina b. (goatgalmjb1@hotmail.com), January 14, 2001.

Jan, use MSN instead, it the purified form of DMSO, and extremely safe to use in any animal or human, I take the purified equine form (it's way cheaper than the capsules) of MSN and it is amazing for any kind of joint pain or arthritis!!! The vets have been using it ( on themselves too) for over 25 years now, and it's available from most all vet supply catalogs, like KV Vet Supply,1-800-423-8211, or www.kvvet.com , it is great stuff, good luck!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 14, 2001.

Annie, do you mean MSM?

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), January 14, 2001.

A book I once read suggested that you could "get even" with somebody by mixing hallucinagenics (or your additive of choice) with this stuff and somehow getting the mixture on them (squirt gun or "bump" them with a cotton ball full of it or something). I remember thinking that this stuff shouldn't be so readily available if it was that easy to do this sort of thing; however, there are those of us who keep having trouble with those pesky hunters who don't behave themselves on our friends' properties. So, now you know.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), January 14, 2001.

Soni--hmm, maybe you have something there! Actually, it sounds like it gets into the system rather quickly, and without knowing what possible side effects it might have, I would be really hesitant to use it on myself. Thanks for all the input, and I'll see if I can get some of the more refined substitutes! Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), January 14, 2001.

Cathy, yes, a big "Duh!!!" on my part. My brain is faster than my fingers sometimes, and I don't always proofread, my biggest mistake!!! I mean MSM, not MSN, gosh these abbreviations are confusing and confounding!!!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 14, 2001.

Is this the same DMSO that is used in humans for interstitial cystitis? I know the urologists here use a "cocktail" called DMSO which is actually several different medicines mixed together, with RMSO being one of the ingredients. Thanks.

Gina NM

-- Gina NM (inhock@pvtnetworks.net), January 14, 2001.

Having used DMSO for years on horses with leg problems (specifically recommended by my vet for one pesky contracted tendon problem in a young filly), I can tell you two things: (1) I always used surgical gloves to apply it as I hated the taste in my mouth when I came in contact with the solution and (2) My vet said he couldn't keep it on the truck as many of his customers purchased it for their rhumatism, arthritis and other joint problems. I know people who use MSM (the animal type) as it is cheaper than the "human" type but does the same thing. Personally, even though I believe that it does help with joint pain or gimpy legs, I wouldn't use it on myself, I would use the MSM form. I have seen it blister a horse's legs if applied to heavily and/or the leg was wrapped too soon after application. Also, the vet always did caution me to heavily hose the leg in question to remove any foreign material as it would be carried through the skin to the underlying tissue.

Hope this helps.

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), January 15, 2001.

Looked at a large livestock supplier today, North of Denver, and the only MSM they carried was either in paste form, to be given orally, or crystals, to add to feed. They didn't seem to know if it would be the same thing. Any thoughts? Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), January 15, 2001.

Jan we purchase our MSM and other "herbal" animal products from www.unitedvetequine.com Hope this helps. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), January 16, 2001.

there is some scary chemistry here... MSM is exactly the same thing as DMSO. You can get some grades of DMSO which are either more or less pure than the MSM sold- but they are exactly the same thing; you shouldn't be fooled by a fancy name and branding. cheers burnt

-- burnt paper (burnt_paper@hotmail.com), February 11, 2002.