From National Council Against Health Fraud

Hopefully this will put an end to the debate about DMSO on rosacea
skin. I have become fairly active lately with the DMSO issue
because of so many potential rosacea guinea pigs. Two rosacea
sufferers have already experienced moderate ocular disturbances
(thinning of the cornea) and others have non-stop sensory burning
many months after stopping Dave Flemming's treatment advice. I know
that this is getting old, but Dave has been drumming this into
desperate rosacea heads for over a year now. As one knows it is just
as important to stay away from irritating substances as it is to
find the right treatment.

Dave Flemming has been touting this cure now for 1.5 years. It is
a hazardous substance, especially when placed on the facial skin or
near the eyes. Dave's only references have been regarding Dr.
Jacobs work (which as you will read below was tainted by money and
results).

The catch phrase at the end of this report sums up Dave's
efforts/agendas, "NCAHF advises extreme caution when it comes to
using DMSO for any medical condition. Beware of excessive claims
from the substance…..and avoid overly enthusiastic lay people and
fringe medical professionals who create high expectations from using
DMSO. Be aware that DMSO has potentially adverse side effects and
offers little in the way of medical value.



DMSO

William T. Jarvis, Ph.D.

DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) is derived from lignin, the binding
substance of trees. The Crown Zellerbach Corporation, a mammoth
lumber company, holds a number of patents on DMSO for use as an
industrial solvent or liniment for treating pain in horses. Crown
Zellerbach licenses DMSO exclusively to Research Industries of Salt
Lake City for marketing as a drug called Rimso-50. Topically-applied
DMSO has the unusual ability to act as a "chemical hypodermic
needle" which is to say that it is rapidly absorbed through the skin
and can take with it other substances that ordinarily would not
cross the skin's barrier. Topically-applied DMSO produces a garlic-
like taste in the mouth and a breath odor. Topical use can cause a
rash, blistering, itching, hives, and skin thickening. Intravenous
use can cause kidney damage and other adverse side effects.
DMSO was approved by the FDA in 1978 for only one purpose, the
treatment of a rare bladder disorder, interstitial cystitis.

However, scandal surrounded the FDA's approval of DMSO and some
still believe that a cloud hangs over iit. Stanley Jacob, MD, served
as an supposedly unbiased medical monitor of DMSO between 1974 and
1979, but for three of those years (1974, 1978, and 1979), he was on
the Research Industries board of directors. In addition to getting
consulting and director's fees, Jacob is said to have bought 50,000
shares of the company's stocks. The medical officer charged with
reviewing data from clinical trials of DMSO, K.C. Pani, accepted
$36,500 in gratuities from Dr. Jacob during the time. A detailed
account of the dubious FDA approval of DMSO is provided by Howard
Rosenberg in "The DMSO Affair." [1 ]

DMSO became a darling among the promoters of quackery after CBS-TV's
60 Minutes portrayed the substance as a medical breakthrough [2].
Some arthritis sufferers testified that DMSO had provided relief.
The Arthritis Foundation says that DMSO can act as a liniment with a
counter-irritating effect temporarily relieving pain, but it does
not reduce inflammation as do truly effective arthritis remedies
(Arthritis Foundation, undated). A detailed Public Information Memo
was issued to the Chapter Executive Directors of the Arthritis
Foundation on November 13, 1981, following the publication of a
popular trade book.

Mildred Miller, owner/administrator of the Degenerative Disease
Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, promoted DMSO for a variety of
disorders including arthritis, mental illness, emphysema, and
cancer. Miller wrote a book touting DMSO entitled A Little Dab Will
Do Ya! (Quality Advertising, 1981). Miller also published Preventive
Health News, a tabloid-sized newsletter in which she promoted DMSO
and carried on a harangue against the establishment (Miller
published another book with the disrespectful title Up Yours FDA).
Miller was eventually convicted of Medicare fraud and went to prison
[2]. The American Cancer Society issued a statement advising against
the use of DMSO for cancer [3].

During its heyday, black market DMSO could be purchased in health
food stores, military surplus stores, hardware stores, at swap meet
booths, or even from vendors working out of the trunks of their cars
parked along highways. Very often black market DMSO is industrial
grade, not medical grade. A problem with industrial grade DMSO is
that companies bottling the substance as an industrial solvent use
the same equipment to bottle other substances. Residual toxic
materials can contaminate industrial grade DMSO and may be taken
into the body by DMSO's action as a "chemical hypodermic."
Because of DMSO's dangers and legal status, the FDA has had a
running battle with DMSO distributors. In 1980, the agency discussed
the controversy surrounding the drug in the FDA Consumer [4]. In
1982, the agency reported on actions taken against companies
distributing DMSO in the Pacific Northwest [5]. A book touting DMSO,
The Persecuted Drug: The Story of DMSO, by Pat McGrady became the
subject of legal action by the FDA. A New York company, DMSO, Inc.,
was repackaging industrial grade DMSO and selling it for self-
medication. The company also was selling copies of the McGrady book.
The FDA held that this made the book an extension of the label. The
ruckus that followed included intervention by the New York American
Civil Liberties Union on behalf of McGrady's widow, who was
profiting from the book's sales, charging that the FDA's action
violated the First Amendment's free speech guarantees. The case ran
out of steam when the FDA changed its policy on seizing books that
are used to directly promote questionable products or health
practices.

DMSO received more attention in 1994 in the mysterious toxic fumes
poisoning of emergency room doctors at Riverside General Hospital
(California) as they attempted to treat cancer patient Gloria
Ramirez. It was theorized by scientists at Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratories that a chemical reaction occurred between DMSO
and oxygen administered during ambulance transportation creating
DMSO2, and that the DMSO2 was further oxidized to DMSO4 -- a lethal
gas [6]. This theory has not been proven, and may always be
controversial because its veracity affects the outcome of litigation
on the case. The possibility that a quack cancer remedy was
responsible for this medical mystery is intriguing. DMSO continues
to be used by a number of quack cancer clinics in Mexico, the
Bahamas, and the United States.

NCAHF advises extreme caution when it comes to using DMSO for any
medical condition. First, be certain that the product you are using
is medical grade, not industrial grade. Second, beware of excessive
claims from the substance. Lastly, avoid overly enthusiastic lay
people and fringe medical professionals who create high expectations
from using DMSO. Be aware that DMSO has potentially adverse side
effects and offers little in the way of medical value.

References
1. Rosenberg. The DMSO affair. New Age Journal, June 1986.
2. Santich. DMSO folk legend to hero to feds. The Reno Gazette-
Journal. Jan 1986
3. Unproven Methods of Cancer Management: Dimethyl sulfoxide
(DMSO) CA-A Cacner Journal for Clinicians 33:122-126, 1983.
4. DMSO: No proof of miracles FDA Consumer, Sept 1980.
5. Investigators' Reports: DMSO FDA Consumer, July-Aug 1982.
6. Babwin. Fumes mystery solved? Riverside Press-Enterprise,
Nov 4, 1994.
Copyright Notice
© 1997, National Council Against Health Fraud.
With proper citation, this article may be reproduced for
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This article was posted on November 24, 2001.

Geoffrey
______________________________

Dr. Geoffrey Nase
Ph.D. Microvascular Physiologist
www.drnase.com
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