MSM for Joint Pain Relief

MSM is one of the added ingredients in Flexicose Liquid Glucosamine. We’ve summarized below some of the history and Benefits of MSM.

The discovery of methylsulfonylmenthane, also known as dimethyl sulfone and MSM started with an auto accident. Back in 1970 Bill Rich, a retired mechanic, in Portland, Oregon survived a horrible traffic accident but suffered sever burns to his body. He spent nearly six months receiving skin grafts and rehabilitation.

For over a decade after the accident Bill suffered extreme pain in his knees and ankles. Sometimes the pain was so great he would practically double over and cry because of his ankle and knee pain. It was then that a veterinarian told him about a supplement which was used at that time on race horses to treat pain. The compound was MSM.

After only three days of use, most of his leg pain was gone. Bill was a lifelong tinkerer, and he eventually invented a cream composed of MSM which he routinely rubbed into his skin around his knees and ankles. Almost like a miracle, the purplish skin that wouldn’t heal was replaced with rosy pink skin in a short amount of time. 

What is the Origin of DMSO and MSM

Although Rich’s account seems too good to be true, there are countless others who swear by its healing powers for not only muscle and joint pain, but all kinds of inflammation, allergies, and constipation. Although there have been few full fledged scientific studies done with MSM, it has a chemical relative which has been greatly studied. Nearly everyone has heard of DMSO. It has been around for over 20 years and has proven itself effective in thousands of studies. It was touted as a “wonder drug” on the 60 Minutes news show in 1980. Since then it has been used successfully to treat pain and promote healing in countless thousands of people.

DMSO has extremely rapid absorption qualities. It was first discovered in 1961 and was thought it might be used to help transport other drugs into the body effectively. But further studies showed that DMSO had many other beneficial qualities. It was even approved by the FDA for some conditions. DMSO proved to have no side effects whatsoever in humans.

MSM is the Sister Compound to DMSO

By the late 70’s, it was discovered that MSM was a product very closely associated to DMSO. In fact, MSM is a natural product found in many foods and also appeared to be an active form of the compound DMSO in the body. Unlike DMSO, MSM is normally present in the body. Unpastuerized milk has high amounts of MSM. There are also small amounts found in some fruits and vegetables. Unfortunately, food refining destroys most of the MSM found naturally in foods.

The most exciting aspect of MSM seems to be that the breakdown of DMSO in the body produces MSM. Some believe MSM is the actual compound which is beneficial after ingesting or absorbing DMSO.

MSM is about 34% sulfur and may work by donating that element to a wide range of biological functions within the body. Even though sulfur is required for good health, the FDA does not officially recognize it as an essential element. The ironic fact of this is that sulfur is one of the most abundant substances in the human body and also one of the least researched elements involving human health. Most researchers agree that MSM acts some what to supply the body with the necessary amounts of sulfur in the proper forms. Sulfur is essential to many body parts including the skin, nails, collagen, and proteins within the body. If the body is low on sulfur, it will limit how well many body processes perform.

MSM Can Benefit Many Conditions

DMSO and MSM have many of the same effects. One of the benefits of MSM over DMSO is that it does not produce the strong sulfur taste of sulfur which can cause offensive breath.

There are many conditions which can be benefited by the use of MSM:

Joint and Muscle pain – Just like DMSO, MSM in its oral form can help relieve inflammation and pain in the joints and muscles. Many of the joint’s components are made with glucosamine and collagen. Both of these substances are very much dependent upon sulfur. One of the patents of MSM describes how an 81-year-old woman suffering from arthritis started taking MSM. In just a few weeks she experienced nearly total relief from her joint pain. In many animal studies, DMSO and MSM have shown almost identical results with each other. Both substances have been show effective in treating inflammation, musculoskeletal pain, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout, and tendonitis.

Interstitial cystitis – This painful bladder infection has been shown to be positively treated with DMSO and MSM.

Scleroderma – This condition involves the swelling and thickening of the fingertips. It is often a chronic disease which can scar the joints, skin and some internal organs. When the scarring involves the esophagus, swallowing will become quite difficult. The medical director of The Scleroderma Foundation says that both MSM and DMSO can ease the effects of Scleroderma. It seems that MSM normalizes the formation of collagen in its beneficial treatment of Scleroderma.

Pollen Allergies – It has been found that many allergy symptoms can be relieved with MSM. It is not clear how MSM helps with allergies, but it is suspected it blocks histamine receptors which can trigger symptoms. MSM has also been shown to be beneficial in treating Lupus symptoms. Lupus is an autoimmune disorder which can be thought of as a “self-allergy”.

Some of the other conditions which MSM has been found to help are the reduction of stomach acid and hypersensitivity to some drugs. It can also help to retard vascular smooth muscle tissue. This is associated with the risk of heart disease. It may also have anticancer properties.

MSM Works

MSM promotes normal repair and growth in the body with vitamin-like effects. Most people do not call it a “vitamin” but rather a nutritional supplement. By all accounts MSM is safe and useful to the body.

Although there is a lack of scientific research on MSM, its cousin, DMSO has been studied extensively and been found to help many conditions in dramatic ways. And best of all, there are no side effects associated with its use.

Read what arthritis.com says about MSM