Herpes and the DMSO Deception

DMSO is a Dangerous, ineffective, un-natural and illegal therapy for
the treatment of herpes.

I wrote an essay over a year ago called "The Natural Health Products
Hustle: False Prophets chasing Profits", to describe my dismay at
seeing all the unethical businesses jumping into the new gold rush
which is the "natural health products" market. You can read that
essay here-
http://www.natropractica.com/Natural%20Health%20Prducts%20Hustle.htm

What mostly happens with these companies is that they over-hype the
effectiveness of their products which give cynics an excuse to
criticize vitamins and supplements, but rarely are the products
dangerous.

DMSO (di-methyl-sulfoxide) is an exception. DMSO is not an herbal
medicine, vitamin or a supplement. It is a man-made solvent derived
from the pulp and paer industry. Its main use is as an industrial
solvent to clean heavy equipment. DMSO does have some medicinal uses,
primarily for the treatment of interstitial cystitis, and to help race
horses cope with the strain on their unnatural bodies.

Only pharmaceutical grade DMSO (USP) which is 99.9 pure is safe for use
with humans, and it is only legal to sell or buy it with a prescription
and it is only approved for human use by the FDA for use in the
treatment of interstitial cystitis (an inflammation of the bladder).

Greedy companies unconcerned about the danger of DMSO get around this
law by selling industrial and veternarian grade DMSO which is only 99%
pure on the internet by pretending that they are selling it as a
solvent for industrial use. No legitimate company or healthcare
professional is involved in the promotion of DMSO as a treatment for
herpes only the convicted felon Kevin Trudeau and another dubious
author with a book fancifully entitled  "Never and Outbreak".

You may think that 99% pure DMSO sounds pretty pure, but actually it
isn't. DMSO is a great sub-dermal delivery system. It penetrates
through your skin, through your cell membranes and is one of the few
substances that penetrates your blood-brain barrier which protects your
brain. 1% impurity makes any non-pharmaceutical grade DMSO too
dangerous for human use. DMSO will also carry anything on the surface
of your skin right into your body with it- bacteria, viruses, and
toxins. DMSO also can burn and cause severe irritation to your skin.

DMSO has never been shown to be an effective therapy for the treatment
of herpes either in peer-reviewed clinical studies or in clinical
practice by those treating herpes. In my 16 years of treating herpes I
have never met or heard of any herpes treatment specialist advocating
the use of either DMSO or DMSO and hydrogen-peroxide therapy.

It's bad enough to promote ineffective treatments to the general
public but I consider it a crime to promote the use of unsafe therapies
just for the sake of taking advantage of the huge population of herpes
sufferers.

But some of the blame has to be placed on the shoulders of those who
are buying DMSO for herpes treatment. Herpes is a lifelong viral
infection and there are no-magical quick fixes for herpes. Those who
either in desperation or ignorance look for gimmick treatments on the
internet are putting themselves in a bad situation. If you need help
with your herpes treatment plan turn to a professional instead of a
anonymous internet company.

Herpes can only be managed over the long-term by either drug therapy or
a holistic protocol involving dietary, exercise and lifestyle changes,
and anchored with real-herbal medicine. Treating herpes naturally
isn't complicated at all but requires patience and effort on your
part.

These are some of my thoughts on herpes and the DMSO deception. Below
is some additional reference material on the dangers of DMSO.

Christopher Scipio
Homeopath/Herbalist
Holistic Viral Specialist
http://www.natropractica.com
http://www.herpesbook.com
http:://herpesnation.blogspot.com

"The major thing (outside of the fact that it is an *extremely*
powerful solvent... which can carry any solute directly into the
bloodstream) is that on exposure to air it forms a very high and toxic
level of peroxides.
DMSO frequently causes a garlic-like body odor and taste in the mouth.
Other reported side effects include stomach upset, sensitivity to
light, visual disturbances, and headache. Skin irritation can develop
at the site where DMSO is applied topically. Only highly purified,
properly diluted DMSO should be used and the skin site as well as the
applying hand should be thoroughly cleaned before application, because
the solvent properties of DMSO allow contaminants to be absorbed
through the skin and transported into the bloodstream. Improperly
diluted DMSO can also burn the skin. Severe consequences could result
if the impure industrial or veterinary grades of DMSO are used on
humans.
Dr. James R. Crook, professor of medicine at the University of Alaska
and a specialist in human diseases, expresses the fear that users of
DMSO may be unaware of how fast the solvent and materials dissolved in
it can penetrate the skin and other parts of the body. Because of the
fast action, a substance which by itself might have limited or no
effect could cause serious damage or death if accidentally or
intentionally applied to the body in a DMSO solution."

http://dogbert.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF4/442.html

"PRECAUTIONS
DMSO is neither a nutritional supplement nor an over-the-counter
product; its use for the treatment of interstitial cystitis-performed
by interstitial instillation-requires a physician with expertise in
this procedure. Bladder instillation may be harmful in patients with
urinary-tract malignancy. Those who receive long-term treatment with
intravesical DMSO should have liver and renal function tests as well as
ophthalmologic evaluation performed every six months during treatment.
DMSO has been associated with lens changes in animals.
Pregnant women and nursing mothers should avoid using DMSO.
DMSO used as an industrial solvent is not medical grade.
ADVERSE REACTIONS
Adverse reactions reported in those using DMSO for treatment of
interstitial cystitis include garlic-like taste, transient chemical
cystitis, bladder spasm, discomfort, allergic reactions and
anaphylactoid reactions. Adverse reactions for topical use include
garlic-like taste, local dermatitis, nausea, vomiting, headache,
burning eyes and sedation. Concomitant use of DMSO and sulindac may
cause peripheral neuropathy."

http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdrugprofiles/nutsupdrugs/dim_0098.shtml

"DIMETHYLSULFOXIDE (DMSO):

DMSO is a by-product of the paper industry and is able to carry some
drugs rapidly through the skin and other tissues. There are no FDA
approved uses for DMSO in food-producing animals. Approvals do exist
for uses in horses and dogs. Industrial grade DMSO is widely available
for various non-medical uses such as paint remover and other solvent
uses. DMSO is often found stored on dairy farms or mixed with other
drugs intended for use in dairy animals. Such use may lead to an
increased chance of drug residues, off odor and off flavor milk.

FDA considers the use of DMSO for any veterinary purposes other than
approved uses in dogs and horses to be illegal. DMSO is an unapproved
new animal drug which is unsafe to use in food-producing animals.

The storage or use of DMSO is a violation of itme 16 r."

http://www.justsaywhoa.org/DrugReport.asp

"Dimethyl sulfoxide is a by-product of wood pulping and is frequently
used as solvent in a number of chemical reactions. In particular DMSO
proved to be an excellent reaction solvent for SN2 alkylations: it is
possible to alkylate indoles with very high yields using potassium
hydroxide as the base and a similar reaction also occurs with phenols.
DMSO can be reacted with methyl iodide to form a sulfoxonium ion which
can be reacted with sodium hydride to form a sulfur ylide. The methyl
hydrogens of DMSO are somewhat acidic in character (pKa=35) due to the
stabilization of the resultant anions by the sulfoxide group.
It is important to use caution in handling dimethyl sulfoxide, due to
its strong solvent power and the ease with which it penetrates the
skin. It is especially important to avoid contact with the mucous
membranes.
In certain conditions, dimethly sulfoxide can produce an explosive
reaction when exposed to acid chlorides."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyl_sulfoxide