MSM and Pain Management

The Opioid Epidemic is big news these days. Committees are meeting to discuss ways to get Americans off these dangerous drugs, while scientists look for new drugs with less destructive side effects than our current choices.

Too bad Dr. Stanley W. Jacob, MD, one of the great innovative scientists of our time, was never given the attention he deserved. Dr. Jacob helped to develop two sulfur-based natural supplements—DMSO and its derivative, MSM—and spent his life advocating for them and using them to help thousands of patients alleviate pain. But he died in 2015, at age 91, without having managed to convince conventional medicine in the US of the value of these two compounds.

However, that didn’t stop people from coming to his DMSO Clinic at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland from all over the world for treatment. This clinic-of-last-resort for pain problems that nothing else had helped had an estimated success rate of about 70%.

Jacob became interested in using DMSO therapeutically in the 1950’s. DMSO is still used to treat a bladder problem called interstitial cystitis, and topically by veterinarians and athletes to treat muscle and joint pain.  But DMSO has a terrible “fishy” odor, so, in the 1970’s, Jacob and others developed a derivative of DMSO: MSM—an odorless supplement that accomplishes most of the same things.

MSM is found in all living things, but a normal diet won’t provide enough for therapeutic purposes.

When used therapeutically to reduce pain, Jacob found that many people experienced dramatic and long-lasting relief as long as they continued taking the supplement.  MSM is not a “cure,” although it facilitates healing, especially when taken right after an injury, and has been shown to preserve cartilage in arthritic joints by suppressing inflammation.  Fortunately, you can take MSM indefinitely.

Feedback Jacob reported hearing frequently at his clinic includes:

“I wish I had known about MSM before.”

“MSM has given me my life back.”

“Thank God for something natural that relieves my pain without giving me any side effects.”

“Nothing worked for me before this.”

“It’s like a miracle.”

Although MSM never gained the popularity it should have, studies have accumulated over the years that validate Dr. Jacob’s clinical experience. A 2017 review of MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) describes studies that document MSM’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune supporting properties, as well as its successful use with arthritis and other inflammatory/pain conditions.

MSM doesn’t work for everyone, but when it does work, it can make a huge difference in your quality of life and your ability to work and exercise without undue discomfort.  It’s not an expensive supplement, so if you suffer from chronic pain, trying it for a couple of months is definitely worth a shot.

Beyond Health’s MSM is the patented form used in most studies.  It is the purest and highest quality MSM available today.

In the next two articles we send out, we’ll be discussing how to use MSM and the additional benefits you can anticipate by taking it.

References:

1. Stanley W. Jacob MD, et al. The Miracle of MSM: The Natural Solution for Pain. (New York: Berkley Books, 1999), pp. 8,45, 57,
2. Butawan M. Methylsulfonylmethane: Applications and safety of a novel dietary supplement. Nutrients. March 2017;9(3):e290.