What ORGANIC Sulfur is NOT

Do not confuse MSM with sulfa-based drugs, sulfites, or sulfates.

Sulfa-based drugs, (sulfonamide) are part of a group of high molecular weight compounds, which have been, know to cause allergic reactions. Sulfa drugs include erthromycin, sulfisoxazole, sulfacytine, sulfamethozazole, and sulfalazine. These are large complex molecules (drugs) used as antibiotics. MSM or organic sulfur, is a naturally occurring substance in the body.

Sulfites are preservatives, antioxidants and browning agents used in foods. Ingestion of these is associated with adverse reactions such as asthma attacks, nausea, and diarrhoea. There are several sulfiting agents now in use: sodium sulfite, sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium metasulfite, sodium metabisulfite and potassium metasulfite.

Sulfates are sulfuric acid salts.

Sulfuric Acid is a heavy corrosive oily acid used in producing fertilisers, chemicals and petroleum products.

Safer than Salt!
MSM is rated as one of the least toxic substances in biology, similar to water. Common table salt is much more toxic than MSM. The lethal dose of MSM for mice is over 20 grams per kilogram of body weight. By comparison, common table salt is toxic at 2.5 grams per kilogram of body weight. When MSM was administered orally to human volunteers, no toxic effects were observed at levels up to one gm/kg of body weight per day for 30 days (Jacob). Intravenous injections of 0.5 gm/kg daily for five days a week produced no measurable toxicity in human subjects.

If one takes more MSM than needed, it simply passes through the body and is excreted in the urine. The excess MSM won’t harm anyone.

MSM has been widely tested as a food ingredient without any reports of allergic reactions. An unpublished Oregon Health Sciences University study of the long-term toxicity of MSM over a period of six months indicated no toxic effects. More than 12,000 patients have been treated at the Oregon Health Sciences University with MSM at levels above two grams daily with no serious toxicity. (Jacob).

Dr. Jacob reports he personally takes 30 grams MSM per day, and has done so for 20 years. He reports he has not had a cold or flu, which had previously experienced once or twice every year, since he began this regimen.

Discoveries of MSM benefits continue
The Mighty sulfur supplement, MSM, is a unique substance with healing properties that only now are beginning to be fully identified. What’s making MSM so hot in nutritional circles is that it brings a multitude of exciting health benefits and relief to those suffering from a variety of ailments but who never had a clue that sulfur possessed such a broad influence in normalising the functions of the body. Study after study has shown that a low concentration of MSM is associated with tissue and organ malfunction, a heightened susceptibility to disease, and adverse physical as well as psychological stress. Every day I hear of more applications for this amazing mineral.

What is MSM?
MSM is the abbreviation for the technical term methyl-sulfonyl-methane, which refers to a naturally occurring sulfur compound found in the tissues and fluids of all plants, animals and humans. MSM sulfur and its related compounds make up 85% of the sulfur found in all living organisms. Unknown to many of us, sulfur is a vital and essential substance contained in all living things. Actually, 96% of our bodies are composed of five basic elements: oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, carbon and sulfur. Sulfur itself is found in many different forms in nature, but MSM is a special type of dietary sulfur that is essential to our health and well being.

MSM belongs in the same chemical family, which includes oxygen. for organisms living in an environment without oxygen, sulfur often replaces oxygen as the source of chemical energy that drives life.

Sulfur is present in the cells of all animals and plants. All plants and animals need it, but in order to use it, it must be in a bioavailable form.

How do our bodies use Sulfur?

Sulfur is one of the most basic and important elements of organic life, and in humans, sulfur performs a variety of key functions. Let’s look at a few sulfur facts:

Sulfur is needed to form crucial blood proteins and amino acids including methionine, cystine, cysteine and taurine. In our bodies, sulfur provides chemical bonds that actually hold the molecular structure of these proteins together
Sulfur also provides the chemical links that are needed to form collagen in the body (the protein found in connective tissue). So without these sulfur bonds, we (and other animals) would essentially be shapeless pools of protoplasm.
Because sulfur forms both the collagen and keratin in the body it is often called the ‘beauty mineral’. It is essential for thick and lustrous hair, blemish free skin and hard, healthy nails.
Sulfur acts as a synthesizer and activator of thiamine, vitamin C, biotin and pantothenic acid.
Sulfur is used by the liver to manufacture bile, a key element in digestion.
Sulfur is essential in maintaining the body’s crucial pH (acid/alkaline) balance.

Studies show that sulfur is an important component in insulin production and plays a significant role in carbohydrate metabolism, which is particularly important for diabetics and hypoglycaemics.

How is Sulfur used for healing?
Sulfur has been used throughout history as a healing agent. For centuries, sulfur hot springs have been known to provide relief from aches, pains, arthritis, rheumatism and general poor health.

In the 20^th century, a variety of sulfa drugs (sulphonamides), which are derived from sulfur, have been used extensively in modern medicine for fighting bacterial infections. Sulfur ointments or liniments are also used for their anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

DMSO, another form of sulfur (and the chemical cousin of MSM) is used in many countries as a pharmaceutical agent for athletic injuries, arthritis, cystitis, central nervous system trauma and stroke.

MSM is the newest form of therapeutic sulfur discovered in the early 1960s. One of the biggest advantages of MSM is that it provides a majority of the healing benefits of other forms of sulfur, but unlike sulfa drugs, or even DMSO, MSM can be given in large doses as a dietary sulfur supplement without deleterious side effects of any kind.

The MSM Story
Scientists tell us that there are three types of sulfur compounds that are the source of the majority (85%) of the sulfur found in all living organisms. These are MSM (methyl-sulfonyl-methane), DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) and DMS (dimethylsulfide).

Now, the story of how these sulfur compounds are formed and end up in our bodies begins - where else but in the ocean?

In the fertile, salty ocean environment, microscopic plankton called Emiliana huxleyii grows profusely over thousands of miles of oceans, continually producing and releasing sulfur compounds called dimethylsulfonium salts, As these salts are released into the water by the Emiliana plankton, they’re converted into a sulfur compound called DMS (di-methyl-sulfide). As DMS rises to the ocean surface, it’s released as a gas which then rises into the upper atmosphere. High in the atmosphere, the DMS comes into contact with ozone and ultraviolet light, which then transforms the DMS gas into, related sulfur compounds called DMSO (di-methyl-sulf-oxide), and MSM (methyl-sulfonyl-methane). The atmosphere DMSO and MSM sulfur, which are water-soluble compounds, mix with rain and are returned to the earth’s surface, where they are absorbed by the plants and soil. As the plants soak up the DMSO and MSM sulfur into their roots, they concentrate these compounds up to 100 times their original concentration. Eventually, the MSM becomes the dominant bioavailable sulfur and is actually incorporated into the very structure of the plant itself.

As humans and lower animals consume MSM-laden plants or agriculturally produced vegetables, MSM enters the body as a dietary sulfur which is essential to overall health and well-being.

Why do we need Sulfur?
Sulfur is found naturally in the human body. Sulfur is stored in every cell of the body. The highest concentrations are found in the joints, hair, skin, and nails. Excess sulfur is excreted in the urine (about four to 11 mg. MSM per day) and the faeces. Sulfur also occurs in the blood and in the other organs as well. It has been detected in normal human urine. The natural level of MSM in the circulatory system of an adult human male is about 0.2 ppm.

As you can see by examining the following chart, sulfur is the eighth most abundant substance in the body by weight. If you eliminate water and gases, sulfur is the surprising third most abundant substance!

Substance Composition in Body by Weight

How do we get MSM in our diets?

Once it is incorporated within the plant structure, MSM enters the food chain as plants are consumed by humans and animals. Consuming the meat of our animals that eat large amounts of plants is another natural means of distributing vital MSM throughout the food chain.

We humans derive our dietary MSM sulfur from fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, meat and seafood.

Unfortunately, heat and processing can destroy or greatly reduce the MSM content of our fruits and vegetables. Overuse and abuse of our agricultural soils also depletes large amount of MSM from our food sources.

As Robert Herschler, a pioneer MSM researcher reveals, “MSM is shy, evasive and escape prone. While present naturally when food is very fresh, it can be driven out of any food by even moderate processing. People, generally speaking, will be sulfur-deficient unless they eat their fish and meat raw and their vegetables unwashed and uncooked.”

But research also shows that MSM levels decline with age, resulting in symptoms of fatigue, tissue and organ malfunction and increased susceptibility to disease.

But the good news is that researchers have discovered a way to prepare MSM supplements, which can be used nutritionally to enhance our diets, as well as therapeutically to help a wide variety of health problems.

The history of MSM

Dr. Stanley Jacob of the Oregon Health Sciences University of Portland, Oregon, and his associate, Robert Herschler, a research chemist, were the pioneers of MSM research. Their work on MSM was actually an offshoot of their extensive investigations of DMSO, the chemical cousin of MSM.

The story is that Robert Herschler, a research chemist for the paper manufacturing company, Crown Zellerbach, was investigating possible commercial uses for DMSO, which is a by-product of paper milling. DMSO is found in substantial quantities in the water which is used during the milling and processing of trees for paper production.

In his search for commercial or medical uses of DMSO, Herschler apparently contacted Dr. Jacob, a medical researcher, who began to study the biological effects of DMSO on animals.

After testing and observing the biological effects of DMSO on animals over the course of several years, Jacob and Herschler began observing its effects on humans. They discovered and documented several of its remarkable therapeutic benefits. DMSO was found to be effective for a variety of conditions including joint and muscle pains and injuries, rheumatoid arthritis, skin ulcers, psoriasis, bursitis, emphysema and interstitial cystitis (chronic urinary tract infection). In 1963, Jacob and Herschler reported their findings on DMSO; today DMSO is an approved pharmaceutical agent in over 50 countries.

DMSO can be applied intravenously or topically. Because it penetrates well through the skin’s outer layers, it is absorbed efficiently into the bloodstream through the topical route (liquid or salve).

But even though it’s widely used throughout the world, DMSO has exhibited certain properties that

have made it somewhat unpopular, particularly in the United States. One of the biggest factors that

has limited the everyday use of DMSO is its side effects, which, although not severe, have nonetheless restricted its application. The resulting bad breath or “after breath” which is associated with the use of DMSO is extremely strong, and there may be a reddening and itching of the skin, making DMSO unappealing to many users. Additionally, DMSO has produced allergic symptoms in some individuals.

However, while continuing their DMSO studies, Jacob and Herschler discovered that the primary healing agent in DMSO appeared to be its cousin, the sulfur compound, MSM (methyl sulfonyl-methane). MSM can be produced by adding another stabilising oxygen molecule to DMSO which yields DM502, another term for MSM. MSM was eventually patented under Robert Herschler’s name, but Jacob reports that he signed an agreement with Herschler whereby they would both share the patent and marketing rights to MSM.

Jacob, Herschler and other researchers continued to conduct extensive laboratory and clinical trials with MSM. These studies revealed numerous extraordinary therapeutic benefits - without the odour, allergies or side effects experienced with DMSO.

MSM research and health benefits

In laboratory and clinical testing, MSM has shown remarkable promise for side-effect-free healing. In his work with MSM at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Jacob, a pioneer MSM researcher, has reported a wide variety of MSM health benefits. These reports stem from several years of observation in both animal and human studies.

As Jacob and Herschler report: “MSM, an odourless, somewhat bitter, white crystalline chemical, demonstrates usefulness as a dietary supplement to man and lower animals. Our research suggests that a minimum concentration in the body may be critical to both normal function and structure. We are intrigued by the fact that MSM is a factor in all normal diets of vertebrates and somewhat mystified by the seeming needs of the body of adults for a concentration level above that available from a diet presumed as ‘normal’.” At the Oregon Health Sciences University, Jacob has administered MSM to over 15,000 patients for a variety of conditions. Dr. Jacob observed excellent results in administering MSM in doses of 250 to 750 milligrams per day to his patients, but he also reports that much higher doses (up to 5000 mg per day) can produce definitive therapeutic improvements without side effects. In the next few pages, we’ll look at specified illnesses and specific MSM research which will give you a better idea of how to use MSM effectively to improve your health.

Are you Sulfur Deficient?

Sulfur deficiencies are associated with:

Supplementing MSM assures that you have an adequate organic source for the body to use for whatever it needs to. Remember the body is in a constant state of self-repair, but if we do not have all the necessary “parts”, the end product is going to be less than perfect.

Scientists around the world are investigating the relationship between MSM and arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, allergies and asthma, dermatological problems, periodontal conditions and even cancer.

Researchers have claimed that MSM in sufficient levels as a dietary supplement can help the following:

Improve joint flexibility
Reduce stiffness and swelling
Improve circulation and cell vitality
Reduce pain associated with systemic inflammatory disorders such as arthritis
Reduce scar tissue which further aggravates the condition, increasing pain and decreasing mobility.
Break up calcium deposits.

Arthritis may be induced by the intake of too much calcium and by taking the wrong forms of calcium. Calcium can migrate to the soft tissues and form deposits. The tissues become calcified and the cells cease to function normally. MSM is able to rupture the weak (water) bonds of calcium in the synovial fluid. This is likely to also be true for kidney stones

MINERALS
Both major and trace minerals are essential for the health and development of the body. Minerals often work as coenzymes for many body functions. When minerals are absorbed in the body, they become part of the body structure. The major or macro minerals include calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. These minerals are needed in large amounts by the body on a daily basis. Next is sulphur. The micro or trace minerals also include zinc, iron, copper, manganese, chromium, selenium, iodine, potassium and others, over 60 in all. These trace minerals are sometimes needed in only minute amounts, but are nonetheless vital to the functioning of normal, healthy body systems. A deficiency in either major or trace minerals can cause significant health problems in the body. We are just beginning to understand the value of sulfur as a trace mineral for body development and health

HOW TO USE MSM

Which MSM should I use?
There are certain grades of MSM that are used for livestock consumption. However, you want to look for MSM manufactured under the name “Absolute MSM”. Absolute MSM is a fine, food grade purified MSM which is made in the United States specifically for human consumption.

Internal Use
The form of MSM available for internal use is powder or crystalline, but can be mixed in food or beverages if you prefer.

As a Dietary Supplement
250-5000mg/day is the dosage recommended by researchers for simply supplementing your diet with MSM.

For Therapeutic Purposes
Because of the non-toxic nature for MSM, researchers have found that even high dosages can be taken safely for therapeutic purposes. The amount you need really depends on the severity of your symptoms, the overall condition of your immune system and how effectively your body is able to utilise the MSM. Other factors such as body size and weight can also affect the amount of MSM you need to take. I’ve given several suggested dosage levels for specific illnesses in the preceding pages, but I’ll give you a few more general guidelines that may help you to better determine how much and what form of MSM to take:

1. MSM must be taken frequently in order to be therapeutically effective. When taking MSM to improve symptoms of illness, MSM should be taken everyday.

2. Researchers have generally used total daily dosages ranging from 250 mg to 2000 mg per day in treating illness. In severe cases, up to 5000 mg/day for a limited time have been administered without side effects.

Noticeable results are usually seen in 1 to 21 days for less severe symptoms. For more serious conditions, researchers report that higher doses (2000-5000 mg/day) can be taken. When using large doses, it’s best to divide your dosage into equal parts to be taken throughout the day (for instance, for a 2000 mg dose, take 1000 mg twice a day, or 500 mg four times a day, etc.). If you have a serious condition and want to try high dosages of MSM, working with you health practitioner is always a good idea in order to monitor changes, improvements, etc. in your individual condition.

Drug Interactions
Because of its non-toxic nature, MSM is non-allergenic and does not interfere or interact with any other types of pharmaceutical medicines. Researchers report that MSM can be taken in conjunction with all other forms of medication.

Water is very important to help flush toxins out of the body. More water, the faster the results, and the fewer side effects will be experienced from the detoxification process. Some individuals find that MSM gives them extra energy so in order to avoid sleep difficulties, avoid taking any MSM after 6pm. Possible side effects: One may experience headaches and fatigue for the first few days due to the detoxification process. If this occurs, drink more water. Do not be alarmed as this is a natural part of the healing process.

MORE INTERNAL APPLICATIONS OF MSM

Chronic Pain
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Candida
Urinary Tract Infections
Alzheimer’s Disease
Pneumonia
Rheumatism
Migraine Headaches
Diabetes
P.M.S.
Liver Dysfunction
Tuberculosis
Hay Fever
Hangovers
Hormonal Imbalances
Effects of Radiation

Conclusion
There are many other conditions in addition to those already mentioned which have responded favourable to MSM in clinical studies.

When it comes to MSM, I think Dr. Stanley Jacob says it best when he states that, “MSM is a fascinating, life-enhancing agent.”

The Wonder Supplement of the Millennium

Dramatic Research on a Powerful new Natural Dietary Supplement

Substance Composition in Body by Weight

How do we get MSM in our diets?

The history of MSM

MSM research and health benefits