MSM
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| Ingredients: | |
| Methylsulfonylmethane (Lignisul MSM) | 1000 mg |
| Dosage : | 1 capsule 3 times per day |
MSM, Essential Biological Sulfur
For centuries, mankind has soaked in sulfur-rich mineral hot springs to help heal a variety of ailments. In recent years, sulfur-based Lignisul MSM has been shown to provide therapeutic benefits for humans. Its natural anti-inflammatory properties have been shown to be effective in treating a range of health problems:
Many researchers believe that sulfur is a sorely-neglected mineral nutrient and plays an indispensable role in animal nutrition. Alavis MSM and its related compounds provide the source of 85 percent of the sulfur found in all living organisms.
- Arthritis
- Asthma
- Back pain
- Chronic inflammation
- Crohns disease
- Fibromyalgia
The body uses MSM to create new good healthy cells. Vitamins and amino acids work with MSM during this process. Without proper levels of MSM, our bodies are unable to build good healthy cells, and this leads to illness. To maintain good health, we need good flexible, healthy cells. Illness is the result and consequence of a body deficient of materials needed to repair damaged tissue and organs. We need to supplement our diets with MSM to provide the body with the proper building materials to maintain a healthy body.
What is MSM ?
Methyl-sulfonyl-methane (MSM) is a naturally-occurring sulfur compound found in our bodies as well as in many common beverages and foods, including milk, coffee, tea and green vegetables. In its purified chemical form, it is an odorless, essentially tasteless, white, water soluble crystalline solid. It is one of the least toxic substances in biology, similar in toxicity to water. MSM is a relative to dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a unique therapeutic agent used worldwide in the treatment of many painful and inflammatory conditions. MSM has many of DMSO's properties, but without the oyster-like odor and other side effects. Naturally-occurring sulfur, such as that found in MSM, is not similar to inorganic sulfides, sulfites and sulfates to which many people are allergic.
What does it do ?
Some of MSM's essential functions in the body include maintaining the structure of the proteins in the body, helping the formation of keratin which is essential for hair and nail growth, aiding in the production of immunoglobulin which maintains the immune system, and catalyzing the chemical reactions which change food into energy.
Where does it come from ?
The cycle of MSM begins in the ocean where microscopic plants called plankton release sulfur compounds. These salts are transformed in the ocean water into the very volatile compound dimethyl sulfide (DMS) which escapes from the ocean as a gas. DMS rises into the upper atmosphere, and in the presence of ozone and high-energy ultraviolet light, is converted into its cousins, dimethyl sulfide (DMSO) and MSM. Unlike the DMS, both DMSO and MSM are very soluble in water, and they return to earth in the form of rain. On earth, plants take MSM into their root systems and concentrate it. MSM and the sulfur it contains is incorporated into the plants' structure. Through the plants' metabolism, MSM, along with other sulfur compounds it has spawned, is ultimately mineralized and transported back to the sea.
Why do we need it ?
For centuries, mankind has soaked in sulfur-rich mineral hot springs to help heal a variety of ailments. While sulfur's natural anti-inflammatory properties have shown benefits for a range of health problems, including arthritis, muscle and joint pain, much is still unknown about precisely how sulfur works in the body. Many researchers believe that sulfur, the eighth most abundant element in the body, is a sorely-neglected mineral nutrient and plays an indispensable role in human nutrition. MSM and its related compounds provide the source of 85 percent of the sulfur found in all living organisms.
Scientific studies:
- LIGNISUL MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE ATHLETIC INJURIES
- LIGNISUL MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) A DOUBLE BLIND STUDY OF ITS USE IN DEGENERATIVE ARTHRITIS
LIGNISUL MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) IN THE TREATMENT OF ACUTE ATHLETIC INJURIES
By
By Ronald M. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D.
Daniel Sanchez, D.C., C.C.S.P.
Mark Grosman, D.C.ABSTRACT:
Twenty-four subjects (both male and female) were seen in a clinical office setting. The subjects suffered from acute injuries (under 30 days) sustained during the course of athletic endeavor. The patient's were selected on a random basis to receive either a placebo or Lignisul MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) in addition to routine chiropractic manipulation, ultrasound and muscle stimulation at each visit. All patients were treated with similar therapy and all patients received unmarked capsules of either a placebo or Lignisul MSM. Patients were discharged from care once all their symptoms were resolved. Of the twelve patients who received placebo four of the twelve graded their results as excellent or good, while of the twelve patients on Lignisul MSM seven of the twelve graded their symptom reduction as excellent or good. This represented a 58.3% of symptom reduction on Lignisul MSM, versus 33.3% on placebo. Of greater significance, however, was the fact that patients on Lignisul MSM had 3.25 visits on an average, while those on placebo had 5.25 visits. This means that patients on Lignisul MSM had 40% fewer visits to the office before reaching a recovery phase. This represents sizable economic advantage.
This paper discusses the chemical nature of MSM, the possible mechanisms involved in treatment of such sports injuries and the implications for future usage of this phytonutrient for the treatment of short term athletic injuries.
INTRODUCTION:
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) was first discovered in the late 1970's by researchers at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. It is a metabolite of DMSO (Dimethyl sulfoxide). By 1965, more than one thousand five hundred studies had been conducted on DMSO involving about one hundred thousand patients. DMSO is used for a host of problems, primarily musculoskeletal inflammatory conditions. However, by 1978, the FDA approved DMSO only as a prescriptive treatment for interstitial cystitis. When DMSO enters the body, approximately 15% of it is converted to MSM, its major breakdown component. MSM is in reality DMS0 2 (dimethyl sulfone). MSM has had widespread use since the late 1970's in veterinary medicine where it has been used to treat inflammatory conditions, including muscle and bone disorders. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
In 1998, one of the authors of this paper, Ronald M. Lawrence, performed a double- blind study using patients with degenerative arthritis. This study showed an 82% decrease in symptomatology after six weeks of usage on a three-times-a-day dosage. (6) It has been postulated that MSM takes anywhere from three to six weeks to produce significant changes in regard to the treatment of arthritic disorders, but to date there has been no study that has evaluated it for acute short-term injuries.
R. D. Moore and J. I. Morton studied the effect of MSM in inflammatory joint disease in MRL/1pr mice. (7) In addition, R.D. Moore and Morton studied the effect of 3% water solutions of dimethyl sulfone (DMSO 2) in P1w mice and found a diminishment in death due to lupus nephritis.(9) B. V. Siegel and J. Morton studied the effects of dimethyl sulfone on murine autoimmune lymphoproliferative disease and explained the benefits of this compound. (9) Since one-third of the DMSO 2 molecule is composed of sulfur, a relationship to sulfur metabolism has been postulated. Several papers have been written about sulfur and it's roles in such disorders of the musculoskeletal type. (10,11) For this reason, and because of the effective results noted in the treatment of degenerative arthritis, this study was undertaken to evaluate the potential effects of DMSO 2 (MSM) in athletic injuries involving muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
METHODS
Twenty-four subjects were examined in a clinical practice setting (the practice of Daniel Sanchez and Mark Grosman). This practice deals with a large number of athletic injuries on a daily basis. The first twenty-four subjects who came in with complaints of acute injury were admitted into the study and the subjects were divided in a random fashion into two groups (A and B). The twelve subjects in group A received a container labeled "A" which had a thirty-day supply of capsules, while the twelve in group B received a contained labeled "B". The doctors and patients involved were not privy as to whether they received placebo or actual Lignisul MSM. The code, which defined whether bottle A or bottle B contained placebo or active substance, was no broken until after the completion of the study.
Nine of the twelve patients taking bottle A had diagnoses of sprain/strain injuries, one had an acute episode of bilateral chondromalacia patellae, one patient had a right lateral epicondylitis (right elbow), and one patient had a radicular syndrome (bilaterally) in addition to a lumbar strain syndrome. In the group taking bottle B, ten subjects had a sprain/strain diagnoses, while one subject had a radiculopathy involving the left lower extremity along with a lumbar sprain syndrome and one patient exhibited a lateral epicondylitis involving the right elbow.
Each patient received chiropractic manipulation in a standard fashion, ultrasound (five watts for ten minutes) and muscle stimulation (applied in a standard fashion for five minutes). Each subject took the material in either bottle A of bottle B three times a day with meals. The only differential between treatment given to each group was the administration of either the placebo or the phytonutrient Lignisul MSM.
All patients were examined in a similar fashion for angle of motion of the part or parts involved and this was duly recorded. Patients were also quizzed as to subjective complaints at the time of each visit. In addition, palpatory findings in regard to the musculature in the involved area was recorded on the basis of zero to four plus, with zero being the absence of any type of muscle spasm beyond that of a normal resting state, while four-plus represented extreme muscle spasm based on the rigidity of the muscle involved. This information was recorded at each visit as well. In those injuries involving the upper extremities a Jamar Hand Dynamometer evaluation of grip strength was recorded at each visit. In those exhibiting lower extremity or low back injuries, straight-leg raising testing was performed at each visit and the degrees of elevation from the horizontal were noted and recorded.
RESULTS:
Those patients in the aliquot which consumed the Lignisul MSM, on average, reported a faster reduction of symptomatology than those on the placebo. Four of the subjects taking the MSM reported the "Disappearance" of symptoms after taking the capsules for a very short period of time. (We shall discuss this below). Symptom resolution and evaluation also consisted of the objective findings noted by the examining doctors at each visit. Response of the patients in regard to their symptoms were graded on a scale of zero to ten with ten being the severest pain and zero representing an absence of pain. This evaluation of the symptom level of pain was performed at each of the visits. Therefore the patients were evaluated objectively by the doctor at each visit and there was a subjective evaluation in regard to the patient's own perception level of pain.
Since we were dealing with very small study groups the excellent and good categories were combined in arithmetic fashion and the satisfactory category and poor category were grouped together, again for purposes of statistical evaluation in using this small group of subjects. Seven out of twelve in the A category showed excellent to good results (58.3%). Those in the B category showed four out of twelve having excellent to good results (33.3%). In the satisfactory to poor categories, the total for the A group was five of twelve (41.66%) versus eight of twelve in the B category (66.66%).
Since economic considerations are very important, we determined the number of visits for each group. The number of visits, on average, for group A was 3.25 versus group B which was 5.25 visits. This represents a 40% reduction in visits. The economic advantages of reduced number of office visits was clearly noted with patients on Lignisul MSM. This is also reflected in reduced disability time.
One patient in group A (who had an acute flare-up of bilateral chondromalacia patellae) noted complete resolution of her pain within two visits. Past episodes of this problem had usually taken up to four visits to resolve and up to two weeks to clear. This patient had resolution of her problem in less than one week. One patient who had a diagnosis of left ankle sprain/strain of a severe type noted a complete resolution of her problems within three visits over a period of one week, with a reduction of plus-four swelling of the ankle joint, resolving within two days after beginning the test substance ("A"). One patient in group A with a diagnosis of moderate cervical strain with associated radical syndrome of the right upper extremity noted complete relief of her discomfort within one week. Another patient with an episodic flare-up of lumbar radicular syndrome involving the left lower extremity noted a 70% improvement in five days (category A) where typical flare-ups in the past required approximately ten to fourteen days to resolve. One patient with left elbow medial collateral ligament sprain (grade I) needed only two visits and five days of taking bottle A to resolve her symptomatology. One patient with a lumbar strain diagnosis eventually was diagnosed with a herniated nucleus pulposus (ruptured disc) and substance A did not produce a resolution of his symptomatology within thirty days. A male, age sixteen, who fell while playing softball and injured his right elbow (diagnosed with right elbow strain, medial collateral ligament grade I strain) noted a disappearance of symptoms within two days and the examining doctor found full range of motion (which had been impaired by 25%) after two days on bottle A. One patient with lumbar sprain syndrome and associated pyriformis syndrome went from severe to slight within two days after starting bottle A.
CONCLUSIONS AND DISCUSSION:
In this small study using Lignisul MSM versus a placebo (both administered in a similar capsule form and both capsules appearing exactly the same to the examiners and the patients) it was discovered that those taking substance Lignisul MSM had a level of significant recovery from short-term injuries or flare-ups of previously induced athletic injuries. From the economic point of view, we were particularly gratified to see a marked reduction (40%) in the number of visits usually required to treat these injuries. It is postulated that MSM has an anti-inflammatory action based upon increased blood flow to the injured part (dilation of blood vessels and enhanced blood supply), reduction in muscle spasm and change in cellular membrane potentials involving sodium-potassium transfer. (12)
Since MSM, a phytonutrient, has been shown to have a very low level of toxicity (comparable to water) and since the substance has also been widely used in veterinary medicine without showing any toxic results as well, the use of Lignisul MSM to treat human sprains, strains and athletic injuries appears to be very beneficial based on this small but intensive study. A larger study involving several hundred subjects is being planned and these subjects will be taken from a sports medicine practice.
It is felt by the authors that Lignisul MSM, in view of it's low toxicity, inexpensive costs, and ease of administration, should be considered as an invaluable addition for treatment of short-term athletic injuries of the type that were involved in this study. It was previously shown in a double blind study that Lignisul MSM had a high rate of effectively in a chronic painful condition involving osteoarthritis, the physiologic actions of MSM are apparently similar in producing an alleviation of symptoms in both chronic and acute conditions.
SUMMARY:
The present study demonstrated the effectiveness of a natural substance Lignisul MSM on acute athletic injuries, such as muscle sprains and strains, with a negligible level of toxicity and, of even greater importance, a significant reduction in visits necessary to the doctor's office or treatment facility.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Jacob, S. W., E .E. Rosenbaum, and D. C. Wood. Dimethyl Sulfate (Basic Concepts), New York; Marcel Dekker, Inc. 1971.
2. Jacob, S. W., ed. Biological Actions of Dimethyl Sulfoxide, Volume 243. New York New York Academy of Sciences, 1975.
3. Jacob, S. W., R. J. Herschler, and H. Schmellenkamp. The Use of DMSO in Medicine, Munich: Springer Verlag, 1985.
4. Jacob, S.W., and J. G. Kappel. DMSO, Munich: Springer Verlag, 1988.
5. Tarshis, Barry. DMSO — The True Story of a Remarkable Pain-Killing Drug. New York: Morrow, 1981.
6. Lawrence, R.M. "Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM): A double-blind study of its use in Degenerative arthritis." International Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine, Summer 1998, I (I);50.
7. Moore, R.D., and J. I. Morton. "Dimished inflammatory joint disease in MRL/1pr mice ingesting dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or methylsulfonylmethane (MSM)." Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, 69th annual meeting. April 1985, p.692
8. Morton, Jane I., and R. D. Moore. "Lupus nephritis and deaths are dimished in B/W mice drinking 3% water solutions of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and dimethyl sulfone (DMSO (2). "Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 1986, 40 (3);322.
9. Morton, Jane I. And Benjamin V. Siegel. "Effects of oral dimethyl sulfoxide and dimethyl sulfone on murine autoimmune lymphoproliferative disease." Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, 1986, 183:227-30.
10. Moss, Jeffrey. "A perspective on sulfur — Is it the most ignored, misunderstood essential trace element." The Moss Nutrition Report, August 1997, Hadley, M.A.
11. Osterberg, E. E., et al. "Absorption of sulfur components during treatment by sulfur baths." Archives Dermatol. Syphitol, 1929, 20:156-66
12. Jacob, Stanley, and Robert Herschler. :Pharmacology of DMSO: Crybiology, 1986,
LIGNISUL MSM (Methylsulfonylmethane) A DOUBLE BLIND STUDY OF ITS USE IN DEGENERATIVE ARTHRITIS
(A Preliminary Correspondence)
By Ronald M. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Clinical Professor
U.C.L.A. School of Medicine
Los Angeles, CaliforniaABSTRACT
This preliminary simple study was performed to initially evaluate 16 patients suffering from degenerative arthritis as to the effect of using Liginsul M.S.M. to control their pain. Eight patients, randomly chosen, were treated with 2250 mgms of M.S.M. per day. Six patients received placebo capsules. Results indicate a better than 80 percent control of pain within six weeks of beginning the study, while only two patients showed a minimal improvement (less than 20 percent) on the placebo. Although this was only a simple preliminary study, it appears that a more intensive investigation of M.S.M. is warranted. A larger group of arthritic patients an additional measurement evaluation (such as range of motion, etc.) should be utilized in such a future study. Liginsul M.S.M. may offer a significant new nutritional substance for the control of arthritic pain as a safe, non-toxic method.Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane (M.S.M.) is an organic sulfur compound which is a metabolite of dimethyl-sulfoxide (D.M.S.O.). It is a white, odorless, slightly bitter tasting, crystalline substance, which contains 34 percent elemental sulfur. It is easily soluble in water. Its chemical formula is (CH3)2SO2. It has been suggested by Lovelock and his associate's (1) that M.S.M. and its related compounds D.M.S.O. and D.M.S. (dimethyl sulfide) provide 85 percent of the sulfur found in all living organisms.
The cycle of these naturally occurring sulfur compounds begins in the ocean where microscopic plankton release sulfur compounds called dimethyl sulfonium salts. These salts are transformed in the ocean into the very volatile compound D.M.S. which escapes from the water as a gas which rises into the upper atmosphere. Exposed to ozone and high energy ultraviolet light the D.M.S. is converted to D.M.S.O. and M.S.M. Both the D.M.S.O. and M.S.M. are very soluble in water and they return to the surface of the earth in rainwater. Plants then take up the two compounds into their root systems concentrating them up to one hundred fold. M.S.M. (sulfur) is incorporated into the plant structure. Through the process of plant metabolism the M.S.M., along with the other sulfur compounds it has spawned, are ultimately mineralized and transported back to the ocean and the sulfur cycle begins again.
M.S.M. is found naturally in the human body. It occurs in the blood and in other organs and has been detected in normal human urine (2). The level of M.S.M. in the circulatory system of an adult human male is about 0.2 parts per million (3). Normal human adults excrete from four to eleven milligrams M.S.M. per day in their urine. Experiments using radiolabled sulfur (S35) in M.S.M. have shown that after ingestion the sulfur in M.S.M. helps form the essential amino acids methionine and cysteine (4).
M.S.M. is rated as one of the least toxic substances in biology, similar in toxicity to water (5). The lethal dose (LD50) of M.S.M. for mice is over 20 grams per kilogram of body weight. Hundreds of patients have been treated at the Oregon Health Sciences University (6) with oral M.S.M. at levels above two grams daily for many years without serious toxicity.
Since sulfur is found to be needed for the formation of connective tissue, M.S.M. has been studied for its use in treating arthritis of various types (7). Sulfur concentration in arthritic cartilage has been shown to be about one-third the level compared to normal cartilage (8). In addition, the amino acid cystine has been noted to be diminished in arthritic patients.
Personal communication with Stanley Jacob, M.D., Gerlinger Professor, Department of Surgery, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, substantiated his personal experiences using M.S.M. in the treatment of patients with degenerative (osteoarthritis) arthritis.
Study Design
M.S.M. was provided in a crystalline form (LIGINSULMSM™) which we encapsulated in a clear gelatin capsule providing 750 mgms of LIGINSULMSM™) per capsule. The placebo substance, which was also placed in clear gelatin capsules, consisted of sugar (sucrose) to which a small amount of quinine sulfate was added to create a slightly bitter taste. This was done in case the capsule was opened and tasted, since M.S.M. also has a slightly bitter taste.A total of sixteen patients were studied over a period of four months. Initially twelve patients were admitted to the study and subsequently (two months later) an additional four patients were added to the study group. The initial twelve patients were divided as follows. Eight were given the M.S.M., while four received the placebo. Later, the additional four patients were divided into two on M.S.M. and two on placebo. Totally, therefore, we had ten patients on M.S.M. and six patients on placebo.
Criteria for Selection
Patients ranged from age 55 to age 78. All patients had x-ray evidence of degenerative joint disease (degenerative arthritis). All patients had pain in the involved area ranging from four weeks to six months. Most of the patients had tried non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or aspirin type compounds. None had taken steroids either orally or by injection. All non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or other anti-arthritic medications or alternative health remedies were stopped a least three days prior to their entering the study.Patients were randomly chosen by lot and assigned to either the active (M.S.M.) group or the placebo group. The treating physician did not have knowledge as to which patient received which agent until after the completion of the study. Records were kept by an independent evaluator until the study was terminated. Both the patients and the physicians were blinded.
Of the eight patients on Liginsul M.S.M., two had osteoarthritis in their hands, three had lumbar degenerative joint disease, two had degenerative arthritis in their knees, and one had arthritis in the shoulder.
Of the six patients who received the placebo, two had degenerative arthritis in the knees, two had lumbar degenerative joint disease, one had degenerative arthritis in the hip, and one had osteoarthritis in the neck.
Dosage
Patients were instructed to take two capsules on an empty stomach in the A.M. after arising and one capsule before lunch. This constituted a 2250 milligram dose of Liginsul M.S.M. daily and zero dose of M.S.M. on the placebo.
Measurement
Each patient was administered a visual analog scale (V.A.S.) which consisted of a 10-cm line anchored at one end by a label of "no pain" and at the other end a label of "pain as bad as could possibly be." The scoring is accomplished by having the patient mark the line indicating pain intensity, and the line is then measured to the mark on a 1-100 scale (9).
Results
The V.A.S. was completed by each patient at the four week and at the six week visit. Records were measured by an independent evaluator.At the four week visit, the patients on the Liginsul M.S.M. showed a 60 percent improvement on average, while at the six week V.A.S. evaluation the patients showed and 82 percent improvement in pain on average.
Those on the placebo showed an improvement of 20 percent on average at four weeks and an 18 percent improvement on average at six weeks.
REFERENCES
Lovelock, J.E. et al. Nature, Vol. 237, p452, 1972
Williams, K.I.H. et al. Arch Biochem Biophys, Vol. 113, p251, 1966
Jacob, S.W. and Herschler, R., Ann NY Acad Sci, Vol. 411, pxii 1983
Richmond, V.L., J Nutrition, Vol. 116 NO. 6, June, 1986
Deichman, W.B. & Gerarde, H.W. "Toxicology of Drugs & Chemicals, 4th Edition, Arcadia Press, 1969
Jacob, S.W., Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, Personal communication
Jacob, S.W., Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon, personal communication
Rizzo, R. et al. Jour Exp Zool, 1995 September, 1,273(1):82-6
Carlson
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