Have you ever heard about using DMSO cream for arthritis pain? Did you know that DMSO may be helpful for relieving other types of pain, such as for sprains, reducing inflammation, and also killing bacteria and fungus', reducing blood clotting, improving circulation, neutralizing free radicals, stimulating the immune system and speeding up the healing of wounds? WOW!! How cool would that be?!?

Well I'm no doctor, but I did my research and found that using DMSO cream for arthritis pain (Dimethyl Sulfoxide), applied to the skin, permeates the living tissue deeper than any other comparable cream, gel or liquid product. It then helps to stimulate the cellular processes, destroying the free radicals that cause cellular damage that cause arthritis pain, and also alot of other types of pain as well. But let me tell you my experience with it.

One day when my husband and I were visiting my parents out of town, I was complaining to my step Mom about how much pain I'd been having because of arthritis in my neck, my fingers, my back and hips, and she asked if I'd every tried using DMSO cream. I hadn't heard of it before, but when I asked her to tell me more she was very enthusiastic and said she knows a lot of people who swear by it!

So when I asked her where to get it she said "at the local feed store". Huh?? Feed Store? As in "for farm animals" feed store? She nodded and before I knew it we were off to the local feed store. As we're walking into the store I thought..."and where, I might ask, in the feed store would I find this DMSO cream?" Well, "in the horse section" Mom said. I thought..."oh sure...how stupid of me...of course! where else would it be?" And sure enough...there it was..right next to the other horse liniments and whatever else was there. "Oh look" I said, "it even comes in a rose scented cream." I picked up the jar of cream and read the label. It has aloe in it and it's rose scented, cool!

I just shrugged my shoulders and said "I'll give it a try" and proceeded to look around for anything else that I might need before I check out, (my usual behavior when I'm shopping) then soon realized that everything around me was for horses so....well....I don't have a horse, or any farm animals for that matter...just 3 cats. As much as I wanted to spend more money they didn't have anything I needed for my cats so on to the cashier I went.

As soon as I got into the car, I opened the jar and put a little DMSO cream on my arm, rubbed it in and waited to see if I had any kind of allergic reaction. But hours later, I had none so then put some on my neck, hips, back and hands. Everywhere I could think of that hurt. I did this for the next couple of days and by the 2nd day I was already noticing I felt better. By the third day I was virtually pain free.

Back at home, when I ran out of it I wanted to find the same brand of the Rose scented DMSO cream with aloe, and I went to the local feed store but they didn't carry the same brand so I went online and ordered it. I am now on my 3rd jar and I'm feeling great! I feel so good most of the time I'll forget to put it on for a few days and the pain will begin to come back and remind me to start using DMSO cream again.

Now I can only speak for the Rose scented DMSO cream with aloe (with the orange label), because it's all I've ever used, but if you decide to try the liquid type, I have heard good things about it too. But please know that it may be more concentrated than the cream and could leave a funny taste in your mouth and possibly other side effects if you use too much. I have not found that I get a funny taste in my mouth with the rose scented cream except for when I tried it on my chest and face. (It also has anti aging, anti oxidant properties) I do use it on the back of my neck though, and don't get the taste in my mouth.

My findings are that using DMSO cream is very close to a miracle cream for pain and inflammation. If you want to try it, be sure you check with your doctor and start with just a little bit (1/4 tsp.).

Precautions: Please do not use this product if you are pregnant or nursing. It comes in a 70% liquid solution and a 90% gel as well as the 70% cream. The gel is very strong and NOT recommended for most people, so do not try the gel if you've never used it before. I do not recommend anyone trying anything other than the 70% purity unless okay'd by your doctor.

The 70% concentrate and the cream are the most commonly used. Topical applications of DMSO should not exceed 70% in areas of the skin affected by poor circulation. The face and neck are more sensitive to topical DMSO than other parts of the body, and the maximum concentration of DMSO should therefore be reduced by diluting the concentrate with sterile or distilled water in those areas.

If you develop a rash or redness, you may want to reconsider using this product. I recommend that you do your own research on this product before using it and of course, check with your doctor. When you start out, just try a small amount in one area to test your skin and look for any possible reactions. This product is not FDA approved so use at your own risk.

Side Effects: DMSO can sometimes cause a weird taste in the mouth as mentioned above and could give you a weird body odor. 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. The skin site and hand used for applying it should be thoroughly cleaned before application, because the solvent properties of DMSO will allow any contaminants already on your skin to be absorbed through the skin and transported into the bloodstream. Improperly diluted DMSO can also burn the skin. Check with a health care professional for appropriate use.

At the time of this writing there were no well-known drug interactions with DMSO.

Disclaimer: This article is based on my own personal experience and information from several personal resources and articles I've read about DMSO. I will not be held responsible for any ill affects that DMSO may have caused to anyone who reads this.