New "Miracle" For Arthritis-How Miraculous Is It?
For: Arthritis Remedies,
Old and New, December 2003
Few people with joint pain can have missed James Coburn's testimonials for a new arthritis cure, MSM, which he claims is responsible for his screen comeback and recent Oscar. Is MSM for you?
First, here's some background. Arthritis comes in many forms, but the most common is osteoarthritis, a chronic degenerative joint disease that generally affects older people. It is different from rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammation of the tissue surrounding the joints. Coburn says he suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, not osteoarthritis, but MSM is being marketed for all kinds of arthritis, plus headaches, muscle pain, athletic injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, asthma, food allergies, and a breathtakingly wide spectrum of other ills. If you've got pain, the pitch seems to be, MSM (pills and cream) will fix it. There's also a bestselling book, The Miracle of MSM: The Natural Solution for Pain, by Dr. Stanley Jacob of the Oregon Health Sciences University and two co-authors. MSM has been patented by Robert Herschler as "a product for maintaining good health and improving poor health" and as a drug to treat several conditions, some listed above. Since it is sold as a dietary supplement, MSM has not been approved by the FDA.
How natural can it be?
What is MSM? Methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM, is an organic sulfur compound. It is found in extremely minute quantities in food and human blood and is excreted in barely detectable amounts in urine, but it has never been shown to play any role in body chemistry. It can be synthesized from a chemical called DMSO, dimethyl sulfoxide, an industrial solvent, which is easy to find in hardware stores, where it is sold as a degreaser. DMSO caused some scientific excitement several years ago as a possible liniment to relieve arthritis. Because it is easily absorbed through the skin, it was also advocated as a vehicle to deliver other drugs into the body. However, it proved to have potentially toxic effects. It has been approved by the FDA for one rare bladder disease and for veterinary use. But some people still use DMSO topically as an arthritis remedy and pain reliever for sore muscles. MSM lacks many of the properties of DMSO, including its very bad smell, but it is chemically similar (in fact, its chemical name is DMSO2).
Exactly how Dr. Jacob and his colleagues decided that MSM would cure arthritis, as well as a whole range of other painful conditions, is hard to discern. He claims to have treated hundreds of patients successfully, but all the evidence is anecdotal. In his book, Dr. Jacob's patients are repeatedly quoted as saying, "It worked like a miracle." But he and his colleagues have published almost none of their scientific findings. Their one preliminary study, published as an abstract, is so poorly done as to scarcely qualify as a study at all. No one has any idea what the long-term effects of MSM might be. Because MSM occurs naturally in the body, Dr. Jacob (as well as the many companies marketing MSM) emphasizes its "naturalness." But what is natural about this supplement? Hydrochloric acid is another natural compound in the body, but that does not mean it is a good idea to swallow it.
This is clearly an unproven remedy. Because osteoarthritis and other forms of arthritis are chronic, painful, and essentially incurable, those who suffer from these diseases are easy to target for questionable treatments, diets, copper bracelets, and other unproven but highly profitable "remedies." Another problem is that the pain of osteoarthritis, in particular, tends to come and go. One week you're in pain, the next week you feel better. Thus if you've taken something, it's easy to assume that the pill is what helped.
Final words: MSM is sold alone or combined with vitamins and other supplements of questionable value such as glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. Dr. Jacob's book has all the earmarks of hard sell with nothing but anecdotes to back it up. James Coburn is a paid spokesman for Gero Vita Laboratories, a Canadian company specializing in "miracle" dietary supplements, including MSM. We advise you not to use MSM.
UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, December 1999
