MSM is another good one.
Autoimmune Diseases
MSM very effectively fights inflammations resulting from autoimmune reactions (in which the body's immune system turns onto itself). For example, people who suffer from
Arthritis often benefit greatly from MSM. Several studies have shown, that supplementation of MSM, significantly reduced joint degeneration and inflammation. In one study, 24 people with symptomatic osteoarthritis were treated with either a regular (NSAID) drug, or with 3 grams of MSM daily. After one month, both groups noted equal improvements in pain and stiffness( 6). In another experiment, a special strain of mice was studied that is prone to the spontaneous development of
Rheumatoid Arthritis -like joint lesions.
Researchers have found that two-month old mice who were given water containing a 3% solution of MSM for a period of three months suffered no degeneration of articular cartilage. In the control group of mice receiving only tap water, 50% of the animals were found to have focal degeneration of articular cartilage. Nearly all (95%) control animals had inflammatory reaction in the synovial tissues, compared to less severe inflammatory reaction in 50% of the MSM group (8, 10). The beneficial effect of MSM is due in part to its ability to improve cell permeability, allowing harmful substances (lactic acid, toxins) to flow out while permitting nutrients to flow in, thereby preventing a pressure buildup in cells that causes inflammation in the joints (5).
Mice prone to the development of Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Disease (ALD) were fed a diet that included a 3% solution of MSM as drinking water from the age of one month. The mean life span of the control group was 5.5 months, whereas the mean life span of the MSM group was extended to more than 10 months of age. The MSM group showed decreased anti-nuclear antibody responses and significant diminution of lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly and anemia development, thus suggesting that MSM provided significant protection against the development of the autoimmune disease ALD (12). Other experiments were conducted on mice bred for their propensity to acquire the autoimmune disease Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
These experiments showed MSM to have a protective effect both before and after the onset of the disease. Mice which are maintained on a diet including 3% MSM in their drinking water from age one month, suffered lower death rates and liver damage than control groups drinking only tap water. After seven months 30% of the control group had died, while all the MSM mice were still alive. Also, when mice seven months old and already showing signs of advanced lupus were fed the MSM diet, 62% of the animals were still alive after nine months compared to 14% for the control group that received only tap water (8).
Parasites
One of the most amazing discoveries on MSM is its anti-parasitic action against Giardia, Trichomonas, roundworms, nematodes, Enterobius and other intestinal worms (5). Animal studies include laboratory mice, determined to have pin worms (Enterobius) by fecal cast examination. They were given commercial food and drinking water, both containing 2% MSM by weight. After 17 days, fecal examination indicated the feces were free of worms and eggs. The blood level of MSM in one animal examined exceeded 30 ppm or mg/kg (3). Human studies include a man with confirmed Giardia lamblia, apparently contacted from contaminated water in a primitive area. He was given 500 mg MSM three times a day for 14 days. By the eighth day he was free of symptoms, and two stool specimens collected one week later were free of the organism (3). In another study, Trichomonas vaginalis was successfully treated by oral dosage of 1 gram MSM a day, and a daily topical application of 5% aqueous MSM for one week (3).
The major antiparasitic property of MSM is probably caused by its ability to bind to the mucosa and present a natural blocking interface between hosts and parasites. It's as though MSM puts down a coating on the mucosa, which
parasites find impenetrable and can't cling to. Unable to stick, the
parasites are simply flushed out of the body (5, 9). In vitro research has shown the antiparasitic, antifungal and antibacterial action of MSM concentrations. MSM concentrations of 1 mg/mL and less demonstrated no significant inhibition of Giardia lamblia. However, at 20 mg/mL concentrations it was strongly inhibitory, and concentrations above 40 mg/mL promptly killed the organism. According to Dr. Herschler, one can safely administer up to 1-2 gram MSM per kg body weight on a daily basis. One therefore builds a safely tolerated blood level up to 4000 ppm (mg/kg), which level is highly toxic to many infective organisms yet is harmless to the host (3).
A growing number of natural physicians are expressing concerns about parasites. It is becoming increasingly clear that they can be a continuous source of poisoning which can spread throughout the body and affect the immune system. It is an intriguing thought that MSM maybe nature's original means of protecting us against parasites.