When we started developing our muscle and joint pain relieving sports rub – Warrior Rx, we looked at a lot of different potential ingredients that could really do three things:
1. Relieve muscle & joint pain
2. Promote healing
3. Be more effective than anything else on the market.
The biggest piece to this pain relief puzzle so to speak, is DMSO or Dimethyl Sulfoxide.
What is DMSO?
The discovery of the DMSO compound goes back to the mid-1800’s where is was discovered as a by product of the wood and paper processing industries and subsequently used as an industrial solvent. It is a natural compound extracted from lignins which bonds wood fibers together in trees. It is a colorless liquid with a strong, garlic like odor.
DMSO has the amazing ability to penetrate through the skin very quickly and work as a transport agent where it takes along with it whatever other substances it comes into contact with. When medical researchers first started looking into the possible uses, they discovered it’s ability to protect cells from freezing. This was in the 1950’s and by the 1960’s DMSO was said to be a ‘wonder drug’ by the press. Clinical trials began and a myriad of other medicinal uses were discovered.
DMSO Uses
DMSO is said by researchers to decrease pain and inflammation. One of the most common DMSO uses is as a topical rub for pain relief of sports related injuries such as sore and strained muscles, sprained ankles and joint pain relief. Naturally, it has been used by thousands of people to treat other conditions such as arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, wounds, skin conditions, gout, fibromyalgia much more. It is said to have not only anti-inflammatory therapeutic benefits, but also to be anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal.
Further research into its ability to be used as an effective treatment for closed head trauma, spinal cord injuries, stroke and even Alzheimer’s disease are being done by Dr. Stanley Jacob. Dr. Jacob is one of DMSO’s biggest proponents in its early and ongoing research.
Today, DMSO is FDA approved to only treat one condition in humans, a type of bladder inflammation called interstitial cystitis. DMSO is also approved as an anti-inflammatory treatment for dogs and horses. Oddly enough, it is not approved for use as an anti-inflammatory treatment in humans, although it apparently has that medicinal capability.
DMSO for Pain Relief
Since the FDA only approved DMSO for one human medical condition – interstitial cystitis, ongoing research is needed to prove its safety and effectiveness for other medical purposes. It is legal to purchase at the users discretion and as I stated earlier the most common use of DMSO is as a topical agent for pain relief.
This is where it sparked my interest as I was always looking for new natural remedies to try and help heal my muscles and joint pain related injuries from hard training in the martial arts. I bought some pure DMSO from a company online (I’ve seen it on Amazon.com even) and noticed some immediate results in pain relief and a reduction in inflammation.
Unfortunately I also noticed one of the most common side-effects that I read about – DMSO’s strong garlic like odor. Also, once absorbed through the skin (which happens fast) it also leaves this garlic like taste and odor in your mouth!
My skin also did feel some warmth and tingling which wasn’t bad, but I noticed if I put a lot on there was a bit of irritation that occurred. That coupled with the strong odor, I ended up using it sparingly on my sore muscles and joints. Since DMSO quickly absorbs and penetrates the skin taking whatever substances it is mixed with, it is important to clean the area where it is to be applied before use.
Using DMSO to Enhance Other Ingredients
The idea then crossed my mind to mix a small amount of DMSO with some over the counter sports pain relief creams and rubs I purchased. Now I am not a doctor and nor do I recommend doing this… nor am I saying that DMSO is safe to use as it has not been FDA approved for pain relief. That being said, I do my due diligence and research and I always err on the side of caution.
I felt that it cannot have a worse side-effect than the damage prescription pain killers can have on the body which are well documented and yet legal. I found that people have been using DMSO topically for pain relief for decades with no major adverse side effects (besides the odor and some minor irritation). I am always looking for a safer alternative as I personally choose to use natural ingredients that are non-addictive.
Considering DMSO’s strong capability to transport other substances beyond the skin as it penetrates, I was curious to see if can help speed up and enhance the effects of the pain rubs I was already using. Low and behold I had good results, especially with the absorption rate. Most topical pain creams and rubs just sit on on your skin and take forever it seems to absorb, even with a good amount of massaging in.
Warrior Rx Muscle & Joint Pain Relief is Born
The end result was hiring a professional laboratory to combine the best, most effective pain relief ingredients we know and use with just enough DMSO to help with the absorption rate to act as a transport agent in a proprietary formula.
This proprietary formula is our Warrior Rx Muscle & Joint Pain Relief sports rub. There is no unpleasant garlic like odor (more like wintergreen), no irritation and the DMSO amount is minimal enough that it is safe to use on a daily basis if need be. There are 11 other natural, pain relieving ingredients in the product, (12 total) so it’s the combination of them all working synergistically together that is the secret to it’s pain relieving effect.
Click here to learn more about our revolutionary pain relief rub and order yours today.