DMSO, also known as Dimethyl Sulfoxide and it's use as a Down Syndrome treatment:

Some of the benefits and side effects of DMSO in the treatment of Down Syndrome:

Dimethyl Sulfoxide is seldom used on it's own in treating Down Syndrome. DMSO is mainly used as a carrier for other nutrients. By this, I mean, it has been found that DMSO will move vitamins and so on much more readily through cell membranes, thus allowing more of the nutrient into the cell. Which is one of the biggest benefits of DMSO in providing treatment to those with Down Syndrome.

Another benefit of DMSO : It is one of the most powerful antioxidants around, far superior I understand to any vitamin or mineral. This DMSO antioxidant property is of vital interest in those treating Down Syndrome, as Down Syndrome individuals are believed to have higher levels of damaging oxidation in the brain, which may then cause dementia, such as Alzheimer's Disease.

At the moment, in spite of DMSO's wide uses in the medical field and DMSO's use in Down Syndrome preparations, such as the amino acid therapy, DMSO is still not an approved drug in the USA.

Another query about DMSO is that some of the proponents of TNI vitmains, are against the use of DMSO , because DMSO has the unfortunate side effect of perhaps upsetting the metabolism in those with Down Syndrome. Those against the use of TNI vitamins in those with Down Syndrome, tend to argue that DMSO is safe, provided the dosage does not reach a toxic level.

When Jacob, our son with Down Syndrome, was two years and five months of age, we introduced Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO ). Firstly, by giving DMSO to Jacob in his food with the TNI (Targeted Nutrient Intervention) vitamins, we hoped that the DMSO would act as a carrier for the tni vitamins to enter more readily into the cells of his body and brain. Secondly, the DMSO has been reported to have favorable effects on cognition, speech and on normalising the physical appearance. The first time we gave DMSO to Jacob, I noticed him become within a few minutes much more happy and active. The Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist saw him the same day and the Occupational Therapist noted that Jacob was not innapropriately mouthing non-edible things as he used to do, which was a benefit we atributed to the DMSO . The big bad side effect of using DMSO , the worst side effect of anything we have ever used for that matter, was the odour: Although the DMSO odour has been referred to as a garlic ordour or a fruity odour or charactersitic odour, the fact is Jacob basically stunk immediately and stunk most of the house out within a few hours. Given that one of the big things with Down Syndrome is to get others to accept that Down Syndrome is OK, having a stinky kid is unlikely to be a good ambassador for your kid's acceptance. So what we then did was give Jacob the DMSO only on those days when he is staying at home. The stink was just too much in the end and so we stopped the DMSO after a few weeks. However, another benefit that seemed to result from using the DMSO , was Jacob closing his fingers around my hand, when we held hands - prior to taking DMSO , his hand did not grip mine when we held hands. When he gripped my hand on the way to day care for the first time, I tell you, the tears nearly started flowing out of joy.

I wonder if the marked change I have seen in Jacob and his Down Syndrome is because of the DMSO itself, because the DMSO is acting as a carrier for the TNI vitamins, because the sugar I use in his cereal to mask the taste of the DMSO is being absorbed more readily and providing him with a prolonged boost, because DMSO is stimulating him through taste, aftertaste, smell..., or because Jacob is having another developmental spurt. It could even be a combination of all the above. With TNI vitamins and piracetam we did not notice anything immediately, but with the DMSO , the benefits and side effects on Jacob and his DOwn Syndrome, were definitely immediate.

At age 5 and 1/2 years, we have again decided to try the DMSO with Jacob, for perhaps one day per week, giving a one third dose three times a day. There were nil obvious improvements, but we didn't have an enriched nutrient supply at the time, so all this can tell us, is that, on it's own, DMSO appeared to have no value at this older age. I will try again when we have an enriched nutrient solution.

Working out Jacob's DMSO dose: Jacob's dose of DMSO was taken orally - he swallowed it with his food. We worked out his DMSO dose by dividing his age in years by twelve, then multiplying by 5. So at age 2, the desired daily dosage for Jacob would have been (2/12)x5 which is about 1 millilitre. At age 6 years, the dose would have been 2.5 millilitres per day (1/2 teaspoon).

So, that's been our personal experience with DMSO and Down Syndrome . For many with Down Syndrome, the carrier properties of DMSO may be of enormous benefit. By mixing pain relievers with the DMSO , many have used it as a topical treatment - just rub the mixture onto the skin and the DMSO allows the pain relievers to be absorbed into the area much more quickly and thoroughly. The carrier benefit of DMSO , also resulted in it being used in television programs, such as Quincy MD, as a means of delivering poison to kill people. So, it is obvious that one must treat DMSO with some caution - you certainly wouldn't want to be handling poison then rubbing a pain killer and DMSO mixture into the skin, because the DMSO would also take the poison in with it. A serious adverse side effect, which some might inadvertantly forget it can do.

Other interesting facts on Dimethyl Sulfoxide - DMSO : When applied to skin, DMSO is readily absorbed along with what is mixed with it, with the best effects being most noticed after around 4-8 hours. When swallowed, DMSO takes around four hours to reach it's peak effectiveness in the blood, gradually diminishing to a negligible level in 5 days. DMSO readily crosses the Blood-Brain Barrier and will carry nutrients etc across with it.

Want more information on Down Syndrome here? Just email with your question.

Please note that due to increasing pressures and demands, that we are often unable to respond to individual emails.

But first, if you want to come back to this Down Syndrome web site at www.cdadc.com, just add it to your bookmarks or favorites now! Then you'll find it easy!

Copyright © 2000-2010 Donald Urquhart. All Rights Reserved. All universal rights reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our legal disclaimer.