{"id":164026,"date":"2026-04-15T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/watchman.news\/2026\/04\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens-chemo-pain-and-radiation-relief\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T05:53:01","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T05:53:01","slug":"how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens-chemo-pain-and-radiation-relief","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/watchman.news\/uk\/2026\/04\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens-chemo-pain-and-radiation-relief\/","title":{"rendered":"How DMSO Eases Cancer\u2019s Hidden Burdens \u2014 Chemo, Pain, and Radiation Relief"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"best-of-articles\">\n<div class=\"card-ba\">\n<div class=\"inner-ba\">\n<div class=\"left-ba\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"medical-heart-icon-ba\" src=\"https:\/\/media.mercola.com\/assets\/images\/mercola\/bestarticles-icon.png\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"heading-ba\">A New Series of Health Insights Is on the\u00a0Way<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"right-ba\">\n<div class=\"tag-ba\">\u0412\u0410\u0416\u041b\u0418\u0412\u041e<\/div>\n<div class=\"copy-ba\">\n<p class=\"heading-ba\">A New Series of Health Insights Is on the\u00a0Way<\/p>\n<p class=\"description-ba\">Our team has been working behind the scenes to prepare new research and practical health strategies for our readers. While we finish preparing what\u2019s coming next, we invite you to explore one of the most-read articles from our library below. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mercola.com\/personalized-newsletter\" target=\"_blank\">See exactly what&#8217;s changing \u2192<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>DMSO is a remarkable naturally occurring substance that (provided it&#8217;s used correctly<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">1<\/span><\/sup>) safely and rapidly improves a variety of conditions medicine struggles with \u2014 particularly chronic pain. For example, thousands of studies show DMSO treats a wide range of:<\/p>\n<div class=\"indent\">\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Injuries such as sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, and spinal cord injuries (discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-is-a-miraculous-therapy-for\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Strokes, paralysis, many neurological disorders (e.g., Down syndrome and dementia), and numerous circulatory disorders (e.g., Raynaud&#8217;s, varicose veins or hemorrhoids), which were discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-could-save-millions-from-brain\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Chronic pain (e.g., from a bad disc, bursitis, arthritis, or complex regional pain syndrome), which was discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-is-a-miraculous-therapy-for\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Many autoimmune, protein, and contractile disorders such as scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis (discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/how-dmso-treats-incurable-autoimmune\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Head conditions, such as tinnitus, vision loss, dental problems, and sinusitis (discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/how-dmso-cures-eye-ear-nose-throat\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Internal organ diseases such as pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis (discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/how-dmso-protects-and-heals-the-internal\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A wide range of skin conditions such as burns, varicose veins, acne, hair loss, ulcers, skin cancer, and many autoimmune dermatologic diseases (discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-revolutionizes-skin-care-and\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Many challenging infections such as shingles, herpes, chronic ear or dental infections, and osteomyelitis (discussed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-transforms-the-treatment-of\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>). In turn, since I started this series, it struck a chord, and I have received <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/the-remarkable-history-and-safety\" target=\"_blank\">over 2000 reports<\/a> of remarkable responses to DMSO, and many readers have had for a variety of &#8220;incurable conditions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This begs an obvious question \u2014 if a substance capable of doing all of that exists, why does almost no one know about it? Simply put, like many other promising therapies, it fell victim to a pernicious campaign by the FDA, which kept it away from America despite decades of scientific research, congressional protest, and thousands of people pleading for the FDA to reconsider its actions. Consider for example, this 60 Minutes program about DMSO that aired on March 23, 1980:<\/p>\n<div align=\"center\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In the 1960s a miraculous treatment for chronic pain, traumatic injury, strokes and spinal cord paralysis was discovered that spread across America like wildfire\u2014until the FDA buried it.<\/p>\n<p>Here, 60 Minutes exposed the FDA using the same playbook they used throughout COVID-19. A\ud83e\uddf5 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Bh0dcjNk5w\">pic.twitter.com\/Bh0dcjNk5w<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 A Midwestern Doctor (@MidwesternDoc) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MidwesternDoc\/status\/1845727169273868623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 14, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"center-align\"><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/MidwesternDoc\/status\/1845727169273868623\" target=\"_blank\">Video Link<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>DMSO and Cancer<\/h2>\n<p>Since there is a longstanding tendency for any &#8220;unproven cancer therapy&#8221; to be targeted by the medical industry, once the pioneers of DMSO realized early research showed DMSO was also remarkable for cancer, a decision was made not to focus on that research as a justifiable fear existed that doing so would bury DMSO (particularly since DMSO was already in a precarious position with the FDA). As a result, there is very little knowledge of how DMSO changes the cancer paradigm. For example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"indent\">\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/hundreds-of-studies-show-dmso-transforms\" target=\"_blank\">There are hundreds of studies<\/a> showing DMSO routinely transforms cancerous cells into noncancerous ones.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/hundreds-of-studies-show-dmso-transforms\" target=\"_blank\">DMSO directly inhibits<\/a> the growth of a wide range of cancers.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>DMSO allows the immune system to regain the ability to target cancerous cells that have evaded the immune system,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">2<\/span><\/sup> which not only eliminates cancer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/hundreds-of-studies-show-dmso-transforms\" target=\"_blank\">but also can create permanent immunity to cancers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/hundreds-of-studies-show-dmso-transforms\" target=\"_blank\">DMSO makes many conventional cancer therapies much more potent<\/a>, both making a cure more likely and a far lower (and thus less toxic dose) dose needed to achieve it.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Many natural therapies become dramatically more potent when combined with DMSO (e.g., <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/hundreds-of-studies-show-dmso-transforms\" target=\"_blank\">one DMSO combination<\/a> ranks amongst the most effective cancer treatments I&#8217;ve ever encountered).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Furthermore, in addition to directly eliminating cancers, DMSO&#8217;s remarkable ability to heal and protect the body can also make challenging cancers far more manageable. In my eyes, the suppression of DMSO&#8217;s uses as an adjunctive cancer therapy represents the most egregious aspect of this story as in those instances, it&#8217;s not even competing with cancer treatments \u2014 it&#8217;s just reducing the suffering they cause (which if anything should be good for the cancer business).<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-rwd\">\n<figure class=\"op-interactive aspect-ratio\">\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<h2>DMSO and Radiation Therapy<\/h2>\n<p>Many of DMSO&#8217;s remarkable properties result from it effectively protecting cells from a variety of otherwise lethal stressors (e.g., burns,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">3<\/span><\/sup> freezing,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">4<\/span><\/sup> blood loss,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">5<\/span><\/sup> asphyxiation,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">6<\/span><\/sup> UV light,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">7<\/span><\/sup> and soundwaves<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">8<\/span><\/sup>) and it significantly accelerates healing from injuries (e.g., sprains<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">9<\/span><\/sup> or burns<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">10<\/span><\/sup>).<\/p>\n<p>In addition to protecting cells from other sources of injury, as early as 1961,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">11<\/span><\/sup> DMSO was also recognized to protect cells and tissues from radiation exposure, and by 1967,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">12<\/span><\/sup> to protect the skin. This is because DMSO prevents radiation from:<\/p>\n<div class=\"indent\">\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Breaking apart chromosomes,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">13<\/span><\/sup> DNA, RNA, proteins,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">14<\/span><\/sup> and the mitochondria.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">15<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Creating damaging oxygen species<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">16<\/span><\/sup> and free radicals.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">17<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Triggering an immune response (e.g., by reducing IL-1, IL-6, TNF-\u03b1, and TGF-\u03b2<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">18<\/span><\/sup>), chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and adhesions.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Putting cells into senescence<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">19<\/span><\/sup> (a state of permanent growth arrest).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Causing normal cells in the vicinity of the affected ones to die as well (e.g., when only 1% of cells are exposed to radiation, approximately 30% of non-irradiated cells will exhibit similar toxic effects too<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">20<\/span><\/sup>), a fascinating phenomenon I believe is mediated through mitogenic radiation emissions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Since cancer radiation therapy frequently creates a variety of acute and chronic injuries such as burns, fibrosis, and internal tissue adhesions (all of which DMSO treats), DMSO is incredibly valuable for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy \u2014 particularly since DMSO not only prevents radiation damage but also rapidly heals the injuries radiation creates.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">21<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">22<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Most importantly, DMSO&#8217;s protective effects are specific to normal cells. In contrast, many studies show it increases cancer cells&#8217; susceptibility to radiation.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">23<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Note:<\/strong> I believe our focus on radiation therapy ultimately resulted from mining magnate James Douglas devising a way to produce cheap radium and then giving a large donation (along with subsequent donations) to America&#8217;s premier cancer institute to create a program for developing cancer radiation therapy that then spread across the world.<\/em><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">24<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">25<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<h2>Radiation Exposure Studies<\/h2>\n<p>Studies have repeatedly shown that DMSO protects cells<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">26<\/span><\/sup> (particularly when given prophylactically<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">27<\/span><\/sup>) from being damaged by (often otherwise fatal<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">28<\/span><\/sup>) radiation. For example, DMSO was shown to protect skin cells from dying after exposure to gamma radiation<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">29<\/span><\/sup> and make hamster cells four times as resistant to radiation.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">30<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>These same protective properties have also been found in plants<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">31<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">32<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">33<\/span><\/sup> and many animals (e.g., mice,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">34<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">35<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">36<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">37<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">38<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">39<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">40<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">41<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">42<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">43<\/span><\/sup> rats,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">44<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">45<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">46<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">47<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">48<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">49<\/span><\/sup> rabbits,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">50<\/span><\/sup> newts,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">51<\/span><\/sup> and fruit flies<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">52<\/span><\/sup>).<\/p>\n<p>In animals, DMSO was repeatedly found to protect them from otherwise lethal radiation exposures<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">53<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">54<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">55<\/span><\/sup> and protect their skin,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">56<\/span><\/sup> tails,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">57<\/span><\/sup> oral mucosa,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">58<\/span><\/sup> eyes,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">59<\/span><\/sup> kidneys,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">60<\/span><\/sup> intestines<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">61<\/span><\/sup> (which are particularly vulnerable to radiation damage), and testicles<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">62<\/span><\/sup> from radiation damage, along with protecting sperm from mutations<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">63<\/span><\/sup> and to accelerate tissue cellular regeneration following an injury.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">64<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Finally, DMSO was shown to prevent the psychological trauma and behavioral changes rats typically experienced from radiation injuries (presumably by preventing radiation from causing injury<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">65<\/span><\/sup>).<\/p>\n<p>DMSO also has a remarkable ability to protect and heal the skin from injury,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">66<\/span><\/sup> and since 1966,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">67<\/span><\/sup> numerous Russian, German, and Japanese studies have demonstrated DMSO&#8217;s impressive ability to protect human skin (along with its collagen and mucopolysaccharides) from radiation.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">68<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">69<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">70<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">71<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">72<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">73<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">74<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">75<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">76<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">77<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">78<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">79<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">80<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>For example, DMSO has been shown to treat radiation fibrosis,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">81<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">82<\/span><\/sup> radiation dermatitis,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">83<\/span><\/sup> radiation injuries<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">84<\/span><\/sup> and other local radiation complications.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">85<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Note:<\/strong> While DMSO can treat radiation injuries, it is the most effective if given immediately beforehand to prevent radiation injuries.<\/em><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">86<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>DMSO has also been shown to protect tissues besides the skin. For example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"indent\">\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>In 80 patients who&#8217;d developed late local radiation complications (induration, ulcers) from the treatment of breast or genital cancer (or a noncancerous disease) DMSO resulted in both a high efficacy of treatment with no side effects.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">87<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>In 22 patients with cervical cancer topical found DMSO prior to internal gamma-ray radiation therapy prevented the normally expected radiation burns and other toxic reactions to the treatment (e.g., in the bladder and rectum) seen in 59 controls and that DMSO did not protect cancerous tissue.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">88<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>In 807 patients with cervical uterine cancer, putting 10% DMSO into the bladders an hour before receiving weekly internal irradiation therapy, dropped the radiation damage to the rectum from 19.0% to 9.5% and to the bladder from 8.8% to 7.1% (both of which dropped to 1.7% if metronidazole was also used).<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">89<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>In another study, DMSO had a 50% success rate in treating patients which chronic radiation cystitis (e.g., from prostate cancer therapy).<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">90<\/span><\/sup> Likewise, a 1979 study also used DMSO to treat radiation cystitis.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">91<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>In 22 breast and cervical cancer patients, DMSO protected them against radiation dermatitis (e.g., erosion, blistering, itching, and pain) while also enhancing cancer sensitivity to radiation (as the DMSO treated areas showed skin reddening and exfoliation earlier) and accelerating the regrowth of normal tissues.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, when DMSO was only applied to one side, the non-applied side did worse, the hyperpigmentation that follows radiation therapy was greater in DMSO treated patients, and that only one of the 22 patients had to stop DMSO (due to having a skin eruption which may have been linked to DMSO).<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">92<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>This author detailed a case of a patient with lung cancer that was treated with three months of radiation therapy but severely damaged her lungs (making her require oxygen and leaving her unsure if she&#8217;d survive) \u2014 but after topical and oral DMSO, she had a rapid recovery.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, he also shared a case of another woman with lung cancer who was expected to have significant lung complications from the treatment (as she required a borderline lethal dose), but took topical DMSO prior to each treatment and instead had no complications and was fully healthy three years later.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">93<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>It is thus quite remarkable that all of this remains unknown. To quote the author of a 2022 study<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">94<\/span><\/sup> which found DMSO prevented testicular damage (and loss of hormonal function or fertility) following radiation therapy:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>&#8220;Currently, there is no approved agent for the prevention or treatment of radiation-induced testicular injury &#8230; In summary, our findings demonstrate the radioprotective efficacy of DMSO on the male reproductive system, which warrants further studies for future application in the preservation of male fertility during conventional radiotherapy and nuclear accidents.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Similarly, in addition to the higher doses experienced from radiation therapy, diagnostic radiation, specifically CT scans (which expose the body to much higher radiation doses than X-rays) also pose a cancer risk \u2014 particularly since the dose of radiation with CT scans can have over a 10-fold variation.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">95<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>In turn, a CT scan was found to make you 17% to 24% more likely to develop cancer,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">96<\/span><\/sup> with the risk increasing<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">97<\/span><\/sup> the younger you were at the time of the scan and is much higher for certain types of cancers.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">98<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">99<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">100<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">101<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">102<\/span><\/sup> A 2009 study estimated 29,000 cancers were caused by the CT scans performed in America in 2007.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">103<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>As such, I avoid CT scans, which I do not feel are essential (particularly since a detailed physical exam frequently provides more actionable information). It is my sincere hope at some point in the future, DMSO will be given in conjunction with CT scans (but unfortunately their use keeps going up, and they are viewed as a highly lucrative growth market<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">104<\/span><\/sup>).<\/p>\n<h2>Tumor Surgery<\/h2>\n<p>Since DMSO rapidly accelerates the healing of tissue and addresses the neurological components of pain,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-is-a-miraculous-therapy-for\" target=\"_blank\"> many studies have found that DMSO greatly facilitates surgical recovery<\/a> (e.g., by accelerating healing, improving the strength of the final scar, reducing surgical site pain and eliminating fibrosis, enlarged scars, or tissue adhesions).<\/p>\n<p>As cancers are frequently treated with surgical removal, DMSO can also greatly aid the recovery from these surgeries (e.g., in dogs that required a unilateral mastectomy, giving IV DMSO 15 minutes before the surgery&#8217;s conclusion significantly reduced post-surgical inflammation<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">105<\/span><\/sup>).<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, studies such as a 1992 trial<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">106<\/span><\/sup> of 198 patients with Stage III colon cancer, and a 1992 trial<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">107<\/span><\/sup> of 228 patients with stomach cancer found DMSO significantly reduced the chance that those cancers would relapse.<\/p>\n<h2>Extravasation Injuries<\/h2>\n<p>Since the medical field has been extremely reluctant to consider any alternative cancer treatment that could threaten its bottom line (regardless of how much data is behind it), DMSO has essentially not been utilized in the treatment of cancer. However, there is one exception to this rule, as DMSO is able to address a challenging issue encountered with chemotherapy without threatening the existing market.<\/p>\n<p>Since many chemotherapy drugs are quite toxic, they have to be administered in a tightly controlled manner. Unfortunately, in many cases however, the drug gets through the injected vein (extravasates) and leaks into the surrounding tissue.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Note:<\/strong> Since extravasations are often not reported, estimates widely vary on how common they are (e.g., according to one study, in 0.1% to 6% of adults who receive chemotherapy<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">108<\/span><\/sup> while another made a compelling case extravasations occur in 39% of patients<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">109<\/span><\/sup>).<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Due to how toxic some of the chemotherapy drugs are (particularly the anthracyclines), when that leakage occurs and the drugs concentrate in one area, it can often cause significant damage to the surrounding tissues and lead to ulceration or necrosis (tissue death).<\/p>\n<p>Since the existing treatments don&#8217;t always give satisfactory results and DMSO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-is-a-miraculous-therapy-for\" target=\"_blank\">is extremely effective at healing a wide range of tissue injuries<\/a>, it eventually got used as a treatment for these injuries and quickly caught on. For example:<\/p>\n<div class=\"indent\">\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 1981 rat study of doxorubicin extravasations showed that daily topical applications of 1 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bibleserver.com\/KJV\/Malachi4\" class=\"bibleserver extern\" target=\"_blank\">ml 90<\/a>% DMSO with 10% \u03b1-tocopherol significantly reduced ulcer diameter.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">110<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 1982<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">111<\/span><\/sup> and 1986<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">112<\/span><\/sup> study tested numerous agents on ulcers created by applying intradermal doxorubicin to pigs and rats and found DMSO was the only agent that prevented or healed those ulcers.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 1984,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">113<\/span><\/sup> 1987,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">114<\/span><\/sup> and 1994<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">115<\/span><\/sup> pig study along with a 2007 rat study<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">116<\/span><\/sup> also found DMSO treated or prevented extravasation injuries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Likewise, in humans:<\/p>\n<div class=\"indent\">\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 1983<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">117<\/span><\/sup> case report, another 1983 case report,<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">118<\/span><\/sup> a 1989 series<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">119<\/span><\/sup> of 4 patients, a 1991 series<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">120<\/span><\/sup> of two patients, a 1994 series of two patients<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">121<\/span><\/sup> and a 2001 case report<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">122<\/span><\/sup> reported that DMSO prevented extravasations from causing ulcerations of tissue death or healed existing injuries (e.g., with &#8220;striking&#8221; improvement).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 1988 study gave topical DMSO for anthracycline extravasations every 6 hours for 14 days to 20 patients, which prevented all of them from developing ulcerations. In the 14 who were evaluated at 3 months, there was no sign of residual damage in six patients, while a pigmented indurated area remained in ten.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">123<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 1995 study gave topical DMSO (for 8 hours a day over 7 days) alongside 3 days of intermittent cooling to every patient who experienced an extravasation over a 3.5 year period (which was either from doxorubicin, epirubicin, mitomycin, mitoxantrone, cisplatin, carboplatin, ifosfamide, or fluorouracil).<\/p>\n<p>Of those 144 patients, 127 could be evaluated, of whom only 1 ultimately developed an ulceration from the extravasation, and none experienced side effects from DMSO (beyond temporary skin irritation and a breath odor).<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">124<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 1996 study of ten successive patients who experienced extravasation from chemotherapy were given DMSO and alpha-tocopherol, all of whom avoided ulceration or tissue death.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">125<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 2004 study of 147 patients with extravasations of anthracyclines (which typically leads to 28% developing ulcerations), found 99% DMSO caused only 1% to 2% of them to develop ulcers.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">126<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 2007 study explored applying DMSO and \u03b1-tocopherol as a gel rather than a liquid solution to treat extravasation injuries (which appeared to hold promise).<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">127<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Chemotherapy Injuries<\/h2>\n<p>In addition to addressing extravasation injuries, DMSO has also:<\/p>\n<div class=\"indent\">\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Been found to prevent doxorubicin cardiac toxicity.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">128<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Successfully treated palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia resulting from doxorubicin treatment.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">129<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Prevent the skin death that is often associated with injecting doxorubicin into the eyelid (which is done to treat eye spasms).<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">130<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Protect against birth defects caused by hydroxyurea.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">131<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Reduce the carcinogenicity of chlorambucil (which often causes a secondary tumor to form after the initial treatment).<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">132<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>Decrease the lung injuries (e.g., pulmonary fibrosis) and weight loss caused by bleomycin.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">133<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">134<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">135<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>DMSO has also been found to improve many other symptoms associated with chemotherapy (e.g., DMSO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-revolutionizes-skin-care-and\" target=\"_blank\">is frequently used to treat hair loss<\/a> from a variety of causes, including chemotherapy) since it saves normal cells on the verge of dying following chemotherapy.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Note:<\/strong> We find <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/the-century-of-evidence-putting-light\" target=\"_blank\">Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation following chemotherapy<\/a> to be the most effective option for protecting a patient&#8217;s healthy cells from dying.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Cancer Pain<\/h2>\n<p>Cancer (and its treatments) are often accompanied by many other debilitating symptoms, including pain \u2014 which is so severe that opioids, rather than being restricted, are routinely used to treat it (e.g., fentanyl is often used to treat advanced cancer pain \u2014 but in 10% to 20% of patients the pain is severe enough that even the strongest opioids can&#8217;t address it<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">136<\/span><\/sup>).<\/p>\n<p>Since DMSO has a rather unique mechanism of treating pain, it is often able to treat a wide range of challenging pain conditions nothing else works on (e.g., I&#8217;ve now had hundreds of readers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-is-a-miraculous-therapy-for\" target=\"_blank\">share life-changing pain improvements<\/a> from topical DMSO nothing else they&#8217;d tried had ever worked on). As such, many over the years have found it provided incredible relief for metastatic cancer pain.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most well-known examples was Otis Bowen MD (a popular second-term Indiana governor), who &#8220;illegally&#8221; used topical DMSO to treat his wife&#8217;s pain from terminal multiple myeloma and then publicly denounced the FDA&#8217;s absurd embargo on it at the AMA&#8217;s 1981 national meeting.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">137<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Remarkably, a few years later, Bowen became Reagan&#8217;s Secretary of Health and Human Services. Still, even then, with this highly ethical doctor at the helm of the HSS, DMSO was unable to overcome the FDA&#8217;s prohibition of it \u2014 which helps to highlight the incredible challenge RFK Jr. is now facing (but gradually surmounting). Likewise, a few studies have shown that DMSO can treat cancer pain:<\/p>\n<div class=\"indent\">\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 1967 study included two older patients with cancer pain, one of whom had an excellent response to DMSO and one who had a good response.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">138<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 1967 study found that of 7 patients with metastatic cancer pain, DMSO gave 2 full and 2 partial remission.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">139<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"bullet\">\u2022 <\/span>A 2011 trial gave DMSO and sodium bicarbonate to 26 patients with advanced cancers who were experiencing significant pain (even with all the available treatment options).<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">140<\/span><\/sup> This greatly improved their pain, their quality of life (e.g., chemotherapy symptoms), their blood counts, and their organ function:<\/p>\n<div class=\"center-img\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.mercola.com\/ImageServer\/public\/2025\/April\/trial-dmso-sodium-bicarbonate.jpg\" alt=\"trial dmso sodium bicarbonate\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"center-img\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.mercola.com\/ImageServer\/public\/2025\/April\/dmso-sodium-bicarbonate-patients-symptoms.jpg\" alt=\"trial dmso sodium bicarbonate patients with symptoms\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em><strong>Note:<\/strong> A 2010 paper further discusses DMSO&#8217;s ability to treat intractable cancer pain.<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">141<\/span><\/sup> It highlights that this may be due to DMSO&#8217;s ability to address membrane hyper-excitability (e.g., through suppressing NMDA and AMPA induced ion fluxes \u2014 which are linked to central pain sensitization<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">142<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">143<\/span><\/sup> and may explain why DMSO also effectively treats complex regional pain syndrome<sup><span data-hash=\"#ednref1\">144<\/span><\/sup>).<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>\u0412\u0438\u0441\u043d\u043e\u0432\u043e\u043a<\/h2>\n<p>DMSO&#8217;s ability to heal the body and restore its normal function transformed the practice of medicine, and had the FDA not buried DMSO sixty years ago; our medical science would be leaps beyond where it is now. In this article, I&#8217;ve tried to show how DMSO helps to address one of the most challenging decisions many will face in their lifetimes \u2014 is it worth tolerating the immense damage conventional cancer therapies will cause in return for them saving one&#8217;s life?<\/p>\n<p>As such, it&#8217;s unconscionable that DMSO was never incorporated as an adjunctive therapy for conventional cancer care, particularly in the case of radiation therapy, since a vast body of literature shows simply applying it shortly beforehand can prevent most of the complications from radiation therapy and significantly increase its ability to treat cancer.<\/p>\n<p>However, while it has been immensely painful to watch the unnecessary suffering created by our outdated and pathological medical practices, for the first time in my life, I am simultaneously immensely hopeful. That is because Make America Healthy Again has created the window to spark the momentum to begin revisiting many of our long accepted medical practices and have our society ask if there is actually a better (or more affordable) way to do things.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Author&#8217;s Note:<\/strong> This is an abridged version of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-transforms-the-treatment-of\" target=\"_blank\">a longer article<\/a> that reviews how DMSO also directly treats cancer (e.g., by turning cancer cells back into normal cells or mobilizing the immune system to eliminate them) and how it greatly enhances the effectiveness of both conventional and natural cancer therapies (along with guidance for using DMSO to treat cancer and many other related conditions). That article can be read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/p\/dmso-transforms-the-treatment-of\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<h2>A Note from Dr. Mercola About the Author<\/h2>\n<p>A Midwestern Doctor (AMD) is a board-certified physician from the Midwest and a longtime reader of Mercola.com. I appreciate AMD&#8217;s exceptional insight on a wide range of topics and am grateful to share it. I also respect AMD&#8217;s desire to remain anonymous since AMD is still on the front lines treating patients. To find more of AMD&#8217;s work, be sure to check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.midwesterndoctor.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Forgotten Side of Medicine<\/a> on Substack.<\/p>\n<p>&lt;!&#8211;<\/p>\n<h2>Test Your Knowledge with Today&#8217;s Quiz!<\/h2>\n<p>Take today\u2019s quiz to see how much you\u2019ve learned from <a href=\"https:\/\/articles.mercola.com\/sites\/articles\/archive\/2025\/04\/03\/unlocking-your-guts-power-to-control-blood-sugar.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">yesterday\u2019s Mercola.com article<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"quiz-panel\">\n<div class=\"quiz-item\">\n<p class=\"title\"><span>How can you use your gut bacteria to boost insulin sensitivity?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"options\">\n<li class=\"option-item\"><span>Increase processed foods to limit SCFA production<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"option-item\"><span>Focus on low-fiber diets to stabilize SCFAs naturally<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"option-item\"><span>Eat high-carb junk foods to trigger SCFA release<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"option-item correct\"><span>Consume fiber-rich foods to promote SCFA production by gut bacteria<\/span><br \/>\n<span class=\"explanation\"><\/p>\n<p> Short-chain fatty acids from gut bacteria, boosted by fiber-rich foods, reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity to help prevent diabetes. Other choices hinder SCFA production. <a href=\"https:\/\/articles.mercola.com\/sites\/articles\/archive\/2025\/04\/03\/unlocking-your-guts-power-to-control-blood-sugar.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">Learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> &#8211;&gt;<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A New Series of Health Insights Is on the\u00a0Way<\/p>\n<p>\u0412\u0410\u0416\u041b\u0418\u0412\u041e<\/p>\n<p>A New Series of Health Insights Is on the\u00a0Way<br \/>\nOur team has been working behind the scenes to prepare new research and practical health strategies for our readers. While we finish preparing what\u2019s coming next, we invite you to explore one of the most-read articles from our library below. See exactly what&#8217;s changing \u2192<\/p>\n<p>DMSO is a remarkable naturally occurring substance that (provided it&#8217;s used correctly1) safely and rapidly improves a variety of conditions medicine struggles with \u2014 particularly chronic pain. For example, thousands of studies show DMSO treats a wide range of:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Injuries such as sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, and spinal cord injuries (discussed here).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Strokes, paralysis, many neurological disorders (e.g., Down syndrome and dementia), and numerous circulatory disorders (e.g., Raynaud&#8217;s, varicose veins or hemorrhoids), which were discussed here.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Chronic pain (e.g., from a bad disc, bursitis, arthritis, or complex regional pain syndrome), which was discussed here.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Many autoimmune, protein, and contractile disorders such as scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis (discussed here).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Head conditions, such as tinnitus, vision loss, dental problems, and sinusitis (discussed here).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Internal organ diseases such as pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis (discussed here).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A wide range of skin conditions such as burns, varicose veins, acne, hair loss, ulcers, skin cancer, and many autoimmune dermatologic diseases (discussed here).<\/p>\n<p>Many challenging infections such as shingles, herpes, chronic ear or dental infections, and osteomyelitis (discussed here). In turn, since I started this series, it struck a chord, and I have received over 2000 reports of remarkable responses to DMSO, and many readers have had for a variety of &#8220;incurable conditions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This begs an obvious question \u2014 if a substance capable of doing all of that exists, why does almost no one know about it? Simply put, like many other promising therapies, it fell victim to a pernicious campaign by the FDA, which kept it away from America despite decades of scientific research, congressional protest, and thousands of people pleading for the FDA to reconsider its actions. Consider for example, this 60 Minutes program about DMSO that aired on March 23, 1980:<\/p>\n<p>In the 1960s a miraculous treatment for chronic pain, traumatic injury, strokes and spinal cord paralysis was discovered that spread across America like wildfire\u2014until the FDA buried it.Here, 60 Minutes exposed the FDA using the same playbook they used throughout COVID-19. A\ud83e\uddf5 pic.twitter.com\/Bh0dcjNk5w\u2014 A Midwestern Doctor (@MidwesternDoc) October 14, 2024<br \/>\nVideo Link<\/p>\n<p>DMSO and Cancer<\/p>\n<p>Since there is a longstanding tendency for any &#8220;unproven cancer therapy&#8221; to be targeted by the medical industry, once the pioneers of DMSO realized early research showed DMSO was also remarkable for cancer, a decision was made not to focus on that research as a justifiable fear existed that doing so would bury DMSO (particularly since DMSO was already in a precarious position with the FDA). As a result, there is very little knowledge of how DMSO changes the cancer paradigm. For example:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 There are hundreds of studies showing DMSO routinely transforms cancerous cells into noncancerous ones.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 DMSO directly inhibits the growth of a wide range of cancers.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 DMSO allows the immune system to regain the ability to target cancerous cells that have evaded the immune system,2 which not only eliminates cancer but also can create permanent immunity to cancers.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 DMSO makes many conventional cancer therapies much more potent, both making a cure more likely and a far lower (and thus less toxic dose) dose needed to achieve it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Many natural therapies become dramatically more potent when combined with DMSO (e.g., one DMSO combination ranks amongst the most effective cancer treatments I&#8217;ve ever encountered).<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, in addition to directly eliminating cancers, DMSO&#8217;s remarkable ability to heal and protect the body can also make challenging cancers far more manageable. In my eyes, the suppression of DMSO&#8217;s uses as an adjunctive cancer therapy represents the most egregious aspect of this story as in those instances, it&#8217;s not even competing with cancer treatments \u2014 it&#8217;s just reducing the suffering they cause (which if anything should be good for the cancer business).<\/p>\n<p>DMSO and Radiation Therapy<\/p>\n<p>Many of DMSO&#8217;s remarkable properties result from it effectively protecting cells from a variety of otherwise lethal stressors (e.g., burns,3 freezing,4 blood loss,5 asphyxiation,6 UV light,7 and soundwaves8) and it significantly accelerates healing from injuries (e.g., sprains9 or burns10).<\/p>\n<p>In addition to protecting cells from other sources of injury, as early as 1961,11 DMSO was also recognized to protect cells and tissues from radiation exposure, and by 1967,12 to protect the skin. This is because DMSO prevents radiation from:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Breaking apart chromosomes,13 DNA, RNA, proteins,14 and the mitochondria.15<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Creating damaging oxygen species16 and free radicals.17<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Triggering an immune response (e.g., by reducing IL-1, IL-6, TNF-\u03b1, and TGF-\u03b218), chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and adhesions.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Putting cells into senescence19 (a state of permanent growth arrest).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Causing normal cells in the vicinity of the affected ones to die as well (e.g., when only 1% of cells are exposed to radiation, approximately 30% of non-irradiated cells will exhibit similar toxic effects too20), a fascinating phenomenon I believe is mediated through mitogenic radiation emissions.<\/p>\n<p>Since cancer radiation therapy frequently creates a variety of acute and chronic injuries such as burns, fibrosis, and internal tissue adhesions (all of which DMSO treats), DMSO is incredibly valuable for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy \u2014 particularly since DMSO not only prevents radiation damage but also rapidly heals the injuries radiation creates.21,22<\/p>\n<p>Most importantly, DMSO&#8217;s protective effects are specific to normal cells. In contrast, many studies show it increases cancer cells&#8217; susceptibility to radiation.23<\/p>\n<p>Note: I believe our focus on radiation therapy ultimately resulted from mining magnate James Douglas devising a way to produce cheap radium and then giving a large donation (along with subsequent donations) to America&#8217;s premier cancer institute to create a program for developing cancer radiation therapy that then spread across the world.24,25<\/p>\n<p>Radiation Exposure Studies<\/p>\n<p>Studies have repeatedly shown that DMSO protects cells26 (particularly when given prophylactically27) from being damaged by (often otherwise fatal28) radiation. For example, DMSO was shown to protect skin cells from dying after exposure to gamma radiation29 and make hamster cells four times as resistant to radiation.30<\/p>\n<p>These same protective properties have also been found in plants31,32,33 and many animals (e.g., mice,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43 rats,44,45,46,47,48,49 rabbits,50 newts,51 and fruit flies52).<\/p>\n<p>In animals, DMSO was repeatedly found to protect them from otherwise lethal radiation exposures53,54,55 and protect their skin,56 tails,57 oral mucosa,58 eyes,59 kidneys,60 intestines61 (which are particularly vulnerable to radiation damage), and testicles62 from radiation damage, along with protecting sperm from mutations63 and to accelerate tissue cellular regeneration following an injury.64<\/p>\n<p>Finally, DMSO was shown to prevent the psychological trauma and behavioral changes rats typically experienced from radiation injuries (presumably by preventing radiation from causing injury65).<\/p>\n<p>DMSO also has a remarkable ability to protect and heal the skin from injury,66 and since 1966,67 numerous Russian, German, and Japanese studies have demonstrated DMSO&#8217;s impressive ability to protect human skin (along with its collagen and mucopolysaccharides) from radiation.68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80<\/p>\n<p>For example, DMSO has been shown to treat radiation fibrosis,81,82 radiation dermatitis,83 radiation injuries84 and other local radiation complications.85<\/p>\n<p>Note: While DMSO can treat radiation injuries, it is the most effective if given immediately beforehand to prevent radiation injuries.86<\/p>\n<p>DMSO has also been shown to protect tissues besides the skin. For example:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 In 80 patients who&#8217;d developed late local radiation complications (induration, ulcers) from the treatment of breast or genital cancer (or a noncancerous disease) DMSO resulted in both a high efficacy of treatment with no side effects.87<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 In 22 patients with cervical cancer topical found DMSO prior to internal gamma-ray radiation therapy prevented the normally expected radiation burns and other toxic reactions to the treatment (e.g., in the bladder and rectum) seen in 59 controls and that DMSO did not protect cancerous tissue.88<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 In 807 patients with cervical uterine cancer, putting 10% DMSO into the bladders an hour before receiving weekly internal irradiation therapy, dropped the radiation damage to the rectum from 19.0% to 9.5% and to the bladder from 8.8% to 7.1% (both of which dropped to 1.7% if metronidazole was also used).89<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 In another study, DMSO had a 50% success rate in treating patients which chronic radiation cystitis (e.g., from prostate cancer therapy).90 Likewise, a 1979 study also used DMSO to treat radiation cystitis.91<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 In 22 breast and cervical cancer patients, DMSO protected them against radiation dermatitis (e.g., erosion, blistering, itching, and pain) while also enhancing cancer sensitivity to radiation (as the DMSO treated areas showed skin reddening and exfoliation earlier) and accelerating the regrowth of normal tissues.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, when DMSO was only applied to one side, the non-applied side did worse, the hyperpigmentation that follows radiation therapy was greater in DMSO treated patients, and that only one of the 22 patients had to stop DMSO (due to having a skin eruption which may have been linked to DMSO).92<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 This author detailed a case of a patient with lung cancer that was treated with three months of radiation therapy but severely damaged her lungs (making her require oxygen and leaving her unsure if she&#8217;d survive) \u2014 but after topical and oral DMSO, she had a rapid recovery.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, he also shared a case of another woman with lung cancer who was expected to have significant lung complications from the treatment (as she required a borderline lethal dose), but took topical DMSO prior to each treatment and instead had no complications and was fully healthy three years later.93<\/p>\n<p>It is thus quite remarkable that all of this remains unknown. To quote the author of a 2022 study94 which found DMSO prevented testicular damage (and loss of hormonal function or fertility) following radiation therapy:<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Currently, there is no approved agent for the prevention or treatment of radiation-induced testicular injury &#8230; In summary, our findings demonstrate the radioprotective efficacy of DMSO on the male reproductive system, which warrants further studies for future application in the preservation of male fertility during conventional radiotherapy and nuclear accidents.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, in addition to the higher doses experienced from radiation therapy, diagnostic radiation, specifically CT scans (which expose the body to much higher radiation doses than X-rays) also pose a cancer risk \u2014 particularly since the dose of radiation with CT scans can have over a 10-fold variation.95<\/p>\n<p>In turn, a CT scan was found to make you 17% to 24% more likely to develop cancer,96 with the risk increasing97 the younger you were at the time of the scan and is much higher for certain types of cancers.98,99,100,101,102 A 2009 study estimated 29,000 cancers were caused by the CT scans performed in America in 2007.103<\/p>\n<p>As such, I avoid CT scans, which I do not feel are essential (particularly since a detailed physical exam frequently provides more actionable information). It is my sincere hope at some point in the future, DMSO will be given in conjunction with CT scans (but unfortunately their use keeps going up, and they are viewed as a highly lucrative growth market104).<\/p>\n<p>Tumor Surgery<\/p>\n<p>Since DMSO rapidly accelerates the healing of tissue and addresses the neurological components of pain, many studies have found that DMSO greatly facilitates surgical recovery (e.g., by accelerating healing, improving the strength of the final scar, reducing surgical site pain and eliminating fibrosis, enlarged scars, or tissue adhesions).<\/p>\n<p>As cancers are frequently treated with surgical removal, DMSO can also greatly aid the recovery from these surgeries (e.g., in dogs that required a unilateral mastectomy, giving IV DMSO 15 minutes before the surgery&#8217;s conclusion significantly reduced post-surgical inflammation105).<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, studies such as a 1992 trial106 of 198 patients with Stage III colon cancer, and a 1992 trial107 of 228 patients with stomach cancer found DMSO significantly reduced the chance that those cancers would relapse.<\/p>\n<p>Extravasation Injuries<\/p>\n<p>Since the medical field has been extremely reluctant to consider any alternative cancer treatment that could threaten its bottom line (regardless of how much data is behind it), DMSO has essentially not been utilized in the treatment of cancer. However, there is one exception to this rule, as DMSO is able to address a challenging issue encountered with chemotherapy without threatening the existing market.<\/p>\n<p>Since many chemotherapy drugs are quite toxic, they have to be administered in a tightly controlled manner. Unfortunately, in many cases however, the drug gets through the injected vein (extravasates) and leaks into the surrounding tissue.<\/p>\n<p>Note: Since extravasations are often not reported, estimates widely vary on how common they are (e.g., according to one study, in 0.1% to 6% of adults who receive chemotherapy108 while another made a compelling case extravasations occur in 39% of patients109).<\/p>\n<p>Due to how toxic some of the chemotherapy drugs are (particularly the anthracyclines), when that leakage occurs and the drugs concentrate in one area, it can often cause significant damage to the surrounding tissues and lead to ulceration or necrosis (tissue death).<\/p>\n<p>Since the existing treatments don&#8217;t always give satisfactory results and DMSO is extremely effective at healing a wide range of tissue injuries, it eventually got used as a treatment for these injuries and quickly caught on. For example:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 1981 rat study of doxorubicin extravasations showed that daily topical applications of 1 ml 90% DMSO with 10% \u03b1-tocopherol significantly reduced ulcer diameter.110<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 1982111 and 1986112 study tested numerous agents on ulcers created by applying intradermal doxorubicin to pigs and rats and found DMSO was the only agent that prevented or healed those ulcers.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 1984,113 1987,114 and 1994115 pig study along with a 2007 rat study116 also found DMSO treated or prevented extravasation injuries.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, in humans:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 1983117 case report, another 1983 case report,118 a 1989 series119 of 4 patients, a 1991 series120 of two patients, a 1994 series of two patients121 and a 2001 case report122 reported that DMSO prevented extravasations from causing ulcerations of tissue death or healed existing injuries (e.g., with &#8220;striking&#8221; improvement).<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 1988 study gave topical DMSO for anthracycline extravasations every 6 hours for 14 days to 20 patients, which prevented all of them from developing ulcerations. In the 14 who were evaluated at 3 months, there was no sign of residual damage in six patients, while a pigmented indurated area remained in ten.123<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 1995 study gave topical DMSO (for 8 hours a day over 7 days) alongside 3 days of intermittent cooling to every patient who experienced an extravasation over a 3.5 year period (which was either from doxorubicin, epirubicin, mitomycin, mitoxantrone, cisplatin, carboplatin, ifosfamide, or fluorouracil).<\/p>\n<p>Of those 144 patients, 127 could be evaluated, of whom only 1 ultimately developed an ulceration from the extravasation, and none experienced side effects from DMSO (beyond temporary skin irritation and a breath odor).124<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 1996 study of ten successive patients who experienced extravasation from chemotherapy were given DMSO and alpha-tocopherol, all of whom avoided ulceration or tissue death.125<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 2004 study of 147 patients with extravasations of anthracyclines (which typically leads to 28% developing ulcerations), found 99% DMSO caused only 1% to 2% of them to develop ulcers.126<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 2007 study explored applying DMSO and \u03b1-tocopherol as a gel rather than a liquid solution to treat extravasation injuries (which appeared to hold promise).127<\/p>\n<p>Chemotherapy Injuries<\/p>\n<p>In addition to addressing extravasation injuries, DMSO has also:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Been found to prevent doxorubicin cardiac toxicity.128<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Successfully treated palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia resulting from doxorubicin treatment.129<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Prevent the skin death that is often associated with injecting doxorubicin into the eyelid (which is done to treat eye spasms).130<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Protect against birth defects caused by hydroxyurea.131<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Reduce the carcinogenicity of chlorambucil (which often causes a secondary tumor to form after the initial treatment).132<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Decrease the lung injuries (e.g., pulmonary fibrosis) and weight loss caused by bleomycin.133,134,135<\/p>\n<p>DMSO has also been found to improve many other symptoms associated with chemotherapy (e.g., DMSO is frequently used to treat hair loss from a variety of causes, including chemotherapy) since it saves normal cells on the verge of dying following chemotherapy.<\/p>\n<p>Note: We find Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation following chemotherapy to be the most effective option for protecting a patient&#8217;s healthy cells from dying.<\/p>\n<p>Cancer Pain<\/p>\n<p>Cancer (and its treatments) are often accompanied by many other debilitating symptoms, including pain \u2014 which is so severe that opioids, rather than being restricted, are routinely used to treat it (e.g., fentanyl is often used to treat advanced cancer pain \u2014 but in 10% to 20% of patients the pain is severe enough that even the strongest opioids can&#8217;t address it136).<\/p>\n<p>Since DMSO has a rather unique mechanism of treating pain, it is often able to treat a wide range of challenging pain conditions nothing else works on (e.g., I&#8217;ve now had hundreds of readers share life-changing pain improvements from topical DMSO nothing else they&#8217;d tried had ever worked on). As such, many over the years have found it provided incredible relief for metastatic cancer pain.<\/p>\n<p>One of the most well-known examples was Otis Bowen MD (a popular second-term Indiana governor), who &#8220;illegally&#8221; used topical DMSO to treat his wife&#8217;s pain from terminal multiple myeloma and then publicly denounced the FDA&#8217;s absurd embargo on it at the AMA&#8217;s 1981 national meeting.137<\/p>\n<p>Remarkably, a few years later, Bowen became Reagan&#8217;s Secretary of Health and Human Services. Still, even then, with this highly ethical doctor at the helm of the HSS, DMSO was unable to overcome the FDA&#8217;s prohibition of it \u2014 which helps to highlight the incredible challenge RFK Jr. is now facing (but gradually surmounting). Likewise, a few studies have shown that DMSO can treat cancer pain:<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 1967 study included two older patients with cancer pain, one of whom had an excellent response to DMSO and one who had a good response.138<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 1967 study found that of 7 patients with metastatic cancer pain, DMSO gave 2 full and 2 partial remission.139<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 A 2011 trial gave DMSO and sodium bicarbonate to 26 patients with advanced cancers who were experiencing significant pain (even with all the available treatment options).140 This greatly improved their pain, their quality of life (e.g., chemotherapy symptoms), their blood counts, and their organ function:<\/p>\n<p>Note: A 2010 paper further discusses DMSO&#8217;s ability to treat intractable cancer pain.141 It highlights that this may be due to DMSO&#8217;s ability to address membrane hyper-excitability (e.g., through suppressing NMDA and AMPA induced ion fluxes \u2014 which are linked to central pain sensitization142,143 and may explain why DMSO also effectively treats complex regional pain syndrome144).<\/p>\n<p>\u0412\u0438\u0441\u043d\u043e\u0432\u043e\u043a<\/p>\n<p>DMSO&#8217;s ability to heal the body and restore its normal function transformed the practice of medicine, and had the FDA not buried DMSO sixty years ago; our medical science would be leaps beyond where it is now. In this article, I&#8217;ve tried to show how DMSO helps to address one of the most challenging decisions many will face in their lifetimes \u2014 is it worth tolerating the immense damage conventional cancer therapies will cause in return for them saving one&#8217;s life?<\/p>\n<p>As such, it&#8217;s unconscionable that DMSO was never incorporated as an adjunctive therapy for conventional cancer care, particularly in the case of radiation therapy, since a vast body of literature shows simply applying it shortly beforehand can prevent most of the complications from radiation therapy and significantly increase its ability to treat cancer.<\/p>\n<p>However, while it has been immensely painful to watch the unnecessary suffering created by our outdated and pathological medical practices, for the first time in my life, I am simultaneously immensely hopeful. That is because Make America Healthy Again has created the window to spark the momentum to begin revisiting many of our long accepted medical practices and have our society ask if there is actually a better (or more affordable) way to do things.<\/p>\n<p>Author&#8217;s Note: This is an abridged version of a longer article that reviews how DMSO also directly treats cancer (e.g., by turning cancer cells back into normal cells or mobilizing the immune system to eliminate them) and how it greatly enhances the effectiveness of both conventional and natural cancer therapies (along with guidance for using DMSO to treat cancer and many other related conditions). That article can be read here.<\/p>\n<p>A Note from Dr. Mercola About the Author<\/p>\n<p>A Midwestern Doctor (AMD) is a board-certified physician from the Midwest and a longtime reader of Mercola.com. I appreciate AMD&#8217;s exceptional insight on a wide range of topics and am grateful to share it. I also respect AMD&#8217;s desire to remain anonymous since AMD is still on the front lines treating patients. To find more of AMD&#8217;s work, be sure to check out The Forgotten Side of Medicine on Substack.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"seo_booster_metabox":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3562,3892],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-164026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-baptism-confirmation","category-dr-mercola-daily-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How DMSO Eases Cancer\u2019s Hidden Burdens \u2014 Chemo, Pain, and Radiation Relief - Watchman News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/articles.mercola.com\/sites\/articles\/archive\/2026\/04\/15\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens.aspx\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"uk_UA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How DMSO Eases Cancer\u2019s Hidden Burdens \u2014 Chemo, Pain, and Radiation Relief - Watchman News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A New Series of Health Insights Is on the\u00a0Way   IMPORTANT  A New Series of Health Insights Is on the\u00a0Way Our team has been working behind the scenes to prepare new research and practical health strategies for our readers. While we finish preparing what\u2019s coming next, we invite you to explore one of the most-read articles from our library below. See exactly what&#039;s changing \u2192            DMSO is a remarkable naturally occurring substance that (provided it&#039;s used correctly1) safely and rapidly improves a variety of conditions medicine struggles with \u2014 particularly chronic pain. For example, thousands of studies show DMSO treats a wide range of:   \u2022 Injuries such as sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, and spinal cord injuries (discussed here).  \u2022 Strokes, paralysis, many neurological disorders (e.g., Down syndrome and dementia), and numerous circulatory disorders (e.g., Raynaud&#039;s, varicose veins or hemorrhoids), which were discussed here.  \u2022 Chronic pain (e.g., from a bad disc, bursitis, arthritis, or complex regional pain syndrome), which was discussed here.  \u2022 Many autoimmune, protein, and contractile disorders such as scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis (discussed here).  \u2022 Head conditions, such as tinnitus, vision loss, dental problems, and sinusitis (discussed here).  \u2022 Internal organ diseases such as pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis (discussed here).  \u2022 A wide range of skin conditions such as burns, varicose veins, acne, hair loss, ulcers, skin cancer, and many autoimmune dermatologic diseases (discussed here).  Many challenging infections such as shingles, herpes, chronic ear or dental infections, and osteomyelitis (discussed here). In turn, since I started this series, it struck a chord, and I have received over 2000 reports of remarkable responses to DMSO, and many readers have had for a variety of &quot;incurable conditions.&quot;  This begs an obvious question \u2014 if a substance capable of doing all of that exists, why does almost no one know about it? Simply put, like many other promising therapies, it fell victim to a pernicious campaign by the FDA, which kept it away from America despite decades of scientific research, congressional protest, and thousands of people pleading for the FDA to reconsider its actions. Consider for example, this 60 Minutes program about DMSO that aired on March 23, 1980:   In the 1960s a miraculous treatment for chronic pain, traumatic injury, strokes and spinal cord paralysis was discovered that spread across America like wildfire\u2014until the FDA buried it.Here, 60 Minutes exposed the FDA using the same playbook they used throughout COVID-19. A\ud83e\uddf5 pic.twitter.com\/Bh0dcjNk5w\u2014 A Midwestern Doctor (@MidwesternDoc) October 14, 2024  Video Link      DMSO and Cancer  Since there is a longstanding tendency for any &quot;unproven cancer therapy&quot; to be targeted by the medical industry, once the pioneers of DMSO realized early research showed DMSO was also remarkable for cancer, a decision was made not to focus on that research as a justifiable fear existed that doing so would bury DMSO (particularly since DMSO was already in a precarious position with the FDA). As a result, there is very little knowledge of how DMSO changes the cancer paradigm. For example:   \u2022 There are hundreds of studies showing DMSO routinely transforms cancerous cells into noncancerous ones.  \u2022 DMSO directly inhibits the growth of a wide range of cancers.  \u2022 DMSO allows the immune system to regain the ability to target cancerous cells that have evaded the immune system,2 which not only eliminates cancer but also can create permanent immunity to cancers.  \u2022 DMSO makes many conventional cancer therapies much more potent, both making a cure more likely and a far lower (and thus less toxic dose) dose needed to achieve it.  \u2022 Many natural therapies become dramatically more potent when combined with DMSO (e.g., one DMSO combination ranks amongst the most effective cancer treatments I&#039;ve ever encountered).  Furthermore, in addition to directly eliminating cancers, DMSO&#039;s remarkable ability to heal and protect the body can also make challenging cancers far more manageable. In my eyes, the suppression of DMSO&#039;s uses as an adjunctive cancer therapy represents the most egregious aspect of this story as in those instances, it&#039;s not even competing with cancer treatments \u2014 it&#039;s just reducing the suffering they cause (which if anything should be good for the cancer business).          DMSO and Radiation Therapy  Many of DMSO&#039;s remarkable properties result from it effectively protecting cells from a variety of otherwise lethal stressors (e.g., burns,3 freezing,4 blood loss,5 asphyxiation,6 UV light,7 and soundwaves8) and it significantly accelerates healing from injuries (e.g., sprains9 or burns10).  In addition to protecting cells from other sources of injury, as early as 1961,11 DMSO was also recognized to protect cells and tissues from radiation exposure, and by 1967,12 to protect the skin. This is because DMSO prevents radiation from:   \u2022 Breaking apart chromosomes,13 DNA, RNA, proteins,14 and the mitochondria.15  \u2022 Creating damaging oxygen species16 and free radicals.17  \u2022 Triggering an immune response (e.g., by reducing IL-1, IL-6, TNF-\u03b1, and TGF-\u03b218), chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and adhesions.  \u2022 Putting cells into senescence19 (a state of permanent growth arrest).  \u2022 Causing normal cells in the vicinity of the affected ones to die as well (e.g., when only 1% of cells are exposed to radiation, approximately 30% of non-irradiated cells will exhibit similar toxic effects too20), a fascinating phenomenon I believe is mediated through mitogenic radiation emissions.  Since cancer radiation therapy frequently creates a variety of acute and chronic injuries such as burns, fibrosis, and internal tissue adhesions (all of which DMSO treats), DMSO is incredibly valuable for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy \u2014 particularly since DMSO not only prevents radiation damage but also rapidly heals the injuries radiation creates.21,22  Most importantly, DMSO&#039;s protective effects are specific to normal cells. In contrast, many studies show it increases cancer cells&#039; susceptibility to radiation.23  Note: I believe our focus on radiation therapy ultimately resulted from mining magnate James Douglas devising a way to produce cheap radium and then giving a large donation (along with subsequent donations) to America&#039;s premier cancer institute to create a program for developing cancer radiation therapy that then spread across the world.24,25  Radiation Exposure Studies  Studies have repeatedly shown that DMSO protects cells26 (particularly when given prophylactically27) from being damaged by (often otherwise fatal28) radiation. For example, DMSO was shown to protect skin cells from dying after exposure to gamma radiation29 and make hamster cells four times as resistant to radiation.30  These same protective properties have also been found in plants31,32,33 and many animals (e.g., mice,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43 rats,44,45,46,47,48,49 rabbits,50 newts,51 and fruit flies52).  In animals, DMSO was repeatedly found to protect them from otherwise lethal radiation exposures53,54,55 and protect their skin,56 tails,57 oral mucosa,58 eyes,59 kidneys,60 intestines61 (which are particularly vulnerable to radiation damage), and testicles62 from radiation damage, along with protecting sperm from mutations63 and to accelerate tissue cellular regeneration following an injury.64  Finally, DMSO was shown to prevent the psychological trauma and behavioral changes rats typically experienced from radiation injuries (presumably by preventing radiation from causing injury65).  DMSO also has a remarkable ability to protect and heal the skin from injury,66 and since 1966,67 numerous Russian, German, and Japanese studies have demonstrated DMSO&#039;s impressive ability to protect human skin (along with its collagen and mucopolysaccharides) from radiation.68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80  For example, DMSO has been shown to treat radiation fibrosis,81,82 radiation dermatitis,83 radiation injuries84 and other local radiation complications.85  Note: While DMSO can treat radiation injuries, it is the most effective if given immediately beforehand to prevent radiation injuries.86  DMSO has also been shown to protect tissues besides the skin. For example:   \u2022 In 80 patients who&#039;d developed late local radiation complications (induration, ulcers) from the treatment of breast or genital cancer (or a noncancerous disease) DMSO resulted in both a high efficacy of treatment with no side effects.87  \u2022 In 22 patients with cervical cancer topical found DMSO prior to internal gamma-ray radiation therapy prevented the normally expected radiation burns and other toxic reactions to the treatment (e.g., in the bladder and rectum) seen in 59 controls and that DMSO did not protect cancerous tissue.88  \u2022 In 807 patients with cervical uterine cancer, putting 10% DMSO into the bladders an hour before receiving weekly internal irradiation therapy, dropped the radiation damage to the rectum from 19.0% to 9.5% and to the bladder from 8.8% to 7.1% (both of which dropped to 1.7% if metronidazole was also used).89  \u2022 In another study, DMSO had a 50% success rate in treating patients which chronic radiation cystitis (e.g., from prostate cancer therapy).90 Likewise, a 1979 study also used DMSO to treat radiation cystitis.91  \u2022 In 22 breast and cervical cancer patients, DMSO protected them against radiation dermatitis (e.g., erosion, blistering, itching, and pain) while also enhancing cancer sensitivity to radiation (as the DMSO treated areas showed skin reddening and exfoliation earlier) and accelerating the regrowth of normal tissues.  Additionally, when DMSO was only applied to one side, the non-applied side did worse, the hyperpigmentation that follows radiation therapy was greater in DMSO treated patients, and that only one of the 22 patients had to stop DMSO (due to having a skin eruption which may have been linked to DMSO).92  \u2022 This author detailed a case of a patient with lung cancer that was treated with three months of radiation therapy but severely damaged her lungs (making her require oxygen and leaving her unsure if she&#039;d survive) \u2014 but after topical and oral DMSO, she had a rapid recovery.  Likewise, he also shared a case of another woman with lung cancer who was expected to have significant lung complications from the treatment (as she required a borderline lethal dose), but took topical DMSO prior to each treatment and instead had no complications and was fully healthy three years later.93  It is thus quite remarkable that all of this remains unknown. To quote the author of a 2022 study94 which found DMSO prevented testicular damage (and loss of hormonal function or fertility) following radiation therapy:  &quot;Currently, there is no approved agent for the prevention or treatment of radiation-induced testicular injury ... In summary, our findings demonstrate the radioprotective efficacy of DMSO on the male reproductive system, which warrants further studies for future application in the preservation of male fertility during conventional radiotherapy and nuclear accidents.&quot;  Similarly, in addition to the higher doses experienced from radiation therapy, diagnostic radiation, specifically CT scans (which expose the body to much higher radiation doses than X-rays) also pose a cancer risk \u2014 particularly since the dose of radiation with CT scans can have over a 10-fold variation.95  In turn, a CT scan was found to make you 17% to 24% more likely to develop cancer,96 with the risk increasing97 the younger you were at the time of the scan and is much higher for certain types of cancers.98,99,100,101,102 A 2009 study estimated 29,000 cancers were caused by the CT scans performed in America in 2007.103  As such, I avoid CT scans, which I do not feel are essential (particularly since a detailed physical exam frequently provides more actionable information). It is my sincere hope at some point in the future, DMSO will be given in conjunction with CT scans (but unfortunately their use keeps going up, and they are viewed as a highly lucrative growth market104).  Tumor Surgery  Since DMSO rapidly accelerates the healing of tissue and addresses the neurological components of pain, many studies have found that DMSO greatly facilitates surgical recovery (e.g., by accelerating healing, improving the strength of the final scar, reducing surgical site pain and eliminating fibrosis, enlarged scars, or tissue adhesions).  As cancers are frequently treated with surgical removal, DMSO can also greatly aid the recovery from these surgeries (e.g., in dogs that required a unilateral mastectomy, giving IV DMSO 15 minutes before the surgery&#039;s conclusion significantly reduced post-surgical inflammation105).  Likewise, studies such as a 1992 trial106 of 198 patients with Stage III colon cancer, and a 1992 trial107 of 228 patients with stomach cancer found DMSO significantly reduced the chance that those cancers would relapse.  Extravasation Injuries  Since the medical field has been extremely reluctant to consider any alternative cancer treatment that could threaten its bottom line (regardless of how much data is behind it), DMSO has essentially not been utilized in the treatment of cancer. However, there is one exception to this rule, as DMSO is able to address a challenging issue encountered with chemotherapy without threatening the existing market.  Since many chemotherapy drugs are quite toxic, they have to be administered in a tightly controlled manner. Unfortunately, in many cases however, the drug gets through the injected vein (extravasates) and leaks into the surrounding tissue.  Note: Since extravasations are often not reported, estimates widely vary on how common they are (e.g., according to one study, in 0.1% to 6% of adults who receive chemotherapy108 while another made a compelling case extravasations occur in 39% of patients109).  Due to how toxic some of the chemotherapy drugs are (particularly the anthracyclines), when that leakage occurs and the drugs concentrate in one area, it can often cause significant damage to the surrounding tissues and lead to ulceration or necrosis (tissue death).  Since the existing treatments don&#039;t always give satisfactory results and DMSO is extremely effective at healing a wide range of tissue injuries, it eventually got used as a treatment for these injuries and quickly caught on. For example:   \u2022 A 1981 rat study of doxorubicin extravasations showed that daily topical applications of 1 ml 90% DMSO with 10% \u03b1-tocopherol significantly reduced ulcer diameter.110  \u2022 A 1982111 and 1986112 study tested numerous agents on ulcers created by applying intradermal doxorubicin to pigs and rats and found DMSO was the only agent that prevented or healed those ulcers.  \u2022 A 1984,113 1987,114 and 1994115 pig study along with a 2007 rat study116 also found DMSO treated or prevented extravasation injuries.  Likewise, in humans:   \u2022 A 1983117 case report, another 1983 case report,118 a 1989 series119 of 4 patients, a 1991 series120 of two patients, a 1994 series of two patients121 and a 2001 case report122 reported that DMSO prevented extravasations from causing ulcerations of tissue death or healed existing injuries (e.g., with &quot;striking&quot; improvement).  \u2022 A 1988 study gave topical DMSO for anthracycline extravasations every 6 hours for 14 days to 20 patients, which prevented all of them from developing ulcerations. In the 14 who were evaluated at 3 months, there was no sign of residual damage in six patients, while a pigmented indurated area remained in ten.123  \u2022 A 1995 study gave topical DMSO (for 8 hours a day over 7 days) alongside 3 days of intermittent cooling to every patient who experienced an extravasation over a 3.5 year period (which was either from doxorubicin, epirubicin, mitomycin, mitoxantrone, cisplatin, carboplatin, ifosfamide, or fluorouracil).  Of those 144 patients, 127 could be evaluated, of whom only 1 ultimately developed an ulceration from the extravasation, and none experienced side effects from DMSO (beyond temporary skin irritation and a breath odor).124  \u2022 A 1996 study of ten successive patients who experienced extravasation from chemotherapy were given DMSO and alpha-tocopherol, all of whom avoided ulceration or tissue death.125  \u2022 A 2004 study of 147 patients with extravasations of anthracyclines (which typically leads to 28% developing ulcerations), found 99% DMSO caused only 1% to 2% of them to develop ulcers.126  \u2022 A 2007 study explored applying DMSO and \u03b1-tocopherol as a gel rather than a liquid solution to treat extravasation injuries (which appeared to hold promise).127  Chemotherapy Injuries  In addition to addressing extravasation injuries, DMSO has also:   \u2022 Been found to prevent doxorubicin cardiac toxicity.128  \u2022 Successfully treated palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia resulting from doxorubicin treatment.129  \u2022 Prevent the skin death that is often associated with injecting doxorubicin into the eyelid (which is done to treat eye spasms).130  \u2022 Protect against birth defects caused by hydroxyurea.131  \u2022 Reduce the carcinogenicity of chlorambucil (which often causes a secondary tumor to form after the initial treatment).132  \u2022 Decrease the lung injuries (e.g., pulmonary fibrosis) and weight loss caused by bleomycin.133,134,135  DMSO has also been found to improve many other symptoms associated with chemotherapy (e.g., DMSO is frequently used to treat hair loss from a variety of causes, including chemotherapy) since it saves normal cells on the verge of dying following chemotherapy.  Note: We find Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation following chemotherapy to be the most effective option for protecting a patient&#039;s healthy cells from dying.  Cancer Pain  Cancer (and its treatments) are often accompanied by many other debilitating symptoms, including pain \u2014 which is so severe that opioids, rather than being restricted, are routinely used to treat it (e.g., fentanyl is often used to treat advanced cancer pain \u2014 but in 10% to 20% of patients the pain is severe enough that even the strongest opioids can&#039;t address it136).  Since DMSO has a rather unique mechanism of treating pain, it is often able to treat a wide range of challenging pain conditions nothing else works on (e.g., I&#039;ve now had hundreds of readers share life-changing pain improvements from topical DMSO nothing else they&#039;d tried had ever worked on). As such, many over the years have found it provided incredible relief for metastatic cancer pain.  One of the most well-known examples was Otis Bowen MD (a popular second-term Indiana governor), who &quot;illegally&quot; used topical DMSO to treat his wife&#039;s pain from terminal multiple myeloma and then publicly denounced the FDA&#039;s absurd embargo on it at the AMA&#039;s 1981 national meeting.137  Remarkably, a few years later, Bowen became Reagan&#039;s Secretary of Health and Human Services. Still, even then, with this highly ethical doctor at the helm of the HSS, DMSO was unable to overcome the FDA&#039;s prohibition of it \u2014 which helps to highlight the incredible challenge RFK Jr. is now facing (but gradually surmounting). Likewise, a few studies have shown that DMSO can treat cancer pain:   \u2022 A 1967 study included two older patients with cancer pain, one of whom had an excellent response to DMSO and one who had a good response.138  \u2022 A 1967 study found that of 7 patients with metastatic cancer pain, DMSO gave 2 full and 2 partial remission.139  \u2022 A 2011 trial gave DMSO and sodium bicarbonate to 26 patients with advanced cancers who were experiencing significant pain (even with all the available treatment options).140 This greatly improved their pain, their quality of life (e.g., chemotherapy symptoms), their blood counts, and their organ function:        Note: A 2010 paper further discusses DMSO&#039;s ability to treat intractable cancer pain.141 It highlights that this may be due to DMSO&#039;s ability to address membrane hyper-excitability (e.g., through suppressing NMDA and AMPA induced ion fluxes \u2014 which are linked to central pain sensitization142,143 and may explain why DMSO also effectively treats complex regional pain syndrome144).  Conclusion  DMSO&#039;s ability to heal the body and restore its normal function transformed the practice of medicine, and had the FDA not buried DMSO sixty years ago; our medical science would be leaps beyond where it is now. In this article, I&#039;ve tried to show how DMSO helps to address one of the most challenging decisions many will face in their lifetimes \u2014 is it worth tolerating the immense damage conventional cancer therapies will cause in return for them saving one&#039;s life?  As such, it&#039;s unconscionable that DMSO was never incorporated as an adjunctive therapy for conventional cancer care, particularly in the case of radiation therapy, since a vast body of literature shows simply applying it shortly beforehand can prevent most of the complications from radiation therapy and significantly increase its ability to treat cancer.  However, while it has been immensely painful to watch the unnecessary suffering created by our outdated and pathological medical practices, for the first time in my life, I am simultaneously immensely hopeful. That is because Make America Healthy Again has created the window to spark the momentum to begin revisiting many of our long accepted medical practices and have our society ask if there is actually a better (or more affordable) way to do things.  Author&#039;s Note: This is an abridged version of a longer article that reviews how DMSO also directly treats cancer (e.g., by turning cancer cells back into normal cells or mobilizing the immune system to eliminate them) and how it greatly enhances the effectiveness of both conventional and natural cancer therapies (along with guidance for using DMSO to treat cancer and many other related conditions). That article can be read here.  A Note from Dr. Mercola About the Author  A Midwestern Doctor (AMD) is a board-certified physician from the Midwest and a longtime reader of Mercola.com. I appreciate AMD&#039;s exceptional insight on a wide range of topics and am grateful to share it. I also respect AMD&#039;s desire to remain anonymous since AMD is still on the front lines treating patients. To find more of AMD&#039;s work, be sure to check out The Forgotten Side of Medicine on Substack.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/articles.mercola.com\/sites\/articles\/archive\/2026\/04\/15\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens.aspx\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Watchman News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-15T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-15T05:53:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.mercola.com\/assets\/images\/mercola\/bestarticles-icon.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"\u041d\u0430\u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430\u043d\u043e\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"\u041f\u0440\u0438\u0431\u043b. \u0447\u0430\u0441 \u0447\u0438\u0442\u0430\u043d\u043d\u044f\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"17 \u0445\u0432\u0438\u043b\u0438\u043d\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/articles.mercola.com\/sites\/articles\/archive\/2026\/04\/15\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens.aspx#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/watchman.news\/2026\/04\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens-chemo-pain-and-radiation-relief\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/watchman.news\/#\/schema\/person\/3f4506c6002f5893ba45478a4540739f\"},\"headline\":\"How DMSO Eases Cancer\u2019s Hidden Burdens \u2014 Chemo, Pain, and Radiation Relief\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-15T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-15T05:53:01+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/watchman.news\/2026\/04\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens-chemo-pain-and-radiation-relief\/\"},\"wordCount\":3484,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/articles.mercola.com\/sites\/articles\/archive\/2026\/04\/15\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens.aspx#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.mercola.com\/assets\/images\/mercola\/bestarticles-icon.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Baptism &amp; 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While we finish preparing what\u2019s coming next, we invite you to explore one of the most-read articles from our library below. See exactly what's changing \u2192            DMSO is a remarkable naturally occurring substance that (provided it's used correctly1) safely and rapidly improves a variety of conditions medicine struggles with \u2014 particularly chronic pain. For example, thousands of studies show DMSO treats a wide range of:   \u2022 Injuries such as sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, and spinal cord injuries (discussed here).  \u2022 Strokes, paralysis, many neurological disorders (e.g., Down syndrome and dementia), and numerous circulatory disorders (e.g., Raynaud's, varicose veins or hemorrhoids), which were discussed here.  \u2022 Chronic pain (e.g., from a bad disc, bursitis, arthritis, or complex regional pain syndrome), which was discussed here.  \u2022 Many autoimmune, protein, and contractile disorders such as scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis (discussed here).  \u2022 Head conditions, such as tinnitus, vision loss, dental problems, and sinusitis (discussed here).  \u2022 Internal organ diseases such as pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis (discussed here).  \u2022 A wide range of skin conditions such as burns, varicose veins, acne, hair loss, ulcers, skin cancer, and many autoimmune dermatologic diseases (discussed here).  Many challenging infections such as shingles, herpes, chronic ear or dental infections, and osteomyelitis (discussed here). In turn, since I started this series, it struck a chord, and I have received over 2000 reports of remarkable responses to DMSO, and many readers have had for a variety of \"incurable conditions.\"  This begs an obvious question \u2014 if a substance capable of doing all of that exists, why does almost no one know about it? Simply put, like many other promising therapies, it fell victim to a pernicious campaign by the FDA, which kept it away from America despite decades of scientific research, congressional protest, and thousands of people pleading for the FDA to reconsider its actions. Consider for example, this 60 Minutes program about DMSO that aired on March 23, 1980:   In the 1960s a miraculous treatment for chronic pain, traumatic injury, strokes and spinal cord paralysis was discovered that spread across America like wildfire\u2014until the FDA buried it.Here, 60 Minutes exposed the FDA using the same playbook they used throughout COVID-19. A\ud83e\uddf5 pic.twitter.com\/Bh0dcjNk5w\u2014 A Midwestern Doctor (@MidwesternDoc) October 14, 2024  Video Link      DMSO and Cancer  Since there is a longstanding tendency for any \"unproven cancer therapy\" to be targeted by the medical industry, once the pioneers of DMSO realized early research showed DMSO was also remarkable for cancer, a decision was made not to focus on that research as a justifiable fear existed that doing so would bury DMSO (particularly since DMSO was already in a precarious position with the FDA). As a result, there is very little knowledge of how DMSO changes the cancer paradigm. For example:   \u2022 There are hundreds of studies showing DMSO routinely transforms cancerous cells into noncancerous ones.  \u2022 DMSO directly inhibits the growth of a wide range of cancers.  \u2022 DMSO allows the immune system to regain the ability to target cancerous cells that have evaded the immune system,2 which not only eliminates cancer but also can create permanent immunity to cancers.  \u2022 DMSO makes many conventional cancer therapies much more potent, both making a cure more likely and a far lower (and thus less toxic dose) dose needed to achieve it.  \u2022 Many natural therapies become dramatically more potent when combined with DMSO (e.g., one DMSO combination ranks amongst the most effective cancer treatments I've ever encountered).  Furthermore, in addition to directly eliminating cancers, DMSO's remarkable ability to heal and protect the body can also make challenging cancers far more manageable. In my eyes, the suppression of DMSO's uses as an adjunctive cancer therapy represents the most egregious aspect of this story as in those instances, it's not even competing with cancer treatments \u2014 it's just reducing the suffering they cause (which if anything should be good for the cancer business).          DMSO and Radiation Therapy  Many of DMSO's remarkable properties result from it effectively protecting cells from a variety of otherwise lethal stressors (e.g., burns,3 freezing,4 blood loss,5 asphyxiation,6 UV light,7 and soundwaves8) and it significantly accelerates healing from injuries (e.g., sprains9 or burns10).  In addition to protecting cells from other sources of injury, as early as 1961,11 DMSO was also recognized to protect cells and tissues from radiation exposure, and by 1967,12 to protect the skin. This is because DMSO prevents radiation from:   \u2022 Breaking apart chromosomes,13 DNA, RNA, proteins,14 and the mitochondria.15  \u2022 Creating damaging oxygen species16 and free radicals.17  \u2022 Triggering an immune response (e.g., by reducing IL-1, IL-6, TNF-\u03b1, and TGF-\u03b218), chronic inflammation, fibrosis, and adhesions.  \u2022 Putting cells into senescence19 (a state of permanent growth arrest).  \u2022 Causing normal cells in the vicinity of the affected ones to die as well (e.g., when only 1% of cells are exposed to radiation, approximately 30% of non-irradiated cells will exhibit similar toxic effects too20), a fascinating phenomenon I believe is mediated through mitogenic radiation emissions.  Since cancer radiation therapy frequently creates a variety of acute and chronic injuries such as burns, fibrosis, and internal tissue adhesions (all of which DMSO treats), DMSO is incredibly valuable for cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy \u2014 particularly since DMSO not only prevents radiation damage but also rapidly heals the injuries radiation creates.21,22  Most importantly, DMSO's protective effects are specific to normal cells. In contrast, many studies show it increases cancer cells' susceptibility to radiation.23  Note: I believe our focus on radiation therapy ultimately resulted from mining magnate James Douglas devising a way to produce cheap radium and then giving a large donation (along with subsequent donations) to America's premier cancer institute to create a program for developing cancer radiation therapy that then spread across the world.24,25  Radiation Exposure Studies  Studies have repeatedly shown that DMSO protects cells26 (particularly when given prophylactically27) from being damaged by (often otherwise fatal28) radiation. For example, DMSO was shown to protect skin cells from dying after exposure to gamma radiation29 and make hamster cells four times as resistant to radiation.30  These same protective properties have also been found in plants31,32,33 and many animals (e.g., mice,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43 rats,44,45,46,47,48,49 rabbits,50 newts,51 and fruit flies52).  In animals, DMSO was repeatedly found to protect them from otherwise lethal radiation exposures53,54,55 and protect their skin,56 tails,57 oral mucosa,58 eyes,59 kidneys,60 intestines61 (which are particularly vulnerable to radiation damage), and testicles62 from radiation damage, along with protecting sperm from mutations63 and to accelerate tissue cellular regeneration following an injury.64  Finally, DMSO was shown to prevent the psychological trauma and behavioral changes rats typically experienced from radiation injuries (presumably by preventing radiation from causing injury65).  DMSO also has a remarkable ability to protect and heal the skin from injury,66 and since 1966,67 numerous Russian, German, and Japanese studies have demonstrated DMSO's impressive ability to protect human skin (along with its collagen and mucopolysaccharides) from radiation.68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80  For example, DMSO has been shown to treat radiation fibrosis,81,82 radiation dermatitis,83 radiation injuries84 and other local radiation complications.85  Note: While DMSO can treat radiation injuries, it is the most effective if given immediately beforehand to prevent radiation injuries.86  DMSO has also been shown to protect tissues besides the skin. For example:   \u2022 In 80 patients who'd developed late local radiation complications (induration, ulcers) from the treatment of breast or genital cancer (or a noncancerous disease) DMSO resulted in both a high efficacy of treatment with no side effects.87  \u2022 In 22 patients with cervical cancer topical found DMSO prior to internal gamma-ray radiation therapy prevented the normally expected radiation burns and other toxic reactions to the treatment (e.g., in the bladder and rectum) seen in 59 controls and that DMSO did not protect cancerous tissue.88  \u2022 In 807 patients with cervical uterine cancer, putting 10% DMSO into the bladders an hour before receiving weekly internal irradiation therapy, dropped the radiation damage to the rectum from 19.0% to 9.5% and to the bladder from 8.8% to 7.1% (both of which dropped to 1.7% if metronidazole was also used).89  \u2022 In another study, DMSO had a 50% success rate in treating patients which chronic radiation cystitis (e.g., from prostate cancer therapy).90 Likewise, a 1979 study also used DMSO to treat radiation cystitis.91  \u2022 In 22 breast and cervical cancer patients, DMSO protected them against radiation dermatitis (e.g., erosion, blistering, itching, and pain) while also enhancing cancer sensitivity to radiation (as the DMSO treated areas showed skin reddening and exfoliation earlier) and accelerating the regrowth of normal tissues.  Additionally, when DMSO was only applied to one side, the non-applied side did worse, the hyperpigmentation that follows radiation therapy was greater in DMSO treated patients, and that only one of the 22 patients had to stop DMSO (due to having a skin eruption which may have been linked to DMSO).92  \u2022 This author detailed a case of a patient with lung cancer that was treated with three months of radiation therapy but severely damaged her lungs (making her require oxygen and leaving her unsure if she'd survive) \u2014 but after topical and oral DMSO, she had a rapid recovery.  Likewise, he also shared a case of another woman with lung cancer who was expected to have significant lung complications from the treatment (as she required a borderline lethal dose), but took topical DMSO prior to each treatment and instead had no complications and was fully healthy three years later.93  It is thus quite remarkable that all of this remains unknown. To quote the author of a 2022 study94 which found DMSO prevented testicular damage (and loss of hormonal function or fertility) following radiation therapy:  \"Currently, there is no approved agent for the prevention or treatment of radiation-induced testicular injury ... In summary, our findings demonstrate the radioprotective efficacy of DMSO on the male reproductive system, which warrants further studies for future application in the preservation of male fertility during conventional radiotherapy and nuclear accidents.\"  Similarly, in addition to the higher doses experienced from radiation therapy, diagnostic radiation, specifically CT scans (which expose the body to much higher radiation doses than X-rays) also pose a cancer risk \u2014 particularly since the dose of radiation with CT scans can have over a 10-fold variation.95  In turn, a CT scan was found to make you 17% to 24% more likely to develop cancer,96 with the risk increasing97 the younger you were at the time of the scan and is much higher for certain types of cancers.98,99,100,101,102 A 2009 study estimated 29,000 cancers were caused by the CT scans performed in America in 2007.103  As such, I avoid CT scans, which I do not feel are essential (particularly since a detailed physical exam frequently provides more actionable information). It is my sincere hope at some point in the future, DMSO will be given in conjunction with CT scans (but unfortunately their use keeps going up, and they are viewed as a highly lucrative growth market104).  Tumor Surgery  Since DMSO rapidly accelerates the healing of tissue and addresses the neurological components of pain, many studies have found that DMSO greatly facilitates surgical recovery (e.g., by accelerating healing, improving the strength of the final scar, reducing surgical site pain and eliminating fibrosis, enlarged scars, or tissue adhesions).  As cancers are frequently treated with surgical removal, DMSO can also greatly aid the recovery from these surgeries (e.g., in dogs that required a unilateral mastectomy, giving IV DMSO 15 minutes before the surgery's conclusion significantly reduced post-surgical inflammation105).  Likewise, studies such as a 1992 trial106 of 198 patients with Stage III colon cancer, and a 1992 trial107 of 228 patients with stomach cancer found DMSO significantly reduced the chance that those cancers would relapse.  Extravasation Injuries  Since the medical field has been extremely reluctant to consider any alternative cancer treatment that could threaten its bottom line (regardless of how much data is behind it), DMSO has essentially not been utilized in the treatment of cancer. However, there is one exception to this rule, as DMSO is able to address a challenging issue encountered with chemotherapy without threatening the existing market.  Since many chemotherapy drugs are quite toxic, they have to be administered in a tightly controlled manner. Unfortunately, in many cases however, the drug gets through the injected vein (extravasates) and leaks into the surrounding tissue.  Note: Since extravasations are often not reported, estimates widely vary on how common they are (e.g., according to one study, in 0.1% to 6% of adults who receive chemotherapy108 while another made a compelling case extravasations occur in 39% of patients109).  Due to how toxic some of the chemotherapy drugs are (particularly the anthracyclines), when that leakage occurs and the drugs concentrate in one area, it can often cause significant damage to the surrounding tissues and lead to ulceration or necrosis (tissue death).  Since the existing treatments don't always give satisfactory results and DMSO is extremely effective at healing a wide range of tissue injuries, it eventually got used as a treatment for these injuries and quickly caught on. For example:   \u2022 A 1981 rat study of doxorubicin extravasations showed that daily topical applications of 1 ml 90% DMSO with 10% \u03b1-tocopherol significantly reduced ulcer diameter.110  \u2022 A 1982111 and 1986112 study tested numerous agents on ulcers created by applying intradermal doxorubicin to pigs and rats and found DMSO was the only agent that prevented or healed those ulcers.  \u2022 A 1984,113 1987,114 and 1994115 pig study along with a 2007 rat study116 also found DMSO treated or prevented extravasation injuries.  Likewise, in humans:   \u2022 A 1983117 case report, another 1983 case report,118 a 1989 series119 of 4 patients, a 1991 series120 of two patients, a 1994 series of two patients121 and a 2001 case report122 reported that DMSO prevented extravasations from causing ulcerations of tissue death or healed existing injuries (e.g., with \"striking\" improvement).  \u2022 A 1988 study gave topical DMSO for anthracycline extravasations every 6 hours for 14 days to 20 patients, which prevented all of them from developing ulcerations. In the 14 who were evaluated at 3 months, there was no sign of residual damage in six patients, while a pigmented indurated area remained in ten.123  \u2022 A 1995 study gave topical DMSO (for 8 hours a day over 7 days) alongside 3 days of intermittent cooling to every patient who experienced an extravasation over a 3.5 year period (which was either from doxorubicin, epirubicin, mitomycin, mitoxantrone, cisplatin, carboplatin, ifosfamide, or fluorouracil).  Of those 144 patients, 127 could be evaluated, of whom only 1 ultimately developed an ulceration from the extravasation, and none experienced side effects from DMSO (beyond temporary skin irritation and a breath odor).124  \u2022 A 1996 study of ten successive patients who experienced extravasation from chemotherapy were given DMSO and alpha-tocopherol, all of whom avoided ulceration or tissue death.125  \u2022 A 2004 study of 147 patients with extravasations of anthracyclines (which typically leads to 28% developing ulcerations), found 99% DMSO caused only 1% to 2% of them to develop ulcers.126  \u2022 A 2007 study explored applying DMSO and \u03b1-tocopherol as a gel rather than a liquid solution to treat extravasation injuries (which appeared to hold promise).127  Chemotherapy Injuries  In addition to addressing extravasation injuries, DMSO has also:   \u2022 Been found to prevent doxorubicin cardiac toxicity.128  \u2022 Successfully treated palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia resulting from doxorubicin treatment.129  \u2022 Prevent the skin death that is often associated with injecting doxorubicin into the eyelid (which is done to treat eye spasms).130  \u2022 Protect against birth defects caused by hydroxyurea.131  \u2022 Reduce the carcinogenicity of chlorambucil (which often causes a secondary tumor to form after the initial treatment).132  \u2022 Decrease the lung injuries (e.g., pulmonary fibrosis) and weight loss caused by bleomycin.133,134,135  DMSO has also been found to improve many other symptoms associated with chemotherapy (e.g., DMSO is frequently used to treat hair loss from a variety of causes, including chemotherapy) since it saves normal cells on the verge of dying following chemotherapy.  Note: We find Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation following chemotherapy to be the most effective option for protecting a patient's healthy cells from dying.  Cancer Pain  Cancer (and its treatments) are often accompanied by many other debilitating symptoms, including pain \u2014 which is so severe that opioids, rather than being restricted, are routinely used to treat it (e.g., fentanyl is often used to treat advanced cancer pain \u2014 but in 10% to 20% of patients the pain is severe enough that even the strongest opioids can't address it136).  Since DMSO has a rather unique mechanism of treating pain, it is often able to treat a wide range of challenging pain conditions nothing else works on (e.g., I've now had hundreds of readers share life-changing pain improvements from topical DMSO nothing else they'd tried had ever worked on). As such, many over the years have found it provided incredible relief for metastatic cancer pain.  One of the most well-known examples was Otis Bowen MD (a popular second-term Indiana governor), who \"illegally\" used topical DMSO to treat his wife's pain from terminal multiple myeloma and then publicly denounced the FDA's absurd embargo on it at the AMA's 1981 national meeting.137  Remarkably, a few years later, Bowen became Reagan's Secretary of Health and Human Services. Still, even then, with this highly ethical doctor at the helm of the HSS, DMSO was unable to overcome the FDA's prohibition of it \u2014 which helps to highlight the incredible challenge RFK Jr. is now facing (but gradually surmounting). Likewise, a few studies have shown that DMSO can treat cancer pain:   \u2022 A 1967 study included two older patients with cancer pain, one of whom had an excellent response to DMSO and one who had a good response.138  \u2022 A 1967 study found that of 7 patients with metastatic cancer pain, DMSO gave 2 full and 2 partial remission.139  \u2022 A 2011 trial gave DMSO and sodium bicarbonate to 26 patients with advanced cancers who were experiencing significant pain (even with all the available treatment options).140 This greatly improved their pain, their quality of life (e.g., chemotherapy symptoms), their blood counts, and their organ function:        Note: A 2010 paper further discusses DMSO's ability to treat intractable cancer pain.141 It highlights that this may be due to DMSO's ability to address membrane hyper-excitability (e.g., through suppressing NMDA and AMPA induced ion fluxes \u2014 which are linked to central pain sensitization142,143 and may explain why DMSO also effectively treats complex regional pain syndrome144).  Conclusion  DMSO's ability to heal the body and restore its normal function transformed the practice of medicine, and had the FDA not buried DMSO sixty years ago; our medical science would be leaps beyond where it is now. In this article, I've tried to show how DMSO helps to address one of the most challenging decisions many will face in their lifetimes \u2014 is it worth tolerating the immense damage conventional cancer therapies will cause in return for them saving one's life?  As such, it's unconscionable that DMSO was never incorporated as an adjunctive therapy for conventional cancer care, particularly in the case of radiation therapy, since a vast body of literature shows simply applying it shortly beforehand can prevent most of the complications from radiation therapy and significantly increase its ability to treat cancer.  However, while it has been immensely painful to watch the unnecessary suffering created by our outdated and pathological medical practices, for the first time in my life, I am simultaneously immensely hopeful. That is because Make America Healthy Again has created the window to spark the momentum to begin revisiting many of our long accepted medical practices and have our society ask if there is actually a better (or more affordable) way to do things.  Author's Note: This is an abridged version of a longer article that reviews how DMSO also directly treats cancer (e.g., by turning cancer cells back into normal cells or mobilizing the immune system to eliminate them) and how it greatly enhances the effectiveness of both conventional and natural cancer therapies (along with guidance for using DMSO to treat cancer and many other related conditions). That article can be read here.  A Note from Dr. Mercola About the Author  A Midwestern Doctor (AMD) is a board-certified physician from the Midwest and a longtime reader of Mercola.com. I appreciate AMD's exceptional insight on a wide range of topics and am grateful to share it. I also respect AMD's desire to remain anonymous since AMD is still on the front lines treating patients. To find more of AMD's work, be sure to check out The Forgotten Side of Medicine on Substack.","og_url":"https:\/\/articles.mercola.com\/sites\/articles\/archive\/2026\/04\/15\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens.aspx","og_site_name":"Watchman News","article_published_time":"2026-04-15T00:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-15T05:53:01+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/media.mercola.com\/assets\/images\/mercola\/bestarticles-icon.png","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"\u041d\u0430\u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430\u043d\u043e":"Admin","\u041f\u0440\u0438\u0431\u043b. \u0447\u0430\u0441 \u0447\u0438\u0442\u0430\u043d\u043d\u044f":"17 \u0445\u0432\u0438\u043b\u0438\u043d"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/articles.mercola.com\/sites\/articles\/archive\/2026\/04\/15\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens.aspx#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/watchman.news\/2026\/04\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens-chemo-pain-and-radiation-relief\/"},"author":{"name":"Admin","@id":"https:\/\/watchman.news\/#\/schema\/person\/3f4506c6002f5893ba45478a4540739f"},"headline":"How DMSO Eases Cancer\u2019s Hidden Burdens \u2014 Chemo, Pain, and Radiation Relief","datePublished":"2026-04-15T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-15T05:53:01+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/watchman.news\/2026\/04\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens-chemo-pain-and-radiation-relief\/"},"wordCount":3484,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/articles.mercola.com\/sites\/articles\/archive\/2026\/04\/15\/how-dmso-eases-cancers-hidden-burdens.aspx#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.mercola.com\/assets\/images\/mercola\/bestarticles-icon.png","articleSection":["Baptism &amp; 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