MSM...... Good for Joints and other things.....

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IMPORTANT - this special edition of our health newsletter contains information about a highly effective dietary health supplement. No doubt some of you may have heard about this supplement which is called MSM or methyl-sulfonyl-methane, but many of you probably have not. If you or someone you know has any of the following health conditions or problems, then you owe it to yourself and them to review this article:

Allergies (food, drugs, environmental irritants)
Asthma
Yeast Infections
Skin Problems (eczema, seborrhea)
Muscle Cramps
Emphysema
Arthritis
Tendonitis
Stress
Constipation
Digestive System Problems
Inflammations
Toxicity
Blood Circulation Problems
Hormonal Problems
Diabetes
Tiredness & Fatigue
and several others
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WHAT IS MSM?

Most people have heard of DMSO, and how hundreds of thousands of people have been helped by using DMSO. A few years ago, the world's leading DMSO researcher, the eminent Dr. Stanley W. Jacob of the Oregon Health Sciences University, discovered and was able to isolate an extremely important and beneficial part of DMSO. It is referred to as Methyl-Sulfonyl-Methane, and is simply known as MSM. MSM is a nutritional form of biological sulfur. It is an amazing, naturally occurring vital nutrient found in all living organisms and foods, and has many desirable properties and effects for wellness and overall good health!

It looks and feels like cane sugar and is slightly bitter. Biological sulfur is the third largest ingredient found in the human body. Methyl-sulfonyl-methane is not a chemical, drug, petroleum byproduct, herb, stimulant, synthetic food additive, or any other non-organic substance. It is completely safe, odorless, and non-toxic and has been tested and proven to provide relief from many health problems (without any side effects).

MSM HAS BEEN KNOWN TO:

Relieve stress and constipation; help eliminate candida yeast infections; relieve asthma, emphysema, arthritis, and tendonitis; reduce muscle cramps and back pain; increase stamina and relieve lactic acid build-up during workouts; detoxify and energize the body; increase blood circulation; strengthen capillary walls and keeps cells from becoming rigid; reduce varicose veins; help keep hormones in balance; relieve allergies to foods, drugs, and environmental irritants; aid the liver in bile secretion and choline production; control stomach acidity while maintaining the body's normal pH balance; coat and help heal intestinal walls; increase the body's ability to produce insulin; aid in carbohydrate metabolism; boost vitamin, mineral, amino acid, & antioxidant utilization; speed wound healing; and assist with collagen synthesis thus keeping hair, skin, and nails healthy and beautiful.

WHY DO WE NEED MSM?

MSM is a natural form of organic sulfur found in all living organisms, and is present in low concentrations in our body fluids and tissues and needs to be replaced daily. It is estimated that the human body uses up at least 1/8 teaspoon of MSM each day! It is found in a variety of fresh foods, including fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, and milk. Unless your diet is composed primarily of raw foods, it is unlikely that you are receiving enough MSM for proper health management. When we process our foods with heat or drying, we lose most of the MSM that is vital to our well-being. MSM helps our bodies utilize the vitamins that we take, providing the means to derive the maximum benefit from those vitamins.

MSM is part of the Amino Acid Chain. Without the proper amount of MSM in our bodies, the amino acids will continue to build the glands, but fail to produce the correct enzymes, making us prone to unnecessary illness. MSM is the flexible bond between proteins. When a cell dies, a new cell takes its place. Without the needed amount of MSM, it attaches but becomes rigid. When tissues lose their flexibility, problems develop with the lungs and other parts of the body.

WHAT DOES MSM DO?

MSM detoxifies the body and increases blood circulation. Because there are few nerves in the bones, our pain comes from the soft tissue. Aspirin shuts off the nerves, but the muscles are still damaged. MSM takes out the inflammation, permits the muscles to heal and prevents them from becoming sore. If you play sports or work-out in a gym and normally get sore muscles the next day, take 1/2 teaspoon (4 capsules) of MSM before exercise and you will notice a difference. If taken after exercise, the soreness will go away faster.

MSM is a free radical scavenger, so allergies to food and pollens will go away. MSM also prevents overreaction to other medicines, so it does not work against any medications. MSM controls acidity in the stomach, so it can help ulcers. MSM coats the intestinal tract so parasites lose their ability to hang on. They are then flushed away. This could prevent colon problems.

MSM is the transport molecule for elemental sulfur or assimilable source of essential sulfur which is required for proper assimilation of the alpha amino acids methionine and cysteine. In addition, the peptide hormone insulin requires sulfur in its molecular structure and numerous other proteins, catalysts, and enzymes incorporate sulfur into their molecular framework. Proteins are essential for proper cellular metabolism and soft tissue synthesis. Proper protein synthesis can only be achieved with MSM monomers which maintain the correct molecular framework for soft and connective tissue throughout the human body.

At higher levels MSM functions as a pharmaceutically active agent which can be used safely and effectively for a variety of purposes. MSM, unlike DMSO, is a dietary factor and is free of unpleasant odors and neutralizes the toxicity of anticholinesterase, thereby providing protection against insecticide exposure or ingestion. When administered orally it is effective in ameliorating symptoms of physiological response to stress including gastrointestinal upset, inflammation of the mucous membranes, pain associated with musculoskeletal system disorders, and infectant allergens and appears to augment immunological competence through a natural vitamin like moderating or normalizing activity for various body functions and is noted for its exceptionally non-toxic nature for both children and adults, including geriatric patients.

MSM is also effective in ameliorating gastrointestinal upsets such as that produced by the ingestion of aspirin and other pharmaceuticals or parasitic infections. Individuals with gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, chronic constipation, nausea, hyperacidity and/or epigastric pain, or inflammation of mucous membranes also will experience dramatic relief. Individuals presenting symptoms of pain and inflammation associated with various musculoskeletal system disorders, including arthritis, reported substantial and long-lasting relief. A combination of MSM and ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) reported a greater benefit, this combination was especially useful in correcting leg cramps, as in athletes who experience severe leg cramps during sports activity. Migraine sufferers also have obtained substantial relief while arthritic patients report relief from pain and stiffness as well as reduced swelling and inflammation.

Clinical tests suggest that MSM has ameliorating or curing activity against a variety of medically important parasitic, microbial, fungal problems of the intestinal and urogenital tracts. MSM is active against Giardia lamblia (traveler's diarrhea), trichomonas Vaginalis, Nematodes, Enterodbius and other intestinal worms, systemic infections by Histoplasma Capsulation, Coccidioides Toxoplasma and other in vitro susceptible organisms. MSM may affect such infection by competing for binding or receptor sites at the mucous membrane surface presenting a blocking interface between host and parasite. MSM appears to augment immunological competence which may also partly explain its effectiveness in treating parasitic infections.

Less than 20% of the population may experience negative detoxification symptoms in the first one to ten days during which toxins are flushed from the system. Symptoms may include diarrhea, skin rash and/or possible headache along with several days of fatigue. In general, the more intense the symptoms the more toxins there are in the body and the more MSM is needed for detoxification. To reduce toxic symptoms (if you suspect candida or metals) start with a lower dose.

Subjects with chronic to severe allergies to environmental materials such as house dust, pollen, wool animal hair, feathers, and other diverse allergens report substantial to complete relief of their allergy symptoms. Allergy symptoms ranged from respiratory congestion to inflammation, itching, mucoid discharges, and general discomfort.

HOW MUCH MSM SHOULD BE TAKEN?

MSM is the missing link in our food chain. One-fourth of 1% of our total body weight is sulfur. The body needs about one (1) tablespoon a day for maintenance alone and more with increased activity.

A single dose of MSM is usually not effective in ameliorating symptoms. Noticeable results are usually seen within 2 to 21 days. The amount of MSM in each dose is not critical. The minimum individual dose is about 750-1000 mg twice a day. However, total daily dosages of 1500 to 5000 mg are recommended (2500 to 5000 mg being preferable). For a maximum benefit, it's recommended to use an initial "load" dose of 3000 mg twice a day (this dose can be safely continued indefinitely for maximum results). After initial treatment, physical energy levels should increase. The benefit of MSM will further be enhanced when 2000 mg or more of Vitamin C is consumed.

WHERE IS MSM FOUND?

MSM or DMSO2, a derivative of DMSO, has been found in primitive plants such as Equisetum arvense and in the adrenal cortex of cattle. MSM is found naturally in food when food is fresh, it is driven out of all foods, even with moderate processing. The "S" in DMSO2 stands for sulfur, most people are sulfur deficient unless they eat their fish and meat raw and their vegetables uncooked. MSM is present in most green plant food stuffs and certain algaes, and a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains in small amounts.

WHY DO WE NEED TO SUPPLEMENT WITH MSM?

If MSM is found in all foods, why do we need to supplement with MSM? Because of its volatile nature, MSM is quickly lost from food when it is processed, cooked, and/or stored. The second you pick fruit or vegetable from the tree or vine, it begins rapidly losing the MSM. Even in meat MSM is not abundant as it used to be. Today, animals are being fed with dried, stored grasses, hay, and grains, deficient in MSM. When your body uses the MSM molecule to produce a new cell, the MSM is lost forever. We need to continuously replace the body's supply of MSM to produce new and healthy cells. A conventional diet does not supply the minimum requirement of MSM. It is absent in synthetic food additives, dietary mineral compositions, food substitutes, and most fillers used to dilute or modify foods. With today's modern diet of cooked and otherwise processed and diluted foods most if not all, diets of civilized man are deficient in this critically important ingredient.

The body uses MSM to create new and healthy cells. Vitamins and amino acids work with MSM during this process. Without proper levels of MSM our bodies are unable to build good healthy cells, and this leads to illness. Our bodies are producing new cells 24 hours per day. If your body doesn't receive the proper nutrition and building materials it needs it will produce unhealthy dysfunctional cells deficient of the basic ingredients that constitute a healthy cell. If we want a good flexible cell, capable of maintaining good health, we need to supplement our diets with MSM which enables the body to heal itself. Your body knows what it needs. It will use MSM wherever it is needed in your system. Give your body the MSM it needs so it can build itself strongly and heal itself when necessary. Nutritional sulfur is an essential building block for over 150 life-sustaining substances.

HOW SAFE IS MSM?

MSM is as safe as drinking pure water. It can never hurt anyone. Because of its inert nature, MSM is non-allergenic, non-pyretic, and has no interfering or undesirable pharmacological effects. It can even be used as a safe blood dilutent. You cannot overdose with MSM. The body will use what it needs and after 12 hours, will flush any excess amounts out of the body. Because it is a free radical and foreign protein scavenger, MSM cleans the blood stream, so allergies to food and pollens go away. There is one side effect, however, your fingernails and hair will grow faster and become stronger! This is because there is more MSM in hair and nail cells than in any other part of the body.

ADDITIONAL FACTS ABOUT ORGANIC SULFUR

Sulfur is a mineral found in rather high concentrations in our body tissues. About half of the body's total sulfur is concentrated in the muscles, while the other half is found in the brain, hair, skin and bones. Sulfur comprises 0.25 percent of our body weight.
Sulfur has a vital relationship with protein, since sulfur is found in the amino acids methionine, cystine, and cysteine. Thus, these amino acids are known as the sulfur bearing amino acids which are considered the building blocks of protein.
The sulfur-bearing amino acid methionine is absolutely essential to health! This means is must be supplied by live food, or the food supplement MSM. A lack of proper protein in our diet, therefore means a lack of the vital organic sulfur necessary for good health. Proteins contain sulfur, while carbohydrates and fats do not.
Sulfur is necessary for collagen synthesis. Collagen is an insoluble fibrous protein found in vertebrates. It is the dominant component of connective tissue fibrils and bones. Sulfur operates as a synthesizer and activator with the B vitamins, thiamin, Vitamin C, biotin, and pantothenic acid, all of which are needed for metabolism and healthy nerves.
Sulfur plays an important part in tissue breathing, the process whereby oxygen and other substances are used to build cells and release energy.
Sulfur also helps to maintain overall body balance between acidity and alkalinity, and works importantly with the liver to excrete bile.
Research indicates that perhaps sulfur's most important health role is in carbohydrate metabolism, which is significant for hypoglycemics and diabetics. Sulfur is a significant component of insulin, the protein hormone secreted by the pancreas that is essential to the metabolism of carbohydrates. A lack of nutritional sulfur in the diet can result in low insulin production. On the other hand, a diet that contains adequate amounts of sulfur might increase the body's ability to produce insulin to the point where insulin injections can be reduced.
Because nutritional sulfur helps keep skin, hair and nails healthy, it has been referred to as "Nature's Beauty Mineral."
SOME SPECIFIC HEALTH BENEFITS
95% of MSM users report that ENERGY is the first result. MSM does so many positive things that it is one of the hottest subjects in the area of alternative medicine. Some of the information below was excerpted from studies that were conducted at the Department of Surgery of the Oregon Health Science University in Portland, Oregon.

ALLERGIES: Oral MSM moderates diverse allergic responses as to pollen and foods. Antiallergy medication and dissemination methods may be sharply reduced. An allergic reaction is simply your body's reaction to something foreign in your system. These foreign proteins and free radicals invade your body and cause reactions and problems. Your body responds with a sneeze, wheeze, swollen, puffy eyes, etc. When you take MSM, your cells become more permeable, enabling your body to quickly wash out any foreign particles in your system. Every twelve hours your body is designed to flush each cell of any unwanted debris. When your diet is deficient, the cell walls become hard and stiff and this hinders fluid flow through the cell walls. MSM softens the cell walls, allowing foreign proteins and free radicals to be washed out of your system. If enough MSM is taken, all of the foreign particles can be flushed from your system and your allergies will no longer occur.

ALZHEIMER'S & MENTAL HEALTH: The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells, intricately connected with each other like electrons in a electrical circuit. When you think - you send electrical impulses throughout your brain. Alzheimer's disease is a condition where the brain is coated with aluminum, causing it to short circuit and send brain impulses to the wrong synapse creating confusion. MSM opens the membrane that contains the aluminum, and allows the unwanted deposits to be flushed into the blood stream. A hot bath with chlorine bleach makes the body sweat and release the aluminum, thus leeching it off of your body. Individuals on MSM generally reported increased alertness, enhanced ability to concentrate, reduced mood changes, mood elevator, and particularly very infrequent depression observed that MSM relieved depression within hours rather than days, as had been their prior experience with anti-depression medication.

DIABETES & HYPOGLYCEMIA: The cells in the body have become rigid and non-permeable. The insulin carries the blood sugar to your cells but do not become absorbed because the cell walls are not permeable and prevent all the blood sugar to penetrate the cell walls. The pancreas works to hard and fast to compensate for the deficiency, but becomes injured and stops working correctly. The blood sugars that are not being used saturate the blood stream, creating a high level of blood sugar. By taking MSM regularly, your cells become permeable and the pancreas begins to be repaired. The blood sugars are now being absorbed by through cell walls and the body becomes healthier. After a few months on MSM, the pancreas should become self regulating, balancing your sugar levels.

LUNGS & EMPHYSEMA: Limited objective and strong subjective evidence suggests that MSM is a useful dietary supplement to reduce lung dysfunction. Emphysema is not caused by smoking. But the smoking burns the tissue in the lungs so that the cells are dying faster than the body is able to replace them with new cells. When cells are dying in a hurry and you're not giving your body enough building materials, you start losing the flexibility in the lungs and they tear. If this happens too often, and you still don't provide the necessary building materials, you start to build a type of scar tissue. MSM gives your body the building materials it needs to make good flexible cells and strong lungs, with the ability to expand and contract freely.

MUSCLE CRAMPS / SORENESS: MSM has the surprising ability to reduce the incidents of, or eliminate entirely, muscle cramps, Night leg cramps, muscle spasms, leg and back cramps after long periods of inactivity or in Athletes such as runners, who experience cramps during the participation in their sport. The MSM disallows the crystallization and build up of lactic acid. The MSM flushes the lactic acid out, along with all the other bad toxins in your system. By taking large amounts of MSM, more toxins that cause soreness are flushed out of your system.

PAINS & INFLAMMATIONS: MSM works on aches and pains associated with systematic inflammatory disorders. Individuals presenting signs and symptoms of pain and inflammation associated with various musculoskeletal system disorders reported substantial and long lasting relief while including MSM in their daily diet. Migraine sufferers have obtained substantial relief with MSM. MSM helps to make the cell walls more permeable which increases circulation. By increasing circulation there is less build up of pressure and in effect less pain. Taking the MSM regularly will help maintain good circulation and low pressure. Think of a cell as a balloon full of water but instead of rubber it's protein. When the protein is tough the water pressure inside the cell can become much greater than the water pressure outside the cell, and this causes inflammation or inflating of the cell. This is where most pain comes from. Aspirin shuts the nerve off but the cell is still damaged. MSM effects the protein so that the water freely flows through the cell wall, taking toxins out and getting more nutrition in. That is why a person with emphysema and asthma experience immediate relief. The cells flexibility enables more oxygen and nutrition to get inside the cell. MSM improved the chemical profile of arthritic patients (e.g. providing relief from pain and stiffness, reduced swelling and inflammation, coupled with a return of blood chemistry toward normalcy).

MICROBIAL INFECTIONS: MSM has an alleviating or curing effect on a variety of parasitic microbial infections. Efficacy can be determined by in vitro testing to determine growth inhibition or killing of the specific Organism by exposure to MSM at various concentrations. MSM has the ability to return the parasite susceptible tissue to normalcy with no impairment or injury to the host. Since MSM is an anti-parasitic it is also effective against diverticulosis. Hook worms, tape worms, and pin worms hang on to the pockets in the colon. MSM fills in the pockets and leaves a natural Teflon-like coating that they can't cling on to. As the worms hatch they flush out, preventing diverticulosis and constipation. Clinical tests suggest that MSM has an activity against a variety of medically important parasitic tracts. MSM, for example, is active against Giardia, Trichomondads, and round worms. MSM may affect such infections by competing for binding or receptor sites at the mucous membrane surface, presenting a blocking interface between host and parasite.

PMS: MSM helps the glands maintain a normal level of production. The normal level of enzymes, acids, and hormones, allows the body to go in and out of the cycle smoothly eliminating the cramps, headaches and nausea that come with the monthly cycle.

ULCERS: Your amino acids are all sulfur bonders, without the sulfur they are not complete; When they build a gland, the gland puts out hormones and enzymes that work as thermostats for chemical production in your body. Without the sulfur, the glands do not work right - they produce too much stomach acids and you get ulcers. Tagamet covers up symptoms, normally after three days on the MSM your off the Tagamet and after thirty days you can eat a Mexican dinner with jalepenos.

WATER RETENTION: The kidneys start slowing down due to some bad cells. The MSM gives the body the building blocks it needs to make good cells. The bad cells are replaced by good ones so the kidneys start working again. By fixing the kidney, the body will cure itself of the water retention and the problem is solved.

CONSTIPATION: Particularly in the older population seen in our clinic, chronic constipation can be a medical problem of concern. To date, over many subjects presenting chronic constipation have gained prompt and continuing relief by supplementing the diet with 100 to 500 mg of MSM per day.

TESTIMONIES FROM MSM USERS

"MSM, when taken in combination with vitamin C and pycnogenols, has given me the first genuine relief that I have ever experienced from my severe allergies, sinusitis, and asthma. For the first time in 53 years, I am 100% allergy free with no more shots, antihistamines, decongestants, or inhalers! MSM has also given me noticeably increased energy and stamina - both physical and mental!" - J. Bennett

"My name is Joan I used to have cramps and nausea every month. I started taking MSM powder two times a day. One heaping teaspoonful in the morning and in the night for two months. Now I do not have the cramps and nausea any more. I take one teaspoonful a day, and I feel good."

"My doctor had told me I had high blood pressure and that it was damaging the vessels in my eyes. He said the condition was irreversible, but could be stopped. I went to an ophthalmologist this morning and he could not find this condition in either eye. Six weeks ago I started using MSM. So, here's a condition that more that 2 doctors looked at in my eyes and said this is irreversible. Six weeks into taking MSM, I go to have this in-depth look-see and there is no sign of damage? Should I tell my doctor next time I see him?" - B. Sheaffer

"We bought some for a friend who is a severe diabetic. Doctors have wanted to amputate her legs due to complications from the diabetes. She has been on MSM for about four weeks now. She also started a 1/4 teaspoon twice a day. The first three days her blood sugar shot up (no doubt a "healing crisis") but since the fourth day, she is taking less than half her normal dose of insulin. Furthermore, she began to notice itching in her legs and by the third week leg cramps. She had not felt anything in them for a couple of years. So even though she is probably going through a "healing crisis" with her legs and they hurt like the dickens, she is thrilled to feel anything at all. (Her doctor thinks she is imagining the leg cramps.) We'll keep you posted as to how it turns out!" - L. Crumpacker

"My name is Bob and I'm a martial arts instructor. Because I over extended my joints while training, I had pain and a bad inflammation in my knees. I took MSM and literally in a few hours had relief of the pain. After continuing to take MSM, over a short period of time the swelling in my knees went down and I could see my knee caps again. Because of the MSM I have mobility, agility and feel much better."

"My name is George and I live in Portland, Oregon. My wife is 72 years old and for the last 6 years I could not communicate with her. She would get lost going from room to room and would forget why she was going there. I cooked, washed, bathed and put her to bed every day for 6 years. Then I learned about MSM, and how it could help. I gave her 2 heaping teaspoons full of MSM every day for two weeks. I had her soak in a tub with warm water and 3/4 cup of Clorox for 20 minutes twice a week. It leeched the aluminum out of her system. In two weeks, she was up cleaning the house, communicating clearly and going shopping. We are now living again thanks to MSM - It really works!"

"I had an infection in my bladder that spread to the vagina and so many antibiotics later I was still feeling its effects. It would not completely disappear. I read about MSM and decided it couldn't hurt to try this. With in one week of taking these pills, I can say it has totally gone away and my urine culture has come back negative for a change. I really think these pills helped me with this infection." - Dorothy C.

"I wanted to share a couple of experiences we've had with MSM. My husband, Bruce suffers from CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome). We started taking MSM, just a 1/4 teaspoon twice a day and noticed a significant improvement in our energy and stamina within a couple of weeks. While my husband still requires more sleep than most people, his days are more productive and his cognitive ability and concentration has improved tremendously."

"My name is Mr. Jones, my kidneys were not working right and caused by legs to retain water. My legs were swollen so badly that I was unable to fit in my shoes. I was introduced to MSM and began taking two teaspoons daily (a.m. - p.m.). Within a few days my kidneys began working right and the swelling was reduced to normal. Because of this I know MSM really works!"

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We believe that the best source for obtaining pure, high-quality MSM is from Life Plus International. Please visit our web page at http://www.aomega.com/ahs/m1020a.htm for additional information on the Life Plus brand called "MSM Plus." This page also has links to even more details, the other Life Plus products, and ordering information / instructions.

Thank you for reading this newsletter and may God Bless You and Your HEALTH!

Sandi & Darrin Quiles
Archangel Health Store
AlphaOmega Marketing
[email protected]

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Copyright © 1998 by Sandi and Darrin Quiles. All rights reserved.

Please note: the information contained herein has been compiled from various sources. The above statements have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. We make no claims, either expressed or implied, that any products mentioned in this newsletter will cure disease, replace prescription medication, or supersede sound medical advice.

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