52
The double blind study, as has been outlined in the past, in my
opinion is impossible with DMSO because of its properties.
The decreased disability time is a vital factor and speaks for
itself. For the life of me, I cannot understand why results that one
bureaucratic body, and we call it the workmen's compensation
board back in Ontario, would look upon these results as spectacu-
lar, yet they are totally unacceptable to another bureaucratic body
called the Food and Drug Directorate or agency. In the United
States it is the agency and in Canada it is the directorate. I think
it is as pertinent for one as it is for the other. I was glad that Dr.
Reedy extrapolated his data and pointed out in his experience it
was his opinion that this would be as valid in industrial injuries as
it would be in sports injuries.
In 1965, I treated a few industrial injuries with DMSO and it was
my impression that their results achieved there were equivalent to
those in sports injuries. I think this is of extreme importance both
from a therapeutic and an economic standpoint.
Now, I wasn't going to talk about anything else. But I would like
to briefly point out several positive factors that were not brought
out in previous testimony by other medical witnesses.
Dr. Jacob did not mention one other property proved scientifical-
ly without a doubt, and that is DMSO relaxes muscles. It is a
muscle relaxant, and a darned good one.
One of the conditions that we see frequently in the practice of
medicine is a very common condition called herniated interverte-
bral disc-a slipped disc. In the vast majority of cases slipped discs
are a self-limiting condition.
They will clear up in 95 percent of cases no matter what you do,
in spite of what you do. That is fact. All that physicians do is give
symptomatic relief, waiting for nature to take its course, that is in
the 95 percent of cases.
Basically I will not use painkillers unless someone is against the
wall. My therapeutic attack has been directed on two fronts, the
use of an anti-inflammatory agent or a muscle relaxant, or both.
Basically right now it is down to the use of anti-inflammatory
agents because in order to get the muscle relaxant that is used to
work on these patients, I have to use valium-the most effective
muscle relaxant available—in high enough doses that you have to
put them to bed because of the drowsiness side effect.
I don't like putting people to bed. Psychologically it is a bad
place for them. They get too used to it. What I try to do is keep
them mobile as long as I can, as best I can. I cannot knock them
out, I cannot make them drowsy, and to use valium in the proper
dosage for muscle relaxation one requires a dose that is going to
make them at least drowsy. I just wouldn't trust that individual to
drive a car, for instance, with that dosage.
DMSO combines both. It is an anti-inflammatory drug and a
muscle relaxant. In the limited experience I had in 1965 treating
acute discs with DMSO, the results were very, very good, better
than either anti-inflammatories or muscle relaxants alone. They
cleared up more quickly than I had reason to expect, far more
quickly than I had seen in the past and now see with the conven-
tional forms of therapy.
