You Are 1/4 Sulfur - Learn More!

Sometimes reading something on line triggers my "Oh yeah, I need to write about that too." response.  In this case it was an article on Natural News about MSM, which I take daily but you may not know about it, or the reasons to take it.  The article jogged my memory about other things in my files so thought I'd put it all out here.

Last year I listened to an interview between Dr. Mercola and Dr. Stephanie Seneff.  It was so compelling I printed out the entire 40 page conversation.  The majority of the now printed article is about the dangers of statins, despite the medical professional prescribing them (over-prescribing!) and the drug companies raking in the dough from this and our worthless FDA support their use.  (If you are taking them, seriously re-consider this - Mercola and Seneff are only two of many, many doctors who see the dangers and try to warn people not to take them.)

Back to sulfur -

If you don't have enough sulfur, you can't process the sugars in the muscle cells.  This gets into the whole issue of fat cells playing a role in converting the sugar to fat in order to supply the muscles cells with fat which is a whole other thing.  Suffice to say this deficiency could be the precursor to diabetes, and according to Dr. Seneff, and a whole host of other diseases.

What has sulfur?  Coconut, olive oil, seafood, eggs.  You can soak in a magnesium sulfate bath and absorb it through your skin.  (It's Epsom salts - add a quarter cup to your bath - muscles sore? - you'll love this.) 

According to Seneff, with arthritis the body is forced to get its sulfur supply out of your joints, the collagen.   In that case, sulfur will keep you from getting arthritis and if you already have it, then look into a sulfur remedy. 

Sulfur makes up one quarter of the total body weight and is the third most abundant (or should be) mineral in the human body.  Half of the sulfur in the body is in muscles, skin and bones.  It's critical for making joint cartilage and keratin of the skin and hair.  Research is now suggesting that sulfur is almost as significant as Vitamin C since we must maintain a minimum level of sulfur for normal function.

The body uses up to an eighth of a teaspoon of sulfur daily to keep the cell membranes open and prevent the hardening of tissues.  New cells in our bodies need an exorbitant supply of sulfur and sulfur is even in the hemoglobin of the blood.  It is not stored in the body and any surplus is oxidized to sulfate and excreted in the urine or is stored as glutathione.

According to Craig Stellpflug (a Cancer Nutrition Specialist) sulfur deficiency is linked to a host of degenerative disease, such as: pain, joint trouble, fatigue, increased psychological and physical stress, and depression.  Some children with autism have low levels of sulfate due to poor absorption in the gut.  This might extend to anyone with severe issues that are gut-related.

MSM is a supplement that mimics the organic sulfur present in our bodies.  MSM is also known as dimethyl sulfone which is the sulfur compound nutrient found throughout the diets of all vertebrates.  It is odorless in its purified chemical for and is a water soluable.  It belongs in the same chemical family as oxygen and is a powerful antioxidant and detoxifier that even binds and assists in the removal of heavy metals from the body.

When your body is injured, MSM promotes healthy circulation to the injured area so nutrients can rush in for repairs.  MSM has an antiseptic and cleansing effect on the digestive tract while stimulating bile secretions, purifying the blood, improving hair condition, helping liver function while boosting metabolism and is used to produce glutathione - all while working overtime to prevent the accumulation of toxics impurities. MSM is one really great supplement for repairing joint troubles and carpal tunnel syndrome. 
 
A common dose is 1000 mg daily, which I take daily.  You might need more if you are having some of the problems mentioned above.  I increased my dosage after colliding with a chain link fence during a brisk pickleball game.  It sure helped speed up the healing - I was very bruised!  I can always tell if I've skipped my MSM because the stairs bother me and my knees get very sore by the end of the day.  I would not even THINK of doing sports without it.

I'm also a big believer of the bath soak remedy.  I bought a huge bag of magnesium sulfate that I add a few drops of aromatherapy oil to, put it in hot water and ahhhhhh.   I also made a spray-on version by dissolving some in water.  You only need to leave it on for 20 min for total absorption.  That is my least favorite method, however, because you feel kind of sticky afterward.  I tend to use it prior to a shower for that reason.

Dr. Seneff has not studied MSM because she says she is not a supplement advocate but feels there should be some research on this. MSM is Methyl - sulfonyl - methane. It is an organic sulfur-containing natural compound without any toxicity that has now been shown in recent studies to inhibit breast cancer growth. That in itself is great news!  As more research is done they may find some astounding things - already they are looking at this deficiency explaining MANY conditions and diseases we cannot seem to "cure" with our fabulous arsenal of pharmacopoeia.

We NEED sulfur, that cannot be denied since it is so big a part of our body chemistry, yet there are currently no tests being done routinely to check our levels.  Filtered water is minus sulfur, conventional farming leaves it out, so really unless you eat a LOT of foods with sulfur you could be deficient.  Of course the biggest test for that is just a simple one - how are you feeling???  Arthritic pains made me look into this ten years ago.  Haven't had any since I started the MSM.  (when I remember to take it, of course!)  I'd love everyone to feel GREAT! 

My thanks to Natural News and Dr. Mercola for information in this blog.