Dimethylsulfoxide, DMSO: Snake Oil? Why or Why Not?
[caption id="attachment_24310" align="alignright" width="480"] Dimethylsulfoxide[/caption]An exciting discovery received the public’s attention during the 1960s. Researchers discovered an unlikely organic compound, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) might be useful in delivering medications safely through the skin. The general public, in their enthusiasm, sometimes lay hold of a concept and run with it. Then, if there is negative publicity, the fickle public may – just as quickly – drop the idea. This is well-illustrated in an article produced for the (former) Decoded Science website by author John A. Jaksich, entitled Potassium Bromate: Food Additive and Carcinogen? Yet, was the rise and fall of DMSO popularity due to a fickle public, or was it due to an organizational structure of rigid rules that holds back advances, despite advantages the public might receive? For example, drug approval…