Dimethyl sulfoxide -- DMSO -- is a form of the mineral sulfur. It appears naturally as a byproduct of paper manufacturing. Industrial-grade DMSO is used as a solvent. The chemical also exists as a pharmaceutical product to treat interstitial cystitis and arthritis pain. In addition, one of DMSO’s properties makes it ideal as an aid in diagnosing food allergies. However, use DMSO only under medical supervision.
DMSO on the Skin
According to Stanley W. Jacob, M.D., who until 2002 taught in the Department of Surgery at Oregon Health Sciences University, DMSO has properties that can have applications in health. He says that studies show the chemical can, for example, relax the muscles, stop nerve action that causes pain, act as anti-inflammatory and boost your natural defenses against infections. DMSO's capacity to penetrate your skin is the quality that is of interest to the field of food allergies.
About Food Allergies
A food allergy occurs when your immune system registers something that you eat as a dangerous substance. Thus, it launches an attack against your own tissues to kill what it perceives to be dangerous to your health. As a protective measure, your immune system releases histamine into your body, which results in an allergic reaction. Since so much of what you eat is combined with other ingredients -- think of what goes into a cake -- it may be hard to figure out what you are allergic to. For that reason, a medical doctor with a specialty in allergies may recommend you be tested to determine what you are allergic to.
Traditional Allergy Testing
The skin-prick test is one that your allergy doctor might do in her office. She puts a small amount of a suspected allergen’s extract on your arm or back. Afterwards, she pricks your skin to allow the substance to penetrate it. If you develop an adverse reaction -- swelling or redness -- you probably have an allergy to that food. A variation of that test involves injecting the potential allergen’s extract under your skin. A blood test is another option. Immunoglobulin E -- IgE -- is an antibody your immune system produces in response to an allergen or parasite. After your blood is drawn, laboratory equipment measures how much immunoglobulin E is in your bloodstream in reaction to a possible allergen.
DMSO Allergy Test Patch
An allergy test patch has been developed that takes advantage of DMSO’s capacity to penetrate the skin. The extract of a potential food allergen is held in suspension in DMSO. The blend is applied to a patch that is then placed on the skin. As the DMSO penetrates your body, it carries the suspected allergen with it. This test avoids painful pricks and injections. However, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve this method, though as of 2011, research was continuing.
