Anyone else tried MMS ?

steved said:

Good summary of issues
Safety and legal issues:
The Guardian has described MMS as "extremely nasty stuff, and the medical advice given is that anyone who has this product should stop using it immediately and throw it away. In Canada it was banned after causing a life-threatening reaction."[13] In 2009, an American woman travelling in Vanuatu took MMS as a preventative for malaria. Within 15 minutes she was ill, and within twelve hours she was dead. The island nation's public prosecutor, Kayleen Tavoa, did not press any charges as there were no specific laws banning the importation of MMS, but advised, "While every case is assessed on its own merits, I advise that any person who misuses MMS in Vanuatu in the future would be likely to face prosecution for potentially serious criminal offences. No person should ever give MMS to another person to drink without advising them of what it is they are drinking and of the serious risks to health that may arise if they decide to drink the mixture."[14][15]

In 2008, a 60-year-old Canadian man was hospitalized after a life-threatening response to MMS.[16] Following a May 2010 advisory which indicated that MMS exceeds levels deemed to be safe by a factor of 200,[17] a Calgary based supplier briefly stopped distribution. A February 2012 warning, which resulted in one website shutting down, advised: "There are no therapeutic products containing sodium chlorite authorized for oral consumption by humans in Canada."[18][19] In the UK, the Food Standards Agency also has released a warning, following the initial warning from Health Canada and a similar warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in which they stated that "MMS is a 28% sodium chlorite solution which is equivalent to industrial-strength bleach.[2] When taken as directed it could cause severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, potentially leading to dehydration and reduced blood pressure. If the solution is diluted less than instructed, it could cause damage to the gut and red blood cells, potentially resulting in respiratory failure."[20][21]

In December 2009, an alert was issued by the Belgian Poison Control Centre to the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists. In response, an evaluation was performed by the French "Comité de coordination de toxicovigilance" in March 2010, warning about a dose dependent irritation and possible toxic effects. They also warned that patients affected by serious diseases could be tempted to stop their treatments in favour of this alternative treatment.[22] A similar notice was released in July 2010 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning that the instructions for preparing the solution by mixing it with an acidic solution, or even orange juice, would produce chlorine dioxide, "a potent bleach used for stripping textiles and industrial water treatment." Because of reports including nausea, vomiting, and dangerously low blood pressure as a result of dehydration following instructed use, the FDA has advised consumers to dispose of the product immediately.[8]

MMS is not approved for the treatment of any disease and according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, chronic exposure to small doses of chlorine dioxide could cause reproductive and neurodevelopmental damage.[23] A short term study found no effects in hematological or urine chemistry or in physical symptoms in human volunteers over a period of 84 days.[24] While studies of chlorine dioxide effects in humans are rare, studies on animal subjects are more common; chlorine dioxide has been shown to impair thyroid function and reduce T4 cell count in monkeys after 6 months.[25] Another study in rats resulted in reduced red blood cells count when exposed to 100 mg/L of chlorine dioxide concentration in their drinking water, after 3 months.[26] The United States Department of Labor restricts occupational exposure through inhalation of chlorine dioxide to 0.1ppm since concentrations at 10ppm resulted in deaths in rats, after 10 days while a case where a worker was accidentally exposed to 19ppm resulted in death.[27] According to the same organisation "chlorine dioxide is a severe respiratory and eye irritant in humans".[27]

[edit] JudgementsMMS was a cure touted by an Australian couple targeting the Seattle area. They ran websites using fake testimonials (accompanied by sexy vignettes), photographs, and Seattle addresses, to promote downloadable books touted as containing secret cures as well as selling bottles labeled "water purification drops" with a brand name of "MMS Professional".[28] The Washington State Attorney General's Office filed suit, and in conjunctions with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), secured a settlement of more than US$40,000 for at least 200 residents.[29][30] In the ACCC legal action, the presiding judge described the cures as quack medicine and found the claims on the websites "false, misleading or deceptive".[28][31]

A woman from north Mackay, Australia, without qualifications to practice, charged up to A$2,000 to inject patients with MMS in her garage which lacked proper facilities for sterilization, and went as far as advising a person to avoid proper medical treatment. The Queensland Office of Fair Trading got a court order prohibiting her from "making any claims she is able to treat, cure, or benefit any person suffering from cancer" and she was charged court costs of A$12,000.[32][33]

My opinion
I wanted to post my opinion separate from the data above to keep opinion and fact separate. I do think this is different from the fact that chemo as well as many other drugs have significant and serious side effects. The main difference is that drugs under go rigorous testing through scientific procedure that records and documents benefits and side effects. These are then published in peer reviewed journals and included when you take the drug. It is only if the opinion of experts is that the benefits outweigh the side effects that the drug is licensed. None of these fact apply to something like MMS. The pharmaceutical industry is far from perfect but it is heavily regulated.

We all make our own judgements in how to fight this illness and all do so as adults. I therefore fully respect people's choices to take approaches that are totally different from mine and also lie outside my own values and principles. People are free to take industrial bleach if they wish. Pete is also clear that he is NOT promoting other people should do so which is vital- when people take more extreme approaches to fighting this illness they should be respected but they should also be cautious of promoting it to others especially on sites that include a lot of vulnerable and desparate people.

Personally my opinion is there is nothing that equates to significant evidence of benefit from MMS and lot of evidence of harm. This is opinion, not fact.

steve