What is MSM Good For?

admin | September 1, 2015 | Dietary Health Supplement

One of the most essential nutrients in the human body is biologically active sulfur. It helps in maintaining the person’s youthful appearance and energy. As the human body ages, it becomes stiff while the cells become rigid. The person’s overall energy also tends to greatly decelerate.

Methylsulfonylmethane or MSM is an organic sulfur compound that is naturally produced by the earth during rainy seasons. One can also obtain sulfur from natural unprocessed foods. However, the sulfur level tends to decline during the cooking process. Recently, MSM has been a subject of discussion among health enthusiasts due to its uses on longevity and anti-aging technologies. What is MSM good for in the first place?

Alternative for Sulfur-rich Food

Ideally, it is recommended that you get your daily dose of sulfur from the food that you consume. However, getting ample amount of sulfur on a daily basis can be a challenge due to people’s hectic lifestyle. Collagen and keratin are just two of the big sources of sulfur but people have been transitioning away from these foods and other traditional food sources.

Nowadays, sulfur is becoming widely appreciated by due to its numerous health benefits such as its role in the production of glutathione – one of the most important antioxidants in the body. Glutathione cannot work without sulfur. While MSM itself is not an antioxidant, it helps in improving the body’s ability to create its own antioxidants. This is just one of the amazing benefits of MSM.

There are also other ways wherein you can get MSM. Broth made from cooked bones of organically raised animals is also a good source of MSM. Since the connective tissues of the bones are known for being rich in sulfur, cooking down the bone and dissolving the nutrients into the broth, drinking it regularly can help replenish the body’s sulfur supply.

MSM Supplement

No medical uses for MSM have been approved by any government. Nonetheless, MSM dietary supplements are now readily available in the market. These supplements are heavily marketed with different claims of health benefits. These MSM health benefits claims all started when a biochemist named Robert Herschler claimed in his studies that MSM is ideal for treating allergies, gastrointestinal diseases, mucous-membrane inflammation, stress and other medical conditions. MSM is often used in combination with chondroitin and/or glucasomine to help prevent and treat osteoarthritis.

What is MSM Good for?

1. Improves complexion and overall skin health

MSM is considered one of the important elements in collagen production. A body’s decline in collagen production can lead to dry, sagging skin and wrinkles. MSM, when paired with vitamin C, can help build new tissues. With the help of MSM, the human body would be able to normalize collagen formation while having a positive impact on the overall skin health.

2. Improves flexibility

Numerous studies have shown that MSM is effective in improving the flexibility of the joints. Also, MSM has been shown to help in producing flexible skin and muscle tissue. Since the elasticity of the tissues is restored, this leads to an increase in flexibility.

3. Detoxification

One of the prominent qualities of MSM is that it helps make cells more permeable. Therefore, it would be easier for the body to release harmful materials like toxins and metabolic waste products from the cells. This will then enable essential nutrients to effectively nourish the cells. MSM is also known as a calcium phosphate dissolver due to its natural ability to break up the bad calcium in the body that’s causing various degenerative diseases.

4. Helps in strengthening the hairs and nails

Collagen and keratin are two of the most essential elements in hair and nails production. Considered as a natural beauty mineral, MSM helps provide the body the sulfur it needs to produce collagen and keratin. After just a couple of weeks of consistent use, people who are taking in MSM have noticed an exceptional change in the strength and thickness of their hair and nails.

5. Increases energy

Since the cells become more permeable with the help of MSM, less energy is needed to deal with the accumulation of toxins. The body then would be able to use the energy for other activities and healing processes. Digestion is considered one of the most strenuous bodily activities that require about 70-80% of the person’s energy on a daily basis. You can greatly reduce the amount of energy you spend on digestion by taking in MSM as it increases the absorption of nutrients.

6. Effective anti-inflammatory agent

Since MSM enables metabolic wastes to be removed from the cells, it is considered as a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. Inflammation is usually caused by excess weight on the body. By retaining the byproducts of the body’s metabolic processes, the cells of the body become chronically inflamed. In order for these toxins and byproducts to be removed from the body, ample amount of sulfur needs to be administered. When these toxins and wastes are removed from the body, the cells would be able to dispose any excess fluids that function as a buffer. This leads to a natural and effective reduction in the body’s unwanted weight.

How to Use MSM

MSM is readily available in the market in powder or capsule form. To get the best results, you may need to mix the MSM powder to any botanical source of vitamin C like lemon juice. Some MSM products sold in the market come with synthetic products, but there are some that are 100% organic. When starting out, you can mix one teaspoon of MSM powder to 16 ounces of water. Then, you can gradually increase your intake to two to three tablespoons on a daily basis to yield better results.

Conclusion

It is natural for any person to be cautious about using supplements as getting your daily nutrients from organic food is very much recommended. However, being realistic about your health is also important nowadays especially that having a perfect diet is hard to come by these days. In order to fill the gaps in your diet, taking in some supplements would be a big help.