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Miracle Mineral Supplement, often referred to as Miracle Mineral Solution or MMS, is the colloquial product name for an aqueous solution of sodium chlorite combined with Citric Acid as an activator, to create chlorine dioxide (an oxidizing agent), which is then heavily diluted with distilled water or juice. The name was first coined by Jim Humble in his 2006 self-published book, The Miracle Mineral Solution of the 21st Century, and is the name now most commonly used for just about any brand or solution using the same two ingredients.

MMS has brought up a multitude of controversy since Humble first published his findings. It has been called both a miracle medicine and quackery, because of a lack of scientific evidence to support or deny the claims of MMS.

USES

Claimed Uses

Jim Humble and his supporters claim that when MMS is taken internally in very minute diluted doses, it becomes an aide to the body in curing itself of such diseases and conditions as HIV, AIDS, malaria, hepatitis viruses, the H1N1 flu virus, common colds, acne, cancer, lyme disease and more.

Experimental Uses

Oral

Nine researchers from the Department of Oral Health Promotion, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences in Japan and the Centre for Oral Health Strategy in Australia, conducted a controlled 7 day study Effects of a mouthwash with chlorine dioxide on oral malodor and salivary bacteria, and found that the chlorine dioxide reduced the presence of plaque, tongue coating accumulation and the counts of Fusobacterium nucleatum in saliva, which is frequently associated with gum disease. Because of the short term exposure, the study calls for more research to be done.

Another experiment preformed by researchers at the Department of Communication, College of Arts and Humanities, University of Maryland in Maryland, reported that the use of a chlorine dioxide stabilized mouthwash was able to lessen the pain and close up the longterm wound in a patient who formerly had an open wound associated with bisphosphonate-related ssteonecrosis of the Jaw from medications she was prescribed to treat breast cancer. The patient had already tried all commonly accepted forms of treatment, and after five months of treatment with the phosphate buffer–stabilized 0.1% chlorine dioxide–containing mouthwash, her soft tissue had closed over the wound.

Sanitation

Chlorine dioxide can sanitize counter surfaces in homes, schools, industrial settings and medical offices. It is considered a biocide and is used to prevent the proliferation of bacteria, viruses and spores in food, drinking water and machinery.

Bleaching

Chlorine dioxide is used to bleach wood pulp for white paper and common flour cooking.

Fumigation

Chlorine dioxide is also been used to sanitize the air in buildings. The gas is aloud to permeate a room while no living beings (including plants) are present in the room, and after a time the room is aired out. This method has been used to clear out areas suspected of being contaminated by such things as anthrax.

Other studies have been preformed to test Chlorine Dioxides fumigant properties for such issues as Sick Building Syndrome, as provided by the National Center for Biotechnology Information.

CONTROVERSY

MMS is under hot scrutiny by both those that support it and those who do not. Those who support the medicinal and supplemental use of MMS, suggest that little harm is done by using MMS in the methods prescribed by Jim Humble. The ppm in the solutions for medicinal use are much lower than the solutions mixed to provide sanitation for machinery and surfaces.

Those who do not support the medicinal value of MMS have equally strong evidence to suggest that MMS is harmful and should not be consumed. Being that MMS, when properly prepared, creates a very diluted mix of chlorine dioxide, which is used as an industrial cleaner and bleach. The idea of ingesting even minute doses of bleach seems insane to many opponents of MMS.

There have been so many reports of both the curative abilities and the hazards of using MMS for medicinal purposes, that until the FDA officially conducts controlled studies to test the medicinal application of MMS, there is no way to officially prove or disprove the safety or danger of using MMS. For this reason, it is highly recommended not to try MMS without first consulting your doctor.

Evidence

Nearly all evidence that supports the use of MSS for various ailments is provided by personal experiences MMS users and the anecdotal and first hand accounts of Jim Humble and his health based churches around the world. Humble's book contains most of his findings, which are supported only by many personal user accounts on the internet. Because most of this evidence is anecdotal and has not been tested in a controlled setting, most experts refute the evidence as a well placed placebo effect at most.

Supporting Arguments

MMS is said to work not by curing any specific dis eases or ailments, but by killing off any harmful pathogens, viruses, bacteria or fungi that might be present in the body. By this action, it is said to give the human body the opportunity to heal itself of many illnesses, as it is the human bodies nature to heal itself when all conditions are optimal.

Others, who may or may not support MMS for medicinal uses, have also suggested that while there are some obvious risks to using MMS, those risk are no worse than the risks of many common and legally prescribed remedies. An example would be Chemotherapy and Radiation used for cancer patients. Chemo and radiation therapy work by killing off the cancer cells. Though chemotherapy and radiation also kill off most of the good cells and necessary flora of the body needed to heal a person and keep them healthy, which results in such side effects as seizures, hair loss, tooth decay, strokes, brain damage, nausea, wasting, organ failure and death. Nearly all pharmaceuticals come with a heavy warning of death or other serious side effects, even if they are uncommon or rare side effects. According the Jim Humble, MMS has been reportedly used by more than 75,000 people across the globe and it is uncommon for anyone using the product correctly to experience such adverse side effects as opponents of MMS suggest they will.

Remedies which utilize toxins to detoxify the body, have been used for thousands of years with many benefits in both health and the advancement of medicine on a whole, which is why these remedies are still used today in every medical profession.

Chlorine dioxide is also used in the sanitation drinking water and the bleaching of common cooking flour, which suggests that we already ingest chlorine dioxide in minute doses under FDA approval.

Opposing Arguments

Those opposing the use of MMS for medicinal purposes, have plenty of evidence on their side, being that MMS is chlorine dioxide, which can be a deadly toxin when consumed, inhaled or when it comes in contact with the skin. While MMS is of much lower doses then it would take to cause such effects, there is plenty of reason for caution in concern to using MMS.

The director of the New South Wales poison center has stated that using the product is "a bit like drinking concentrated bleach" and that users have displayed symptoms consistent with corrosive injuries, such as vomiting, stomach pains, and diarrhea. Sodium chlorite, the main constituent of MMS, is a toxic chemical that can cause fatal kidney failure.

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."

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 to this, 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.

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. 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.

SAFETY

Currently there have been no studies done by the FDA to test for the claimed health benefits of using MMS in the ways prescribed by Humble, and MMS is currently not recommended for ingestion in any form and the FDA has issued an alert against the use of MMS

Because of a lack of FDA support or research to prove or disprove the potential health benefits of MSS, many vendors, forum and group leaders have not suggested MMS to be used in any of the ways prescribed by Humble or other MMS users and have in fact posted warnings against consumption even though they support the medicinal uses of MMS, in order to avoid retribution from the FDA. In January 2010, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that one vendor admitted that they do not repeat any of Humble's claims in writing to circumvent regulations against using it as a medicine. This has creates a safety hazard because of the risk of some nefarious vendors who might be selling other chemicals with the intention of decieving buyers. Sellers sometimes describe MMS as a water purifier so as to circumvent medical regulations, as chlorine dioxide is often used for the purpose of sanitizing water.

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.

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency also released a warning, following the warnings from Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in which they stated that "MMS is a 28% sodium chlorite solution which is a very low dose equivalent to industrial-strength bleach. Even when taken as directed, the FDA and FSA suggest that MMS could cause severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, 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," and if prepared in higher doses then directed it can be deadly.

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. A short term study by the EPA found no effects in hematological or urine chemistry in physical symptoms in human volunteers over a period of 84 days.

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. According to the same organisation "chlorine dioxide is a severe respiratory and eye irritant in humans".

Toxicology

Several studies and controlled experiments have been preformed on the toxic consequences of low to high doses of Chlorine Dioxide diluted in water, on both animals and humans. The results have been mixed, though most of the studies have confirmed that low doses (3 ppm or less) do not produce significant effects on health, while higher doses or chronic exposure has very significant corrosive effects on health.

See also

• quackery
• pseudoscience
• Rhys Morgan
• Chlorine dioxide
• Jim Humble

References

1. ^ "FDA Warns Consumers of Serious Harm from Drinking Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS)". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
2. "Miracle Mineral". Miracle Mineral. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
3. "Praise for Rhys Morgan, 15, over 'miracle' cure alert". BBC News Online. 15 October 2010.
4. "Effects of a mouthwash with chlorine dioxide on oral malodor and salivary bacteria: a randomized placebo-controlled 7-day trial". PubMed Central. The National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
5. "Closure of an Open Wound Associated with Bisphosphonate-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw in a Breast Cancer Patient". PubMed. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
6. "Spray washing of tomatoes with chlorine dioxide to minimize Salmonella on inoculated fruit surfaces and cross-contamination from revolving brushes". Journal of food protection. Retrieved Dec 27th, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
7. "Chlorine Dioxide & Chlorite". Toxic Substances Portal. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
8. "Effect of Chlorine Dioxide Gas on Fungi and Mycotoxins Associated with Sick Building Syndrome". Center for Indoor Air Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Health Sciences Center, Texas Tech University. National Center for Biotechnology Information: PubMed. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
9. Jensen, Erik (2010-01-09). "Deadly chemical being sold as miracle cure". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
10. Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies, McGraw-Hill Professional; 8th edition (March 28, 2006), ISBN 978-0071437639
11. "Chlorates" (in French). Belgian Poison Centre. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
12. Clinical Toxicology of Commercial Products. Robert E. Gosselin, Roger P. Smith, Harold C. Hodge, Jeannet Braddock. Uitgever: Williams & Wilkins; 5 edition (September 1984) ISBN 978-0683036329
13. Sodium Chlorite - Summary Report of the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products - Veterinary Medicines Evaluation Unit
14. "Health Risks Associated with Use of Miracle Mineral Solution". Health Canada. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
15. Acute sodium chlorite poisoning associated with renal failure. Lin JL, Lim PS. Ren Fail. 1993;15(5):645-8. PMID 8290712
16. Robbins, Martin (2010-09-15). "The man who encourages the sick and dying to drink industrial bleach". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
17. "Evaluation des risques liés à la consommation du produit dénommé « Solution Minérale Miracle » (MMS)" (PDF). Comité de coordination de Toxicovigilance. march 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
18. "Subchronic toxicity of chlorine dioxide and related compounds in drinking water in the nonhuman primate". 2010-02-25. PMC 1569048. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
19. "Toxicity of Chlorine Dioxide in Drinking Water - International Journal of Toxicology". Informaworld.com. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
20. F.D.A. Warning letter
21. Calligeros, Marissa (24 April 2009). "Backyard cancer 'healer' deceived patients". The Brisbine Times. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
22. Harvey, Sarah (2010-01-24). "'Miracle' chemical dubbed a danger". Sunday Star Times. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
23. Jensen, Erik (2010-01-09). "Deadly chemical being sold as miracle cure". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
24. "Praise for Rhys Morgan, 15, over 'miracle' cure alert". BBC News Online. 15 October 2010.
25. Food Standards Agency. "Warning against consumption of Miracle Mineral Solution".
26. "Alert issued on danger supplement". BBC News. 2010-09-24.
27. "Chlorite (sodium salt) (CASRN 7758-19-2) | IRIS | US EPA". Epa.gov. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
28. "Chlorine dioxide (CASRN 10049-04-4) | IRIS | US EPA". Epa.gov. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
29. ^ "Chlorine Dioxide". Osha.gov. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
30. "Chlorine dioxide (CASRN 10049-04-4)". Integrated Risk Information System. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
31. "Controlled Clinical Evaluations of Chlorine Dioxide, Chlorite and Chlorate in Man by Judith R. Lubbers,* Sudha Chauan,* and Joseph R. Bianchine*" (PDF). The National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved 11 February 2012.

• Alternative detoxification
• Alternative medicine
• Toxicology
• Toxins
• Health fraud
• Pseudoscience