DMSO for Respiratory Diseases — Research and Patient Reports on COPD, Asthma, and Lung Recovery

Since childhood, I've known numerous smokers who had slow, agonizing deaths from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). These deaths were often quite traumatic for their family and friends, particularly as patients became increasingly disabled from their loss of respiratory function.

Once I entered medicine, I saw the other half of this tragic story. I lost count of how many COPD patients were subjected to the same medical protocols — which they often couldn't refuse because people will do anything to be able to breathe. They'd eventually get hospitalized for COPD exacerbations or pneumonia (common COPD complications), and before long, they'd enter a cycle of ever more frequent repeat hospitalizations until they died.

Note: Steroids are frequently used to manage COPD and slow lung destruction. However, steroids suppress the immune system, which coupled with the reduced respiratory turnover seen in COPD, makes patients much more vulnerable to pneumonia.

I later learned that the lungs concentrate a coating of glutathione (at levels 100 times that in other parts of the body1) to protect them from damage and that restoring this coating with nebulized glutathione could (without side effects) prevent further progression of COPD. Numerous studies in turn showed this worked2,3 particularly in COPD exacerbations4 and that in chronic lung diseases, the lung's glutathione tends to be depleted.5

Unfortunately, this idea never caught on. Most of my conventional colleagues weren't open to it, though I've come across many integrative doctors and naturopaths over the years who offer it for both COPD and chronic damage from wildfire inhalation.

To some extent, this resistance is predictable. Like many businesses, medicine revolves around recurring sales, and COPD is one of its core markets — patients are on medications for life and often need more as the disease progresses.

This helps explain why chronic diseases of the respiratory tract are the fourth most common cause of death in the United States, and in the US alone, 24 billion dollars was spent on COPD in 2023.6 This isn't a market the medical industry will ever willingly give up, regardless of the suffering created.

Note: Asthma is in a similar situation. While not as fatal as COPD, it still makes over 40 billion a year (increasing at 4.4% annually).7 Despite all the money poured into it, asthma rates keep going up (e.g., in 1999, 9.1% of Americans had ever been diagnosed with asthma; by 2022, 44.2 million Americans had it).8

The Power of Umbrella Remedies

In medicine, there are a few therapies (like ultraviolet blood irradiation) that can cure a wide range of diseases. We call these "umbrella therapies" because they address the root causes of many illnesses — things like poor circulation throughout the body, inflammation, and cells getting stuck in a state of shock where they stop functioning and eventually die.

DMSO safely does each of these and has repeatedly shown remarkable effectiveness for an incredibly diverse range of disorders:

• Strokes, paralysis, neurological disorders (like Down syndrome and dementia), and circulatory disorders (Raynaud's, varicose veins, hemorrhoids) — which I discussed here
• Tissue injuries like sprains, concussions, burns, surgical incisions, and spinal cord injuries (discussed here)
• Chronic pain from bad discs, bursitis, arthritis, or complex regional pain syndrome — covered here
• Autoimmune conditions like scleroderma, amyloidosis, and interstitial cystitis (discussed here)
• Head and neck problems: tinnitus, vision loss, dental issues, sinusitis (discussed here)
• Internal organ diseases like pancreatitis, infertility, liver cirrhosis, and endometriosis (discussed here)
• Skin conditions: burns, varicose veins, acne, hair loss, ulcers, skin cancer, autoimmune skin diseases (discussed here)
• Challenging infections including chronic bacterial infections, herpes, and shingles (discussed here)
• Many aspects of cancer treatment and symptoms (discussed here)

Additionally, DMSO has a unique ability to enhance the absorption of medications and natural therapies by facilitating their entry into the body, resulting in a myriad of beneficial therapeutic combinations (discussed here).

Because of this, I’ve now received over 3,000 reports9 from readers of life-changing benefits from using DMSO (which can be read here).

Real Stories from Real People

One thing that caught my eye in those testimonials was that numerous people shared how DMSO had either improved or reversed their incurable lung diseases, such as this man who overcame his incapacitating COPD.

This is an incredible story of a man curing his COPD with DMSO which matches what many readers have told me DMSO did for their asthma or COPD. Incredibly, 50 years of data shows DMSO heals the lungs, but the FDA has buried it and left many to suffer in silence for decades.🧵 pic.twitter.com/7AeeenQpzK

— A Midwestern Doctor (@MidwesternDoc) July 6, 2025

Daniel’s Story is not unique. For example:

“I am currently treating a 45 year old CF patient with DMSO and glutathione. She was in the beginning stages of getting worked up for lung transplant. We'll have PFT's from before treatment and updates every 3 months starting in August. 1 month in, she's feeling like a teenager again, exercising and has been illness free for 4 weeks now, which is the longest period without antibiotics since she was in her 20's.10

Okay, decades of smoking and drinking ruined my lungs — I knew it, but I was unable to stop at that point in my life. I'd had an operation to cut off some of the ruined parts of my lungs and that did not go well — Bullous Emphysema. Long story short, I was bedridden and on 4 liters of supplemental oxygen.

Trying to get upstairs in my home to shower was the biggest impediment. I was tremendously depressed and ready, (in my mind) to die. I tried nebulizing DMSO and now I can do household chores and light yardwork and my blood oxygen goes to 100%.11

I was told I have emphysema in the upper part of my lungs. After 2 strokes due to a clogged left carotid, I purchased DMSO to apply on my scar — which diminished pretty quickly. I also rub it on my chest and nebulize it — which cured my COPD. I also apply a drop to my ear to lessen tinnitus — it went from 35 decibels to five.12

My husband is 85 and has pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema. I rubbed his shoulders, back, and sides with DMSO for back pain and it’s amazing. Now he has more energy, is getting stronger, refused his wheelchair to go to church yesterday, and makes coffee for me before going to bed.13

I am using DMSO via a nebulizer (as well as topically) and it seems to be showing significant improvement in my lungs! I was on 4 liters and now use NO supplemental oxygen or any other medicine for my lungs (I was also taking Trelogy). Despite decades of excessive smoking and drinking, I am seeing remarkable results.14

I had a patient with scleroderma and interstitial lung disease (which had put them on the transplant list) but after receiving DMSO, the lung recovered and they no longer need a transplant. I also just saw a patient with sarcoidosis treating himself with DMSO nebulized. He said it made a big difference.” — James Miller MD15

Numerous studies over the decades in turn, corroborate these reports.

How DMSO Protects Injured Lungs

DMSO’s protective and restorative properties have been shown to rescue and revitalize the functions of many different organs including the lungs. For example:

• DMSO was found to prevent significant inflammation and tissue injury following traumatic impact on the lungs.16
• In mice exposed to lethal radiation doses, oral DMSO allowed all to survive and protected many body parts including the lungs.17
• DMSO prevented injuries from respiratory anoxia (being unable to breathe air in).18
• Following cold-restraint stress, DMSO reduced lipid peroxidation and stress-induced injuries in the stomach and lungs.19,20
• In rats with lung injury caused by blood flow loss and restoration, treatment with 5% DMSO reduced lung swelling, lowered harmful inflammation markers, and decreased mitochondrial DNA release, helping protect lung tissue.21 Similar results have been obtained in other studies.22,23,24
• DMSO was found to prevent lung injury from hemorrhagic shock (significant blood loss) and transfusing lost fluids back.25

COPD and Pulmonary Fibrosis — Where DMSO Really Shines

DMSO has been shown to effectively reduce fibrosis and scar tissue throughout the body (particularly in the skin). As this characterizes the lung damage in many chronic lung disorders, DMSO hence is a promising therapeutic option for them. Data includes:

• DMSO at 0.5% to 3% in a dose-dependent fashion, roughly halving the proliferation of fibroblast cells, suggesting it could reduce the fibrosis seen in chronic lung diseases.26
• In rats with experimentally induced silicosis, DMSO (2 ml/kg) reduced pulmonary fibrosis, lowered hydroxyproline levels, and normalized lung white blood cell counts.27
• DMSO reduced chronic pulmonary fibrosis, particularly when combined with zinc.28

DMSO hence has been shown to help those lung patients regain the ability to breathe. For example, in older patients with chronic respiratory insufficiency (characterized by chronically low blood oxygen levels, elevated carbon dioxide, and abnormal acid-base balance), daily intramuscular DMSO was found to lead to recovery without hospitalization in 35/43 (81%) patients.29

Note: Other studies have also shown that DMSO helps with chronic non-specific lung diseases.30

Protection Against Toxic Exposures

“DMSO has helped me though. I have a weak heart and lungs due to 10 years of exposure to chlorine in a pool. My chest pain instantly retreats when I use it as well as tinnitus when I apply to my forehead.”31

Many chronic lung issues come from respiratory exposure to toxins or numerous small ones, such as the particulate matter from smoking and wildfires (e.g., research from Hawaii shows the majority of those in the Lahaina fire still have symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, weakness, breathing issues, chest pain).32,33

•After sheep experienced lung injury from inhaling smoke, nebulized DMSO (with negatively charged heparin) was found to reduce lung damage significantly.34

Note: Positive ions (which disrupt the physiologic zeta potential) disable the movement of cilia, and hence prevent the airway from expelling harmful particulates.35,36

•In human lung cells, cooking oil fume condensate caused genetic damage — which DMSO effectively reduced.37

•Radioactive uranium dust (either from mining or depleted uranium munitions) is quite toxic and challenging to heal from. Fortunately, numerous studies have shown DMSO effectively neutralizes its toxicity and DNA damage in airway cells in a dose-dependent fashion.38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48

•DMSO prevents the inflammation, cellular damage, and edema alloxan causes in the lungs.49

•In human lung cells exposed to harmful cigarette smoke, a mixture of tea polyphenols and DMSO provided strong protection by significantly reducing DNA damage, chromosome abnormalities, and gene mutations.50

Note: Nebulized glutathione is also often very helpful for recovering from smoke or wildfire injuries.

Respiratory Infections

My English bulldog had a very stubborn case of pneumonia. She was on three different antibiotics over eight weeks and nothing seemed to help. Then we added DMSO to the treatment protocol! One week later her lungs were clear.51

Many of DMSO’s properties make it uniquely suited for treating infections, particularly in enhancing the penetration of antibiotics and reducing antimicrobial resistance. Since pneumonia is one of the top causes of hospital admissions and deaths, particularly in individuals with chronic lung diseases, this facet of DMSO is also quite helpful. Here's what the research shows.

•Tuberculosis is the world's most deadly infection, particularly due to increasing resistance. Many lab studies have shown DMSO directly inhibits bacterial growth52 and increases sensitivity to antibiotics by 3 to 200 times.53,54,55,56 As such, in guinea pigs with isoniazid-resistant tuberculosis, all died despite treatment, whereas if DMSO was given prior, they all survived.57

•In humans, DMSO significantly improves tuberculosis outcomes, such as in patients with destructive pulmonary and endobronchial tuberculosis who received nebulized antibiotics mixed in DMSO,58 in children,59 including a study where it healed destructive cavities,60 and where children had contracted tuberculosis from contaminated vaccines.61

•DMSO also treats other acute or suppurative respiratory diseases such as acute stenosing laryngotracheobronchitis in children.62,63,64 For example, in 2020,65 a Libyan hospital reported administering 16.67% DMSO and 2.78% ceftriaxone to 31 patients with lung abscesses — all experienced complete recovery with no recurrence.66

ARDS — When Lungs Fill with Fluid

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a life-threatening condition where alveoli fill with fluid and collapse (often requiring ventilators). DMSO has also been shown to help here:

•In rats with ARDS, intraperitoneal DMSO maintained blood oxygen levels, reduced plasma protein leakage into the lungs, and significantly protected the capillary-alveolar lining.67 When vitamin E was given as well lung injury further decreased.68

•In one study where DMSO was used for ARDS (given intravenously at concentrations under 10%),69 it produced a dramatic improvement in all three patients who received it. Prior to DMSO, all three were near death. In one case, when DMSO was nebulized, improvement was observed within one hour.

 

Asthma — Breathing Easy Again

As DMSO both reduces inflammation, relaxes muscles, and increases blood circulation, it holds significant promise for asthma.70 Many readers with asthma, in turn, have shared how DMSO changed their lives:

“Holy moly, this is crazy. Dosed this weekend, 3 days, taking a short break (just can't have that odor during office hours), and already my asthma is almost non-existent. Beyond belief.71

I've been using DMSO for about a week now for rather persistent asthma ... and have felt a marked improvement! I went from using my inhaler more than I have in a while to now using nothing but DMSO and feeling like my chest has opened entirely and I can take entire deep breaths! I went on a walk this morning and cruised up rather steep hills without barely any increase in my respirations! That never happens.72

Within days of starting to take 1 tablespoon of DMSO per day, I was able to use my albuterol inhaler less. Now it's been months since I last used it. I used to need an inhaler every time I played table tennis, but now never. I feel less sensitive to dust, although certainly not cured.73

I've been using DMSO since November 2024 (big improvement in veins and circulation). That is helping my severe asthma amazingly.74 DMSO has greatly improved my asthma.”75

Including for a cat:

“My 20 yr old cat developed a cough which the vet diagnosed as asthma.76 He wanted to put her on an inhaler, but I had my doubts that she would tolerate that. So I tried using DMSO on the back of her neck ... No coughing at all. Amazing stuff.”

Research supports these accounts:

•In mice with asthma, DMSO significantly reduced the proportion of TCD4 cells (which play a key role in airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness).77,78

•A study gave 153 adults DMSO mixed with a bronchodilator, steroid, and antihistamine via intramuscular injections. After evaluation, 37 (24.5%) had excellent results, 92 (60%) had good responses, while 24 (15.5%) had no change.79,80

•Numerous studies found DMSO increases steroid potency, making it possible to use much lower doses.81,82,83,84 Since steroids often have significant toxicity,85 this can be quite useful.

Note: There is also a century of research showing ultraviolet blood irradiation (which shares many therapeutic properties with DMSO) treats asthma, including treatment resistant cases.

Conclusion

DMSO’s broad spectrum of applicability for so many different diseases suggests that many illnesses we have arise from similar causes, and that illnesses rather than being discrete entities are simply different ways the body ends up manifesting that disease process.

Unfortunately, this way of looking at medicine goes against the interests of the medical industry, as it relies upon having different proprietary treatments for each condition that do enough to improve the condition that patients continue to take them, but not enough to cure it (and hence prevent them from becoming lifelong customers).

As such, umbrella remedies like DMSO are heavily marginalized by the medical profession, irrespective of how much data supports their use or how dire the need is for an effective therapy in many of the conditions they treat.

Fifty years ago, the recognition of what DMSO could do for struggling patients motivated many scientists and doctors around the world to devote themselves to studying it, and while the FDA largely succeeded in erasing their work — in reality, they only delayed it because if something is true, it is impossible to suppress it forever.

Due to an extraordinary confluence of events, it now appears we have arrived at the time many of the things the medical industry has spent a century burying can no longer be suppressed, with DMSO being just one of many things now suddenly emerging into the public consciousness. This is an incredibly exciting time to be alive and thank each of you for being a part of it with me.

Author's Note: This is an abridged version of a longer article which goes into greater details about how DMSO and nebulized glutathione can be used to treat lung diseases. That article, along with resources and protocols for obtaining and using DMSO can be read here.

A Note from Dr. Mercola About the Author

A Midwestern Doctor (AMD) is a board-certified physician from the Midwest and a longtime reader of Mercola.com. I appreciate AMD's exceptional insight on a wide range of topics and am grateful to share it. I also respect AMD’s desire to remain anonymous since AMD is still on the front lines treating patients. To find more of AMD's work, be sure to check out The Forgotten Side of Medicine on Substack.

Related: A woman facing a lung transplant reversed her condition with DMSO

Sources and References

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