Early health innovators, especially chemist Robert Herschler and surgeon Stanley Jacob, rediscovered DMSO (dimethyl sulfoxide) in the 1950s as a penetrating solvent with rapid medical benefits for pain, inflammation, burns, sprains, arthritis, and drug delivery.
Hailed as a wonder drug after trials on 37,000 people, DMSO was adopted quickly.
FDA suppressed DMSO in 1965 over flawed safety concerns, halting research despite its low cost, safety, and efficacy, much like it has halted other suppressed therapies.
Innovations like DMSO spread via observability and word-of-mouth but face regulatory overreach.