I’m a retired, formerly busy DC with 27 years experience having well over 250,000 patient visits during which time several of my joints (bilateral shoulders, left thumb) have developed advanced degenerative changes (OA) directly due to my work from repetitive micro trauma. I was forced to retire early, awarded a full disability from two insurance companies due to these bilateral shoulder issues for which I do daily rehab that helps allow me to do activities of daily living (ADL’s). More problematic the last 5 years is an increasingly painful left carpometacarpal, (CMC) joint which has the hard, bony permanent swelling consistent with advanced OA bony calcification with surrounding soft tissue inflammation and swelling. I’ve used ice and I’ve done various thumb exercises but the pain had become slowly worse with constantly mild pain with moderate exacerbations over the last 5 years. So in the management of this I’ve refused any oral anti-inflammatory meds due to risk/benefit ratios I deemed unacceptable. Following AMD’s well-written piece on DMSO, his/her citing 9,000 plus literature citations on safety, previous well-referenced articles my training and experience agreed with, and reading many patient’s successful stories I ordered some with 99.995 purity. I use it just prior to bedtime with appropriate cleaning. I’ve improved nearly 100% with pain, the soft swelling nearly 100% reduced. Several times I’ve gotten small, itchy blisters just below the thumb that I avoid applying DMSO to which resolved. No other problems. Every medical product needs a risk/benefit analysis, nothing is 100%. I certify this to be 100% true.