 |
|
|
MSM
Quality
There is an unfortunate
tendency developing among MSM distributors over the last
year or so which has gotten to the point that we need
to say something about it. A growing number of companies are
cutting (diluting) their MSM products with excessive amounts
of fillers in order to increase their profits.
I need to point out
that flow agents, binders and fillers are legitimate
substances which are used to create tablets. Flow agents are
used to insert substances such as MSM into capsules. We in
no way want to imply that the mere presence of these
substances reduces the quality or effectiveness of a given
product. Many legitimate companies use these agents in their
products and, if using a high speed encapsulation machine,
flow agents are a necessary ingredient.
What we do want to
point out is that binders, fillers and flow agents can be
over used. We have had a number of brands tested and have
found that a significant number of them only contain between
40 to 60% MSM with the remainder being amorphous silicon
dioxide, rice flour or other starch based ingredients. These
fillers are quite inexpensive and, when overused, add
nothing to the quality of the product. They can be added for
the sole purpose of increasing profit. Here is how you can
tell if your product is truly pure MSM.
Pour about 4 ounces of
pure water into a clear glass.
Add approximately 1,000 milligrams of MSM to the water.
If you have capsules, open the capsule(s) and pour the
contents into the water.
If you have tablets, break a tablet in two and place it in
the water.
Let the water and MSM sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Tablets take
longer to dissolve in water
so you might need to give them up to 1/2 hour to completely
dissolve. A pure MSM tablet
will dissolve in about 3 to 5 minutes in a person's
stomach.
- If it is pure MSM, the
water will be clear with no powder or residue in it. It will
also be slightly bitter to the taste.
- If the water has a
powder floating on the surface or a residue on the bottom of
the glass which will not easily dissolve when you spin the
glass, it is not pure MSM.
- If the water is cloudy
or feels a little gritty or chalky when you take a sip, it
is not pure MSM.
- If the water tastes
sweet or salty, again it is not pure MSM.
The following three
paragraphs are taken from a recent communiqué with
one of our customers: We have recently become aware of an
exception to the above test. Since proposing the test, three
of our customers have called us complaining that our own MSM
did not completely dissolve in water. This, of course was
quite upsetting to me and we took back two of the batches of
MSM and have contacted the third person. When I received the
MSM back, I tried the test here in Oregon and both batches
quickly and completely dissolved leaving the water
clear.
Two out of these three
people live in Florida. This got me to thinking. I presume
that quite a few people have tried this test. Three people,
that I know of, have tried it and our own MSM did not
completely dissolve. Two of them live in Florida.
Hmm.
Much of the water table
in Florida contains significant amounts of limestone. Enough
calcium and magnesium carbonate, along with other minerals,
have probably dissolved in their water so that it is close
to the saturation point and cannot absorb much of the
MSM.
If you live in an area
with hard water and the MSM does not completely dissolve,
you might want to obtain a bottle of steam distilled water
and try it again before coming to any conclusions. Keep in
mind that the presence of other substances does not
necessarily mean that the product is of lower quality. A
person needs to use common sense in ascertaining the
approximate ratio of MSM to other substances. You simply
want to know if you received what you paid for.
Remember the old adage
- Buyer Beware! You are purchasing MSM to increase and
maintain your health and well being; not to line someone's
pockets.
We are of the firm
opinion that you should receive what you pay for. We will
not ever add unnecessary ingredients to any of our products.
We employ tableting and encapsulation methods in our pure
MSM products which eliminate the need for binders, fillers
and flow agents. Again, there is nothing wrong with using
reasonable amounts of these agents. We simply prefer to
offer pure MSM. That is a promise - and you can put it to
the test.
Note: We have been
asked how it is possible to tablet or encapsulate MSM
without the use of other ingredients. Besides the high speed
process, there is another encapsulation method available for
those who want to take pure MSM without anything else in it.
This method uses an
auger to grind the MSM into a fine powder and directly
inserts it into each capsule. It is a somewhat more
expensive method than using the high speed machines because
there is more machine time involved, however, it eliminates
the need for flow agents so you end up with nothing but MSM
and the capsule.
As for tableting, MSM
is a crystalline substance and, if it is not ground into too
fine a powder, the crystals will interlock and hold together
nicely when compressed into a tablet. There is some heat
exerted in creating tablets, however, it does not hurt the
MSM.
In nature, a volatile
compound, Dimethylsulfide, is constantly being released into
the atmosphere from the oceans. It is transformed through
photochemical oxidation and is converted to several sulfur
compounds. One of these is DMSO2 (MSM). This process occurs
in the presence of ozone and ultraviolet light so MSM is
created in extreme conditions. MSM is a highly stable
compound.
|
|
|
Secondary
Supplemental Health Products
