Has anyone ever taken MSM? Someone recommended it to me recently so I embarked on a course. It's supposed to be good for lots of things but I'm taking it because I get stiffness and pain in my neck and lower back. I have to say it's been amazing so far. Both my neck and back feel better and it's making me feel 15-20 years younger. 
 
It also seems to help recovery times after physical exercise as well. On Tuesday evenings I do a pretty intensive gym class and I'm ALWAYS hurting the next day, particularly in the thighs (we do a lot of squats with weights). My calves too. So last week I did the class and had no pain or stiffness whatsoever the next day. I was so amazed that this week I added a Monday night class too, and I didn't have so much as a twinge after either of them. 
 
But it's not just for pain. I also feel more alert after taking it (sometimes a little too alert if you know what I mean), feel like I have tons of energy (I'm speed walking everywhere) and the weird thing is even my hearing seems clearer. Maybe it helps clear mucus from the ear canal or something? Who knows. 
 
It's also supposed to be amazing for skin, hair and nails. It's definitely made my nails stronger and they're growing ridiculously fast as well. I can tell they're stronger when I clip them, I have to squeeze the clipper much harder, and they're tearing much less than before (I keep my right hand nails for guitar). 
 
Now I also find out that you can get MSM eye drops, with Amazon reviewers reporting relief from glaucoma and floaters as well as clearer vision. 
 
In case anyone's interested the brand I take is Jarrow, it's made with OptiMSM which is supposed to be top notch. I've read reviews from people saying that other MSM's are inferior. Again, who knows. The pills are a gram each and I'm taking 5 or 6 throughout the day. Apparently you have to work your way up to that though.

This is the one I was taking when I could afford supplements other than a daily multi-vitamin.  I was taking them for joint area issues (shoulder, back and knees) and they definitely help!  If you think they don't after trying them for a while, just stop and you will realize very quickly what they were doing for you - lol!
 

Yeah I used to take a Glucosamine/MSM combo as well. But looking back, the effects weren't nearly as pronounced as the effects I'm feeling from the MSM I'm taking now. The trouble with those combo pills is that the MSM dosage isn't nearly as high as the standalone capsules, so I'd have to take way more of them to get the same dosage. Others' mileage may vary, maybe some people do better with Glucosamine. However the reading I've done seems to suggest that MSM has a much wider range of advantages. 
 
One thing I noticed with both Glucosamine and MSM is that they helped my tennis elbow, which I had pretty bad at one point. I haven't felt so much as a twinge in ages (in my elbow that is). 

Hmm...  Maybe the best approach would be to take both supplements separately so you can increase one without having to increase the other?  (Provided that's your goal.)

Yeah I thought about that but then again I already take some other supplements and I was already starting to think that I take too many. I don't take vitamins, mainly herbal supplements, but still I can't help thinking about all the "extra stuff" they put in these things....luckily the MSM I take has nothing else but magnesium stearate plus the gelatin capsule. 

I had to look it up. Claims to treat a LOT of things, from cancer to snoring, which raised red flags and justified further research.
 
Turns out its main contribution is as a source of sulfur, which is critical for muscles. You tend to become more sulfur-deficient with age. Sulfur tends to be pissed away and therefore needs daily replenishment.
 
One of the best sources of dietary sulfur is fish. This fits with my own observations in my time in the Philippines, where the traditional diet is fish and rice. I know elderly folks there who have the strength and agility of a teenager. Then I contrast that with the current teen population there, who prefer pizza and burgers, at least among the more affluent. They're not doing nearly as well.
 
So eat your fish! (Broiled or barbecued rather than deep-fried, though.)
 
 

I wouldn't worry about outlandish claims made on dodgy websites Bit. Every supplement out there has its fair share of shifty websites with long lists of ailments it's supposed to "cure." Which is a shame because in some cases, the supplement or food in question actually is very healthy, it's just not magical. 
 
Take goji berries. At one point if you did a search for those on Google, the first 10 pages would be full of websites containing a similar blurb about people in the Himalayas living to 150 by eating them, then they'd present a long list of symptoms which goji berries cure - everything from IBS to hair loss to cancer to bad eyesight to yeast infections to depression. Then there would usually be a link to purchase some hugely overpriced goji juice. But in reality, goji berries aren't magical, they're just very tasty and quite healthy (I think they contain lots of beta carotene). 
 
MSM does have a lot of research backing it up though. You just have to sift through all of the usual "whole earth alternative medicine" websites which make nonsensical claims. 
 
Yes you can get it from dietary sources but you'd have to eat a lot of fish to get the kind of levels which are having the effect I'm feeling from the supplements, and besides as a vegetarian I don't eat fish (have never eaten it in my life) and the vegan sources are nowhere near as good. 

Traditional red wines have SO2.  I think I'll increase my intake and see what happens to my elbow 
 
Seriously - thanks for posting this Sharke

Once again, I have driven someone to drink....

I tried Osteo-Biflex with MSM for about a month and didn't notice any change but I have a budging disk and arthritis in my spine so maybe it wouldn't help that.
The ONLY thing I have found that actually makes me feel 20-30 years younger (for real).. is illegal and I risk getting no help at all if they find it in my pee. It really does work though. Takes away ALL the pain and makes me feel like I am 20-something, it makes music sound a LOT beater better too, especially Steely Dan.
 
J