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Miracle Mineral Supplement, often referred to as Miracle Mineral Solution or MMS, is the colloquial product name for an alternative health therapy comprised of an aqueous solution of 28% sodium chlorite in distilled water. When mixed with a citric acid solution, chlorine dioxide is produced. The name was first coined by author, Jim Humble, in his 2006 self-published book, The Miracle Mineral Solution of the 21st Century.

Chlorine dioxide, generated by mixing MMS (sodium chlorite) with citric acid, is promoted as a disinfectant of air and water-borne pathogens as well as a remedy for pathogen-caused diseases including HIV, malaria, hepatitis viruses, the H1N1 flu virus, common colds, and cancer. However, claims of benefit come primarily from anecdotal reports, Jim Humble's book, and research conducted by Thomas Lee Hesselink, MD and Susan Busse, MD.

Consumer Safety Warnings

A notice was released in July 2010 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning that the instructions for preparing the solution by mixing it with an acidic solution, or even orange juice, would produce chlorine dioxide, "a potent bleach used for stripping textiles and industrial water treatment." Citing reports consisting of nausea, vomiting, and low blood pressure caused by dehydration, the FDA advised consumers to dispose of the product immediately. As of January 2011, no actual reports have been released to the public.

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency also released a warning, following the warnings from Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in it they stated that "MMS is a 28% sodium chlorite solution which is equivalent to industrial-strength bleach. When taken as directed it could cause severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, potentially leading to dehydration and reduced blood pressure. If the solution is diluted less than instructed, it could cause damage to the gut and red blood cells, potentially resulting in respiratory failure."

Studies

The United States Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health published a study from 1982 entitled Controlled Clinical Evaluations of Chlorine Dioxide, Chlorite and Chlorate in Man, which summarizes: ...by the absence of detrimental physiological responses within the limits of study, the relative safety of oral ingestion of chlorine dioxide and its metabolites, chlorite and chlorate, was demonstrated.

However, chronic exposure to small doses of chlorine dioxide could cause reproductive and neurodevelopmental damage, according to the EPA. A short term study found no effects in hematological or urine chemistry or in physical symptoms in human volunteers over a period of 84 days. While studies of chlorine dioxide effects in humans are rare, studies on animal subjects are more common; chlorine dioxide has been shown to impair thyroid function and reduce T4 cell count in monkeys after 6 months. Another study in rats resulted in reduced red blood cells count when exposed to 100 mg/L of Chlorine Dioxide concentration in their drinking water, after 3 months. The United States Department of Labour restricts occupational exposure through inhalation of chlorine dioxide to 0.1ppm since concentrations at 10ppm resulted in deaths in rats, after 10 days while a case where a worker was accidentally exposed to 19ppm resulted in death. According to the same organisation "chlorine dioxide is a severe respiratory and eye irritant in humans".

References

1. "Miracle Mineral". Miracle Mineral. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
2. "Malaria Initiative". Malaria Initiative. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
3. F.D.A. Warning letter
4. "Oxides Of Chlorine As Therapeutic Agents by Thomas Lee Hesslelink, MD". Thomas Lee Hesselink, MD. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
5. "Praise for Rhys Morgan, 15, over 'miracle' cure alert". BBC News Online. 15 October 2010.
6. Food Standards Agency. "Warning against consumption of Miracle Mineral Solution".
7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-11404218
8. "Controlled Clinical Evaluations of Chlorine Dioxide, Chlorite and Chlorate in Man" (PDF). nih.gov. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
9. "Chlorite (sodium salt) (CASRN 7758-19-2) | IRIS | US EPA". Epa.gov. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
10. "Chlorine dioxide (CASRN 10049-04-4) | IRIS | US EPA". Epa.gov. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
11. "Subchronic toxicity of chlorine dioxide and related compounds in drinking water in the nonhuman primate". Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2010-02-25. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
12. "Toxicity of Chlorine Dioxide in Drinking Water - International Journal of Toxicology". Informaworld.com. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
13. ^ "Chlorine Dioxide". Osha.gov. Retrieved 2010-04-07.

External links

• The Malaria Initiative
• Controlled clinical evaluations of chlorine dioxide, chlorite and chlorate in man

• Alternative detoxification
• Alternative medicine
• Toxicology
• Toxins