This is our review of the pain relief liquid called Arctic Blast. If you’re thinking about trying it for musculoskeletal pain and/or nerve pain, this should give you some insight into it.
You might have seen the Arctic Blast website with a presentation about its miraculous benefits. People who are able to live pain free thanks to this formula that’s “finally available to the public”.
In this review we will cut through the hype and examine this product with a skeptical eye. It can be hard to verify certain claims made about natural health products but we will try our best.
What Is Arctic Blast Pain Reliever?
It is a topical pain reliever that gets absorbed through your skin. It is marketed for people with all kinds of pain issues, including (but not limited to):
- general muscle and joint pain
- neuropathic pain
- carpal tunnel syndrome
- arthritis
This product is meant to treat pain locally – that is, in the area of your body that it’s occurring. Potentially this is one advantage over drugs that treat it systemically like Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or oral prescription drugs.
What Ingredients Are In Arctic Blast?
One of the central claims in their sales presentation is that it uses a “life-changing compound”, which turns out to be dimethyl sulfoxide, or DMSO.
DMSO
According to Healthline, DMSO was originally discovered as a byproduct of the paper-making process. Scientists learned that it can help pass small molecules through the skin, making it ideal for topical solutions.
Originally it was used for treating inflamed or hardened skin. Since then the medical community has explored how to use it for treating a variety of different indications in humans and animals.
In the United States, the only FDA-approved use of DMSO is for treating interstitial cystitis (a bladder disease).
At this point, other uses of DMSO – including for local pain relief – are still considered investigational or being studied. The website RXlist does a nice job of summarizing the current understanding of DMSO.
You may be wondering how Arctic Blast can be marketed as a pain relief product when the actual evidence for its active ingredient is insufficient. The answer is that the United States Food and Drug Administration does not review all claims made by health supplements.
What’s misleading here is that the FDA has approved the use of DMSO for a certain medical treatment, just not for pain relief. So it is technically true that they use “FDA-approved” ingredients (and we have seen other reviews that promote it as FDA-approved), Arctic Blast is not FDA-approved for pain relief.
Side Effects/Risks: Is DMSO Safe?
There are a range of possible side effects from DMSO. RXList lists the following:
Some side effects of taking DMSO by mouth or applying it to the skin include skin reactions, dry skin, headache, dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, breathing problems, vision problems, blood problems, and allergic reactions. DMSO also causes a garlic-like taste, and breath and body odor.
It’s also worth noting that DMSO is sometimes prescribed by a physician. Even though Arctic Blast does not require a prescription, you should still consult your doctor about using it.
Other Ingredients and Additives
The other ingredients include things like menthol, aloe, St. John’s wort oil and various other oils. Just like the main ingredient (DMSO), these are all things that may help relieve certain types of neuropathic and musculoskeletal pain, but there isn’t enough evidence to be sure.
Conclusion: Should You Purchase Arctic Blast?
Our recommendation: Given the lack of solid evidence for Arctic Blast as a pain reliever, we strongly recommend Mind Body Matrix Pain Relief as a more effective alternative to Arctic Blast. (Plus a portion of proceeds go toward helping veterans… a win-win.)