Facts about Cetylmyristoleate and Arthritis

Harry W. Diehl, a physical science technician who resides in Rockville, Maryland, retired after 40 years of service at the National Institutes of Health. Diehl practiced in the Laboratory of Chemistry at the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland, where he developed over 500 new compounds, several of which were patented by the U.S. Patent Office.

An award winning researcher, Diehl was recognized in 1958 for developing a new method of preparing 2-deoxy-d-ribose, a sugar found in deoxyribonucleic acid. This sugar is of vital importance to much basic research, and was used by Jonas Salk, M.D. as a culture medium to grow the Salk polio vaccine virus. Diehl’s process was published in the scholarly journal, Biochemical Preparations, which described it as the "world’s best method for making 2-deoxy-d-ribose." The last compound he developed before retiring is a crystalline compound called cellobionic lactone, which is an excellent plant cell inhibitor.

Since his retirement, Diehl has dedicated his research to finding a cure for arthritis. He has studied the disease for 60 years, first at NIH, and then at this home lab, ultimately discovering the compound cetylmyristoleate. A report on cetylmyristoleate was published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, March 1994. Discovery of cetylmyristoleate stemmed from Diehl’s observation that Swiss albino mice are immune to all forms of arthritis. Diehl successfully isolated the substance in the mice, cetylmyristoleate that makes them immune. The natural occurring compound is also found in sperm whale heads and beaver tails as well as mice. Cetylmyristoleate is made synthetically by chemically combining cetyl alcohol, which is isolated from the sperm whale’s head in a pure form, with myristolic acid, which is isolated from cow butter.

In his research, Diehl injected rats with an arthritis-inducing material that caused severe manifestation of arthritis in their legs and tails. After Diehl injected them with cetylmyristoleate, the rats were cured. The swelling left their joints and crippled limbs began to straighten.

As for dosage, Diehl said, "I have found in my research that people respond to various amounts. I took two capsules four years ago at the onset of severe pain. I was cured of arthritis in my heel, knees and hands. Also, I have no more headaches or bronchitis. Most people start with four capsules (taken between meals). After a period of four to sic weeks, three more capsules are taken. This can vary depending on a person’s condition and weight."

One example of some of the many letters and phone calls Diehl receives is one from the wife of a Maryland doctor who wrote that she had been suffering from arthritis in her hands along with osteoporosis in her back and neck. Treatment by a specialist, resulted in no relief from the terrible pain; and, after three more capsules, she said her back was healed. She is very happy to be free of her painful and crippling disease. She and many others have also reported that their high blood pressure dropped to normal since taking cetylmyristoleate.