Coburn's Magic Bullet

A CBS 2 News Special Assignment

James Coburn suffers from a disease that nearly five million other Americans battle: rheumatoid arthritis.

But the 70-year-old actor says he's found something revolutionary that helps ease the pain.

CBS 2 News' Michael Tuck met with him, and tell us about Coburn's magic bullet.

Special Assignment: Coburn's Magic Bullet aired Thursday, May 20, 1999 at 11 p.m.

He's best known for fighting bad guys and winning every time. But James Coburn has had to fight the battle of his life off camera, and it nearly ended his career.

"All of the sudden I couldn't walk," Coburn said. "I mean I could walk, but it was so painful. And then standing up got to be such a dreadful thing, I said, 'My God, something's wrong here.' So I went to see a Beverly Hills doctor, and he says, 'You've got rheumatoid arthritis.'"

That diagnosis came 30 years ago, when the actor was in the prime of his life, reported CBS 2 News' Michael Tuck. Coburn's most popular work had been as top-secret spy Derek Flint in the comedy adventure series "Our Man Flint" and "In Like Flint." For an action star, the news was devastating.

"But I wasn't admitting it. I was just turning to stone," Coburn recalled.

Tuck recently visited with Coburn at his Beverly Hills home. They talked about Coburn's career, his battle with arthritis and what he says has given him new-found relief from the pain and stiffness.

"At it's worst, how bad was the arthritis?" Tuck asked.

"I couldn't stand without breaking into a sweat. Fast movement was very painful. It didn't matter what I was doing, if I was standing or sitting or moving my arms or anything," Coburn replied.

"This must have devastated your career," Tuck said.

"Oh, it did. I absolutely couldn't work," said Coburn. "I'd do things like little cameo things where I didn't have to move very much. I could just talk."

For years, Coburn tried everything to ease the pain. But he never got the answers he was looking for from his doctors, Tuck reported.

"I said, 'Well, what do I have to do to get over it?'" Coburn recalled. "He said, 'You're just going to have to live with it. That's the way it is.'"

"He gave me some pills to take and he said, 'If they don't work, come back here and I'll give you some other ones. We've got several of those things.' So it became a whole pharmaceutical trip.'"

Nothing seemed to work, until Coburn tried methylsulfonylmethane, or MSM. It's a natural supplement made of sulfur that comes in powder, pill and lotion form.

"The MSM, was that as close to a magic bullet for you?" asked Tuck.

"Oh, absolutely. It took the pain away," Coburn responded.

Coburn first found out about MSM from Dr. Donald Lawrence, one of the original medical pioneers to research its effects on patients suffering chronic pain.

"It's inexpensive and it works," Dr. Lawrence told Tuck. "I tried it with him and he had almost instant relief from pain after 23 years of pain and disability."

Dr. Lawrence believes many people are lacking the proper amount of sulfur to let the body heal itself.

"The MSM supplies sulfur. That's one of its actions," said Dr. Lawrence. "Another of its actions is it produces muscle relaxation."

Now Dr. Lawrence and other MSM researchers are spreading the word about this pain-killing powder through a book they recently wrote. Meanwhile, James Coburn has become one of the most visible advocates for using MSM.

"What we have to do is share this thing, because arthritis is such an insidious disease," Coburn said.

As positive as the effects have been for Coburn, there are skeptics. Dr. Ruby Simpkins believes too much of the information about MSM comes from anecdotal testimony.

"I'm excited by the claims, but we need better studies. We need more data," said Dr. Simpkins. "There really is no scientific proof in terms of double-blind, well-controlled studies."

But Coburn told Tuck he has all the data he needs.

"MSM certainly has worked for me," he said.

"You've been through quite an ordeal with this disease, and you really seem positive and very happy now," Tuck pointed out.

"Oh, I am," said Coburn. "I'm married to a beautiful lady ... and she's been just really great. She's seen me through a lot of stuff, and she just keeps hanging on."

Coburn's wife has encouraged him to get back into the entertainment business, said Tuck. And that's just what he's done.

"I've been working 14 hours a day on 'Atticus,'" he said. "I really feel like I can work."

He also just won his first Academy Award for his role as Nick Nolte's alcoholic father in the film "Affliction." As for his own affliction, he says that's now under control thanks to MSM.

"All I can say is it works for me," Coburn laughed.

Because MSM is a nutritional supplement, it is not regulated by the FDA. There have been some small studies that show MSM is non-toxic, reported Tuck.

MSM is available at most health food and vitamin stores. But, like all supplements, you should consult your doctor before deciding to try it.

More information:

• You can contact the Council on Natural Nutrition for further information on MSM and other supplements at (800) 235-2937.
• Read more about arthritis in Channel 2000's Conditions A-Z.