Oxygen/Ozone Therapy

  For her Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Diagnostics and Therapy, in the early 1980’s Dr. Koles completed a solid study of oxygen (O2) therapy benefits and sequelae during and after hyperbaric O2- therapy (HBOT) at 1.5-2.7 atmospheres.  Her study showed that even short-term 80-100% oxygen therapy in some cases could cause thickening of the internal surface of lung alveoli (surfactant), causing alveolar collapse (atelectasis) and  preventing O2 diffusion to the blood, especially in newborns and young children. Hyaline membrane disease that develops in preterm newborns kept in O2-chambers is a part of this problem.

  

  WHY OZONE?

  Thanks to the media, the majority of people are afraid of ozone, misunderstanding the difference between it and smog. Actually, ozone protects all life forms and creatures from harmful cosmic rays; it’s the ‘holes’  in the atmospheric ozone layer at about 22km from the Earth’s surface that are dangerous.

 

    Ozone is formed from pure oxygen (O2) under certain conditions. Environmental pollution of the air from automobiles and industry triggers chemical reactions whereby single oxygen atoms are stripped off from complex hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide molecules and then combine with atmospheric oxygen to produce triatomic oxygen (O3). As a result of the stripping of these single oxygen atoms, harmful compounds are formed. The most damaging of these are nitrogen dioxide, nitric acid, nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, sulfuric acid, carbonic acid and carbon monoxide. Activated oxygen will break these compounds down to safer ones.

 

     Thus, ozone toxicity as discussed “on the street” has led to the notion that O3 is always toxic and you may well wonder why it is used as a powerful therapeutic agent and drug. In fact, ozone-oxygen treatment is one of the most powerful and versatile therapies available today. Research has demonstrated this throughout the 20th century, mostly in Europe. The USSR was a pioneer in this field.

 

     Ozone is a most  potent water disinfectant and is able to inactivate about 100  different bacteria, fungi, viruses and protozoa. The action of ozone has beneficial effects on every part of the body, which include microbial inactivation, circulatory enhancement, disruption of malignant tumor metabolism, and stimulation of oxygen metabolism.

 

INTRODUCTION

Historically, ozone was first administered in 1915 as a local treatment for wounds, fistulas, decubitus ulcers and osteomyelitis. Like natural rubber which cracks and fissures when exposed to oxygen-ozone mixtures, early materials caused ozone to "bag" around skin surfaces and met with early disuse due to oxidation. Today, specially designed plastics enable extremities to be encased in a space where a determined dosage ratio of oxygen to ozone is administered at a chosen flow rate. 

 

   Ozone therapy is advantageous because it improves the oxygenation and metabolism of ischemic tissues.  In many cases, it may be useful as a complementary treatment.

 

   Indications for external ozone application include poorly healing wounds, burns, skin infections, fungal and radiation lesions, necrotizing fasciitis, herpes simplex and zoster, and gangrene (diabetic or Clostridium).  Different ozone concentrations are used for disinfection and cleansing (or debridement) or epithelialization and healing.

 

     In the 1930’s, ozone-oxygen mixtures were first used in rectal insufflations to treat ulcerative colitis and fistulae.  It has been reported that in inflammation, O3 promotes healing of the gut wall and restores gut floral balance disturbed by pathogenic organisms.  Currently, O3 therapy is used also for Crohn’s disease, proctitis, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.

 

    Later, vaginal O3 insufflations were introduced for treatment of vaginosis, Candida and endometriosis.  Studies and clinical experience have shown that ozone therapy has beneficial effects on HPV lesions on skin (warts, papillomas) or mucous membranes (cervical CIN).

 

   In his book “THE BREATH OF LIFE” (1999), Charles C. Ankeney calls ozone therapy a "better and safer natural alternative" treatment of  many diseases, including but not limited to cardiovascular diseases, mental disorders, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia,  diabetes, osteoporosis, etc.  He claims that ozone therapy increases oxygen unloading by hemoglobin in the blood and improves the peripheral oxygen supply in circulatory disorders, promoting recovery. 

 

 Plastic bags with ozone can be used on the arms, legs or feet, sealing it off tight with the tube inside.

 

   HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY (HBOT) VERSUS OZONE THERAPY

   HBOT is better known in the USA because it is considered an orthodox approach. In HBOT, 100% medical oxygen is delivered at 2-3 times the atmospheric pressure at sea level. Under physiologic conditions at one atmospheric pressure, there is about 0.3 ml/dl of O2 solubilized in plasma. Simple calculation shows that this amount of O2 is insufficient for the requirements of the tissues. At 3 atmospheres (3 bars), the 100% O2 (6ml/dl) fully saturates hemoglobin and satisfies the needs of cells and tissues.

 

   Currently, soft low O2 pressure chambers (1.3-1.5 bars) are used for HBOT in physicians’ offices.  However, at this pressure there is not a big difference between hemoglobin saturation with O2  and O2 concentration  in the plasma in comparison with normal air.

 

The major indications for HBOTare intoxication  and hypoxia seen in patients with poisoning, hemorrhagic shock, severe anemia,  etc.

 

 In addition to the high cost of a HBOT facility, oxygen presents a fire hazard. It can cause alveolar surfactant damage, as occurs in  hyaline membrane disease, if used longer than it should.

 

   There are fundamental differences between HBOT and ozone therapy. In ozone therapy, blood is oxygenated indirectly without increase in arterial O2 concentration. Ozone acts as an immunomodulator and  increases the oxygen supply to hypoxic tissues through  vasodilatation and possibly growth factor and hormone release. Ozone therapy induces fairly long-lasting and interconnected metabolic changes, while the effects of HBOT, being due mainly to transitory oxygen hyperconcentration, are of shorter duration.  Interestingly, increased  DNA damage was detected immediately at the end of the first HBOT, while no effect was found one day later (Velio Bocci, 2005).

 

Both approaches are important and provide vital oxygen for maintaining life.  However, while HBOT at high pressure (2-3 bars) provides better oxygen supply to tissues, ozone therapy generates messengers crucial for many physiological functions. At therapeutic doses, it disappears shortly after insufflation without harm.

 

  When you increase your detox, you also need to increase your vitamin-mineral (especially electrolyte) supplements and vitamins. Eating fresh vegetables and drinking lots of water will help flush out the waste from the intestines at a faster rate.

 

Methods for absorbing ozone through the skin are well known and are carried out by insufflating it into a plastic suit worn below the neck. Most patients will stay inside the suit for 30 minutes. Before getting into the bag or suit, we suggest taking a far infra red sauna for 20 minutes or a shower. This opens the pores and allows the gas to absorb at a much faster rate.

 

 Some people use ozone in ear infections. This method is called auricular insufflation and  is done  for 3 minutes in each ear, alternating every minute.

 

Patients with arthritis and joint pain may fill a container with warm water, large enough for the foot or hand and let the activated oxygen bubble under the limb for about five minutes. The warm water opens the pores allowing the ozone to penetrate. After the first or second application, itching may occur. You should experience better movement with less stiffness or pain soon after with minor arthritic symptoms.

 

Ozonated steam in cabinets is currently being used around the world for alternative health by aestheticians, chiropractors, massage therapists, and other practitioners because they recognize this as a natural way to detoxify and cleanse. Ozonated steam stimulates circulation and increases the oxygen supply.

 

   Ozonated olive oil has many therapeutic uses and benefits. It is used as a topical treatment for dry skin and as a beauty aid for wrinkles, and for treatment of sunburn. It can be inhaled directly when bubbled through the olive oil. Ozonated olive oil is effective when applied to cuts, bruises and other conditions.

 

   Lemon, orange and aloe vera juice can be ozonated for drinking or for application to the skin. Ozonated lemon juice, produced by ozonating two cups of fresh lemon juice for six hours (use a larger container because of the bubbles) has been used on various skin conditions such as skin cancer, dry skin, psoriasis and ulcers.

 

Topical application has also been used for bruises, burns, fistula, decubiti, gangrene, infections, muscle pains, radiation damage, and to promote wound healing.

 

   The Sixth World Ozone Conference held in Washington, DC, (May, 1982), produced many astounding papers on the medical uses of ozone. They ran the full gamut of topics from cancer to herpes to rheumatoid arthritis, written by the world's recognized specialists in their fields. These papers concluded that:

 

1. Ozone removes unwanted bacteria and viruses from the blood, the same way it does from water.
2. The possibility of becoming infected with hepatitis, HIV virus, syphilis or other infectious diseases through blood transfusion could be eliminated by the use of ozone.
3. Ozone is highly effective in peripheral vascular disease.
4. Ozone is effective in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, arteriosclerosis and hypercholesterolemia, and promptly restores circulation, relieves anginal pain and improves brain function.
5. With ozone, cancerous tumors, lymphomas and leukemia may be eliminated without the use of surgery, radiation or chemotherapy.
6. Ozone is highly effective for all forms of rheumatoid and arthritis collagen diseases.
7. Ozone is very effective for allergies of all types.
8. Ozone may be beneficial in multiple sclerosis, other neurological diseases, senility, as well as in Parkinson's disease.
9. External use of ozone is very effective in treating burns, acne, leg ulcers, open cuts and wounds, eczema, fungus and other skin disorders.

 10. Rectal insufflation with ozone is effective for proctitis, colitis, prostatitis and fissures; vaginal insufflation is effective for candidiasis and other yeast infections, trichomoniasis and other forms of vaginitis; bladder insufflation is effective for cystitis and bladder fistulas, as well as cancer.

11. AIDS, herpes, hepatitis, mononucleosis, and cirrhosis of the liver have been successfully treated with ozone.

12. The application of ozone is virtually painless, has no adverse side effects and is extremely cost-effective for both physicians and patients.
13. As of 1994, sixteen countries allow the use of ozone therapy. In a study in Germany, out of millions of treatments, there have only been four deaths reported, with only 40 persons having side effects.

 

   Most people are puzzled as to why something with this potential has not been widely used in the United States up till now although it has been very popular in Europe for years.

 

   Since the discovery of insulin and penicillin in the 1930's, American medicine began to limit itself to a pharmaceutical approach in treating illness.  Today's American doctors get practically no training in therapies other than drugs or surgery and are discouraged from practicing most alternative therapies.

 

   On the other hand, the European system nurtured diversity in which pharmaceutical development, as well as alternative treatments, were encouraged. This is how ozone, as a medical treatment, was able to develop in Europe, but did not find fertile ground in the United States after 1933. Ozone is not patentable and no money can be made by developing it as a treatment since it cannot be protected. 

 

   However, with the development of the AIDS crisis over the last years, many physicians in this country have been prompted to study the work done by clinicians in Europe, especially in Germany and Russia, attempting to duplicate their results.  There is a growing network of physicians who have been using this efficacious therapy.

 

    There have been numerous anecdotes about Germany’s success with ozone, and many physicians in the USA have also been using it with great success. Until recently, neither government institutions nor private corporations have sponsored any rigidly controlled clinical ozone studies. There appears to be a built-in bias against the development of therapies such as ozone, because it is a non-patentable gas. The American pharmaceutical industry has developed based on the ability to patent synthetic drugs that can be sold at a profit, and thus recoup the initial investment expense. This has resulted in a system which supports drugs developed by this method and has discouraged the development of simple, inexpensive or non-patentable substances. Nevertheless, numerous physicians have used ozone successfully, bringing benefits to their treated patients (Velio Bocci, 2005).

 

Methods of Administration and Clinical Ozone Gas Application 

I.  RECTAL / VAGINAL INSUFFLATION

 

II. EAR INSUFFLATION

 

 III. EXTREMITY BAG - USAGE FOR SKIN DAMAGE.

 

IV. Ozonated water, juices and oil for topical applications

 

Contraindications to ozone treatment include acute alcohol intoxication, recent myocardial infarction or stoke, hemorrhage from any organ, pregnancy, hyperthyroidism, thrombocytopenia and ozone allergy.