Ozone Therapy Benefits
- Better energy! Ozone increases the release of oxygen from red blood cells into body tissues, making more oxygen available to cells. It also stimulates oxygen metabolism, which amplifies the production of ATP in the mitochondria of every cell.
- Fights illness. In addition to increasing the fighting power of the immune system, ozone is also directly antimicrobial against:
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Fungi
- Yeast
- Protozoa
- Anti-aging and Anti-cancer. Ozone stimulates the production of antioxidant free radical scavengers: glutathione peroxidase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase. More antioxidants on board means our bodies are better protected from many degenerative diseases and cancerous cell mutations.
What is it?
Ozone is an unstable gas consisting of three oxygen molecules. The instability of this molecule causes it to readily break apart and release a single electron (a.k.a. a free radical) in a chemical process known as oxidation. You have probably only heard of oxidation as being bad or harmful, but just as with inflammation, only excessive amounts cause degeneration and disease – a little bit is beneficial and actually necessary for health.
It’s the oxidative property of ozone that makes it a powerful therapeutic agent in the body. One of the ways it does this is by promoting increased production of our own antioxidants, one of which is glutathione. We call glutathione the “Master Antioxidant” of the body. Glutathione is not only our strongest antioxidant, but it also serves to recycle and restore other antioxidants in our bodies, like Vitamin C, Vitamin E, selenium, alpha lipoic acid – the list goes on.
- Ozone has no known toxicity to any tissue except for the lungs. Ozone is toxic to the lungs and should not be inhaled.
Another way the oxidation of ozone is beneficial is by boosting the body’s ability to destroy pathogens and neutralize many toxins.
Ozone therapy boosts our own immune system to help it fight harder. It does this by stimulating the release of immune system messengers called cytokines as well as stimulating the production of white blood cells that will respond to the call and join the fight. In this way, ozone helps the body to better fight infections and inhibit tumor growth.
In addition to all of the above, ozone therapy increases the metabolism of red blood cells, allowing each one to carry and release oxygen more efficiently. It also helps to dilate constricted blood vessels, thereby increasing the flow of this newly oxygenated blood into every tissue in the body. More oxygen means each cell is able to better perform its work, whether it be a muscle cell, brain cell, liver cell, or any other critical cell you want functioning at its peak.
Quick History Lesson:
- Documented use of ozone goes back to the 1800s with the 1st ozone generator patent given to Nikola Tesla in 1896.
- Ozone has been used to disinfect drinking water since the early 1900s.
- Ozone use in medicine goes back to the early 1900s when Dr. Joachim Hansler invented the first reliable ozone-generating machine.
- Ozone gas was used in World War I to successfully treat German soldiers affected by gangrene, an infection that thrives in an oxygen-poor environment.
- Exposure to ozone, which was done by putting the affected limb into an airtight bag and filling the bag with ozone, helped to destroy the harmful bacteria and was the only therapy that worked to save the limbs.
- The first use of ozone intravenously was done in the 1940s and 1950s and its development is credited to Dr. H. Wolff.
- Intravenous ozone is the most common ozone treatment today and is used by thousands of physicians worldwide in countries like Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France, England, Canada, Russia, Eastern Europe, Cuba, and Mexico, but still lacks FDA approval.
Ozone is Used to Treat and Improve:
- Wound healing
- Preventive Aging
- Athletic performance and Endurance
- Acute and Chronic fatigue
- Circulatory disorders, Heart disease
- Acute infections like Colds, Flu, Dental or Skin infections
- Chronic infections like Hepatitis B & C, Epstein-Barr, Cytomegalovirus, Herpes Simplex and Zoster, Lyme, Streptococcal and Staphylococcal infections, and Candidiasis
- Autoimmune disorders like Systemic Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Allergies
- Cancer, as adjunctive support
Ozone’s uses outside medicine:
- Used in the hotel and restaurant industry for odor elimination and mold remediation
- Used as a disinfectant in veterinary offices and hospitals
- Used after a fire to remove the smoke
- Used after flooding to kill mildew as well as to remove the musty odor
J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2011 Jan-Jun; 2(1): 66–70. Ozone therapy: A clinical review. A. M. Elvis