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Dive Into Ozone Therapy, What It Is and How It Works
The medical world is constantly changing, evolving and adapting as it intertwines with the latest in scientific research. The goal is to improve therapeutic outcomes, whether it’s a new drug, procedure, or patient advice. Occasionally this is achieved through the introduction of exciting new treatment methods, and today we’ll be speaking about one emerging treatment in particular: Ozone Therapy.
What is Ozone? What is Ozone Therapy? How does it actually work, and what are the benefits?
Keep reading to find out the answers to these questions, and more!
What is Ozone?
Ozone is a molecule very similar to Oxygen, with the difference being in the number of Oxygen atoms. You may have heard of the Ozone Layer, which is a part of the atmosphere that is rich in Ozone. This layer is immensely valuable to life on Earth as it absorbs much of the Sun’s harmful UV rays. Without it, life on Earth would not be possible.
Let’s look at the two to get a better understanding:
As you can see, they look remarkably similar, and they technically are. Ozone has one more Oxygen atom than Oxygen does, which causes it to have a slightly different structure. This does however cause Ozone to be a much more reactive molecule, which is the basis of its therapeutic ability.
So how have we harnessed Ozone’s reactivity in a therapeutic way?
What is Ozone Therapy?
The truth is that Ozone Therapy is not actually a new treatment. It was first used in the 1800s, and only recently has it received significant attention for its potential clinically therapeutic properties.
Ozone Therapy is the administration of Ozone gas to the body, most often by:
IV Ozone Therapy often referred to as autohemotherapy, is the process by which blood is taken from the patient, ozonated, and returned to the patient intravenously.
Intramuscular Ozone Therapy is the use of a syringe and needle to directly inject Ozone gas into the affected area. This is used to treat specific areas, rather than a whole-body effect. “Intramuscular” is a broad encapsulating term as Ozone may be injected into various injured tissue, such as joints or tendons.
Peri-rectal Ozone Therapy is the method of administering a “gas enema” by insufflation of Ozone using a catheter and syringe.
How does Ozone Therapy work?
The idea behind it is to induce something called hormesis. Hormesis can be defined as: a process in which exposure to a low dose of a chemical agent or environmental factor that is damaging at higher doses induces an adaptive beneficial effect on the cell or organism. A great example of this is exercise; a moderate amount of exercise is beneficial to health, but excessive exercise is detrimental to health [1].
Put simply, Ozone is a stressing agent. In small doses, it moderately increases the formation of peroxides and free radicals [2]. While these can be harmful, moderate increases result in a net positive effect on health as your body will produce more antioxidants and cellular energy. Try to visualise this in a similar way to the exercise analogy above.
Ozone Therapy may be beneficial via:
A small increase in peroxides and free radicals by Ozone administration results in an increase in the body producing more antioxidants [2]. These increases are shown to be therapeutic in a wide variety of diseases.
Improving the oxygenation of tissue by dilating blood vessels & lowering blood pressure. Exceptional benefits to ischaemic (lacking oxygen) tissue, to aid in recovery and repair.
Increasing production of ATP, which is a store of energy in cells that is used for various processes such as muscle contraction [2], [3].
Reducing inflammation and pain, one of the most beneficial effects of intramuscular Ozone injection. It has even been shown to effectively treat herniated discs by causing the disc to shrink [4].
Improving immune system regulation by increasing the production of immune system modulators [2], [5].
Ozone Therapy is emerging as a promising method of treatment where standard treatment is not possible or comes with too many side effects. To find out how Ozone Therapy could be beneficial for you, get in touch via our contact form here. You can fill it out to book your free consultation and receive advice tailored exactly to your needs. Thank you for reading, and we hope to have you back soon!
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