Ozone Therapy

Ozone (O3) is an energy-rich form of oxygen made up of three oxygen atoms, rather than the two in ordinary atmospheric oxygen (O2). It is a colourless gas with a distinctive odour. Its strong oxidising and disinfectant properties are used worldwide in water purification and drinking-water treatment.
Medical ozone is produced from pure oxygen. An ozone generator converts O2 into O3 using a silent electrical discharge. The treating physician selects the concentration according to the indication and the patient’s condition.
Ozone is unstable, so medical ozone is prepared on site and used immediately.

Ozone therapy is used with the aim of stimulating the body’s antioxidant systems. Its main applications involve reactions between ozone and molecules in the body, particularly during autohaemotherapy and rectal insufflation.

Ozone itself is toxic when inhaled and can damage the lining of the lungs. This explains the health risks of high atmospheric ozone levels during hot weather and air pollution. Medical ozone is administered by other routes. The practice uses the following forms of ozone therapy:

• Autohaemotherapy: in major autohaemotherapy, 100–250 ml of the patient’s blood is treated with ozone and returned intravenously. In minor autohaemotherapy, 5–10 ml of blood is mixed with an oxygen–ozone mixture and injected into the buttock muscle.
• Ozone water: double-distilled water is treated with ozone. This practice uses ozonated water for acne, infected wounds and Helicobacter pylori infection of the stomach.
• Ozonated ointment: olive oil is treated with ozone to produce an ointment. It keeps longer than ozonated water and is used for similar indications. Applications described in this practice include pressure ulcers, burns, gangrene, fungal nail infections and eczema.
• Local ozone gas treatment: the affected area, such as a wound that is slow to heal, is exposed to ozone gas. The aim is to improve local circulation and wound healing.
• Rectal insufflation: an oxygen–ozone gas mixture is introduced into the bowel through a catheter. It is used here mainly for intestinal conditions such as colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Intra-articular injections: injections into a joint are used in rheumatology, orthopaedics and the treatment of injuries.

The practice uses ozone therapy for a range of conditions, with the aim of supporting treatment and recovery.
To share clinical experience and discuss scientific developments, ozone practitioners have formed the Study and Documentation Centre for Ozone Therapy (a Belgian non-profit association). Its activities include exchanging experience, discussing clinical cases and treatment indications, and encouraging research.
Your treating physician can explain whether ozone therapy is appropriate for your condition.
As with other treatments, the outcome cannot be guaranteed in advance.

The conditions and treatment aims described by the practice include:

– Circulatory disorders of the brain, heart and limbs
– Bacterial and viral infections (hepatitis, herpes and shingles)
– Burns, skin infections and infected wounds (open wounds and pressure sores)
– Asthma symptoms and allergies; COPD (chronic bronchitis)
– Fatigue, exhaustion, burnout and reduced physical resilience
– Persistent pain, including rheumatoid arthritis pain and nerve pain after shingles (postherpetic neuralgia)
– Certain eye diseases such as macular degeneration
– Healthy ageing
– Supporting recovery before and after surgery