Oxygen gives life to every living thing on earth. It is a life force that sustains us and, when used therapeutically, can heal us. When we are anxious, we can take a few deep breaths and inhale oxygen to calm us. If we are feeling stressed, we go outside and take a walk in the fresh air. If we need to invigorate our home, we will open a window and let the breeze in. Despite being omnipresent, the power of oxygen cannot be overstated. It is used in chemistry, cleaning, manufacturing- even rocket propulsion! It appears that there is very little this powerful molecule can’t do. Recently, studies have shown multiple therapeutic uses for oxygen therapies which harness its power. Many people have started using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) to treat a myriad number of conditions, such as infections, inflammatory conditions, concussions, wound healing, hearing loss, vascular complications, aging, poisoning, embolisms, and more. There are other ways that oxygen can be used therapeutically as well, such as Extracorporeal Blood Oxygenation and Ozonation (EBOO). HBOT is an active respiratory process by which a person breathes in 100% pure oxygen in a pressurized environment. EBOO is passive hemodialysis, a form of dialysis whereby a patient’s blood is extracted and runs through a dialysis filter where it is ozonated and oxygenated, and then returns back into the body in a closed-loop system. EBOO has been used for four decades, but has only recently started to receive widespread recognition as a clinically valid therapy with no side effects. Since only small amounts of blood can be filtered at a time, and multiple sessions are generally needed, allopathic medicine has been slow to consider this a viable treatment option. The growing number of clinical studies, as well as the increasing acceptance of other oxygen therapies such as Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, are now bringing this option to the forefront for scientists and clinicians.
Extracorporeal Blood Oxygenation and Ozonation requires three main components: a patient’s blood, oxygen, and ozone. Ozone consists of three oxygen molecules that are combined, and most people are familiar with it in the form of the Earth’s protective ozone layer. It can be seen- and smelled- during a lightning strike, when nitrogen and oxygen split to make nitric oxide and ozone respectively. While ozone can be dangerous if inhaled in large quantities, when delivered directly into the body in small quantities it helps to control oxidative stress and encourages a healing environment. This is because “ozone is a potent oxidant and decomposes immediately on contact with biological fluids, producing a cascade of reactive oxygen species” (Di Paolo et al., 2000). The effects of ozone are that it improves the utilization of oxygen and activates the immune system by: “1) shifting the dissociation curve of hemoglobin to the right and facilitating release of oxygen from red cells, 2) inducing production of interleukin, interferon, TGF, nitrogen monoxide in leukocytes and endothelial cells, and 3) stimulating efficiency of antioxidant systems in the long term in all cells” (Di Paolo et al., 2000). When ozone is combined with oxygen, it makes a powerful treatment, and preventative, for many diseases and conditions, including infections.
Infections are harmful pathogens that invade the body, colonize, spread toxicity, and cause tissue damage and disease. They are mostly caused by bacteria and viruses, but can also be caused by fungi, parasites, arthropods (bugs like ticks and fleas), and prions. Viruses cause viral infections that are generally treated with antiviral drugs, such as Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate), which people take when they get the flu. Chronic viral infections occur when acute infections do not clear with medicine or on their own. Symptoms can endure following the primary infection, or they may remain latent and flare up weeks or even years later. Their tenure can be due to a high viral load, intrinsic virulence of the pathogen, or a weak immune system. When a mixture of oxygen and ozone is injected into the bloodstream of a patient with a chronic viral infection via EBOO, it activates our body’s own immune system and promotes healing by assisting with oxygenation and the production of antioxidants. These powerful effects, combined with no adverse reactions, contraindications, or downtime, make EBOO a wonderful healing modality for many conditions, but especially in helping the body clear chronic viral infections.
References
Bocci V. (2006). Is it true that ozone is always toxic? The end of a dogma. Toxicology and applied pharmacology, 216(3), 493–504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.taap.2006.06.009
Di Paolo, N., Bocci, V., Garosi, G., Borrelli, E., Bravi, A., Bruci, A., Aldinucci, C., & Capotondo, L. (2000). Extracorporeal blood oxygenation and ozonation (EBOO) in man. preliminary report. The International journal of artificial organs, 23(2), 131–141.
Di Paolo, N., Gaggiotti, E., & Galli, F. (2005). Extracorporeal blood oxygenation and ozonation: clinical and biological implications of ozone therapy. Redox report : communications in free radical research, 10(3), 121–130. https://doi.org/10.1179/135100005X38888
Goldsby, R., Kindt, T., Osborne, B & Kuby, J. (2003). Immunology (5th ed.). W.H. Freeman.
Guanche, D., Zamora, Z., Hernández, F., Mena, K., Alonso, Y., Roda, M., Gonzáles, M., & Gonzales, R. (2010). Effect of ozone/oxygen mixture on systemic oxidative stress and organic damage. Toxicology mechanisms and methods, 20(1), 25–30. https://doi.org/10.3109/15376510903503107
Ortega, M. A., Fraile-Martinez, O., García-Montero, C., Callejón-Peláez, E., Sáez, M. A., Álvarez-Mon, M. A., García-Honduvilla, N., Monserrat, J., Álvarez-Mon, M., Bujan, J., & Canals, M. L. (2021). A General Overview on the Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: Applications, Mechanisms and Translational Opportunities. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 57(9), 864. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina57090864
About the author: Mary Genevieve Carty, MS, MHEd holds Masters degrees in Complementary and Integrative Health as well as Higher Education and is currently a doctoral student in Health Science at George Washington University’s College of Medicine and Health Science. She is passionate about holistic health and wellness, and has additional training in teaching, Reiki, and Tapping/ Emotional Freedom Technique. Her research interests include resiliency, psychoneuroimmunology, neuroplastic pain, placebo/ nocebo effect, and bioenergy therapies. The views she expresses are her own, and do not reflect any affiliation.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Stephen Matta, DO, MBA CAQSM and Mary Anne Matta, MS, MA, LAC
