Ozone therapy: Uses, benefits, and side effects

Ozone therapy is a controversial alternative medical practice that makes use of the gas ozone to fight off diseases.

Ozone is a kind of oxygen. Alternative medicine the practitioners of ozone therapy utilize liquid or gas-based forms of ozone for treating medical conditions as well as to disinfect the skin.

Ozone therapy has been used in medical contexts for a number of years. However its use has become in the spotlight due to security concerns.

In the year 2019 in 2019, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cautioned against the use of Ozone therapy. This is due to the fact that there isn’t enough evidence to suggest that it is efficient or safe for medical use.

This article gives a brief overview of ozone therapy including its potential uses, advantages, and potential dangers and adverse effects.

Ozone therapy is a term used to describe medical procedures that make use of Ozone gas.

Ozone gas is one of the forms of oxygen. The gas’s colorless is from 3 oxygen molecules. The upper air an ozone layer gas shields the earth from sun’s ultraviolet radiation. On the ground however, it is “a dangerous pollution of the air.”

Ozone gas can be harmful when inhaled which can cause irritation of the throat and lung as well as worsening asthma symptoms. A prolonged exposure to the gas can cause lung damage and may cause death.

However, some scientists believe that ozone has beneficial effects on medical conditions. For instance, a study from 2011 suggests that ozone therapy has the following benefits:

Treatment of arthritis
combating viral illnesses, like HIV and SARS
Cleaning wounds
activating the immune system.
treating ischemic heart disease
treating macular degeneration
treatment of cancer

Researchers are currently studying how ozone treatment affects on human body to discover possible benefits for healing.

However, to date there has been very little research on the actual efficiency and safety of the treatment with ozone. This is why organisations that are recognized as experts do not endorse its use.

According to a 2005 study it isn’t enough evidence to support Ozone therapy in the treatment of HIV or other infections including heart disease, cancers skin diseases and a myriad of other ailments.

Although ozone has proven successful against the virus responsible for HIV in the outside of the body there is no evidence to date that has proved its effectiveness or safety in humans who are living.

A few studies suggest that the ozone treatment can combat diseases like cancer by regulating the immune system response and correcting oxygen deficiencies within the body.

Yet, Complementary and Alternative Medicine for Cancer (CAM Cancer) state that there have not been randomized controlled trials for patients suffering from cancer, and only a few clinical trials in humans of Ozone therapy for any disease.

The FDA does not permit the use of the ozone “[i]n any medical health condition in which there isn’t evidence of its safety or effectiveness.”

It is therefore necessary for researchers to conduct a number of more studies before they can determine the actual impact of Ozone Therapy on human body, and whether it offers any beneficial effects on health.

Some research suggests positive effects from Ozone therapy are constant and safe, others claim that there isn’t enough evidence to prove the true efficacy or safety of ozone therapy.

In the year 2019, the FDA issued a statement in opposition to the use of ozone in medical treatment. They claim that ozone is a poisonous gas and is not used in any clinically proven way for preventive or supportive medical treatment.

In relation to its disinfectant capabilities in the field of disinfection, the FDA declares the following “[i]n order for ozone’s effectiveness as an anti-microbial agent, it must be present at a level significantly higher than that which can be tolerated safely by both animals and humans.”

Ozone therapy has caused adverse results in the past, some of them severe.

As per the CAM Cancer states, “Cases have been reported where the infusion of oxygen intravenously can cause an embolism in the lungs and even death.”

According to the report of 2005, “There are some case reports of the use Ozone that resulted in blood borne infections and bilateral loss of vision following the treatment with ozone.”

Ozone gas can be harmful to humans. Ozone exposure is associated to “a significantly increased chance of dying from respiratory illnesses,” and it has known toxic effects on the human respiratory tracts when in contact together with the nitrogen dioxide that is present in the smog.

Ozone in small quantities can cause irritation to the lungs and throat, causing shortness of breath, coughing and even the destruction of lung tissue.

Ozone is a gas that is naturally present. For use as a remedy one can apply it on the skin, apply Ozonated water, blow the gas into their body, or take an ozone sauna in which the body is sealed and exposed to Ozone gas.

Because ozone causes irritation to the airways, it’s essential that people ensure that they don’t breathe in the gas.

In certain treatments, a doctor mixes a patient’s blood with oxygen and inject it. This procedure is called autohemotherapy. Studies conducted by scientists have not proved the efficacy of this procedure.

Ozone-related side effects therapy may differ depending on the kind of treatment that a patient is receiving.

The human body is not designed to breathe in Ozone. If it is inhaled through the nose, mouth, and eyes, it may cause burning and nausea, coughing, vomiting or headaches. In more severe cases, exposure can cause respiratory problems.

Patients who receive ozone therapy often experience Herxheimer reaction. It can cause the patient to feel sick and can make them feel more ill for a short time.

Certain procedures for ozone therapy require blowing gas into the body. If someone is treated with ozone through the rectum it is possible that they will experience discomfort, crampingor the feeling of having to expel gas. These effects last for a few days.

The Ozone Therapy is an alternative health method that makes use of the gas ozone. It is controversial because of concerns about its effectiveness and security.

Researchers are currently studying how ozone treatment affects for the human body in order to discover possible benefits for healing.

Ozone gas can be harmful for humans, and there has been very little research on the benefits of using ozone therapy. Because of this, the organisations that are officially recognized do not recommend the use of ozone gas.

Any person who is unsure about ozone therapy and what best treatment for them, should consult your doctor.