Ozone Therapy Research
Ozone therapy provides cancer patients with complementary therapy that doesn’t interfere with traditional cancer treatments. It’s thought that this therapy can help improve the oxygenation of your blood and support the revitalisation of tissues in your body.
At Wellbeing Medical Group, we offer ozone therapy to cancer patients wanting to complement their traditional treatments.
Discover more about the research behind ozone therapy and why we offer it at Wellbeing Medical Group.
Supporting research for ozone therapy
Ozone therapy refers to the use of ozone, a naturally occurring form of oxygen, as a therapeutic agent. This form of therapy is based on the principle that medical-grade ozone, when used in a controlled manner, can trigger beneficial responses in the body.
In nature, ozone is created when oxygen comes into contact with ultraviolet rays from the sun or when lightning strikes. In a medical setting, ozone is carefully generated from medical-grade oxygen through an ozone generator.
The use of ozone in medicine is founded on its unique properties. Ozone is a potent oxidant. When applied at therapeutic doses, it can stimulate the body’s own antioxidant defence mechanisms, improve oxygen delivery in the body, and support immune response.
The ozone can be administered via different routes, including, but not exclusively, the following: mixed with your blood (autohemotherapy), insufflated into the rectum or the vagina, or injected/infiltrated under the skin or into affected joints. Each method has its unique considerations, which we will discuss in the next section.
Ozone is a molecule consisting of 3 oxygen atoms – O3, rather than the O2 that we breathe every day. It is a natural component of our atmosphere, but usually in fairly low concentrations outside of the ‘ozone layer’, around 20 kilometres over our heads.
Small quantities of ozone gas have been shown to activate cellular antioxidant complexes and ‘radical scavengers’ when absorbed by the body. Low concentrations of the gas have been seen to cause the immune system to release interleukins and interferons, supporting deficient immune systems. In higher concentrations, it can be used as part of an effort to improve oxygenation of the blood and revitalise tissues.
On a more molecular level, the following effects have been described:
- Oxidation of free viral particles in plasma and lysis of infected cells
- Induction and release of cytokines such as IFN-, formation of plasma lipid peroxides; increasing
- the level of intra-erythrocytic reduced glutathione (GSH); stimulating the production of cytokines (1,3-6) such as interferon (IFN), β and, interleukins (IL) 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, tumour necrosis factor (TNF ), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and transforming growth factors (TGF) βs (7) and morphological evaluation by electron-microscopy of the blood cell components
- Production of erythropoietin
- Synthesis of neutralising antibodies
- Activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, natural killer cells and antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity
- Improvement of cellular oxygenation and metabolism
- Upregulation of the enzymatic anti-oxidative system
- Hormonal stimulation
Types of ozone therapy
Ozone therapy can be administered in several ways, each method offering unique benefits. The choice of method depends on the individual’s health condition, treatment goals, and comfort.
Autohemotherapy
This is one of the most common forms of ozone therapy. In major autohemotherapy (MAH), a portion of the patient’s blood is drawn, mixed with ozone, and then reinfused back into the body. This process stimulates the immune system and enhances the body’s oxygen utilisation. Minor autohemotherapy involves injecting a mixture of a small volume of the patient’s blood and ozone, back into the muscle.
Rectal and vaginal insufflation
In this procedure, ozone gas is introduced in a precisely calculated dose into the rectum and/or the vagina via a small catheter, where it is absorbed by the mucous membrane, triggering systemic effects. This method is widely used due to its convenience, safety and efficacy. These administration routes are of great convenience, especially for cancer patients whose veins have suffered the effects of chemotherapy.
In addition to the systemic benefits (in the whole body), these administration routes are preferred when patients suffer from conditions in or next to these areas (such as candidiasis, ulcerative colitis, lesions in the cervix or in the colon/rectum or prostate, for example).
Subcutaneous injections/infiltrations
When a tiny amount of this gas is infiltrated into the tissues such as the skin or the joints, the ozone can trigger a cascade of metabolic reactions stimulating anti-inflammatory reactions.
Book your ozone therapy with Wellbeing Medical Group
With the supporting research to back up the possible benefits, ozone therapy can provide cancer patients with a wide range of positive results.
At Wellbeing Medical Group, our aim is to provide science-backed complementary cancer therapies that support your wellbeing while undergoing traditional cancer therapies.
References
- Potentiality of oxygen-ozone therapy to improve the health of aging people; Velio Bocci et al; Curr Aging Sci 2010 Dec;3(3):177-87. DOI: 10.2174/1874609811003030177. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20735348/
- Ozone as a bioregulator. Pharmacology and toxicology of ozone therapy today; V Bocci; Biol Regul Homeost Agents 1996 Apr-Sep;10(2-3):31-53. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9250885/
- Adjuvant Ozone Therapy in Advanced Head and Neck Tumors: A Comparative Study; Bernardino Clavo et al; Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2004 Dec;1(3):321-325. DOI: 10.1093/ecam/neh038. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15841266/
- Is it true that ozone is always toxic? The end of a dogma; Bocci V. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2006 Nov 1;216(3):493-504. DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2006.06.009. Available from: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&DOI=b73ab4f1ee80b268a8f56c2a059295b65766cd1a
- How a calculated oxidative stress can yield multiple therapeutic effects; Bocci V. Free Radic Res. 2012 Sep;46(9):1068-75. DOI: 10.3109/10715762.2012.693609. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22583557/