Ozone therapy is a method of complementary medicine, in which the gaseous ozone is applied in the form of autologous therapy or externally. Ozone is an unstable molecule that consists of three oxygen atoms and decays to pure oxygen (two atoms) within a short time. It has a characteristic odor, and it is also a strong oxidizing agent that reacts very well with organic molecules. Ozone is a natural component of the Earth’s atmosphere and is formed under the influence of high-energy solar radiation (UV radiation). Due to its disinfecting properties, the reactive gas is used in drinking water disinfection, swimming pool water treatment and food or fruit preservation.
Indications (areas of application)
- General immunodeficiency
- Autoimmune diseases
- External ulcers (boils) and skin lesions:
- Diabetic gangrene – ischemic necrosis (dead tissue due to severely reduced blood flow) on the legs. Cause is usually peripheral arterial disease (pAVK) in which a leg artery is “occluded”.
- Ulcus cruris – lower leg ulcer as a result of chronic venous insufficiency (The leg veins are no longer able to adequately transport blood back to the heart. In most cases, the valves in the veins are destroyed. As a result, the blood backs up and can not drain).
- Decubitus – local ischemic necrosis (dead tissue) as a result of external pressure with compression of vessels.
- Stage I and II burns
- Intestinal diseases:
- Crohn’s disease – chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); usually progresses in episodes and can affect the entire digestive tract; characteristic is the segmental affection of the intestinal mucosa (intestinal mucosa), that is, several intestinal segments may be affected, which are separated from each other by healthy sections.
- Ulcerative colitis – chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).
- Proctitis – rectal inflammation
- Anal fistula – pathological, tubular connection between the intestinal mucosa and the skin surface, also known as anorectal fistula.
- Anal fissures – painful, longitudinal tearing of the anal canal skin.
- Circulatory disorders:
- Peripheral (located at the extremities) circulatory disorders.
- Cerebral (located in the brain) circulatory disorders.
- Migraine
- Viral diseases
- Z. B. Hepatitis B; herpes simplex (cold sores) and herpes zoster (shingles).
- Osteoarthritis of large joints – coxarthrosis (hip joint osteoarthritis), gonarthrosis (knee joint osteoarthritis), omarthrosis (shoulder joint osteoarthritis), spondylosis of the cervical and lumbar spine (degenerative disease of the cervical spine and lumbar spine).
- Cancer – oncological aftercare and adjunctive therapy.
- Metabolic diseases
- Rheumatic diseases – e.g. chronic polyarthritis (inflammatory disease of the joints).
- Geriatric diseases and states of exhaustion – diseases in old age.
- Revitalization in old age
The procedure
Ozone kills bacteria, viruses and fungi and that is why it is used in medicine to disinfect wounds. It reacts with the cell membrane and increases its permeability, at the same time it improves the binding of oxygen to hemoglobin (red blood pigment found in red blood cells and responsible for oxygen transport) and thus its transport. Another effect on erythrocytes (red blood cells) is to increase the flexibility of their cell membrane. This leads to a lower viscosity of the blood (the blood is less viscous) and thus to an improved supply of poorly perfused tissue. Ozone therapy can be applied in several ways:
- Small ozone autologous blood therapy: this treatment is used to stimulate the immune system. Approximately 2-3 times 10 ml of blood is taken. The blood is heparinized (heparin is a drug that prevents blood clotting) and an ozone-oxygen mixture is added. Then the blood is injected back intramuscularly (into the muscles).
- Large ozone autologous blood therapy: Approximately 50-60 ml of venous blood is taken.The blood is mixed with an ozone-oxygen mixture in a sterile container, heparinized and then injected back into the patient intravenously.
- Intra-arterial use: This treatment is used for lower extremity circulatory problems, ulcerations or diabetic gangrene (open wounds on the legs due to very poor circulation). The ozone mixture is injected directly into the corresponding artery.
- External treatment with ozone: the skin is directly fumigated with ozone or treated with ozonated water or olive oil.
- Rectal ozone insufflation: this procedure is used for chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Through an intestinal catheter, the ozone mixture is insufflated through the anus (anus) into the rectum (rectum).
- Subcutaneous and intracutaneous ozone injection: injection of ozone under or directly into the skin.
- Intra-articular ozone injection: treatment is used for inflammatory joint diseases. The ozone mixture is injected directly into the affected joint.
Benefits
Ozone therapy has a circulatory, anti-inflammatory, immune-boosting and germicidal effect. It is very versatile, activates the immune system and has a revitalizing effect.
