Generality
Ozone therapy uses a mixture of oxygen and ozone for therapeutic purposes; The goal of treatment consists essentially in increasing the available quantity of oxygen or its radicals, through the introduction of ozone into the body. Different methods can be used to convey the ozone molecule within the body.
The alleged benefits brought by ozone therapy are proposed for the treatment of numerous diseases. However, the scientific validity of this therapeutic strategy is very controversial and there is not enough evidence to support the use of this treatment in many fields, except for the treatment of disc hernia, in which it has demonstrated benefits recognized by the scientific community.
What is ozone?
Ozone (O 3 ) is composed of three oxygen atoms arranged to form a resonance hybrid; this particular chemical structure explains the reactivity of the molecule and its biological behavior.
Health effects
Ozone, along with reactive oxygen forms such as superoxide, singlet oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and hypochlorite ions, is naturally produced by white blood cells and other biological systems as a means of destroying foreign bodies. Ozone reacts directly with double organic bonds, disturbing them to neutralize the invading agent. It is believed that the powerful oxidizing properties of O 3 can intervene in inflammation.
The cause-effect relationship of how ozone is created in the body and participates in different physiological mechanisms is still the subject of research and various interpretations (other chemical processes in the body can trigger similar reactions). Historically, in 1856, only 16 years after its discovery, ozone was applied to disinfect operating rooms and sterilize surgical instruments. In 1892, an article was published describing the administration of ozone for the treatment of tuberculosis. During World War I, doctors used it to treat wounds, trench foot and the effects of poisonous gases.
For what it uses
Assumed applications of medical ozone (O 2 - O 3 ) and scientific evaluation
Ozone therapy consists of introducing ozone into the body through different methods of administration:
- Intrarterial and intravenous route;
- Intra-articular or subcutaneous injection;
- Intestinal insufflation;
- Local applications, with ozonized water, ozone-based creams and ozonized oil.
Ozone can also be introduced by auto hemotransfusion: the blood is taken intravenously by the patient, exposed to ozone and put back into circulation.
Usually, these techniques involve mixing ozone with various gases and liquids before administration.
For medical applications, the gas produced is administered in precise therapeutic doses and never by inhalation. In fact, ozone has known toxic effects on the respiratory tract when inhaled by mammals: the molecule reacts with the tissues that line the lungs, triggering a cascade of pathological effects that can induce deterioration of the lung membranes. Furthermore, when it is inhaled, ozone can form metabolites that facilitate the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic plaques. The presence of these compounds, generated by ozonolysis and classified in a class of secosterols, has been confirmed in human atherosclerotic arteries.
The potential benefits of ozone therapy are:
- Fungicidal action, antibacterial action and viral inactivation;
- Promotes the release and use of body oxygen;
- Causes the release of growth factors that stimulate osteoarticular regeneration (adjuvant in the treatment of herniated discs, joint rheumatism, etc.);
- Analgesic - anti-inflammatory.
Ozone therapy has been proposed for the treatment of various diseases, including multiple sclerosis, arthritis, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, interstitial cystitis, chronic hepatitis, herpes, dental infections, diabetes, macular degeneration, cancer, AIDS and Lyme disease . However, it is essential to remember that the medical application of ozone has not yet obtained a unanimous scientific consensus, as it has not always proved to be valid as a specific, adjuvant or preventive therapy.
- The proposed mechanism of action for the use of ozone therapy in the treatment of cancer is based on the theory that neoplastic cells do not proliferate in an environment with a high concentration of oxygen. Thus, ozone therapy would act as an adjuvant to radiotherapy or chemotherapy, increasing interstitial pO 2 at the level of neoplastic tissue and thus helping to treat cancer. There is no evidence to support this theory and an article published in 2001 claims that the potential benefit to cancer patients is insufficient. Therefore, ozone therapy should not be recommended as an alternative form of cancer treatment.
- Regarding the therapeutic effect on HIV / AIDS, the administration of ozone has shown promising results in in vitro tests (the molecule inactivates the viral particles outside the organism), but there is no evidence that the application brings in vivo benefits.
- Ozone has been suggested for use in dentistry for the treatment of dental caries, but existing tests do not support any valid applications.
- The subject of discussion is the use of ozone therapy by athletes, in an attempt to increase performance (it would change oxygenation in the muscle at rest).
- A review concluded that ozone injections are an effective treatment for herniated discs .
Discolysis with ozone
Ozone therapy applied to the herniated disc
One of the most widespread applications of ozonotherapy is related to the treatment of the herniated disc. Discolysis is based on the injection of a gaseous mixture of oxygen and nitrogen directly into the herniated disc and the surrounding area of the back, in order to stimulate the healing process. The therapy requires approximately ten sessions, each lasting a few minutes. After a few weeks, ozone-oxygen induces dehydration of the tissue, eliminating compression on the nerve roots and ensuring pain relief, especially in the case of acute hernia.
Safety
Much of the concerns regarding ozone therapy revolve around the safety of blood ozonation: ozone has the ability to oxidize organic compounds in the atmospheric environment, so it should also oxidize the components of blood and human tissues. When infused into human blood, ozone can decompose and give rise to reactive oxygen species (ROS) or free radicals, highly reactive and known to cause oxidative stress and damage many organic molecules, as well as being involved in the progression of some degenerative diseases (such as atherosclerosis). To avoid this consequence, the doses of ozone administered must not exceed the capacity of antioxidant enzymes to prevent the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and superoxide anion.
