Some tout this therapy as a way to fight viruses and inflammation, support the immune system, improve circulation, promote healing, and more—not just in humans, but in pets as well.

What is ozone therapy?

Ozone is a combination of three oxygen atoms that most of us associate with the ozone layer in the atmosphere. In the upper stratosphere, ozone can block harmful ultraviolet rays, and that’s a good thing. However, closer to the Earth’s surface, it can cause smog that can damage our airways.

Ozone is most stable in gaseous form, but can also exist in liquid and solid forms, where it is highly flammable.

For these supposedly therapeutic purposes, only gaseous ozone is used. An ozone generating device is used to create medical versions of the gas.

It can not only be exploded into the rectum, but also injected through the ears or vagina, applied under a coating to the skin (“ozone sauna”), mixed with blood, administered or swallowed (mixture of ozone and oil or water).

However, inhaling it is very dangerous.

Are there any benefits of ozone therapy?

Once in the body, ozone is thought to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, which could make it useful for chronic disease, although Dr. Wilson says no definitive results are yet available. Eric Asher, Family Medicine Physician at Lenox Hill Hospital.

Small studies and case reports have examined the effectiveness of therapy, although Cleveland Clinic calls the evidence “poor and limited”.

It is being studied in relation to chronic pain another fibromyalgia.

The Egyptian-based authors of one article published in 2021 Said one or two sessions of rectal ozone therapy seemed safe and may have helped blood oxygen in two COVID-19 patients, although the study did not include a placebo or other controls.

Another study of nine COVID-19 patients found that ozone-laced blood transfusions (the patient’s blood was taken, treated with ozone, and returned to their body) appeared to help speed recovery from pneumonia.

However, in 2020 federal court in Texas banned the health and wellness center from promoting ozone therapy for COVID-19, calling it “fraudulent advertising for purported treatments for COVID-19 that provide no benefit and may be harmful.”

“There is some supposed theoretical benefit to this, but it doesn’t feel like great science,” Hoda said.

“It’s hard to pinpoint exactly how useful this is,” Asher said.

Is ozone therapy safe?

Along with effectiveness, the safety of ozone therapy is still an open question. Rectal delivery can cause bloating and fatigue, as well as stomach and rectal discomfort, Asher says. More worrying is the risk of an air embolism (blood clot in the lungs) when inhaling. Inhalation can also cause pulmonary edema (when your lungs fill with fluid), Hoda said.

People who have worked with ozone (when using detergents or in wastewater treatment plants, among other things) have experienced breathing problems, coughs and headaches. According to scientists, prolonged exposure can even lead to asthma. CDC.

One problem is that, according to the FDA, to be effective — especially in killing germs — ozone therapy must be highly concentrated, making it dangerous. “It can be toxic to human cells, potentially causing damage to the colonic mucosa,” Hoda said. “There’s also a good chance it could affect the gut microbiome, and it’s probably not something you want to do willy-nilly.”

Asher also recommends against ozone therapy in certain situations where it should be beneficial: if you are fighting an infection or your body is under stress.

“Your body could be thrown into a more serious infection, treatable but uncomfortable, called Herxheimer reaction,” he said. “You should also avoid it if you are pregnant or have a history of heart disease.”