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Ozone Therapy
Ozone therapy refers to the process of using ozone (O3) gas to reverse the underlying cause(s) of disease and accelerate healing. It is one of the safest and best treatments to heal from acute and chronic diseases, prevent disease, and slow down the aging process. As we age and in certain disease or toxic states, our body is less effective in using oxygen which causes poor mitochondrial function (energy), less antioxidants, and build up of free radicals in the body. The build up of free radicals contributes to organ breakdown, poor immune system function, cancer, degenerative disease, and aging. Ozone counteracts these changes by increasing oxygen utilization, up-regulating mitochondrial activity, eating up free radicals, and preventing tissue breakdown.
At Aspen Integrative Medical Center our patients frequently use ozone therapy to recover faster from almost every acute and chronic disease. We are one of the only clinics in Northern Arizona specializing in ozone therapy and we continue to see remarkable results using it with our patients. Dr. Paul Despres has extensive training and experience using ozone therapy for a variety of health concerns. He is certified in Ozonotherapy and Prolozone therapy under Dr. Frank Shallenberger and is an active member of the American Academy of Ozonotherapy (AAOT).
Call our office to schedule an ozone therapy appointment today!
Frequently Asked Questions About Ozone Therapy
Ozone therapy is a highly effective, well-researched, and root cause treatment with minimal safety risks. Ozone was discovered in 1785 by Dutch physicist Martinus Van Marum and Nikola Tesla patented the first ozone generator in 1896. It was first used medically in the United States by Dr. Noble Eberhart at Loyola Chicago University in 1911 to treat tuberculosis, anemia, syphilis, and many other conditions. The field of ozone therapy has been most recently pioneered by Dr. Frank Shallenberger and the American Academy of Ozonotherapy.
Ozone consists of binding three oxygen atoms together (instead of two) in a dynamically “active” state which is an incredible electron transporter/donor. Ozone’s remarkable effects are due to its ability to reduce pain/inflammation, increase oxygen utilization, increase NAD levels, and modulate the immune system. Ozone is not foreign to the body. It is already naturally produced by the white blood cells in your body to fight viruses, bacteria, and fungal pathogens.
There has been many published studies examining how ozone is beneficial to the human body, including:
- Upregulates oxygen utilization and restore mitochondrial function.
- Decreases inflammation and modulates cytokines
- Anti-viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitic
- IMPORTANT: Ozone therapy shifts TH2 dominance back to TH1 by manipulating cytokines and thus curing chronic infections.
- Enhances chemotherapy and radiation
- Activates Nrf2
- Increases nitric oxide
- Clears excess free radicals through activation of antioxidant enzyme systems
- Supports the immune system to fight infections by stimulating T cell function
- Improves circulation by enhancing the flow of your blood, breaking down plaques in arteries, and enhances red blood cell distensibility
- Promotes anti-aging and longevity
- Enhances athletic performance
- Increases detoxification
- Protects against neurodegeneration
- Increases energy levels and metabolism
- Modulates the immune system – calming down hyperactive or autoimmune disease or stimulating the immune system when it is under functioning (such as in cancer, chronic infections)
- Purifies blood and lymph
- Increases cellular glutathione levels
Ozone therapy is used to help treat a wide variety of acute and chronic diseases including:
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- Acute infections such as colds, flus, bladder infections, strep throat, pharyngitis, sinusitis, lung infections, gangrene, and other localized or systemic infections of the body.
- Chronic infections such as Lyme disease and other tick-borne co-infections, HIV, Hepatitis, Herpes, Shingles, Candida, and EBV. One of the most important clinical effects of ozone therapy is that it can cure chronic infections.
- Acute and chronic pain
- Chronic fatigue
- Chronic inflammatory conditions
- Auto-immune disease
- Neurological disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Allergies and chemical sensitivities
- Chronic bladder conditions like interstitial cystitis
- Chronic kidney disease including renal failure – can increase kidney infiltration rate
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Stroke, traumatic brain injury, and concussions
- Auto-immune disease
- Adjunctive cancer care – especially when combined with high dose vitamin C IV
- Eczema and psoriasis
- Multiple sclerosis
- Macular degeneration
- Coronary artery disease and cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
- Dementia
- Wound care
- Asthma and COPD
- Sickle cell anemia – can prevent a crisis using ozone, but can also treat them if treated early on in crisis
Ozone therapy is also helpful for non-disease reasons, including:
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- Enhancing athletic performance
- Increasing energy
- Preventing disease
- Anti-aging
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- UBI IV Ozone – involves drawing out some of the patient’s blood, mixing it with ozone gas, and then administering back into the patient’s body as an IV. As the blood returns to the patient is run under an ultraviolet light machine (UBI) which further accelerates the treatment. Treatment time is typically 30 minutes. The blood used is typically withdrawn from the patient via a syringe, but we also use gravity to fill an empty IV bag.
- Multi-Pass High Dose IV Ozone (aka “Ten Pass”) – like UBI IV ozone, but it’s a much stronger treatment. It involves using a machine that withdraws a patient’s blood via an IV line into a sterile glass bottle, enriches it with a pure ozone-oxygen mix, and then returns the ozone-blood mixture to the patient back through the same vein. It can be done up to ten times, hence the name, and is considered our most powerful ozone treatment that is especially helpful for chronic diseases like Lyme Disease. Depending on the number of passes, treatment time typically takes 45-60 minutes.
- Prolozone – the injection of ozone into joints, trigger points, tissues, and/or scars. This is an excellent way of managing pain.
- Nasal and Ear Ozone – this consists of administering ozone into the ear or nasal cavity using a syringe. And this is especially helpful for an ear infection, sinusitis, and/or allergies. Note that ozone is a toxic gas and injury can occur if inhaled into the throat or lungs, so this should only be performed by a trained professional.
- Skin/Limb Ozone Bagging – process of wrapping a bag around a treatment area and administering ozone into the bag. Especially helpful for delivering oxygen to wounds, gangrene, etc.
- Rectal Ozone Insufflations – ozone is administered as an enema rectally. We find IV ozone to be more effective and better tolerated, so this is not often prescribed.
The frequency, dose, and length of treatment is always individualized to the patient’s particular clinical needs.
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- UBI Ozone – can take about 30-45 minutes.
- Multi-Pass High Dose IV Ozone – can take 30-60 minutes depending on the number of passes.
- Prolozone – typically 15-30 minutes depending on how many locations for injection.
- Ear and Nasal Ozone – can be done in a 15 minute appointment.
- Skin/Limb Ozone Bagging – typically 30 minutes
The number of treatments will depend on your condition and the results you are looking to achieve. Some conditions will require more frequent and more numerous treatments while other acute concerns may resolve after just one treatment.
For IV ozone therapy, patients often notice immediate benefit after 1-2 treatments. For chronic concerns it can take 12-14 for long-lasting health benefits.
For prolozone joint injections, patient often notice immediate benefit after 1 treatment. To fully restore joint function and resolve pain, it sometimes takes 3-5 treatments.
While ozone therapy is a very effective treatment, you will achieve more significant results if you combine it with other naturopathic modalities (like dietary/lifestyle changes, nutrient supplementation, physical medicine, and herbal medicine), so that the underlying causes of your disease are fully addressed.
Yes, ozone therapy is extremely safe when administered by a trained licensed medical professional. It does not deplete the body of nutrients and when used in the correct doses ozone is the least toxic of all medical therapies. The antidote to accidentally inhaling ozone therapy is ascorbic acid. Although ozone therapy is extremely safe, it is not safe to use in everyone and is contraindicated for the following conditions:
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- G6PD deficiency
- Pregnancy and lactation
- Uncontrolled hyperthyroidism
- Active bleeding or acute hemorrhagic disease
- Cardiovascular instability
- Acute MI or acute CVA
- Allergy to heparin
- Active seizure
Theoretical contraindications:
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- Hemochromatosis – too much iron will catalyze into hydroxyl radical
- Thrombocytopenia <50,000
- Patients receiving treatments with iron or copper
- Acute alcohol intoxication
- Oral L-carnitine, CoQ10, lipoic acid, niacinamide, niacin, riboflavin, magnesium, methyl B12, folic acid, MTHF, D-Ribose, zinc, selenium, NADH. NADH given before ozone therapy will convert to NAD. See O3 Assist.
- Add calcium to the blood ozone mix when doing IV ozone to increase cytokine production and fight infections.
- We also offer NAD IVs to accelerate the healing trajectory.
- Basic foundations of health and healing such as sleep
- Diet and nutrition – avoiding food sensitivities and inflammatory foods
- Detoxification – especially heavy metals
- Hormone replacement – especially adrenal and thyroid gland function
- Stress management – manage the right amounts of coffee, alcohol, exercise, sleep, emotions, allergies, and sugar
- Eliminate foci – 4 major sources:
- 1.) Dental foci – periodontal issues, root canals, infected teeth, misalignment of jaw
- 2.) Sinuses – treat with ozone
- 3.) Gut and microbiome imbalance
- 4.) Scars – usually cutaneous surgical scars. Did you get sick after surgery?
We DO NOT recommend any over the counter ozone generators for internal use. We only use medial grade ozone generators, pure oxygen (no room air), and only ozone resistant materials. The ozone and oxygen mixture that is produced must be pure and contaminant free. The ozone/oxygen mixture is produced at a precise concentration.
Our clinic exclusively uses Zotzman from Germany.
“What is the most important nutrient in the body? OXYGEN. But it’s not just what you take in, it’s what you utilize. The difference between you at 20 and you at 70 is the efficiency at which you utilize oxygen. The key to the treatment and prevention of disease is optimum oxygen utilization. Ozone therapy improves oxygen can be utilized locally and systemically. Ozone is effective for so many diseases including infirmities of aging because the oxygen increases NAD levels in the body.”
“Since decreased oxygen utilization is the primary cause of degenerative disease, the treatment of all diseases including aging, auto-immune disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disease, etc. is maximally enhanced in the presence of optimal oxygen utilization. This is why ozone therapy can be used in virtually every disease.”
~Dr. Frank Shallenberger