Below is an excerpt and link to a recent news story on the use of Ozone Therapy. This new application of ozone continues to gain traction.
OMAHA, Neb. ( KMTV) — Every medical innovation has its unique origin story, and ozone therapy is no exception.
The ozone itself has been around as long as the Earth, but it was first synthesized in 1840 by German chemist Christian Friedrich Schonbein, who identified it as the source of the smell in the air after a lightning strike. Ozone is a highly reactive gas composed of three oxygen atoms, and it is both a natural and a human-made product that occurs in the Earth’s upper atmosphere, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Medical ozone through history
By 1881, ozone was being used as a disinfectant and, in 1893, the first water treatment plant using ozone to disinfect and purify water for human consumption was built, according to the Spanish Association of Medical Professionals in Ozone Therapy.
During World War I, ozone was used as a topical application for infected wounds and an anti-inflammatory treatment, according to a clinical review of ozone therapy published by the Journal of Natural Science, Biology and Medicine.
Intravenous ozone therapy was developed and first used in Germany in the 1950s, according to Omaha Health Therapy Center.
“It is the most common medical ozone treatment today and is used by thousands of physicians worldwide,” according to the center.
How ozone therapy affects the body
Ozone therapy is an alternative treatment that practitioners use to take advantage of its various properties.
“Ozone has powerful anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal properties, as well as the ability to neutralize toxins, boost the immune system and increase delivery of oxygen to all tissues,” according to Omaha Health Therapy Center.
Ozone therapy has been used to treat a variety of conditions:
- Chronic fatigue
- Circulatory disorders
- Macular degeneration
- Chronic bladder conditions
- Heart disease
- Wounds
- Autoimmune disorders
- Upper respiratory infections
- Influenza
- Hepatitis
- Epstein-Barr virus
- Herpes viruses
- Lyme disease
- Cancer
“In addition to killing viruses, destroying bacteria and eliminating fungus, ozone therapy supports many of the body’s basic functions,” according to Omaha Health Therapy Center. “One example of this would be activating red blood cell metabolism which leads to increased delivery of oxygen to the body and, because it helps to dilate constricted blood vessels, allows better blood flow. Ozone also increases the efficiency to the body’s own antioxidant system, helping to eliminate excess free radicals which are known to be the cause of many degenerative diseases.”