Ozone therapy: what is it, what is it for and benefits

A ozone therapy It is a treatment with ozone gas to stimulate the oxygenation of body tissues, helping to reduce inflammation. The therapy has the potential to treat a number of pathologies, to improve the immune system and to eliminate organisms that can cause infections.

“Ozone therapy is widely used for therapeutic purposes in pathologies, such as: improving immunity, improving the intestinal microbiota and treating mycoses, viruses and bacteria”, explains Eloa Boccia, biomedical doctor and specialist in advanced aesthetics.

“Oxygen gas is bactericidal and fungicidal. With that, he works in different ways in the human body, both in the physical environment and even in emotional practice, in Chinese medicine”, adds the acupuncturist and homeopath Rogger Florencio.

Now that you already know what is ozone therapy, understand, below, what it is for and what applications have already been approved for this therapy, its benefits in studies and possible side effects. Check out!

What is ozoniotherapy used for?

A ozone therapy serves for the treatment and prevention of various diseases, mainly dental, and can also complement aesthetic procedures. Currently, the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) approves the use of ozone gas for the following indications:

• Treatment of dental caries;

• Treatment and prevention of inflammatory and infectious conditions;

• Root canal treatment;

• Dental surgery;

• Aid in cleaning and asepsis of the skin.

In addition to these cases, ozone therapy has been studied for other applications, mainly for therapeutic purposes for different diseases. One such study, published in IWJ International Wound Journal, showed that ozone therapy is beneficial for the treatment of chronic wounds. However, there is no evidence that ozone therapy is superior compared to standard treatments.

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Another research, published in Journal of Medical Virologyshowed that ozone therapy can be useful in controlling COVID-19 infection, however, he stressed that more clinical studies are needed to determine the effectiveness and ideal dosage to be used in the treatment.

There are also studies that suggest that ozone gas can be useful as an adjuvant in the treatment of cancer, such as the work published in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. According to the researchers, ozone therapy has a potential role in healing after tumor resection, helping to avoid delays in starting treatment with radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

However, despite these possible benefits, ozone therapy is not yet approved by Anvisa for these purposes, nor is it recommended by the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) as a form of treatment. Currently, only ozone therapy for aesthetics is for dental treatments are approved.

However, even so, some clinics offer the therapy for other purposes, which are still being studied. According to Anvisa, “the use of devices not regulated by the Agency or with indications for use other than those mentioned constitutes a sanitary infraction”. If the infraction is identified, the clinic offering the service may be fined or closed.

How does ozone therapy work?

A ozone therapy can work in different ways:

• rectal ozone therapy: the application is made by means of a probe
• cutaneous ozone therapy: made by applying oil, gas or compresses containing ozone to the skin
• ozone therapy by injection: application made by means of a syringe with a needle, directly on the joints
• ear ozone therapy: ozone is applied directly into the ears, with the aid of a specific device.

Benefits of ozone therapy

According to the biomedical Eloa, “acting as a powerful antioxidant, improving basal metabolism, strengthening the immune system and improving blood oxygenation” are some of the benefits of ozone therapy. In addition, according to biomedical Eliane Pescador, the procedure “can help with hair treatment, hair loss, dark circles and even fat and sagging”.

Furthermore, a study published in the journal Neuroendocrinology Letters suggests that ozone gas therapy has potential for the treatment of degenerative neurological disorders, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular, peripheral vascular, orthopedic, gastrointestinal pathologies, fibromyalgia, skin diseases, ulcers, infectious diseases and lung diseases.

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Does ozone therapy lose weight?

According to Eloa, the ozone therapy helps to lose weight “since, in addition to acting directly on adipocytes, which are fat cells, it increases basal metabolism”, he explains. In addition, according to acupuncturist Rogger, by improving metabolism, ozone therapy “is helpful in the excretory tract, aiding in weight loss”.

Contraindications and possible side effects

Ozone therapy is not indicated for people with hyperthyroidism and decompensated blood pressure, patients with severe anemia or leukemia. “People with G6PD enzyme deficiency cannot undergo ozone therapy either”, explains Eloa. In addition, the side effects of ozone therapy may include bruising, swelling and tenderness at the application site.