Ozone therapy is rapidly becoming one of the most preferred modalities in veterinary medicine! At its core, ozone therapy is a natural biological modifier that stimulates intracellular communication, which allows cells to utilize oxygen more efficiently. This increases mitochondrial function resulting in inflammation reduction and improvement of cellular health and immune functionality. Ozone therapy is one of the most powerful antimicrobials available. It speeds up the healing process and reduces the need for antibiotics. It is a preferred treatment technique for a variety of resistant microbial infections in animals. Research has shown that ozone treatments can provide three main benefits to veterinary patients. These include disinfection, enhanced healing, and pain relief.  Ozone can be applied systemically, topically, and infused in oils. Bottom line—ozone therapy is a safe and natural way to treat many of the health conditions facing veterinary practices today!

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Ozone and other oxygen therapies have been used around the world for over 100 years for both human and animal healing. These therapies continue to gain acceptance as the medical community learns about the health benefits of increased oxygen in the body. Ozone is utilized in Europe as an everyday treatment for certain medical conditions.

 

Ozone therapy and hyperbaric treatments, which bring easily soluble oxygen to target tissues, have been proven effective for treating viruses, fungi, and bacteria and for general health improvement whenever inflammation and damaged tissue are present.

      

Ozone contains three oxygen atoms that react in the tissue as it breaks down to ordinary oxygen resulting in a single reactive oxygen molecule that can combine with chemicals and other molecules. Ozone is like a super potent form of oxygen that can benefit any disease process in the body.

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Ozone is an inorganic activated, trivalent (3 atoms) form of oxygen. Ozone easily breaks down into an oxygen molecule and a singlet oxygen atom. This singlet oxygen atom has unpaired electrons making it unstable, and, thus, it is sometimes referred to as an “oxygen free radical.” In actuality, this oxygen atom behaves as an ion and NOT as a free radical at normal physiological blood ph. Therefore, no harmful free radical chain reactions occur when it attaches itself to another molecule. It is the cascading chain reactions produced by harmful free radicals that tear apart cell membranes and do damage to healthy cells of the body. So, while the ion does seek to pair with or “oxidize” another molecule, it is only toxic to the most vulnerable cells. Healthy cells are well protected by an enzyme coating (glutathione peroxidase, reductase, and superoxide dismutase) and are only damaged by the sort of free radicals that cause the cascading oxidative chain reactions. Bacteria, viruses, and tumor cells do not have this enzyme coating, so they are easily oxidized and destroyed by the oxygen atom. Singlet oxygen also acts as a scavenger for harmful type free radicals. It combines with them to render them harmless, which protects the body from being damaged by them. Singlet oxygen also stimulates increased production of the enzymes that protect the healthy cells from damage, thus fortifying their ability to fend off damage from the harmful free radicals.

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Ozone is a pale blue gas that has a distinctive, pungent odor similar to chorine. Because ozone is less stable than oxygen, it breaks down quickly into an oxygen molecule and an atomic oxygen molecule, which is a free radical. The oxygen atomic molecule will latch onto the cells and destroy them other than leaving the oxygen behind.

 

Ozone is a very powerful oxidant and has many industrial and consumer applications. If used incorrectly, it can cause damage to mucous and respiratory tissues in animals, people, and plants. Therefore, proper training of ozone therapy equipment is imperative, but once the operator of the ozone equipment understands the appropriate concentration and settings, ozone becomes extremely beneficial.

 

How Does Ozone Benefit the Body?

The unstable quality of ozone gives it remarkable medical properties. Ozone can be considered “supercharged oxygen.” The benefits of ozone include:

• Inactivating bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa

• Decreasing inflammation

• Activating the immune system by stimulating production of white blood cells, interferon, interleukins, and tumor necrosis factor

• Enhancing toxin removal from the body by stimulating metabolic function

• Stimulating the body’s protective enzyme systems

• Enhancing the effects of most hormones, drugs, vitamins, and herbs

• Enhancing circulation by increasing flexibility, reducing clumping of red blood cells, and oxidizing plaque on artery walls allowing it to be removed

• Breaking down petrochemical pollutants in the body

• Helping to clean waste from the body

• Activating the Krebs cycle of energy production, thus providing for more efficient carbohydrate metabolism and improved energy production. More efficient energy metabolism means fewer toxic byproducts produced in the process of energy production (i.e., “cleaner burning” of fuel to produce energy in the body.)

 

What Conditions Benefit from Ozone Therapy?  

• Inflammation (wherever there is inflammation, there is an increase in carbon dioxide in the tissue. Oxygen and ozone will benefit healing in that location.)

• Auto-immune disease (ozone even helps in human ailments, such as muscular dystrophy and macular degeneration.)

• Cancer

• Chronic infections (hepatitis, cystitis, Lyme disease, herpes, etc.)

• Allergies

• Sinusitis

• Intestinal diseases (Irritable Bowel Disease, colitis, etc.)

• Ear infections

• Dental infections

• Arthritis

• Chronic pain

• Inter-vertebral disc disease

• Wound care

• Bacterial and viral infections (Lyme Disease, Bartonella, etc.)

• Circulation disturbances

• Cushing’s disease

• Addison’s disease

• Diabetes

• Hyperthyroidism

• Immune mediated diseases

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How is Ozone Administered?

Regardless of the method of delivery, ozone is an extremely safe and pain-free therapy. There are many methods of administering ozone. Some of these include:

• Dissolving it in a fluid solution that is given subcutaneously

• Administering ozone gas directly into the colon with soft, flexible tubing

• Applying it topically after the ozone has been suspended in an ointment

• Surrounding the area to be treated with a specially designed bag that gets filled with ozone gas

• Inhaling it to treat respiratory infections (this method is safe if the ozone is first bubbled through olive oil so it is non-irritating to the lungs) 

• Mixing it with the patient’s blood and infusing the blood back into the patient via IV or intramuscular injection

• Using it in conjunction with acupuncture treatments

• Injecting it intra-articular for joint ailments

 

​How Often Can Treatments be Administered?

Ozone therapy may be administered as frequently as twice per week depending on the patient’s symptoms and response to therapy. Most patients will benefit from treatments every 1-2 weeks. Acute conditions may need 3-6 treatments per week to resolve. Animals with chronic conditions may benefit from ozone therapy every 2-8 weeks.  

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What are Some Other Uses for Ozone?

• Disinfecting laundry in homes, hospitals, factories, etc. 

• Disinfecting food by sanitizing fruits and vegetables and killing yeasts, mold, bacteria, and insects  

• Disinfecting water in place of chlorine and eliminating waterborne parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium in surface water and treatment plants   

• Cleaning and bleaching fabrics by chemically attacking contaminants in water (i.e., iron, arsenic, hydrogen, sulfide, and nitrates)  

• Sanitizing swimming pools and spas 

• ​Eliminating spores from the air in food processing plants  

• Sanitizing contact surfaces 

• Deodorizing the air and objects after fires