Ozone therapy
Encyclopedia
Ozone
in the stratosphere
deflects harmful solar radiation, but ground level ozone has well-studied and cumulative deleterious health effects. The use of ozone therapy is advocated as a form of alternative medicine
but there is no scientific evidence supporting its use in treatment of specific diseases. After a review of extant science, the United States Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has sharply questioned the effectiveness or safety of ozone generators sold as air cleaners. Ozone has a capacity to oxidize organic compounds, and has well-known toxic effects on the respiratory tract when present in smog
.
published an article describing the administration of ozone for treatment of tuberculosis
. In 1902 another article was published claiming success in treating chronic middle ear deafness with ozone. Ozone was used during the First World War
to disinfect wound
s.
. It has been proposed as a treatment for AIDS
and though it does deactivate the viral particles outside the body
, there is no evidence of benefits to living patients.
Summarizing the substantial and growing body of study results showing deleterious health effects, in 1976, and reiterated in 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) reflects the scientific consensus that ozone is a toxic gas which has, as yet, no demonstrated safe medical application in specific, adjunctive, or preventive therapy. One possible reason, noted by the FDA, is that in order for ozone to be effective as a germicide, it must be present in a concentration far greater than can be safely tolerated by man or other animals.
Though promoted as a treatment for cancer by some advocates, the American Cancer Foundation has advised cancer patients against using ozone therapy. Other industry opinion leaders in the UK and Australia as recently as 2001 also suggest that knowledge regarding the potential benefit and harm of ozone in cancer patients is insufficient. Therefore such therapy can’t be recommended as an alternative form of treatment for cancer patients.
Ozone has been suggested for use in dentistry
, though overall the existing evidence does not support its use.
human tissues. When infused into human blood, ozone produces reactive oxygen species
(ROS) or free radicals, an over-abundance of which is known to cause oxidative stress
and cell damage, and is implicated in the progression of some degenerative disease
s. High levels of inhaled ozone is known to be toxic, though single-dose inhalation of lower levels is not and may be beneficial in the treatment of certain diseases.
Ozone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
in the stratosphere
Stratosphere
The stratosphere is the second major layer of Earth's atmosphere, just above the troposphere, and below the mesosphere. It is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down. This is in contrast to the troposphere near the Earth's surface, which is cooler...
deflects harmful solar radiation, but ground level ozone has well-studied and cumulative deleterious health effects. The use of ozone therapy is advocated as a form of alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
but there is no scientific evidence supporting its use in treatment of specific diseases. After a review of extant science, the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
(EPA) has sharply questioned the effectiveness or safety of ozone generators sold as air cleaners. Ozone has a capacity to oxidize organic compounds, and has well-known toxic effects on the respiratory tract when present in smog
Smog
Smog is a type of air pollution; the word "smog" is a portmanteau of smoke and fog. Modern smog is a type of air pollution derived from vehicular emission from internal combustion engines and industrial fumes that react in the atmosphere with sunlight to form secondary pollutants that also combine...
.
Historical origins
In 1856, just 16 years after its discovery, ozone was first used in a health care setting to disinfect operating rooms and sterilize surgical instruments. By the end of the 19th century the use of ozone to disinfect drinking water of bacteria and viruses was well established in mainland Europe. In 1892 The LancetThe Lancet
The Lancet is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal. It is one of the world's best known, oldest, and most respected general medical journals...
published an article describing the administration of ozone for treatment of tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. In 1902 another article was published claiming success in treating chronic middle ear deafness with ozone. Ozone was used during the First World War
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
to disinfect wound
Wound
A wound is a type of injury in which skin is torn, cut or punctured , or where blunt force trauma causes a contusion . In pathology, it specifically refers to a sharp injury which damages the dermis of the skin.-Open:...
s.
Uses
Some marketers of ozone generators make fantastic promotional claims that ozone is a miraculous cure for all disease including cancer and AIDS, but these claims remain unproven. Ozone can disinfect surfaces and water if it is administered for at least two hours at a concentration of 1200 parts per millionParts-per notation
In science and engineering, the parts-per notation is a set of pseudo units to describe small values of miscellaneous dimensionless quantities, e.g. mole fraction or mass fraction. Since these fractions are quantity-per-quantity measures, they are pure numbers with no associated units of measurement...
. It has been proposed as a treatment for AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and though it does deactivate the viral particles outside the body
In vitro
In vitro refers to studies in experimental biology that are conducted using components of an organism that have been isolated from their usual biological context in order to permit a more detailed or more convenient analysis than can be done with whole organisms. Colloquially, these experiments...
, there is no evidence of benefits to living patients.
Summarizing the substantial and growing body of study results showing deleterious health effects, in 1976, and reiterated in 2006, the United States Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) reflects the scientific consensus that ozone is a toxic gas which has, as yet, no demonstrated safe medical application in specific, adjunctive, or preventive therapy. One possible reason, noted by the FDA, is that in order for ozone to be effective as a germicide, it must be present in a concentration far greater than can be safely tolerated by man or other animals.
Though promoted as a treatment for cancer by some advocates, the American Cancer Foundation has advised cancer patients against using ozone therapy. Other industry opinion leaders in the UK and Australia as recently as 2001 also suggest that knowledge regarding the potential benefit and harm of ozone in cancer patients is insufficient. Therefore such therapy can’t be recommended as an alternative form of treatment for cancer patients.
Ozone has been suggested for use in dentistry
Dentistry
Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...
, though overall the existing evidence does not support its use.
Safety
Much of the concern related to ozone therapy revolves around the safety of blood ozonation. It is well established that when inhaled by mammals, ozone reacts with compounds in tissues lining the lungs and triggers a cascade of pathological effects. Saul Green has argued that since ozone has the capacity to oxidize organic compounds in an atmospheric environment, it should also logically oxidize blood components and endogenousEndogenous
Endogenous substances are those that originate from within an organism, tissue, or cell. Endogenous retroviruses are caused by ancient infections of germ cells in humans, mammals and other vertebrates...
human tissues. When infused into human blood, ozone produces reactive oxygen species
Reactive oxygen species
Reactive oxygen species are chemically reactive molecules containing oxygen. Examples include oxygen ions and peroxides. Reactive oxygen species are highly reactive due to the presence of unpaired valence shell electrons....
(ROS) or free radicals, an over-abundance of which is known to cause oxidative stress
Oxidative stress
Oxidative stress represents an imbalance between the production and manifestation of reactive oxygen species and a biological system's ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage...
and cell damage, and is implicated in the progression of some degenerative disease
Degenerative disease
A degenerative disease, also called neurodegenerative disease, is a disease in which the function or structure of the affected tissues or organs will progressively deteriorate over time, whether due to normal bodily wear or lifestyle choices such as exercise or eating habits...
s. High levels of inhaled ozone is known to be toxic, though single-dose inhalation of lower levels is not and may be beneficial in the treatment of certain diseases.