Ozone treatment: Applications, advantages, and potential drawbacks
Ozone therapy, an alternative medicine practice that uses ozone gas, has gained attention for its potential therapeutic benefits, but safety concerns remain due to limited research and the need for proper administration.
The treatment, which can involve blowing gas into the body, has shown promise in managing certain medical conditions. For instance, intradiscal ozone treatment for disc herniation has been found to avoid surgery in more than half of patients after 24 months, indicating its effectiveness in pain relief and disability management. Similarly, ozone therapy has demonstrated promising results in reducing pain in acute herpes zoster (shingles) and preventing postherpetic neuralgia, with ongoing studies providing more rigorous assessments.
However, when performed incorrectly, ozone therapy can have severe adverse effects, including lung and throat irritation, worsened asthma symptoms, and even death. Severe adverse events are rare but have been reported, including bilateral blindness, neurological complications, gas embolism, and infections such as discitis or septicemia. These serious events are often attributed to improper technique or malpractice rather than ozone itself.
When delivered appropriately by trained professionals, ozone therapy's complication rates are low, generally minor, and transient. Compared to lumbar surgery for disc herniation, which carries significantly higher risks of complications, ozone therapy presents a less invasive alternative with a better safety profile in selected cases.
It is crucial to ensure administration by certified professionals following strict protocols to minimize risks. Certain individuals should avoid ozone therapy, especially those with contraindications identified by healthcare providers.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns against using ozone to clean or sanitize medical equipment due to insufficient evidence. The FDA also advises against using products that claim to clean, disinfect, or sanitize CPAP machines using ozone gas, as they have not been authorized for safety.
Despite the promising results, more research is needed to determine the true effects of ozone therapy on the human body and whether it has any therapeutic benefits beyond what is currently known. There is currently insufficient evidence to recommend ozone therapy for HIV or other infectious diseases, heart disease, cancers, skin conditions, or any other conditions.
Anyone considering ozone therapy should consult a doctor to discuss the potential risks and benefits and determine the most suitable treatment for their condition. Symptoms of exposure to ozone gas include lung and throat irritation, coughing, chest pain when breathing, chest tightness, wheezing, shortness of breath, and worsened asthma symptoms. High exposure to ozone gas can lead to lung damage and can be fatal.
In conclusion, while ozone therapy is clinically supported as an effective treatment modality for certain conditions like disc herniation and neuropathic pain, serious adverse effects can occur if ozone is administered improperly. Continued research is underway to further validate these findings and optimize safety protocols.
- Ozone therapy, despite showing promise in managing conditions like disc herniation and acute herpes zoster, can have severe adverse effects if improperly administered.
- Intradiscal ozone treatment has been found to avoid surgery in over half of patients with disc herniation after 24 months, thus indicating its effectiveness in pain relief and disability management.
- Ozone therapy has demonstrated potential in reducing pain in acute herpes zoster and preventing postherpetic neuralgia, but ongoing studies provide more rigorous assessments.
- When performed correctly by trained professionals, ozone therapy's complication rates are typically minor and transient, making it a less invasive alternative with a better safety profile compared to lumbar surgery for certain cases.
- It's important to consult a healthcare provider before undergoing ozone therapy to discuss contraindications and the most suitable treatment for individual conditions.
- The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns against using ozone to clean medical equipment or sanitize CPAP machines, as there is insufficient evidence to support these uses.
- More research is needed to determine the true effects of ozone therapy on the human body, as there is currently insufficient evidence to recommend it for conditions like HIV, skin conditions, or mental health disorders like depression or migraines.
