Ozone: How it can repair injured tissue and relieve pain

Monday, January 28, 2013 by: Mike Bundrant Ozone gas is an O2 molecule with an extra oxygen attached, making it O3.This extra oxygen molecule is what makes ozone "supercharged" and gives it all the remarkable medical properties. Oxygen is colorless and odorless, while ozone is blue colored (this is what makes the sky blue). The use of ozone to treat various medical conditions was first developed in the 1950's in Germany and has been gradually spreading in American over the last 25 years. Ozone can be used to treat a variety of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic hepatitis, herpes, chronic fatigue states, Lyme disease, macular degeneration, colitis, Chrohn's disease as well as the subject of this discussion, chronic musculo-skeletal pain syndromes such as tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis and other chronic conditions. Most people think of ozone as a pollutant in the air we breath that is toxic and a byproduct of our internal combustion automobile engines. When inhaled, ozone is irritating to the airways due to its oxidizing effects. However, when injected into the body, ozone is remarkably effective at stimulating healing processes and relieving chronic pain. Ozone is found naturally in the body. White blood cells make it as part of the immune response. Autotherapy, where one's own blood is exposed to ozone then re-infused, is the method of administration for the degenerative diseases described above. Medical grade ozone when used per established medical guidelines has a safety record second to none. Medical properties of ozone There are five properties that make ozone useful for so many medical problems: 1) Ozone is a potent regulator of the immune system. In the case of autoimmune disease where the immune system is overactive, ozone will calm it down. When the immune system is under active as in cancer and chronic infections, ozone will stimulate it. This is because ozone stimulates the cell membranes of white blood cells to make cytokines such as gamma interferon, interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. 2) Ozone stimulates increased uptake of oxygen by stimulating an enzyme called DPG, which enables hemoglobin within red blood cells to release oxygen. Diabetics, for example, have less DPG which causes a relative cellular oxygen deprivation. 3) Ozone improves circulation by enhancing the way blood flows through small blood vessels, which enables the oxygen carrying hemoglobin to reach the capillaries where cells will receive more oxygen that they require.

4) Ozone increases antioxidant protection when administered via IV exposure the blood before being re-infused. Most people with chronic diseases have deficient antioxidant defenses. 5) Ozone is a powerful mitochondrial stimulant. Since the fundamental underlying cause of all degenerative diseases from diabetes to heart disease is decreased mitochondrial energy production, ozone can often correct this problem.It does this by accelerating the Kreb's cycle we all learned in high school biology, which is how the body converts carbohydrates (glucose) into energy aerobically. Ozone injections for pain relief and tissue repair Ozone is created for medical purposes with an ozone generator that takes oxygen from a tank and exposes it to an electrical spark. This creates two singlet oxygen ions, which then attach themselves to two O2 molecules to create two O3 molecules. The ozone gas can then be drawn into a syringe to be used for injection into any part of the body that has chronic inflammation and pain. Ozone injections can be used for chronic neck or low back pain, shoulder tendonitis/bursitis, tennis elbow, knee pain from patello-femoral pain or arthritis, jaw pain from TMJ, chronic trigger points in any muscle of the body and even in the hands or feet that have soft tissue pain syndromes. Virtually all musculo-skeletal aches or pains that have persisted for over two months will respond to ozone injections. Pain relief is usually complete within 30 - 60 minutes. It works by the mechanisms described above. That is increasing oxygen uptake in the local tissue and speeding up local metabolism, which accelerates repair processes. Unlike cortisone shots, which provide anti-inflammatory effects but weaken the injected tissue due to its catabolic effects, ozone stimulates repair processes that promotes healing of the injured tissue. We have performed ozone injections in our clinic for the last five years and have observed an 85% success rate in pain relief for most chronic pain syndromes. The length of relief varies from a month to six months or longer. We have found that some patients need a series of 2 - 4 injections spread out over a period of many months to achieve complete relief. This is because each O3 injection leads to longer pain relief as there are cumulative tissue repair effects. My own experience was for a chronic patello-femoral pain that would occur when ever I squatted down and during heavy leg presses in the gym. The first injection into my right knee gave me complete pain relief for 4 months. It returned but at 70% of the original pain intensity and a second injection gave complete relief for one year. It returned at 40 - 50% of the original pain and a third injection provided complete pain relief that has lasted for the last 2 1/2 years with no pain during all my heavy weight training sessions and daily activity. Many of our patients have experienced pain relief with just one injection that lasted indefinitely. Randy Ice, PT and David Mitzner, DO operate Vintage Medical Group.

The healing power of oxygen (opinion)

Wednesday, May 30, 2012 by: Hesh Goldstein In addition to being the third most abundant element found in the sun and making up 20% of the earth's atmosphere, oxygen plays a critical role in the carbon-nitrogen cycle, which is said to give the sun and stars their energy, and it comprises 65% of our body. We know, that through fasting, we can live a few days without water and a few weeks without food, but only a few minutes without oxygen. Because all the functions in our body are regulated by oxygen it must be replaced endlessly because 90% of our life energy depends upon it. Our cells are energized by oxygen for regeneration and oxygen is required for food motabilization and the elimination of toxins and waste through the process of oxidation. The computers in our heads, called a brain, need oxygen continually to process information and for our organs to function efficiently they need tons of oxygen. Basically, what we take for granted like thinking, moving, eating, sleeping, feeling and talking are entirely dependant on oxygen for the energy to facilitate those processes. In fact, oxygen is the only element that is capable of combining with just about every other element to basically build and maintain our bodies. For example, to form proteins we combine oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and hydrogen. To form carbohydrates we combine oxygen, carbon and hydrogen and to form water we combine oxygen and hydrogen. To put it another way, without oxygen there would be no life. Because of the industrial revolution, technological advancements and modern transportation, oxygen in most parts of the world is steadily decreasing. We are obsessed with carbon-based fuels to power engines and generators and this uses huge amounts of oxygen on a daily basis. Add to that our rapid deforestation to produce wood and paper well beyond our production capacity and it's oxygen that takes the hit. What has been found is that the oxygen content in our atmosphere is being reduced by about 0.8% every 15 years. Because our bodies are not designed for low-level oxygen consumption, we open the door for our bodies to take on more and more toxins that accumulate in our cells, bloodstreams, tissues and organs. With global warming so prominent and on everyone's mind about the oxygen content in our atmosphere being reduced, it would be well to know that if our oxygen level reaches 6%, we die.

Oxygen, being one of five elements to sustain life, has been used in a myriad of ways to heal. It is used to treat the sick and injured, it treats bone infections, wounds, carbon-monoxide poisoning, decompression sickness and now the sports field has opened its eyes to increasing oxygen levels to treat athletes. If we adhere to eating poorly or abuse our bodies by excess drinking or smoking or doing drugs, both recreational and medicinal, and fail to recognize the importance of exercise, this has a ripple effect to our immune system, which becomes weakened and causes us to be prone to sickness and disease. Adding insult to injury, low oxygen levels are not good because they affect our cell's metabolism, which brings about more adverse health problems like lack of vitality and stamina, resulting in endless fatigue and a generally weak disposition. Other factors can reduce our oxygen levels as well. There's toxic stress as a result of toxic chemicals and air pollution becoming more prevalent and our increased use of antibiotics. Emotional stress produces adrenaline and adrenal-related hormones, which in turn use more oxygen. Physical traumas reduce circulation and oxygen supply to the cells and tissues of the body. And then, infections deplete our store of oxygen to fight bacteria and viruses and then we turn to frequent drug use to solve the problem, but the drugs wind up using our cellular oxygen levels as well. Problems like Candida and fungal infections are easily reversed through increasing oxygen levels in the cells. So, reversing the shortage of oxygen in the body is your starting point to rebuilding and strengthening your immune system. Oxygen deficiency presents itself in many ways - cancer, leukemia, AIDS, seizures and nerve deterioration to name a few. Bear in mind that cancer cells cannot live in an aerobic or oxygenated environment and it is your increased oxygen levels that keep illness at bay. If you feel weak, are easily fatigued, have poor circulation and digestion, muscle aches or dizziness, are moody, have a poor memory, behave irrationally, are easily irritable, have an acid stomach or bronchial problems, you most likely suffer from depleted oxygen levels. When your immune system is compromised by a lack of oxygen, you are more susceptible to bacterial, viral, other infections, colds and flu. As previously stated, oxygen-deficient blood presents itself with a variety of metabolic disorders, most recognizable by excess uric acid, putting your body in an acidic rather than an alkaline environment. Oh yeah, oxygen will protect you against unfriendly bacteria and toxins and will carry them out of your system. There are a variety of forms of oxygen therapy. Some expensive, some reasonable. Bottled oxygen, which is usually an inhalation therapy geared to serious bronchial and other respiratory problems, is costly and inconvenient.

Ozone (O3) therapy is generally given up the butt (ugh!) or intravenously (ouch!) is primarily used to increase blood oxygenation, circulation, immunity, and to kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. The problem? It's a hassle, inconvenient, unstable and can be toxic if not administered properly Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) therapy is somewhat controversial because it might cause an adverse reaction in the digestive tract due to the fact that excess hydrogen causes an unbalanced pH and can bring about unwanted free radicals. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy involves breathing oxygen in a pressurized chamber, saturating the cells and tissues with oxygen. It's great if you're a diver and have to overcome decompression sickness. Breathing exercises will increase lung capacity. Regular exercise, hatha yoga classes and martial arts are great for deep diaphragmatic and controlled breathing. Organic sulfur crystals are the easiest, least inconvenient, and work the best. Bear in mind that all commercial MSM products do not work. They start as a crystal, are turned into powder, losing 85% of their effectiveness, and when the synthetic binding and anti-caking agents are added, it becomes useless. One final word: during the day the body loses approximately three quarts of water through breathing, sweating and elimination. If you work out heavily on a hot day, you can lose three quarts of water in an hour. If you do not replace the water lost, hello muscle cramps, dehydration or heat stroke. The rule of thumb: one half of your body weight in fluid ounces - you weigh 150 pounds X ? = 75 ounces or at least ? gallon a day. Oh yeah, one more thing - liquid means good unfluoridated water, not coffee, tea, alcohol, fruit juices or sport drinks loaded with sugar. It is the water and the water only that keeps your skin moist and supple and acts as a natural lubricant for your joints and internal organs. Aloha!