TECHNIQUE
Ozone Therapy
Ozone’s properties are used clinically to decrease inflammation and support immune regulation. At Ashland Natural Medicine we use ozone therapies as part of a broader plan for patients working through Lyme disease and coinfections, mold illness, chronic fatigue and post-viral recovery.
Introduced into the body, ozone reacts with the double bonds in amino acids and lipids to form peroxides known as ozonides. It is the ozonides, not the ozone itself, that produce the biological effect: a controlled oxidative signal that prompts the body’s own antioxidant and repair systems to respond.
Discover the Benefits of Ozone Therapy Today
Consider ozone as a primary or important adjunct treatment for any preventative, acute, or chronic condition which would respond to increased oxygenation, energy production, and immune-system optimization. Benefits include:
Decreased inflammation
Increased wound healing
Improved digestion and intestinal healing
Increased antioxidant function
Clearing viruses, bacteria and fungus
Improved capacity for removing toxins
Ozone is short-lived. At room temperature it reverts to ordinary oxygen at a rate of roughly 50% every 30 minutes, so it cannot be bottled, shipped or taken at home. It has to be generated and administered on site, which is why ozone therapy is something you come into the clinic for.
A 150-year history
Ozone is not new. Its first documented medical use was in 1872, as a disinfectant for surgical rooms and instruments, and by 1885 the Florida Medical Association had published on its therapeutic applications. It has been in continuous clinical use in Germany, Russia and Cuba for decades, and German first-responder ambulances carry it for stroke patients. It is not widely taught in American medical schools, most likely for an unglamorous reason: ozone is a naturally occurring molecule and cannot be patented, so no one has had a commercial reason to fund the large trials that drive curricula.
How we deliver ozone at our Ashland clinic
Ozone IV, or Major Autohemotherapy, is our primary systemic route. A quantity of your blood is drawn into a sterile container, mixed with a concentration of ozone chosen for you, and returned to your circulation.
Local application places ozone directly against a site that needs it, such as a sinus, ear or dental infection, or a wound that is not closing. Insufflation, given rectally or vaginally, is well tolerated and works systemically. Ozonated water is prepared fresh at the clinic. Which route we choose depends on what we are trying to reach.
What we use ozone for
Lyme disease and coinfections. Mold and mycotoxin illness. Chronic fatigue and low cellular energy. Post-COVID and Long COVID recovery. Immune regulation in autoimmune conditions. Immune support for patients undergoing cancer care. Circulation in diabetes. Healing the digestive tract. Brain fog and the cognitive symptoms of chronic illness. Traumatic brain injury and post-stroke recovery. Wound healing. Detoxification support for heavy metals and mold.
Ozone is rarely the whole plan. It works best inside a broader strategy that addresses drainage, terrain, nutrient status and the underlying burden, which is how we build every treatment plan here.
What a course of treatment looks like
We start with a single trial treatment. Ozone is well tolerated, but every terrain responds differently and we want to see how yours does before committing you to a series.
If the response is favorable, we plan a series of at least ten. Ozone works cumulatively. Its effects build at a cellular level, and a single session tells you very little about where you will land. Most patients continue for another ten to twenty treatments before the fuller benefit is apparent.
After that comes maintenance. Some patients come in on a schedule. Others learn to recognize when their body is asking for support and book accordingly. Both work. Patients most often report improved energy, mental clarity, and a reduction in the low-grade symptoms that had become background noise.
Safety, honestly
Ozone must never be inhaled. It is a genuine irritant to the bronchioles, and we are careful about this with every application. The same applies at home: never remain in a room with a running ozone generator, and if you are ozonating a space for mold, people, pets and plants all need to be out during treatment and until it has cleared.
Common questions
Does it hurt? An ozone IV feels much like any other IV. Most patients read or rest through it.
How long is a session? Plan on about an hour for an ozone IV. Local applications are quicker.
How many will I need? A trial treatment, then a series of at least ten if you respond well.
Is it covered by insurance? Generally not. We will be straightforward about cost before you commit to a series.
Can I do it at home? No. Ozone cannot be stored or transported, which is why it is given in clinic.
How do I start? Complete a new patient questionnaire below, or tell your ANM provider you are interested and we will find the right application for where you are.
Reviewed by Dr. Chris Chlebowski, ND. Contributions by Ajana Miki, ND, LAc and Erin Zerr, RN.
Ozone IVs in our clinic are done by a process called Major Autohemotherapy (MAH). This is when some of a patient’s blood is drawn into a sterile container, then mixed with a patient-specific gamma level of ozone before returning the blood back into the patient’s body. This ozonated blood carries all of the aforementioned properties and benefits back to the blood, organs, mitochondria and cells, stimulating healing and gentle detoxification.