What is an Ozone Sauna or Ozone Therapy??

First, Let me start with a few questions…

How long can you go without food? Weeks/months

How long can you go without water? Days 

How long can you go without air? Only minutes

Why is that?… because oxygen is required to produce energy (ATP) in the mitochondria to keep our cells alive. 

When oxygen runs out-> ATP runs out->your cells die->you die. 

That’s also how we age… mitochondria become less efficient from wear and tear of life->a decrease of oxygen utilization -> less ATP production ->faster aging. Luckily for us, Increasing oxygen utilization can actually slow the aging process. 

The same is true for how we heal…

We sustain an injury->the body triggers Mitochondria to produce more ATP->tissues heal. Simply put, Increasing oxygen utilization can improve healing but we must be able to get adequate oxygen to the cells.

So what does that have to do with Ozone? Ozone is supercharged oxygen, it can do things normal oxygen can’t do…

Ozone (O3) triggers an oxidative reaction in the body allowing the mitochondria to absorb up to 10X the amount of oxygen… which means ATP production can go up by as much as 10X (that’s 1,000%). That means healing and anti-aging can go up by the same 1,000%. 

 

So, how do we get ozone into us, you might be asking?

There are 3 common types of administration:

1- Direct Injection: consists of injecting  medical grade ozone directly into the body using a small needle and syringe.

Pros: Great for treating an isolated area such as a strain or Injury. Fast results because of its high concentration to an isolated area. Treatment is fast, 5 min total.

Cons: the treatment can burn for 1-2 minutes and can leave you feeling achy and sore for a few days. 

2- Ozone Sauna: consists of sitting in a steam sauna that bathes your body in ozone so you can absorb it into the blood via your pores. It also improves circulation to help the ozone reach deep into the body.

Pros: Totally painless and has the added benefit of improving circulation and detoxification. No needles (yay!!). Affects the whole body/systemic system. Only takes 20min.

Cons: less specific to an area of injury compared to direct injection (but can reach similar benefits in a specific area with multiple (2-3) treatments).

3- MAH (major auto-hemotherapy): consists of extracting the patient’s blood via IV, ozonating it and then re-injecting the blood back into the patient’s body.

Pros: Great for systemic infections.

Cons: time consuming (30-45 min) and uncomfortable, not as concentrated for specific areas of need, can be intimidating due to the process. 

 

In our office we offer what we believe are the two BEST options: 

1-direct injection for isolated areas and 2- ozone sauna for more whole body treatment or multiple sessions for an isolated area for patients that want to avoid the needles or the burn.

 

So how does the ozone sauna work?

An Ozone Sauna is a state-of-the-art, medical grade, individualized steam capsule that you will sit in with just your head sticking out. During your 20 min session, in which you can wear exercise or bathing clothes, the capsule will heat up to 114-120 degrees F. The capsule will use infrared light and steam to heat your body, causing your circulation to increase, and your pores to open and sweat. At the same time Ozone is filling the sauna chamber, completely bathing your pores in ozone... your body will absorb the ozone through the pores of your skin and immediately start utilizing it in the mitochondria throughout your entire body (even all the areas that your body knows you need it but you may not… cool huh?!). 

Primary benefits of Ozone treatment:

-increases oxygen delivery to mitochondria (increases cells access to oxygen)

-increases oxygen absorption in mitochondria (increases ATP production up to 1,000%)

-reduces inflammation (this helps with pain and healing).

-increases cytokines (Increases immune response by up to 400%)

-increases Nitric Oxide (NO, helps cardiovascular system)

-increases hemoxygenase (decreases risk of stroke and heart attack, reduces inflammation)

-increases detox (critical for good health and Anti-aging).

-increases antioxidant enzymes (up to 300%, critical for good health and anti-aging).

-stabilizes hormones and biochemistry (critical for general health)

-improves brain function and memory.

-calms pain and nerves. 

-directly kills pathogens (viruses, bacteria, etc.).

-decreases excess fibrin (breaks up scar tissue).

-increases growth factors (tissue repair).

-decreases aging and autoImmune reactions.

-increases endorphins and enkephalins (pain relief).

-increases fat burning (yes, please!). 

 

 

FAQs:

Can I only use ozone if I have something wrong with me?

-No. Study upon study has shown that some of the most powerful effects of ozone are from “preconditioning” our cells with ozone. Similar to daily exercise for a strong physique when we need it, regular (weekly to monthly) ozone therapy can strengthen our cells against future strain and aide in major anti-aging benefits. 

 

How does Ozone Sauna compare to HBOT (Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy)?

-HBOT works by using pressure to force more oxygen into your body via your plasma. The goal is to increase oxygen delivery to the cells… The drawback is that even though you may deliver more oxygen using pressure, the mitochondria can still only absorb so much (HBOT doesn’t increase absorption). Ozone therapy has a major advantage over HBOT because it increases both oxygen delivery and oxygen absorption. 

 

How many sessions are recommended:

-The first time you do a sauna session it is recommended to give it about 5-7 days before a second so your body can adjust to the detox process. After that, it is recommended up to 3x/week for ,research has shown now additional benefit to more than 3 sessions per week.

Aggressive approach for strong cases/healing: up to 3x per week

Moderate approach for mild to moderate cases: 1-2x per week. 

Preventive/preconditioning/anti-aging approach: 1-2x per month. 

 

Can I use any ozone for health benefits?

-No. Only medical grade ozone will provide the superior results without creating potential side effects. It has everything to do with concentration, dosing and purity. Medical grade ozone generators use only 100% pure oxygen and very specific materials within the generator to assure the ozone produced is 100% pure and concentrated to a specific gamma. 

 

Ozone Myths and debunked concerns:

-ozone is dangerous: ozone treatment has been used successfully in the medical field for decades. It actually first started in the mid 1800’s. Nikola Tesla was actually the first to create medical grade ozone generators in 1896. 

Ozone therapy is extremely popular in Europe and Asia where medical treatment is less influenced by pharmaceutical companies. 

Studies comparing 5.5 million treatments showed the incidence was of any poor reaction was 0.0007%… that’s better than Aspirin!

Direct inhalation of a high concentration of ozone (20 gamma for over 1 min) is not advised, as it can be harmful to the lungs but it is very difficult to reach this point due to the body’s natural “cough reflex” as the levels start to irritate the mucosal membranes much sooner than harm would occur. 

-ozone is a pollutant: ozone is a naturally occurring molecule in the atmosphere (think ozone layer) that is created from oxygen (O2) reacting with electricity or UV rays, causing it to restructure as a super-concentrated oxygen called ozone (O3).

-ozone causes free radicals: because ozone is a dipolar molecule it cannot cause free radical production in the body.