by HADLEY HENRIETTE
Have you ever heard of Major Autohemotherapy (MAH) aka "Ozone Therapy"? It's a functional medicine treatment for which a good pint of your blood is taken from your body, mixed with a dose of ozone gas in a glass jar or plastic bag and dripped back into you. What it is is all there in the name—autohemotherapy translating to "therapy from your own blood." And "major," because it's a systemic treatment (or maybe because for some of us, taking that much blood is a big deal ;)
It's an oxidative therapy meaning its power actually lies in oxygen. You see, when ozone (O3) is applied to the blood, it quickly converts into oxygen (O2) before it even hits the body. This oxygenated blood works hard on multiple bodily systems, seemingly helping (almost) whatever ails you. Like exercise, which also produces mild oxidative stress, the oxygen stimulates your body's own adaptive antioxidant response in a healthy way as long as the dose is correct.
MECHANISM OF ACTION IN THE BODY
Increases oxygen levels in the blood
Increases number of white blood cells
Increases tumor necrosis factor
Increases interferon and interleuken-2
Improves mitochondrial efficiency
EFFECTS OF MAH:
Kills viruses
Inactivates bacterial pathogens and penetrating their biofilms
Inactivates and removes mycotoxins
Kills yeast like candida
Removes fungal and microbial biofilms
Improves blood circulation
Improves flexibility of red blood cell membrane
Reduces inflammation
Heals non-healing wounds
Improves outcomes when used for cancer alongside conventional treatments like radiation, chemotherapy
Improves efficacy of antibiotics in systemic and localized bacterial infections
Improves antioxidant capacity and immune response
Dissolves and eliminates toxins like petrochemicals
CONDITIONS OZONE IS USED TO TREAT or IMPROVE:
Oseto and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Chronic Fatigue Syndrom
Auto Immune Diseases
Shingles
Epstein Barr
Long Covid
Lyme Disease
Mold Illness
Peripheral artery disease
Chronic Hepatits
Ebola Virus
HIV
Cancer (usually as complimentary to conventional treatment)
Non-healing wounds in diabetics
Vascular hearing loss or tinnitus
Dementia and cerebral vascular disease
That's a pretty impressive list, so I was very keen on doing a session last year when I tested positive for a higher than average level of mixed molds in my body. At the time, I was experiencing neuropathy in my hands and feet as well as weakness in my legs and intermittent bone pain. A neurologist told me I had a strong chance of a new autoimmune disease and was pretty sure she saw spinal cord lesions on an MRI.
Functional doctors believe mold is a trigger for autoimmune diseases, so I was eager to start removing it. Interestingly, I had spoken to two different functional doctors about this treatment. One wanted me to start right away, while the other, was more cautious and wanted me to take more time opening up my detox pathways and take a G6PD screening first. Guess which one I listened to?
The place I finally did the ozone therapy was actually a third location (we have no shortage of ozone options in South Florida.) It was a wonderful facility, but unfortunately, they didn't know me or my history as a sensitive nelly and poor detoxer. I was given their standard dose of 70 µg which is at the high end of safe treatment (the range is 30 µg to 80 µg).
The treatment itself went... fine. Aside from a cool feeling in my veins in the arm and also my lungs, I was good afterwards and even took a long walk. The next day, I was a little weak. But on the third day... things went very south. I had an extreme Herxheimer detox reaction that included red skin, burning in the lungs, photosensitivity, anxiety and prickling all over that turned out to be hives. Risk of a "herx" is the reason cautious practitioners want you to detox slowly as you may release too many toxins all at once. If your body is overrun, you may react to them in all kinds of immunological ways not the least is mast cell activation. In my case, it may have been mycotoxins or candida. Either way, I should have been on a binder to sop them up and escort them out safely of the body. But I wasn't.
Despite having access to three different functional doctors, it actually took weeks to get in front of a doctor who could help and identify what was happening. This was my neuroimmune doctor, Dr. Alison Bested and my allergist/immunologist, Dr Padeh who worked together to help me. Dr. Bested realized right away I was herxing and Dr. Padeh diagnosed with hives and prescribed a course of steroids to calm things down. The hives weren't severe, but they went on for a few months before finally subsiding. While all this sounds like a nightmare, the treatment did do some good. It healed a non-healing burn I had sustained, immediately took care of my neuropathy, transient aches, and gave me power back to my legs . If I were to do it again (and I am tempted to) here are the things I would do differently:
ADVICE FOR A MORE SUCCESSFUL OZONE EXPERIENCE
Take time to make sure detox pathways are "open" and you are efficiently eliminating toxins
Take a multi-spectrum binder like GI Detox to sop up released toxins
Take antihistamines to prevent hives or other mast cell response
Start with a very low dose of ozone such as 30 or 40 µg
Have a doctor present who knows your history
Finish with an antioxident iv drip immediately after to ensure any lingering oxidative stress is vanquished. Vitamin C is the Shallenberger protocol.
Consider being in ketosis during the treatment (there is less info on this, but Integrative Health Specialist, Jillian Burne CHC NTC-P FDN-P, says this is a good idea)
NOTES ON OZONE SAFETY
While the FDA has advised against ozone therapy as it is not been tested by the agency, MAH has a long history of use in countries like Germany and Italy where it has been extensively researched.
Major autohemotherapy is a generally safe procedure with a complication rate of .7 in 100,000 treatments. These include:
Air embolism is a rare but serious adverse event, usually attributed to improper administration
Herxheimer detox reaction
Hives
The last two are problematic side effects that can be lessened with precautions in dosing and antihistamines and binders. The first one is much more serious and demonstrates the importance of choosing a knowledgable, experience provider with a professional medical setting. Ozone gas must never be breathed in so care is essential. My experience should also illustrate the importance of talking to your doctors about any possible contraindications, especially in the presence of immune, allergy or blood conditions. Because ozone's use is not taught in medical schools and most AMA practitioners aren't familiar with it, it may not be the easiest conversation to have, but it is important.
CONTRAINDICATIONS:
Those with a G-6PD deficiency (should be screened prior to treatment)
First 3 months of pregnancy
Leukemia
Hyperthyroidisn
There are multiple ways to use ozone medically aside from MAH. They include rectal and vaginal insufflation, prolozone injections into joints, dentistry, and more.
Have you tried ozone therapy? I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments below.
Footnotes and further research reading:
Use for ozone in prosthetic joint infections by Dr. Robert Rowen.* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6070838/
The case for lower doses
*While Robert Rowen is known as one of the nation's premier ozone doctors and has high ratings from his patients, he has been sued by the US government for tax evasion.
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