Oxygen-Ozone Therapy: A Critical Evaluation

446 Pages·2002·22.32 MB·English

by  Velio Bocci (auth.)

OXYGEN-OZONE THERAPY
A CRITICAL EVALUATION
OXYGEN-OZONETHERAPY
A Critical Evaluation
by
VELIOBOCCI
Medical Doctor; Specialist inRespiratoryDiseases andHaematology,
ProfessorofGeneralPhysiologyat the UniversityofSiena,
Siena,ltaly
Springer-Science+Business Media, B.V.
AC.I.P.Cataloguerecord for this book isavailablefrom the Library ofCongress.
PrintedOll acid-free paper
1-0103-100Is
Firstpublished2002
All Rights Reserved
ISBN978-90-481-6008-2 ISBN978-94-015-9952-8(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-94-015-9952-8
©2002SpringerScience+BusinessMediaDordrecht
OriginallypublishedbyKluwerAcademicPublishersin2002.
Softcoverreprintofthehardcover1stedition2002
No part ofthis work may bereproduced, stored inaretrieval system, or transmitted
inany form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording
or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception
of any material suppliedspecifically for the purposeofbeingentered
and executedon a computersystem,for exclusive use by the purchaserof the work.
This book isdedicated toall patients with the hope
that oxygen-ozone therapy willbenefitthem.
Homines dum docent, discunt
(Humans leamas they teach)
Seneca (5B.C.- 65A.D), Epist., 7,8.
COLLABORATORS
B.BIAGIOLIMD
InstituteofThoraeie Surgery,Cardiovascularand Biomedical Technologies
UniversityofSiena
E. BORRELLIMD
InstituteofThoracic Surgery, Cardiovascularand Biomedical Technologies
UniversityofSiena
A.DIADORI
Department ofOphthalmology,UniversityofSiena
vi
PREFACE
When I was about fifteen, my Biological Seiences teacher, Prof. N. Benacchio, lent
me a book by Paul de Kruif"The Microbe Hunters" and I remained fascinated by
infectious diseases. I was intrigued by the potency ofvirulent bacteria which are
constantly trying to invade our bodies and often overcome what today we call innate
and adoptive immunity. Indeed, shortly after that, I was struck by his tragic death
due to peritonitis. Later, while studying medicine (although medical knowledge in
the 1950s was almost primordial compared with today), I soon realised how the
various biological systems were wonderfullyorganisedbut at thesame time frailand
how our life could end in a few minutes. Slowly it became obvious that our
"wellness" was the result of a dynamic and very unstable equilibrium between
health and disease.This unstable equilibrium could be broken forever ifthe body's
response could not reverse the pathological state.Istuck a sort ofposteron the wall
ofmyroom with these three words and connectingarrows:
HEALTH ~-? DISEASE -? DEATH
As Idon't believe in another world after death, it became obvious to me that we
should make every possible effort not only to delay death, but to try always to shift
the equilibrium to the left. In this book, I will try to show that this can be achieved,
as alast resort,even with ozonetherapy.
The progressive prolongation ofthe human life-span in the last fifty years is the
best evidence of the immense progress of biology and orthodox medicine. I have
been extremely lucky to work and contribute, albeit minimally, during this period.
Particularly after the 1990s, with the advent of molecular biology, the pace of
progress is so fast it isbecoming more and more difficult to grasp the final practical
applications. It is actually disturbing that after the almost daily discovery ofanother
gene, one can jump to the conclusion that another disease can be cured. This is
practically unrealistic and unfair because diseases are not necessarily linked to a
single cause but rather to a number of factors. Moreover, it eventually disappoints
the hopeful patient. This remark is not intended to diminish the validity of any
discovery but simply to caution that there is always a great delay between the
observation atthe laboratory bench and the therapeutic act at the patient's bed.This
exuberant enthusiasm is, however, comprehensible and, with even lessjustification,
also occurs in the field ofnatural medicine where progress has been painfully slow.
The bio-oxidative therapies, including oxygen-ozone therapy, are one of the least
known ofthe many branches ofnatural medicine, in comparison with acupuncture,
homeopathy and phytotherapy. Owing to a growing world-wide interest in natural
medicine, it is always correct to warn patients against the risk ofthe placebo effect
or worse of plain damage, as occurred in orthodox medicine with regard to
thalidomide and fenfluramine.
vii
viii
About a decade ago, I knew nothing about ozone except that I had heard about
the "ozone hole". From my chemistry course I remembered that it was a strong
oxidant gas but I did not know that ozone had been used since World War I as a
therapeutic agent against gaseous gangrene caused by anaerobic Clostridium. It was
by mere coincidence that, at a meeting on blood substitutes, a colleague asked me
why ozonization of blood ex vivo followed by reinfusion into the donor could be
useful for treating chronic viral hepatitis. It was also coincidental that this
conversation occurred when I was trying to se1ectan inducer ofinterferon (JFN) so
that we could obtain at will the release of endogenous IFN and possibly other
cytokines. We had examined hundreds of potential indueers but it proved very
difficult to find a eompound that would be effective, atoxic and possibly
inexpensive.Owing to the finding ofmy friend Ferdinando Dianzani, I remembered
that oxidising agents, sueh as periodate, galactose oxidase, etc., added to human
blood mononuclear cells (BMC) in vitro eould induee the release ofhuge amounts
of IFN y, particularly in the presence of a Ca2+ ionophore. Thus, it was easy to
imagine that I) exposing blood to ozone eould aetivate immune cells, 2) after blood
reinfusion, BMC would horne in their mieroenvironments and start to release
eytokines, and 3) in a paraerine fashion, the cytokines eould switeh on a self
arnplifying meehanism of immune aetivation. The idea was even more attraetive
beeause sinee 1981(and against eurrent wisdom) Ihad proposed the existenee ofthe
physiologieal IFN response, i.e. the eoneept that IFN and other eytokines were
always produeed intraee amountseven during "health",thus priming leukocytes and
keeping the immune system in astate ofeontinuous alert or "surveillance" against
pathogens.
The idea seemed so stimulating that Idecided to explore it experimentally, even
though I realised that, for the few physicians who knew of its existenee,
ozonetherapy was in the eentre of a thick cloud of seepticism and ineredulity.
However, in Science, prejudieesean save time, but they can also be detrimental. So I
started my relationship with ozone and I soon realised that sinee the medieal world
was very much eoneemed with the cellular formation of free radieals, the medieal
application of ozone would be strongly rejeeted. The oxygen (0 level in the
2)
atmosphere reaehed the current levels of21% about two billion years aga and all
living beings, in order to profitably use O and to survive, have had to develop
2
numerous detoxifying meehanisms. However, in spite ofthese mechanisms, we all
suffer, more or less rapidly, the eonsequenees of "oxidative stress". There is no
doubt that many seemingly unrelated diseases are due to an exeessive produetion of
free radicals, and ozone is a master in generating them. This ereates a formidable
problem and offers a good reason not to use ozone in medieine. Indeed its toxicity
for plants and humans, partieularly for the respiratory traet in large eities, is very
weil known.This problem has dominated my mind for several years.Although more
reeently Ihave eome to realise that ozone toxieity ean be tamed, in this book I wish
to leave the question open so that the reader will deeide for his or herself on the
basis ofseveral positive and negativearguments.
Ittook some time before we were able tohandle ozone eorreetly.Firstly we tried
to understand how ozone works and how toxie itean be. Then, in eollaboration with
a few c1inieians, we started some medieal investigations, although this proved to be
ix
very frustrating, asmost colleagues refuse to collaborate.However, Ihave been able
to witness incredible results particularly in patients with awful ulcers due to hind
limb ischaemia. Unfortunately most ofthe c1inicaldata, although encouraging, are
based on anecdotes that may be exaggerated by the enthusiasm of the physician.
Today Ican say that we have at least some ideas about the mechanisms ofaction of
ozone. Yet the Achille's heel remains the lack ofcontrolled, double-blind c1inical
studies. For this reason, I feel that under any circumstance we must first take
advantage ofconventional medicine and onlywhen this fails or the patient refuses it,
can we seriously think about what ozonetherapy can do. Surprisingly, in spite ofthe
enormous progress ofmodern medicine, this occurs more frequently than one might
imagine.
A reasonable question is whether there is areal reason to write this book in
English. In 1999, I wrote a similar book in Italian because a few serious
ozonetherapists asked me to do so: no other book was available except an English
translation of abrief compendium written by Renate Viebahn and an overly
enthusiastic book entitled: "Oxygen Healing Therapies" written by the journalist
Nathaniel Altman.Iam an admirerofthe conciseness and elegance ofgood English
and,inspite ofmy best effort, Imust apologize formy poor style.Yet my hope isto
provide a scientific and truly objective account of ozonetherapy for all English
speakingphysicians.
Although ozonetherapy was invented and has been practised in Germany during
the last fifty years, very little scientific work has been produced because ithas been
mainly a private medical activity. Similarly, in Italy during the last eighteen years,
more importance has been given to the use ofozone in cosmetics and in creating a
profitable business selling instruments and accessories. I deplore the fact that the
mercantile aspect prevails over scientific endeavours and I have over-emphasised
that OUf new International Medical Ozone Society (IMOS) has no commercial
interest and strongly opposes the monopoly ofa single ozone generator. We hope
that, in spite of economic difficulties, the enthusiasm and efforts of OUf members
will permit scientificprogress.
The purpose of the book is to give the physician a practical idea about how
ozone works when comes into contact with body fluids and cells and how it can
elicit toxic effects ifone disregards its powerful oxidising properties.Itis not meant
to give simple medical recipes but rather to create a "forma mentis", i.e. the ability
to understand and adjust the therapy to the patient's need. The book is also meant to
give an objective assessment of what is known and what we should try to learn
about ozonetherapy. Moreover many anguished people who daily ask me questions
or solicit advice via Internet may findsatisfactoryanswers inthisbook.
A very ambitious goal is to provide sceptics and opponents with an objective
basis to discuss whether ozonetherapy deserves to be evaluated or disregarded. I
would bevery grateful to anyone willing toopen adialogue or acollaborative effort.
Only after controlled clinical trials performed in various institutions will we be able
to decide whetherozonetherapy isreally valid or worthless, aswas demonstrated for
Laetrile andother drugs in therecent past.
Obviously I tried to do my best but the reader will find faults in this book. One
may be the repetition that ozonetherapv induces only a brief and calculated
x
oxidativestress not tobe confused with the life-Iong endogenausstress. Iapologize
but I said this on purpose in almost every chapter because it is a crucial remark and
will help dispel the idea that "ozoneis toxicany wayyoudeal withit"
This book will suceeed if it is able to promote the e1ucidation of the issue: is
ozonetherapy therapeutic? I feel that the Medieal Establishment must take this
responsability because it would be deplorable to further neglect a possible treatment
for millionsofpatients, partieularly in pooreountries.
Velio Bocci