Harmony Hub Health
Functional Medicine, Hormone Health and Weight Loss with Michele Postol, CRNP
Harmony Hub Health
Ozone: The Breath of Life Your Cells Are Begging For
Could three oxygen atoms transform your health? At Harmony Hub Health, I'm thrilled to introduce ozone therapy – the ultimate biohack that's changing lives worldwide yet remains largely unknown in mainstream American medicine.
Ozone therapy supercharges your cells by introducing controlled amounts of O3 into your system, triggering a cascade of healing responses that enhance circulation, reduce inflammation, boost immune function, and detoxify your body at the cellular level. This isn't science fiction – it's supported by extensive research and global clinical success.
During this episode, I dive deep into the fascinating history of ozone therapy, from its 19th-century discovery to its widespread adoption throughout Europe, Mexico, Cuba, and beyond. You'll learn why millions of treatments
Welcome to Harmony Hub Health, where my mission is to provide comprehensive, affordable, integrative care that addresses the root cause of health issues. At the Hub, the focus is on individual patient journeys. I strive to optimize health, vitality and longevity, fostering a community where each person can thrive in body, mind and spirit. So I was called the B-word last week. Yep, I was called the B word last week. Yep, I was called the B word, and it's not what you think. Um, I was called a biohacker and I got really excited.
Speaker 1:Because in the world of biohacking, where the goal is to push the boundaries of human performance, longevity and overall wellbeing, ozone therapy stands out as a game changer. Imagine harnessing the power of oxygen to not only detoxify your body but also boost your immune system, reduce inflammation and enhance your energy levels at a cellular level. Sounds like science fiction, right, but it's very much science fact. You know how much I love science. Ozone therapy is the ultimate bio hack, a cutting edge, non-invasive treatment that stimulates the body's own healing mechanisms. By introducing controlled amounts of ozone or O3 into your system, you are essentially supercharging your cells, enabling them to fight oxidative stress, repair damage and enhance circulation like never before. Whether you're looking to recover from chronic fatigue, improve mental clarity, detoxify or simply optimize your body's functions. Ozone therapy offers a natural, safe and powerful way to achieve peak performance. And the best part, it's now available as part of the most forward thinking functional medicine practices, just like mine at Harmony Hub Health. If you're ready to biohack your health and unlock your body's true potential, then join me and let's dive into how ozone therapy can be the ultimate tool in your wellness arsenal. So are you struggling with autoimmune disease, chronic pain, brain fog, fatigue or even long COVID? Or perhaps you're facing other health struggles that just won't seem to improve despite traditional treatments? If so, ozone infusion therapy might be the answer that you've been searching for. Ozone therapy is an innovative and emerging treatment in the realm of functional medicine, and I am so excited to bring it to Harmony Hub Health. But how did this cutting edge therapy begin and why is it still a controversial topic in the world of modern medicine? We're going to explore the fascinating history of ozone therapy, its global use and why it might be just what your body needs for a complete wellness overhaul.
Speaker 1:So the story of ozone begins in the 19th century with the discovery of ozone gas itself. Ozone was first identified in 1840 by German chemist Christian Friedrich Schoenbein. He discovered the gas while conducting experiments involving electrical discharges in the air, noting a distinct sharp smell that is commonly associated with ozone. However, it wasn't until 1893 that ozone's therapeutic potential was first explored by the medical community. The first ozone therapy treatment was introduced by Dr Albert Wolff. He was a German scientist who used ozone for wound healing during the early 20th century, and the positive results led to more experiments. Century, and the positive results led to more experiments, and by 1930s the ozone therapy was being used in Germany for a variety of medical conditions, including infections, wounds and even to stimulate oxygenation in patients with poor circulation. So fast forward to the 1970s and 1980s, and ozone therapy was gaining traction in Europe as a promising method for improving immune function, detoxification and circulatory health. So it was also recognized for its antimicrobial properties and was being used to treat bacterial and viral infections. Over the decades, the therapy gained a loyal following of practitioners and patients who experienced remarkable health benefits.
Speaker 1:And ozone therapy isn't just a niche treatment. It's becoming increasingly popular all across the globe. Several countries have long embraced ozone therapy as an effective complementary and alternative treatment In countries like Germany and alternative treatment In countries like Germany, mexico, italy and Cuba, ozone therapy is widely used in their hospitals and private clinics to treat a wide range of chronic conditions. Some of these conditions could be chronic pain like back pain or osteoarthritis, autoimmune conditions like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, inflammatory conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, long COVID and post-viral recovery, and again, those infections, especially those that are resistant to antibiotics. So many practitioners worldwide recognize ozone's ability to improve circulation, enhance cellular function, boost immune response and detoxify the body. In countries where ozone therapy is fully integrated into healthcare systems, patients have access to cutting-edge ozone treatments that are administered safely in clinical settings.
Speaker 1:But Big Pharma does not like ozone therapy. Despite its growing success worldwide, ozone therapy has yet to gain widespread acceptance in mainstream medicine, especially the United States. One of the primary reasons has to be big pharma right. The pharmaceutical industry is driven by profits from drugs that require FDA approval, and they see ozone therapy as a direct competitor to many conventional treatments that it currently sells. Imagine not needing antibiotics or antivirals or so many of these other medications. And since ozone therapy is considered an alternative medication and has not been approved by the FDA for therapeutic use, it doesn't generate profits for pharmaceutical companies. Big Pharma has been known to resist alternative treatments that cannot get a patent or that challenges the status quo of conventional pharmaceutical care. The lack of large-scale clinical trials, which is necessary for FDA approval, has kept ozone therapy from gaining mainstream medical acceptance, despite numerous studies and positive patient testimonials supporting its efficacy. Many functional medicine providers they do believe that the patient outcomes that they've seen speak louder than the lack of FDA approval.
Speaker 1:Ozone therapy offers affordable, natural and holistic solutions to conditions that are often treated with expensive pharmaceuticals that only mask symptoms. Fda requires millions of dollars in research and they did approve vasogen and their research proved ozone therapy to be safe and effective and they were able to move on to phase three clinical trials. What happened with vasogen, which was a pharmaceutical that kind of worked similarly with creating ozonides, but what happened was they made their indication for this pharmaceutical as heart failure patients and they claimed that you could reverse heart damage with ozone. So they were able to prove in phase one that ozone was effective and ozone was safe and there was no problems with ozone. But while they were in phase two, the investors pulled out because FDA thought their claims that, you know, reversing heart damage was really hard to prove. So when they didn't have the investors, they just stopped and they never moved on to phase three, but they did prove that ozone was safe. Okay, they were trying to prove that ozone cured heart disease and made their clinical indication of treatment Just something that was really hard to prove, but if you look at their phases, they did pass by showing that ozone was safe and effective.
Speaker 1:There was also a 2006 study that looked at 5 million treatments of ozone therapy that was given by 644 physicians, and this is stated in the Ozone Congress. There were 384,000 patients that received these 5 million treatments and there was zero deaths. Nobody died. There were 40. This is 40 out of 5 million that had adverse effects. None of them were even from ozone. When they did the root cause analysis, it showed that 40 people did have adverse effects to the anticoagulation that is used, not to the ozone itself. You know there's anticoagulation heparin is what I use. That's used to prevent the blood from clotting during your treatment but they have found that ozone is as safe as aspirin.
Speaker 1:So what makes ozone therapy so powerful? Though, to understand that, we need to look at what ozone does to the body at a cellular level. So ozone works by introducing oxidative stress into the body, which might sound counterintuitive, since we usually think of oxidative stress as a harmful thing. But in controlled doses, ozone stimulates the body's antioxidant systems, which then work to neutralize harmful free radicals and restore balance. This triggers a whole cascade of beneficial reactions. The four top ones number one is enhanced oxygenation of tissues. Ozone increases the oxygen carrying capacity of red blood cells, delivering more oxygen to tissues that may be deprived. So you may even compare this to hyperbaric therapy. Same concept, right? And that is FDA approved. Number two is cellular regeneration. So ozone therapy helps repair damaged cells and promotes the growth of healthy, functioning cells. The third one is anti-inflammatory effects. So by modulating that immune system, ozone helps reduce chronic inflammation, which is a hallmark of many chronic diseases. And number four is the immune system boosting. So ozone stimulates the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells and encouraging the release of cytokines, which play a crucial role in fighting infections and inflammation.
Speaker 1:But how does it do this? Right, that's a lot, that's a big, that's a big claim. But let's geek out a little bit. So ozone immediately reacts to your ions and biomolecules. These are antioxidants, proteins, carbs. Ions and biomolecules these are antioxidants, proteins, carbs. This whole process produces ROS, or reactive oxygen species, and LOPs, lipid oxidation products. This causes a hormetic response therapy.
Speaker 1:Once the ozone gas mixes with your plasma, the ozone is no longer a gas, it turns to ozonides. So the functional or not functional, we'll say the fundamental molecule is H2O2. And the influx of these molecules. That's where the magic happens. This is where we balance your biological systems. So, in simple terms, the oxygen we need to survive is made up of two oxygen atoms O2. And ozone is made of three oxygen atoms O3. So when medical ozone interacts with different fluids in your body, that third oxygen atom hitches a ride like a little Uber to ride on other molecules and that causes that huge oxygenation.
Speaker 1:Your mitochondria those are the little guys that power your cells. They thrive on oxygen. The better your mitochondria can access and convert oxygen into energy for your cells, the healthier you will be overall. Most people don't know how important oxygen is to the health of your entire body. But I want you to do this. Hold your breath. Yeah, hold your breath too long and you're going to die. So hopefully we have that little nugget of common sense.
Speaker 1:But not everybody understands the extent of oxygen's importance for your cells. While good oxygenation of our body allows our cells to produce energy, a lack of oxygen nurtures an environment for chronic diseases. Take cancer, for example. It grows in an anaerobic state. You do not need oxygen for cancer to grow. You can have ozone therapies that are systemic. So these are these infusions I can insufflate rectums or even vaginas. There's also local treatments that I'm not even covering in this podcast, but if that is something you are interested in, we can discuss that at your consultation.
Speaker 1:But if you're wondering, is this right for me? I'm going to say that this is good for almost everybody. It could be good for everybody, but particularly individuals dealing with chronic conditions like autoimmune diseases, which that is what I come across a lot in my functional medicine practice. So autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, any autoimmune label, anybody with chronic pain, so it could be arthritis, fibromyalgia, if you have fatigue and low energy, if you have chronic fatigue syndrome or you've had long COVID, if you have cognitive decline or just that brain fog, if you have detoxification needs, if you have heavy metal toxicity or if you have mold exposure or infections, especially those that are antibiotic resistance. Or maybe you just consider yourself healthy already but you want to stay that way. Don't leave room for illness. This is a great anti-aging treatment.
Speaker 1:I was able to find evidence-based research on ozone therapy during my research and during my certification and came across different lists of level A, b and C scientific evidence that was suggesting the clinical benefits provided by ozone were good, and I'm just going to read these off to you of the ones that I was able to confirm okay, level A was spinal diseases. Level B was orthopedic diseases and localized osteoarthritis. Painful disorders of musculoskeletal soft tissue, patellar chondromalacia, tendinopathies like tennis elbow, jumper's knee, painful shoulder, rotator cuff tendinopathy, quervains, tenosynovitis, carpal tunnel, diabetes, diabetic foot, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. Sudden sensory, neural hearing loss, meniere's disease, advanced ischemic diseases like lower limb arterial ischemia yes, there's proof about that Age-related macular degeneration, cavities, dental caries, lesion, osteomyelitis, pleural emphysema, abscesses with fistulas, infected wounds, bed sores, chronic ulcers, burns, acute and chronic infectious diseases, especially those caused by bacteria resistant to antibiotics or to chemical treatments. Viruses, fungicosis, giardia, vaginal yeast, athlete's foot. Level C were cancer-related fatigue. It really improved quality of life in cancer patients. It was also used as an adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy for cancer patients.
Speaker 1:Asthma, autoimmune diseases, that's, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, crohn's, chronic inflammatory bowel disease, emphysema, copd, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and acute respiratory disease syndrome, Skin diseases like psoriasis, eczema and atopic dermatitis, sepsis, severe sepsis and multiple organ dysfunction, necrotizing fasciitis, peritonitis, burns, maxillary infections, supertive otitis media, tonsillitis, frontal sinusitis, cystitis, tuberculosis, bronchitis, respiratory failure, pleural emphysema, rhinosinusitis, gallbladder disease, peptic ulcers, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye syndrome, age-related macular degeneration, dry eye syndrome, age-related macular degeneration, chronic glaucoma, nervous system disorders, even including alcohol, withdrawal, fibromyalgia, metatarsalgia, migraines I'm not even going to go over the pregnancy ones, because I will not offer this to pregnant people but vascular diseases, ischemic heart disease, cancer, metastasis or refractory cancer, metastasis, hemorrhagic radiation, proctitis, prostatic hyperplasia, raynaud syndrome, chronic liver disease, hepatitis A, b and C and cirrhosis, people with thyroid nodules, senile dementia, nc and cirrhosis, people with thyroid nodules, senile dementia, alzheimer's, hypercholesterolemia, lymphedema, hemorrhoids, proctitis, constipation, multiple sclerosis, chronic pelvic inflammation and recurrent vulvovaginitis. So wow, right, I just had a scene in my head of Star Wars with all of this text just scrolling by. And it is important to note that these indications do not encapsulate the full scope of ozone therapy in practice. You know, clinical expertise and anecdotes venture far beyond this indications. But these are all of the level A, b and C scientific evidence that is published to show that ozone therapy is beneficial. Evidence that is published to show that ozone therapy is beneficial. That is quite a lot, and this is very heavily studied and researched, not like witchcraft. So if any of those sounded familiar to you, then you might be a good candidate for ozone therapy. I am so thrilled to announce that I will be offering ozone auto-hemotherapy starting in May at Harmony Hub Health. This will be in person at Monarch Beauty and Spa. I have seen the tremendous impact it's had on patients around the world and I'm excited to bring this innovative treatment to my community. So, you know, by bringing ozone infusion therapy into my practice at Harmony Hub Health, I want to be committed to providing treatments that go beyond symptom management and aiming to restore balance, enhance healing and promote optimal well-being. And I'm just going to walk through the process of how I'm going to do these infusions.
Speaker 1:So you know, before starting any type of IV ozone therapy, we would conduct a thorough pretreatment assessment. So a good consultation to ensure that you're a suitable candidate for ozone and to customize the protocol for you. We would go over medical history. I want to assess for any history of respiratory issues or recent surgeries or make sure you're not pregnant, and take some vital signs. I will take blood pressure, heart rate and even temperature. We would consider any type of lab testing that might be appropriate if needed, to evaluate oxidative stress, inflammation markers, immune function or heavy metals. You know anything that we may discover that you may want checked.
Speaker 1:First We'll go over your allergies to ensure that you don't have any known sensitivities to ozone or any of its effects, and really go over any of your medications to evaluate current medications to avoid interactions with ozone therapy and then I will make your protocol. There's different protocols based on if you're having an acute condition like acute pain, acute inflammation or infections, or if you have chronic conditions of autoimmune or fatigue or brain fog or even long. Covid has its own protocol that I have designed, and then I would come up with how much gamma I want to give you during your treatment. I do like to start low or, depending on your indication there are different protocols that I've come up with for pretty much everybody. And you would come in. I would place an IV in your vein, I would give your veins a little drink of saline and then I add a little bit of a blood thinner to the bag so there's no clotting, and I let out some blood from your IV into the bag. It's going to be a very closed system. I use pure oxygen and an ozone generator to make ozone gas and then I mix that gas with your blood to make those ozonides and then I give your blood back to you. So there are usually no side effects whatsoever.
Speaker 1:But you can have the Herxheimer reaction. That can happen when there's dying off of toxins. But that again is something that we'll talk about and if you are one of those people at risk, we would make sure that we can mitigate that having any uncomfortable symptoms. And then you would kind of hang out with me after you're done. The whole process probably will take about an hour, but I'd want to observe you for at least 30 minutes to make sure that if you do have any side effects they resolve quickly, which they should. If you do have any, most people I would say 98% have zero side effects during treatment. It are just those acute illnesses or people that have acute infections that can get that Herxmiller reaction and that would be Herxheimer reaction. That could be kind of like. You know you go to get a very deep tissue massage and they tell you to drink plenty of water to help you flush out those toxins that you're releasing into your system. Same thing with ozone therapy. You may opt for me just to hang another big bag of saline to flush everything through to give you a good head start.
Speaker 1:And while the ozone is powerful on its own, integrating it with complementary therapies can also enhance the efficacy. So you may want to combine ozone therapy with high-dose vitamin C or glutathione or NAC can support your body's detoxification system and mitigate that oxidative effects of ozone. You might want some electrolytes because of the add on an infusion of electrolytes, or even B vitamins to replenish energy stores and support your mitochondrial function. You can even pair it with immune boosting infusions or the tri-immune shot to enhance your immune system's response. That would be especially in patients with chronic infections or autoimmune conditions. So, as with any therapy, ozone therapy does have contraindications and those potential risks.
Speaker 1:Ozone is an oxidizing agent and while it is beneficial in controlled doses, it has to be administered carefully. So contraindications for me not that it's for everybody is going to be pregnancy and breastfeeding. There's no studies to confirm safety. There's a lot of clinics that target and treat pregnant and breastfeeding women. I no studies to confirm safety. There's a lot of clinics that target and treat pregnant and breastfeeding women. I'm just not one of them.
Speaker 1:History of respiratory disorders like COPD and emphysema, and it's not dangerous for that. Those people can actually use this increased oxygen. There is just always in a lot of clinics that risk of exposing the lungs to straight ozone, which your lungs don't have a protective barrier, and you really should not be inhaling the gas for long periods of time because it can cause some harm. That's why I use a completely closed system and I even have what's called a destor to destroy any ozone so it does not go out into the air. So that is something that we would discuss in your consultation.
Speaker 1:Anybody that had a really recent major surgery, especially at the chest or the abdomen. If you have a thyroid condition of like hyperthyroidism, we would have to have a really long chat because it can affect your thyroid functioning. If you have any type of uncontrolled cardiovascular disease, like you just had a recent heart attack or severe heart arrhythmias, or if you're on blood thinners that's a contraindication for me or if your platelets are really low or you have just poorly treated anemia or if you have G6PD deficiency, because that could cause really big fatigue and exhaustion if you know that you already have that. So it is very important to have a skilled practitioner who understands the nuances of ozone therapy to ensure patient safety and the best results. And then we'll talk about, you know, after treatment recommendations like making sure you're hydrating to flush out any oxidative waste products. You're going to want to rest.
Speaker 1:Ozone therapy can increase energy levels, but it can also cause temporary fatigue just by all the work that it's doing. So no strenuous exercise for 24 to 48 hours to allow your body to fully recover and process that ozone. And then, you know, adding in antioxidant rich foods like berries and leafy greens to support your body's natural healing mechanisms. So IV ozone therapy is a powerful tool If you're looking to enhance your health, detoxify, manage chronic conditions or boost your immune system. As part of your functional medicine journey, ozone therapy can be a large component to addressing root cause and achieving long-term wellness.
Speaker 1:At Harmony Hub Health, I am thrilled to offer this groundbreaking therapy starting in May. Whether you're battling chronic fatigue, struggling with lingering effects of long COVID or you have those autoimmune labels, ozone therapy can help you on your path to healing. You can contact me at HarmonyHubHealthcom, you can email me at Michelle M-I-C-H-E-L-E at HarmonyHubHealthcom, or you can come and see me in person at Monarch Beauty and Spa here in Manchester, maryland, to learn more about how IV ozone therapy can support your wellness journey. I would love to talk with you in a good consultation. And just a disclaimer before starting any ozone therapy or auto-hemotherapy treatment, it is essential to consult with a qualified healthcare professional. The information provided in this episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always speak with your provider about any health conditions, treatments or new therapies. Determine if they're right for you. While ozone therapy has shown promising results for various health concerns, individual experiences can vary. Proceed with caution and always prioritize your safety. I hope to see you soon.