Ozone

This treatment modality is used in place of conventional therapies to treat cancer. Seek advice from a qualified physician before replacing standard cancer therapy with ozone therapy.

What does ozone therapy involve?

Ozone (O3) is a highly active form of oxygen. Most people are familiar with the ozone layer, a component of the upper atmosphere that plays an important role in absorbing certain forms of harmful radiation from the sun. Similar to hydrogen peroxide, another oxygen-rich compound, ozone has been advertised as a cancer remedy.  Ozone is administered in five different ways: external application, intramuscular (IM) or subcutaneous (SC) injection, intra-arterial or intravenous injection, rectally or as “autochemotherapy.”  External application involves passing a stream of ozone over open lesions or tumors inside a plastic hood.  The IM or SC administration involves injections of twenty to fifty milliliters of an ozone/oxygen mixture and may be made into the immediate vicinity of a tumor.  With the intra-arterial or IV injection, promoters claim that only unhealthy or diseased tissue is affected, and no side effects occur because bubbles in the blood dissolve readily. “Autochemotherapy” involves removal of blood from the patient. This blood is exposed to ozone and then returned to the patient.

How is ozone therapy thought to treat cancer?

Proponents of ozone therapy believe that microorganisms, which thrive in low-oxygen environments, cause disease, including cancer. It is believed that administration of ozone raises oxygen levels and leads to the destruction of the microorganisms.

What has been proven about the benefit of ozone therapy?

There is no scientific evidence that treatment with ozone is either safe or results in any objective benefit in the treatment of human cancer. In addition, researcher now understand that the low oxygen environment surrounding tumor cells is due to the fact tissues surrounding the cancerous masses have fewer blood vessels and, therefore, receive less oxygen. 

What is the potential risk or harm of ozone therapy?

Ozone produces highly reactive, oxygen-like free radicals and should be used with caution. Ingestion can result in severe poisoning. It can also be a skin irritant when used at high concentrations. 

How much does ozone therapy cost?

Information is unavailable.

For additional information: 

American Cancer Society
1599 Clifton Road, N.E.
Atlanta, GA  30329
Telephone:  (800) ACS-2345
Web site:  www.cancer.org

Oxygen and Ozone Therapies
Web site:  www.oxytherapy.com

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Boulevard
Houston, TX  77030
Telephone:  (800) 392-1611
Web site:  www.mdanderson.org/departments/CIMER/

Note: Information about therapies is intended to help you make informed choices, not to endorse any particular therapy. The information is courtesy of "Integrating Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Cancer Patients," a handbook written as an independent study project by Heather Morein. For more information, see the full text of the handbook (PDF), including all references and appendices.