Extracorporeal Blood Oxygenation and Ozonization
Our goal is to offer personalized protocols of cellular restructuring and to repair some of the afflictions of aging. This restructuring, which is based on the principles of basic science, cellular and molecular therapy, and anti-aging medicine, attempts to do a reset on many degenerative problems. Health is not just the absence of illness; it is the state of integral wellbeing and systemic balance. This depends on certain genetic, psychological and environmental factors, and in great measure depends on how we absorb and make efficient use of nutrients and eliminate wasteful toxins, in order to seek an adequate internal balance.
We are very pleased to announce that we now have one of the first units for EBO2 therapy in the Caribbean. This represents another quantum leap for our practice and our patients. EBO2 allows for the reduction of chronic inflammation and creates a watershed of positive impacts on the quality of life and performance of its patients.
EBO2 stands for extracorporeal blood oxygenation and ozonation. This seems like a complicated phrase. If we break it down, we get an idea of what it really means. Extracorporeal means outside the body. Oxygenation means just what it says; putting oxygen into an area. Finally, ozonation means adding ozone to an area.
The ozone aspect may have some people confused. Exactly what is ozone? Ozone has been widely used for medical purposes for years in Europe and more recently in the United States. Almost all of us have all experienced Ozone. If one takes a walk after a thunderstorm you will many times smell a very pungent “clean “odor. What has actually happened is that the power of electricity [the plasma] in lighting has caused oxygen molecules to bond and form ozone or as it is sometimes called triple oxygen. The following diagram explains the concept of how Ozone is made from an electrical current. An Ozone generator works in a very similar way.
This ozone is very important for our environment. It can protect us from many bad things such as radiation and a host of other potential problems. Scientists have been intrigued by Ozone for decades as for its possibilities for medicinal purposes. Much of the original research was done in Germany and Russia.
The ''EBO2'' is a modern high-volume blood gas exchange unit for the treatment of 5-7 liters of blood with medical ozone. The unit allows extracorporeal blood oxygenation, ozone exposure and blood filtration. The process filters blood in a unique way by using the integrated diffusing membranes within the filter fibers to trap lipids and proteins which are in excess in the venous blood supply. The EBO2 unit is considered the world's most advanced medical ozone therapy. Perhaps another way of looking at the process is to describe it as dialysis with ozonation. The EBO2 machine re-circulates a patient’s blood (5-7 liters) over a period of 60-90 minutes. The EBO2 treatment with medical ozone removes extra inactive proteins which lead to autoimmune related disorders, separate fats, cholesterol, heavy metal toxins, and diseased dead cells and then traps and removes impurities and fats in special patented filtration system. Most other methods of advanced Ozone therapy involve what is called Autohemotherapy. The following is a diagram of this technique:
Until recently this was considered the state-of-the-art method of delivering Ozone to the body. It is now very much outdated. All these other methods typically may add ozone to a portion of the blood but are doing nothing to remove these offending agents. In the above method blood is added to an IV bag that is typically filled with a saline solution and an anti-coagulant (blood thinner). Ozone is then injected into the bag containing the blood. Certainly, this helps and at one time was considered the state-of-the-art treatment. Fifty years of safe use on millions of patients has a lot of weight. The drawback to this technique is its effectiveness.
Not to sound redundant but with the EBO2 method we are separating toxic blood waste products that the body cannot eliminate by conventional means, such as heavy metals, petroleum byproducts, inorganic substances, cellular waste and fat macroparticles, therefore reducing the inflammatory effects that are related with aging and chronic diseases. We are removing the ozone-oxidized leftover garbage of dead microbes, diseased cells and detoxified by-products that are filtered out of the blood via the external filters.
The waste products are not sent back through the liver, kidney and lymph systems to irritate and perhaps weaken the body further, as occurs in all other ozone methods. Perhaps the best description of the EBO2 method is to call it Recirculatory Autohemo-Perfusion followed by filtration.
There are some other methods of delivering Ozone to the body but by and large these are not that effective and some are fraught with potential problems. It should be mentioned that although the EBO2 machine is similar to dialysis it should be considered a modified form of dialysis that utilizes Ozone as a cleansing agent rather than water.
Also, as an added bonus, the EBO2 procedure is also removing a compound called Beta 2 Microglobulin. Beta 2 Microglobulin is a very sneaky compound. It is a cell protein which is associated with many different cancers and inflammatory diseases. There seems to be a relationship between Beta 2 Microglobulin levels in the blood and these diseases. We are happy to report that the EBO2 technique seems to remove large amounts of this protein. The amount of protein that is removed appears as a foam in a container and it will vary from person to person. On my own treatment, the container needed to be emptied a few times unlike some of the other patients who needed more frequent emptying.
How Does Ozone Therapy Work?
How does Ozone itself work? Ozone in a biological system will immediately interact with the double bonds found in amino acids and lipids (fats) to form compounds called peroxides. Bonds are what holds biological compounds together. It is the action of these peroxides that actually cause the biological effects seen with Ozone. These peroxides are collectively called ozonides. It should be mentioned that ozonides form what is called an ionic bond.
Not to get too technical, the ionic bond that Ozone forms is a magnetic type bond. Magnetic bonds do not produce free radicals. So unlike hyperbaric oxygen and other oxidative therapies, Ozone therapy does not produce a substantial number of free radicals. Remember that free radicals are responsible for DNA mutations, mitochondrial damage, and a host of other conditions which lead to degenerative conditions.
Oxygen utilization appears to be the single most important factor concerning aging and degenerative diseases. Ozone therapy has a very critical influence on Oxygen utilization. When cells use oxygen, they are actually producing the critical compound call ATP. ATP supplies all the cells energy. The influence that Ozone has on oxygen utilization boils down to one very critical factor, namely NAD (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). For detail on NAD, see my separate articles on the Blogs Page.
NAD is critical to many cellular functions. Without NAD the body is not able to produce ATP. Every cell requires ATP. Furthermore, certain DNA repairing enzymes are large consumers of NAD. When these enzymes do not function properly DNA damage accumulates and with this accumulation comes many bad problems. We must realize that NAD is a rate limiting substrate for DNA replication which subsequently effects all of protein synthesis. One of the most important cellular reactions in the body is as follows: OXYGEN + NADH NAD + Water +Energy ATP. NAD is the oxidized form and NADH is the reduced form of Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide. Thus, the more NAD present the more efficiently oxygen is being utilized. As I have written in some of my other blogs what is of critical importance is the NAD/NADH ratio in addition to the amount of NAD in the cell.
NAD production in the body is a very complicated process. The body uses a number of different pathways to produce NAD and subsequently ATP. This is where Ozone therapy shines! As we age the we have difficulties with oxygen utilization. Ultimately, this affects the NAD/NADH ratio, ATP production and the list goes on. Remember Ozone therapy forms compounds called Ozonides. Ozonides are formed when Ozone comes in contact with lipids and amino acids. These Ozonides penetrate the cell membrane and oxidize NADH back to NAD helping to maintain an optimal NAD/NADH ratio.
Many people think that the only importance when dealing with NAD is the amount of NAD in the cell. We now know that cellular energy or lack of it leads to many degenerative conditions. Conversely, restoring energy to more normal levels may help ameliorate many of these same degenerative conditions. The following diagram is a good synopsis of the NAD/NADH relationship and just how this principle is so important in the field of Bioenergetics.
The Ozonides also seem to have a significant effect on cytokine production. Cytokines are messenger molecules that seem to have a significant effect especially on cells of the immune system. The importance of cytokines cannot be understated. Essentially all medical conditions are a result of an imbalance of cytokines. The reaction of the immune cells to the Ozonides causes an increase in cytokine production enabling the body to kill viral cells, kill microbes, and potentially cancer cells. These same cytokines can have a profound positive effect on many auto-immune diseases. As it turns out most autoimmune diseases are a very specific imbalance of cytokines. The cytokines are ultimately produced by cells of the immune system.
Another important aspect of Ozone therapy is the effect it has on oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when various free radicals and a variety of other offending agents exceed the body’s antioxidant enzymes systems. Ozone therapy will stimulate the activity and production of all antioxidant buffering systems in the body. The Ozone therapy stimulates various pathways in the body that specifically deal with oxidative stress and its ramifications. One very important pathway is called the NRF2 pathway (nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2).
The NRF2 pathway is the master regulator of antioxidant, detoxification and cell defense gene expression. It regulates over 600 genes involved in cellular protection and antioxidant defenses. It modulates numerous genes responsible for cognitive processes, inflammatory responses, rebuilding tissue, immune system response, and inhibiting cancer production and preventing its spread. We can see that the NRF2 pathway has very far ranging effects.
Another very important pathway that is directly stimulated by Ozone therapy is called the NF kappa Beta (NFkB) Pathway. Nuclear factor kappa-β is a transcription factor that is the “master switch” for inflammation. Severe oxidative stress activates nuclear transcriptional factor kappa B (NFκB), resulting in an inflammatory response and tissue injury via the production of COX2, PGE2, and cytokines. However, moderate oxidative stress activates Nrf2 pathway. Nrf2 then induces the transcription of antioxidant response elements (ARE). These are very strong antioxidants.
Transcription of ARE results in the production of numerous antioxidant enzymes. One such enzyme is called as NADPHquinone-oxidoreductase (NQO-1). NQO-1 is also called the longevity gene. It is very helpful in maintaining the proper NAD/NADH ratio. This ratio is about 700/1. The following diagram illustrates some of these effects from these two pathways.
We can see the various beneficial effects achieved. Thus, we can see that the effects for the EBO2 are wide ranging. Again, there may be many clinics that are performing primitive Ozone therapy but very few are doing an EBO2 treatment. Remember most of these clinics are only treating a small portion of the blood while we are treating the entire circulatory system. Furthermore, we are filtering out many of the bad demons that I have previously addressed. The EBO2 is a world class treatment for those who want to increase their physical performance, re-establish their body balance, strengthen their immune system and auto defense capacity. This a treatment protocol designed for both healthy individuals and those having a variety of health issues.
We are not just wanting to increase lifespan but want to increase health span. Remember, health is not just the absence of illness; it is the state of integral well-being and systemic balance which the EBO2 technology brings forth. The following chart represents some of the benefits derived from ozone therapy. When discussing about preventing problems there definitely is some merit.
The last portion of information will illustrate some photos taken from the EBO2 website. They are fairly self-explanatory.
Thanks, Dr. Purita.