Table Of ContentOzone
a new Medical Drug
Velio Bocci
OZONE
A New Medical Drug
OZONE
A New Medical Drug
by
Velio Bocci
MedicalDoctor,SpecialistinRespiratoryDiseases and Haematology and
Emeritus Professor of Physiology at the University of Siena,
Siena, Italy
A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 1-4020-3139-4 (HB)
ISBN 1-4020-3140-8 (e-book)
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Printed in the Netherlands.
This book is dedicated to all patients with the wish to regain their
health with or without oxygen-ozonetherapy
PREFACE
Is there any reason to write a third book on the topic of oxygen-ozone
therapy? The first was written four years ago for italian physicians, who, for
some time, had complained about the lack of precise ozone informations.
Then it became unavoidable to write a book for english-speaking people and
it took a couple of years because i considered worth it while to examine the
problem in details with attention to basic findings, so that it could also be
useful to scientists and clinicians. The book was briefly reviewed in the new
york academy of sciences magazine ( 1-2, 2003, 14) and was awarded the
“Tramezzi” prize in Rome, October 2003. However the book had not been as
successful as i had hoped because, particularly american scientists remained
sceptical and disinterested. However a letter from prof. L.Packer was
encouraging saying: “there is growing evidence that oxidants like many ros
including ozone provide a mild oxidant stress which under certain
circumstances actually induce the formation of phase 1 and phase 2
enzymes, strengthening the antioxidant defence system through an
adaptation process. Thus it would be rational that a mild treatment with
ozone stimulates the antioxidant defence system. So i think some of your
ideas have a foundation in current scientific work.” Indeed i have several
reasons to believe that one of the most important pedestals of ozonetherapy
is based on the induction of oxidative stress proteins.
In Chapter 34 of my previous book (2002), I emphasized the usefulness
of biooxidative therapies in poor-countries, where a billion people have no
other medical resources but world health authorities, particularly WHO had
remained disinterested in this approach. It is depressing to realize how useful
proposals remain unheard of and how much time and work are requested
before their implementation.
However, the worst disappointment has been on reading a few letters of
distinguished American scientists in the field of free-radicals, who were and
remained biased towards ozonetherapy. Actually several scientists, who
surely received the book did not even bother to answer. Someone, who, by
reading his papers, I judged to be very clever, politely wrote me that,
although the book presented some interesting aspects, it could not convince
him because the ruling dogma in the USA is that “ozone is toxic and should
not be used in medicine”. Although several others were not so naïve to say
such a thing, it was clear that the book had failed to remove the prejudice
from their heads.
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On the other hand, I received a few positive responses from clinicians,
who appreciated my effort in creating a rational scheme able to clarify how
ozone acts and why toxicity could be avoided. Several practitioners
confessed to be disinterested in the biochemical aspects because they hardly
had the time to read the practical part.
On the whole these remarks taught me that much more work was needed
before reversing the antagonism, for correcting the problem of charlatans
and objectively establish the pros and cons of ozonetherapy. During the last
three years, personal experience has convinced me that a judicious use of
ozone can be very useful in some diseases when orthodox medicine has no
further resources and patients are abandoned to their fate. For them ozone is
more valuable than gold because, at least for some, it can restore hope and
health. I feel I am a lucky man because towards the end of my academic life,
in 1988, by mere accident, I stumbled on the ozone problem that although
quite controversial, is a real trove. I believe so because ozone, like oxygen,
is such a basic molecule able to activate a great number of vital processes. It
depresses me to think that ozone, the cheapest drug on earth, is today either
badly or minimally used because orthodox medicine refuses to evaluate it
and Health Authorities are antagonistic or negligent. Both are responsible for
leaving millions of people suffering and dying. I must not get discouraged
and continue to work and hope that ozonetherapy will eventually benefit
many people. I cannot hide my dream of organizing and gratuitously
working in a large clinic with enthusiastic collaborators able to evaluate the
full relevance of ozonetherapy. There are many philanthropists helping the
development of arts, science and sport and one day we may be lucky to find
someone who believes and values this approach.
In conclusion what are the aims of this book?
This has been specifically written for physicians, who want to learn and
then perform a correct ozonetherapy. Moreover, by using a plain scientific
language, the book should be useful for the layman, who must receive the
most objective information avoiding any undue hype. In comparison with
the former book, I will strive to be clear without omitting the basic concepts
that are essential to understand how ozone works without causing deleterious
effects. I will refrain from adding chemical formulae and complex diagrams
because I have been told that they are somewhat irritating or useless for
inexpert people. I would be enthusiastic to help and collaborate with clinical
researchers if they are genuinely interested in evaluating the validity of
ozone-therapy.
The greatest effort will be dedicated to clarify in which diseases
ozonetherapy has been proved to be really useful and in others where the
efficacy remains uncertain. Because mass media and popular books often
tend to elicit unrealistic hopes, it appears necessary that the reader is
precisely informed on the best available options provided by orthodox
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medicine and, if necessary, by ozonetherapy that, in any case, remains a
complementary approach or the last resort. For the sake of brevity and
minimal competence, I will not suggest other important complementary
approaches unless scientific data have proven their value.
Velio Bocci
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It has taken some time to have this book ready because I wanted to fully
update results of both orthodox and ozone therapies. I would like to thank
many collaborators who, throughout the years, have helped me in studying
the biological and therapeutic effects of ozone.
Although I tried to do my best in writing the book, I apologise for the
poor style and probably some mistakes although the manuscript has
undergone the linguistic revision. I am very grateful to Dr. Carlo Aldinucci
for the enormous help in typing the bibliography and the skill in preparing
the manuscript for printing.
I thank all Authors and Publishers for kindly allowing to publish a few
diagrams and to report some unpublished data. I gratefully acknowledge a
small support given by Healthzone Clinics Public Ltd. Co., UK.
I am grateful to Mr. Peter Butler, Publishing Manager Springer Science
for the enthusiastic support of the project.
Finally I am deeply grateful to my wife Helen and to my children Erica
and Roberto for being always very patient with me and my work.
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FOREWORD
In 2002, Prof. Bocci published a book entitled “Oxygen-Ozone Therapy.
A critical evaluation” with ample scientific data based largely on his
experiments indicating the usefulness and atoxicity of ozone therapy in some
diseases. However the book contained too many details and it was difficult
to read for the busy physician and even more for the layman. He has now
written a new version that is shorter and concise. Nonetheless the
mechanisms of action of ozone, which are essential for understanding how
ozone acts through a number of messengers, are clearly explained in a
scientific but plain language. The clinical part has been greatly extended and
includes new pathologies as well as diseases previously considered but now
amplified with new data.
The book is primarily intended for ozone-therapists, who want to refine
techniques, expand treatment modalities and solve problems, but will be
equally useful for physicians interested in this approach. However it can also
be read by the layman, to provide further insight into this aspect of
complementary medicine. The book gives a complete view of this approach
including practical aspects of routes of administration and the possibility of
simple self-medication.
Against the prejudice that ozone is toxic, the accurate description of side
effects reveals that they are of minimal relevance and it is even more
surprising that ozone therapy yields a feeling of wellness in the majority of
patients. This is a crucial point that has been clearly explained by defining
the therapeutic range within which ozone is a very useful drug. It is
interesting to learn that ozone can slowly induce an increase of antioxidant
defences that is a unique property most important for correcting the chronic
oxidative stress plaguing atherosclerosis, diabetes, viral infections and
cancer.
I have been impressed by the enthusiasm for this therapy that comes to
light on reading the book. Velio told me that he has submitted himself all
possible methods of ozone administration and has also performed many
experiments. From his results and the often incredible improvements
observed in very ill patients, he has the firm conviction that ozone therapy is
not a placebo! Jokingly, he also assured me that he is the living proof of
ozone therapy atoxicity.
Ozone never finishes surprising us by its versatility recently shown by
delivering therapeutic activity in Orthopaedics and Dentistry. I am
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