O3UV in the Treatment of Autoimmune Disease

I met Dr. Kathy Backus early on in my journey into ozone therapy and ultraviolet blood irradiation. One of her cases spurred me on to focus my efforts on bringing O3UV into the animal kingdom.

Bluebell was diagnosed with an auto immune disease at twelve months old. Because of her disease, she looked more like a geriatric dog. It was recommended to euthanize because her veterinarian was unable to find a treatment solution. At 16 months, she began having difficulty standing. She was prescribed oral and injectable Rimadyl with no response. 

After just four treatments, the transformation was incredible. All of Bluebell’s symptoms began to disappear. Treatments continued weekly for four more weeks with outstanding results. She was able to wean off of all medications quickly.

Even four years later, Bluebell gets maintenance treatments every 4-6 months, is off all medications and is happy, healthy and very active.

What is O3UV?

To put it as simply as possible, O3UV is the combination of Ozone Therapy and Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation. But since some may not be familiar with either of those, let's back up a little bit and talk about each of them separately and then come back to the combination treatment.

Ozone Therapy

Ozone therapy is the use of ozone gas or ozone infused fluids or oils to treat disease. Ozone gas consists of three oxygen atoms all sharing electrons and is slightly heavier than air. It has a very distinct odor that everyone has smelled before since it is created in significant levels during thunderstorms.

The first known use of ozone as a type of medical treatment was all the way back in 1881 as a disinfectant prior to the medical textbook written by the Florida Medical Association in 1885. Interestingly, Nikola Tesla patented his first ozone generator in 1896 and then founded the Tesla Ozone Co. in 1900. He is also the first to have ozonated olive oil.

Since then, there have been thousands of medical studies undertaken, scores of medical organizations founded and millions of patients treated with ozone therapy. What we have discovered over time is that when used medically, ozone becomes a natural biological modifier, meaning that it significantly alters the interaction of cells to improve health in a safe, natural way. That's the primary way it works, but let's very briefly look at the various mechanisms that have been clearly laid out in this helpful scientific paper.

A NATURAL ANTIMICROBIAL

From the very first, ozone therapy was used as a way to disinfect and treat infections topically. It oxidizes the cell wall and breaks down pathogens. Pathogens are more venerable to ozone than healthy cells because they don't have the antioxidant defense that healthy cells do, and they are also much less abundant, so it's significantly easier to destroy them.

So there is direct contact with pathogens that destroys them, but also a secondary means through activation of immune cells that also come to the rescue.

IMMUNE SYSTEM ACTIVACTION

The reason that ozone therapy is so good at treating infections is because it has been tied directly to its ability to stimulate the production of cytokines through the NFkB pathway. What’s more, ozonides also activate growth factors which, at times, can lead to the release. of even more cytokines and encourage tissue repair after an injury.

CIRCULATION AND OXYGEN UPTAKE

Ozone increases the flow of oxygen across the cell membrane, which, in turn, increases oxygen levels inside the cell. This leads to higher energy levels in the mitochondria by improving the efficiency of the respiratory chain.

Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation

This treatment has gone by different names through the years including Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation (UVBI, UBI, UVB), photopheresis, photodynamic therapy, biophotonic therapy, Ultraimmunotherapy and more. Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) is another version of this treatment. They all have in common that they are using light to heal.

UBI is an immune modulating treatment that uses ultraviolet light to treat blood. To administer a treatment, a small amount of blood is withdrawn from the patient and then mixed with saline to dilute. That mixture is then channeled through a quartz tube called a cuvette and past ultraviolet light where it absorbs the photons from that light. Once treated, it is reintroduced back into the bloodstream.

In 2015, I visited the Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, the largest research facility in the world dedicated to studying the use of light as medicine. At the time, Michael Hamblin, Ph.D., was the principal investigator there, and he was also an associate professor at the Harvard Medical School. The work he has done on the use of light in medicine is astounding and, if it were not for his humble demeanor, he would have made me feel grossly inadequate.

• It works like an auto-vaccine to trigger the production of antibodies that destroy pathogens.
• It can have an immunosuppressive effect by reducing lymphocyte reaction.
• It enhances phagocytic activity, thus reducing dead and toxic cells from the patient.
• It can reduce free radical damage and elevate the activity of antioxidant enzymes.

O3UV - The Combination of Ozone and Ultraviolet

In 2014, I attended an ozone therapy conference put on by the Mexican Association of Ozone Therapy. Dr. Frank Shallenberger was a speaker at that conference and is one of the most respected ozone doctors in the United States. It was at that conference when we asked him why he combined ozone with UBI that he told us this story:

"A number of years back, I received a patient at my door who had basically been sent home to die. She was full of infections, had tachycardia, 33 breaths per minute, a 103° fever and her O2 saturation was 86. I too thought she was going to die. I tried treating her with ozone with no success. I purchase a biophotonic (UBI) device and gave her one 60 cc treatment. She had a total turn around within 24 hours. Everything got better. It was not perfect, and so I gave her a second treatment. It was absolutely remarkable! The biophotonic therapy (Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation) cured her in just three days. Biophotonic therapy does something different . . . it definitely does something very good and very different than ozone. I have done this for years and would never go back to just using ozone in blood as a therapy."

• Inhibiting the aggregation of blood platelets (#5591457)
• Increasing nitric oxide (#5834030)
• Preconditioning the body against stress (#6136308)
• Reducing atherosclerosis and inhibiting progression of
  atherosclerotic lesions (#6669965)
• Inhibiting inflammatory cytokine secretion (#7122208)

You can go look up these patent studies at www.uspto.gov. You can also go to www.pubmed.gov and search “Vasogen” to read about their IMT.

The inventors of this technology understood the benefit of subjecting the patient’s blood to stressors (heat, ozone, and UV light) that produced an auto-vaccine which could trigger one or more of the above responses. The research was extensive throughout the ’90s and into the 21st  century as Vasogen proved that controlled amounts of stress could redefine the body’s terrain and produce a healing effect.

Although they were looking for a condition that would be a slam dunk for their IMT, we look at the data in an altogether different light today. We recognize that there isn’t a silver bullet cure, but that this treatment is a crucial piece of the puzzle when it comes to correcting underlying health conditions. But correcting these issues is only part of the problem. We must also be willing to implement lifestyle changes related to diet, exercise, detoxification, emotional well-being, etc. that will produce lasting results. O3UV can be a major healing catalyst, but you must be the agent for change.

How is O3UV Administered?

While ozone therapy can be administered in many different ways, O3UV is administered in just one way. Before I explain that, I want to clarify that there is a difference between Major Autohemotherapy (MAHT) and O3UV. Some people confuse these terms, so let's set the record straight. MAHT is simply infusing ozone into a blood sample.

O3UV consists of withdrawing blood, diluting it with saline (4:1), infusing ozone gas into that blood/saline mixture and then exposing it to ultraviolet light in our Chimp UV machine.

What Does O3UV Treat?

Drugs are developed to target one specific disease. They may be used off label when we realize that they treat something that we hadn't planned for, but they are certainly targeted. Drugs also have major unintended consequences which can often mean that they are more destructive then they are helpful.

O3UV is a completely different category of medicine. We take a substance that occurs naturally in our environment and we use it just as God created it. We don't modify it. We don't formulate it. We simply take it and use it.

So what conditions have been successfully treated using O3UV?

VIRAL AND BACTERIAL INFECTIONS

Both Ozone Therapy and Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation have been used on their own to treat infections through the years with a deep stack of of studies supporting their success, however, the combination provides next level success in the treatment of systemic infections like Lyme disease, Valley Fever, Parvovirus (Parvo), Distemper and MRSA.

"My dog picked it (Valley Fever) up in St. George, Utah. The typical treatment time is 6-12 months on a very expensive anti-fungal drug. This is why many people give up their animal because they cannot afford the treatment for that long and without guarantee as some animals and people remain on the drug for life.

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

At the outset of this article, I shared a powerful case where a Sheltie with autoimmune polyarthritis was treated with O3UV and had an incredible recovery. So much so, that she was able to go off of all the conventional medications that had been wrecking her biological systems and producing severe negative effects.

When the body begins to attack itself, there must be something that helps reduce reactions and reorient the immune system so that it can properly identify appropriate targets and calm the cellular defense mechanisms when they are overreacting.

I was able to work directly with Michael Hamblin, PhD on a project that he undertook for us to summarize the mechanism of action of UBI in which he noted that, "Stimulation of phagocytic activity appears to be one of the earliest mechanisms in immuno-correction by UV-irradiation of blood therapy." Further on in his summary, he noted that, "...T–lymphocytes were exquisitely hypersensitive to the DNA-damaging and lethal effects of UV-B radiation, raising the possibility that UV-B may make a contribution to immunosuppression via a direct effect on xtracapilliary T- lymphocytes.

This gives us a window into how O3UV may be working in autoimmune cases through suppression of T-lymphocytes among other things.

PROTEIN LOSING NEPHROPATHY (PLN)

You might be tempted to jet right past this one but don't. Far too many times, PLN is undiagnosed or diagnosed later down the road in the veterinary practice and consequently, the disease is left untreated until it's too late. Dr. Lori Blankenship gave a lecture on the use of O3UV in her practice where she stated that it is close to a 100% success rate when she uses O3UV to treat protein losing nephropahy.

CANCER
Your initial thought may be, "Yeah right, this can treat cancer.", but it can. Maybe my favorite testimony was delivered a decade ago by Dr. Dan Ahrens at a training class that we held in Ohio.

"It’s a protocol that we use on all of our cancer cases now. . . . A Golden Retriever had a diagnosis of a cardiac cancer that had metastasized to the lungs and to the liver. She came in and we did ozone therapy with UV daily for five days and then twice the second week and then had an ultrasound done by a specialist from Texas A&M and she could find no cancer. We’re six months into it now, and we’re completely cancer free."

In this article published on O3Pets.com, you can find a lot more information on how ozone therapy and ultraviolet blood irradiation have been used to treat pets with cancer.

What O3UV Equipment Do You Need As a Veterinarian

The two primary devices that you will need are an Ozone Generator and an Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation device. Let's look at each of these devices quickly to help you understand the important criteria.

THE OZONE GENERATOR

A medical ozone generator is designed and tested to standards that have been approved by the regulatory bodies in the medical field. This ensures that a device is not thrown together with incompatible materials or a complex interface. So what are the criteria for an ozone generator in the veterinary field? First, you have to categorize them as mobile or stationary. A veterinarian who will be transporting the generator to the patient, needs to have it built into a briefcase. A good example of this is The Monarch. If you don't need to transport it, then a generator like the Ozonette Vet will work well.

Next, you MUST have a generator that will connect to medical oxygen tanks so as to produce pure ozone. Some generators feature a digital interface where you punch in the desired concentration and others have an analog interface where you observe a chart and set the oxygen flow rate accordingly. It's nice to have the digital version, but of course there is a trade off in costs.

An integrated destruct, active capture and treatment modes are all helpful features that will vary by generator and also affect the cost.

An often overlooked concern is the warranty, so make sure you're covered if anything happens.

THE ULTRAVIOLET BLOOD IRRADIATOR

The Chimp UV is probably the only UBI device designed for use in the veterinary practice. There are a few things that are important with the most important being the dose of light energy that is delivered. This is measured in joules with the ideal dose being 1,000 joules of energy. Other factors include the cost of the treatment based on materials and the type of UV light utilized.

The Chimp UV utilizes UVA, UVB and UVC to take advantage of each wavelengths benefits. A final benefit of this device is the lifetime warranty that's provided.

Conclusion 

Veterinary medicine is ever evolving and changing as our understanding of medicine, biology and the tools at our disposal evolve. Having the right tool is essential if we want to provide a cure for patients and these two tools that have been blended together provide a powerful synergy that can defy reason and bring healing when we thought that all was lost.

That was the case for integrative oncologist Dr. Betsy Hershey when Izzy came through her door years ago.

At the age of three, Izzy was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma via bone aspirate with classic lesions showing in the radiograph on her distal femur. Integrative oncologist, Dr. Betsy Hershey communicated that there was a poor chance of survival but that amputation and chemotherapy might prolong her life for a year. The owners decided to forego traditional treatments and elected instead to immediately begin O3UV treatments with minor autohemotherapy injections around the tumor.

Treatments ensued on a weekly basis for eight weeks and then reverted to monthly treatments for another four months. Another radiograph was performed at six months showing complete regression.

Izzy remained in clinical remission for four years after the diagnosis continuing with maintenance treatments every 3 months.

If you are interested in more information, the best way to start may be to schedule a short Zoom call with us here at O3Vets.

References 

1. https://aepromo.org/en/ozonotherapy-history/
2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34360655/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33026601/
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15925561/
5. https://o3pets.com/blogs/news/treating-your-pets-cancer-at-home-with-ozone-therapy
6. https://ashpublications.org/blood/article/112/13/4784/24874/UV-C-irradiation-gives-platelets-a-sunburn