| Welcome
to the o zone
Ozone therapy claims to boost your energy and sort out
a myriad of problems. Caroline Skirrow investigates
 Ozone
therapy – not, as you could be forgiven for thinking,
counselling the atmosphere to heal itself, but a therapeutic
technique that claims to treat everything from the common
cold to cancer.
When I met Naomi Riches, co-founder the Blue Skies Ozone
Therapy Centre, I hadn’t even heard of ozone therapy
and certainly didn’t realise it had been around
for over 100 years. When she explained how it worked and
outlined some of the conditions it can relieve, I was
surprised that this simple, effective therapy doesn’t
have more widespread popularity. It claims to treat or
alleviate symptoms of asthma, HIV, herpes, arthritis,
candida, cancer, acne, shingles, ulcers, haemorrhoids,
halitosis, eczema, burns and irritable bowel syndrome
(IBS), to name but a few. If that wasn’t enough,
it also improves skin appearance and has anti-ageing properties!
How does it do all this? The answer is simple. The extra
oxygen atom in ozone (O3) has a very unstable attachment
to the other two, and when it breaks loose in the body
it can wreak havoc with bacteria, fungi, viruses and tumours.
It also provides more oxygen to the tissues, which can
improve athletic performance, boost the immune system
and aid detox by stimulating lymph activity. Popular for
treatments in Germany and Russia, ozone’s sterilising
properties are also widely used to purify water and clean
hospitals.
Naomi, who qualified from the College of Naturopathic
Medicine, is one of only a handful of certified ozone
therapists in Britain. She first stumbled on the procedure
to treat her own persistent skin condition. “I had
been suffering for years and had tried every conventional
and alternative therapy under the sun. Within just four
sessions I noticed a dramatic improvement in the condition
and after a few more sessions was a total advocate.”
You can get the benefits of ozone in a number of ways.
I opted for the most popular choice, a relaxing steam
sauna, which involved sitting in a steam tent with your
head sticking out of the top. Naomi popped a towel around
my neck and left me to sweat it out in the ozone and steam
combination for 35 minutes. The steam opens the pores
and moistens the skin, which allows the ozone to be absorbed
more easily. Luckily for me, I didn’t have any ailments
needing treatment, but I did feel like I needed to boost
my energy levels, so I was delighted that I felt cleansed
and revitalised for a good few days after the session.
Although you can get some benefit from one session, Naomi
recommends having a course of several followed by regular
top ups to get the full impact, particularly if you are
treating a chronic illness.
Ozone can also be delivered direct to the problem, with
a tube mask or cup making it very effective for conditions
such as asthma, thrush, acne or IBS. Naomi assured me
that the tubes are small, soft and flexible and you have
control of them, so if you do need a more direct approach
there is no discomfort or embarrassment. All ozone is
administered at safe therapeutic levels and undergoes
special treatment if it is to be inhaled.
So, if you have a bug, ozone can zap it: if you have low
energy ozone can improve it: or if you want to run a marathon,
ozone may boost your performance. And, after all that
Christmas indulgence, what a great way to effortlessly
detox. Pretty impressive stuff for one tiny volatile molecule!
Ozone Steam Sauna costs £40 for the first hourly
session, subsequent sessions cost £30.
Contact Naomi Riches or Nevil Langman on 01273 709622
or 07947 893731 at Blue Skies Ozone Therapy Centre, Hocus
Pocus, Gardner St. For more info: www.ozonetherapy.co.uk
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