The following is a presentation of the reasons, why ozone may work so well in treating HCV. An article by Gérard Sunnen MD serves as the base.
According to conventional wisdom, HCV is a global disease with an expanding incidence and prevalence base – and it is difficult to treat. The Hepatitis C virus is extremely adaptable, very hard to pin down. As Sunnen put it, “Today in the context of human population growth, migration and global travel, the Hepatitis C virus has expanded its territories, geographically and demographically. There is every indication that the evolution of this virus, in all its forms, is currently manifesting an accelerated phase.” Plus, far from there being only one Hepatitis C virus, it comes in six genotypes and manifests in approximately 100 sub-types. HCV displays great genotypic flexibility. It has many ways at its disposal to evade its host’s defenses.
Thus the same researcher continues, “Within any one inflicted individual, HCV particles do not show a homogenous population. Instead they function as a pool of genetically variant strains known as quasispecies… Herein lies one of the important armaments of HCV. Continuously generated genetic diversity gives it great advantage in negotiating and conquering immune defense and therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, the antigenic differences between genotypes may have implications regarding the proper evaluation and the therapeutic regimen of patients.” As any doctor knows, the current treatment strategies include interferon and ribavirin, both of which involve significant medical and psychiatric side effects.
Of course, there remains the promise of a vaccine to be developed, but Sunnen cautions us not to get our hopes up too fast and too high as, “Vaccine development needs to take into account HCV’s antigenic rainbow and its high mutability. High mutation rates in this condition imply a dauntingly diverse and variable array of viral antigenic components. It is estimated, for example, that HCV mutates significantly in its own host approximately a thousand times a year. This implies that within any one afflicted individual there exists an awesomely large array of viral quasispecies, which in turn creates commensurate difficulties in the creation of effective vaccines.”
Now as to ozone, it is common knowledge that this gas is a powerful antioxidant and can neutralize bacteria, fungi and viruses in aqueous media, which is why it is used in water purification all over the world. Furthermore, it has also been demonstrated many times over, and Sunnen thus stresses the point that ozone, “when administered in such dosages designed to respect the integrity of the blood’s cellular constituent elements, is capable of inactivating a spectrum of viral families… It has been found that lipid-enveloped viruses are the most sensitive. This group includes amongst others Hepatitis C, Herpes 1 & 2, Cytomegalus, as well as HIV1 & 2…”
And here lies also the reason why ozone works so well in dismantling HCV: “… Ozon… disrupts viral envelope proteins, lipoproteins, lipids and glycoproteins. The presence of numerous double bonds in these unsaturated molecules makes them vulnerable to the oxidizing effects of ozone, which readily donates its oxygen atom and appects electrons in these redox reactions. Double bonds are thus reconfigured, molecular architecture is disrupted and widespread breakage of the envelope ensues. Deprived of an envelope, virions cannot sustain nor replicate themselves…”
Furthermore, “Introduction of ozone into the serum portion of the whole blood induces the formation of lipid and protein peroxides. While these peroxides are not toxic to the host in quantities produced by ozone therapy, they nevertheless possess oxidizing properties of their own, which persist in the bloodstream for several hours. Peroxides created by ozone administration show long-term anti-viral effects, which serve to further reduce viral load. This factor may explain in part the reason for the fact that ozonated blood in the amount processed in usual treatment protocols is able to reduce viral load values in the total blood volume.”
“Immunological effects of ozone have been documented… It has been found that ozone induces the release of cytokines, which in turn activate a spectrum of immune cells. This is likely to constitute a significant avenue for the reduction of circulating virions.”
And finally, “Viral load reduction by means of ozone blood treatment alleviates immune system fatigue. Ozone-mediated viral culling may be achieved by anyone of a number of possible mechanisms. Direct virion denaturation, peplomer alteration, lipid and protein peroxide formation, cytokine induction, host pan-humoral activation and host specific auto-vaccine creation are suggested mechanisms. Due to the excess energy contained within the ozone molecule, it is theoretically likely that ozone, unlike antiviral options available today, will show effectiveness across the entire genotype and subtype spectrum.”
My apologies to the lay reader, who may find it difficult to follow the more scientific slant of the explanation, but on the other hand I found it necessary to share why I opt for my way of treating HCV. It has a sound scientific base. However, this does not infer that the treatment will be without challenges. Every doctor knows that textbook knowledge or scientific data are one thing, but treating a patient a totally different thing. With real live people variables come into play that make every case unique, not so much in terms how the treatment is given but how the treatment is received and processed.