HSV Treatment: 10 Pass Ozone Therapy
- May 17, 2024
- Written by : Rebecca LaMarca, MSN, APN-BC, CNS
There’s a running joke that only two things are forever: tattoos and herpes. But, of course, laser tattoo removal has been an option for decades. While there’s no cure for genital herpes (HSV 2), there are treatments that can prevent or shorten outbreaks and reduce the chance of spreading to others.
In the past several years, there have been a few studies showing the effects of ozone therapy as a treatment for different types of herpes.
What is HSV?
According to the World Health Organization, about 3.7 billion people under age 50 worldwide — about two-thirds — have herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), which is the primary cause of oral herpes. About 491 million people ages 15-49 across the globe have HSV-2, the leading cause of genital herpes. Generally, HSV infections go unrecognized and don’t have symptoms, but for those who are symptomatic, they may experience painful recurring blisters.1 Other symptoms include cold sores, gingivitis, herpetic whitlow, flu- like symptoms and recurrent outbreaks.
Both types of HSV spread mostly through skin-to-skin contact. HSV-1 is mostly spread through oral contact but can also lead to genital herpes, which is more often caused by HSV-2 and spread through sexual contact.
How contagious is HSV genitally?
Both types of herpes are more contagious when there are visible sores present, but transmission is possible even if asymptomatic. Condoms help to reduce the risk of transmission of HSV 2, but they’re not completely foolproof as an HSV infection can still occur with genital or anal contact that the condom isn’t protecting. Additionally, oral herpes from HSV-1 can spread through oral sex, which is how some cases of genital herpes are from HSV-1, according to the CDC.2
Ozone as an HSV treatment
Ozone therapy involves exposing the body to ozone gas (O3), which is a molecule made up of three oxygen atoms. Proponents of ozone therapy suggest that it can boost the immune system, improve circulation, and have antimicrobial effects, including against viruses like HSV.
HSV 1
Researchers from Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales published an article in July 2023 in The Journal of the International Ozone Association discussing the efficacy of gaseous ozone against type 1 herpes simplex virus. HSV 1 is primarily spread by oral contact and can cause infections in or around the mouth, i.e., cold sores or oral herpes.2
In the study, they tested the virucidal activity of gaseous ozone at five different concentration levels (40, 20, 10, 5 and 1 ppm) over four time intervals (1.5, 3, 6 and 8 hours) on polystyrene tissue culture plates and stainless steel discs — two surfaces often found in food, medical and dental settings.
“Overall, inactivation of HSV-1 was dependent on ozone concentration and the duration of exposure,” according to the study. “At 20 and 40 ppm, ozone rapidly depleted virus viability after 6 h. At 5 and 10 ppm a time-dependent reduction in viral infectivity was observed. At 10 ppm, viral titer decreased from approximately 5.2 pfu/mL at T = 0 to 3.5 and 2.1 pfu/mL after 1.5- and 6-h exposure on plastic surfaces.”
“This study shows that HSV-1 an enveloped DNA virus can be completely inactivated on inanimate surfaces following exposure to gaseous ozone at certain concentrations and time points within a particular environment,” the researchers concluded. “Ozone has the potential to be applied for sterilization of contaminated surfaces and hospital equipment to minimize disease transmission.”
Ultimately, the research team suggested that further work is needed to understand how other factors, in addition to ozone concentration and time, can affect HSV-1 as well as other viruses.
HSV 2
In some cases, Ozone therapy has helped individuals experience a reduction in their HSV2 symptoms. Labs have shown the patient’s viral load decreased in the bloodstream after ozone therapy. This is an important discovery since there are only a handful of medications that have shown to have similar effects and treat the root cause rather than just address the patient’s symptoms In other cases, Ozone therapy has not only helped individuals with the feeling of itching associated with HSV2 but has significantly reduced the size of the blisters the patient has. HSV2 is not only painful, but it can be emotionally damaging to endure. Ozone therapy can help minimize the appearance of the virus while aiding in the physical pains at the same time.
10 pass ozone therapy with IV Elements
Ozone therapy can be used to treat a range of viruses, fungus and bacteria. Many IV Elements clients who use our 10 pass ozone therapy use it as a treatment for chronic conditions like cancer, Lyme’s disease, HSV and more.
REFERENCES
- World Health Organization: WHO & World Health Organization: WHO. (2023, April 5). Herpes simplex virus. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/herpes-simplex-virus
- STD Facts – Genital Herpes. (n.d.). https://www.cdc.gov/herpes/about/
- Ahortor, E., Baillie, L., Lloyd, D., & Blaxland, J. (2023). Virucidal efficacy of gaseous ozone against Type 1 herpes simplex virus (HSV-1). Ozone:Science and Engineering/Ozone: Science & Engineering, 46(2), 153–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/01919512.2023.2231037
Huang, J., Xiang, Y., Gao, L., Pan, Y., & Lü, J. (2018). [Topical ozone therapy: An innovative solution to patients with herpes zoster]. PubMed, 43(2), 168–172. https://doi.org/10.11817/j.issn.1672-7347.2018.02.011
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