The Hindu : Front Page : Ozone balm for aching backs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 08, 2005

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Ozone balm for aching backs

G. V. Ramana Rao

VIJAYAWADA: For most of us ozone is something in the atmosphere that protects us from the harmful ultra violet rays emitted by sun. Apparently there is much more to this very unstable form of oxygen.

Modern medicine is today making use of ozone (O3) extensively. It is the strongest and most natural algaecide, bactericide, fungicide, germicide, disinfectant and sanitizer. It is being used extensively for the purification of air, food and water and also for detoxification health therapy.

It is being used for the first time in South India to treat patients suffering from backache and other pains that would otherwise require surgical intervention.

The procedure

Vijayawada-based orthopaedic surgeon M. J. Naidu has set up the second centre in the country performing `ozonucleolysis'. The first centre is in New Delhi. Ozonucleolysis is a simple procedure used to alleviate back and leg pain by injecting ozone in and around the cartilage disc of the spine. When ozone is injected into the disc space, antioxidant enzymes are produced neutralising toxic materials inside, causing the disc to shrink. Ozone also dissolves into water in the disc (80 per cent of the disc is water) affecting the building blocks (proteoglycans) causing the disc to shrink further. Usually five to six injections made at intervals of five days are needed for best results.

The benefits of Ozonucleolysis compared to surgery are many. There is no cutting, no scarring, no general anaesthesia and no hospital stay and shorter recovery time. According to Vijay S. Kumar, pioneer of Ozonucleolysis in the country, over 50,000 patients had been treated thus, with a success rate of 70 to 80 per cent.

The success rate was the same for surgery, but in Ozonucleolysis complications were minimal, says Dr.Naidu.

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