How Oxygen and Light Can Heal The fourth element of Dr. Bock's
approach to reversing Ada's Lyme disease is called oxidative
therapy and photo-ox therapy. The first involves oxygen, the
second, light. An oxidative therapy delivers a measured amount
of powerful oxidants (highly reactive molecules involved in energy
production) in the form of medical ozone (03) or hydrogen peroxide
(H202).
For example, white blood cells will use intravenously infused
hydrogen peroxide to destroy undesirable microorganisms, explains
Dr. Bock. He notes that oxidative therapies are presently controversial,
not because they are harmful, but because they are not well understood
by conventional doctors.
Photo-ox therapy refers to a combination of intravenous hydrogen
peroxide or ozone and ultraviolet blood irradiation (UVB). The
two together produce a synergistic effect which is why Dr. Bock
finds the combination especially useful for his most chronically
ill patients; in Ada's case, it was an alternative (or complement)
to the antibiotic regimen, as the oxygen the therapy delivers
helps kill the pathogenic bacteria.
UVB appears to be highly effective in treating persistent viruses
and antibiotic-resistant bacteria, says Dr. Bock. Not only can
it kill unwanted microbes, but it adds oxygen to the system,
improves the energy producing activities (called oxidative metabolism)
at a cellular level, and, paradoxically, elevates the levels
of antioxidants capable of fighting free radicals.
During the UVB treatment, a small amount of the patient's blood
(100 cc or 1/2 cup) is drawn from the body and exposed to ultraviolet
energy; this energy changes the molecular structure of the oxygen
in the blood sample to one that is therapeutically more valuable.
When the irradiated blood is reinfused into the patient, this
altered form of oxygen circulates throughout the body.
Ada received photo-ox treatments three times weekly -- 15 treatments
in all -- and during this time Dr. Bock reduced her antibiotic
intake. "When you treat Lyme disease with antibiotics in
a patient who has yeast infections, the Candida infestation gets
worse. But when you use oxidative therapies, you can subdue and
eliminate both the Lyme bacteria and the Candida."
Quick Definition
Oxygen therapies involve the use of oxygen and can be used in
various forms to promote healing and to destroy pathogens in
the body. Oxygen-based therapies treat a variety of conditions,
including cancer, infections, circulatory problems, chronic
fatigue syndrome, arthritis, allergies, and multiple sclerosis.
There are two principle types of oxygen therapy, classified
according to the chemical process involved. Oxygenation is
the process of enriching the oxygen content of the blood or
tissues. One oxygenation therapy is called hyperbaric oxygen
therapy, which introduces oxygen to the body in a pressurized
chamber. Oxygenation employed under strictly controlled conditions
can have positive therapeutic effects. The second type of oxygen
therapy is called oxidation, which is a chemical reaction occurring
when electrons (negatively charged particles) are transferred
from one molecule to another. Not all oxidants are free radicals.
Although uncontrolled oxidation can be destructive -- as is
the case when free radicals are produced in excess -- it can
also be therapeutic when carefully used on weak and devitalized
cells.
