Post-Viral Recovery

You may have come across the term post-viral syndrome more often in the recent times – perhaps more times than you care to admit. Unfortunately, it’s not going anywhere and is likely going to be a growing topic of interest that sticks around for a lot longer in the years following these recent times.  I’m here to offer a complementary strategy to improve post-viral recovery.

First, what is post-viral syndrome?  Post-viral syndrome is a term used to describe the lingering effects experienced after a viral infection.  Symptoms of post-viral syndrome include fatigue, headache, diffuse muscle and joint weakness and pain, depression, non-restorative sleep and swollen lymph nodes, which can persist for weeks, months and even years following a viral infection.  Post-viral syndrome is not fully understood by medical experts; however, one major mechanism at play is inflammation.  During a viral infection immune messengers known as cytokines are produced at large.  Of these, proinflammatory cytokines tend to be dominant- creating widespread inflammation and leaving you to feel unwell for some time after the actual infection has gone.

There are many supportive strategies to aid in post-viral recovery including dietary modifications, herbal and nutraceutical support.  Today I present the combination of ozone therapy and intravenous nutrient therapy.  I have had great success with the combination of these therapies in improving the symptoms of post-viral syndrome and reducing the time to fully recover.

What do these treatments entail, you ask?  Ozone is an unstable gas made up of three oxygen molecules (O3).  When administered into a small amount of blood (approximately 250 mL) through IV, the instability of ozone allows it to be easily broken down into oxygen.  This reaction occurs immediately upon exposure to the blood, causing the blood to be super oxygenated.  Once the hyper-oxygenated blood returns to the body, an increase in anti-inflammatory cytokines are produced, eliciting a systemic anti-inflammatory response.  Additionally, ozone therapy increases the metabolism of the red blood cells allowing them to carry and release oxygen to tissue more efficiently.  Furthermore, ozone therapy dilatates blood vessels, increasing the availability of oxygen to the tissues.  Increased oxygenation of tissues allows for optimal cell function and more efficient energy production.  Together the anti-inflammatory property and increased oxygenation of tissues achieved by ozone therapy leads to a quicker recovery. To read more about ozone therapy, click here.

After ozone therapy, intravenous nutrients are then given in the form of vitamins and minerals.  This is important because many essential vitamins and minerals are depleted during viral infections such as zinc, copper, selenium, B vitamins, and vitamin C.  Administering these nutrients directly into circulation via IV after ozone therapy, allows them to be more readily available to the tissues due to the vasodilation achieved through ozone.  Replenishing the vitamins and minerals allows for tissue healing, improved energy and a quicker recovery.

By reducing widespread inflammation and replenishing nutrients lost during a viral infection, the combination of ozone and IV nutrient therapy can aid in post-viral recovery and get you back to feeling like yourself sooner than later!

If you would like more information, please contact me, I am happy to help!

~ Dr. Allison Ziegler, ND