Gwyneth Paltrow has shared yet another shady wellness hack. Earlier this week, the Goop founder appeared on Dr. Will Cole’s The art of being good podcast and had a… controversial recommendation: rectal ozone therapy.
“I used ozone therapy rectally,” she said. “It’s quite strange, but it was very helpful.” She said.
To her honor host Dr. Will Cole did Ask her about the “weirdest” wellness trend she’s ever tried. But does “rectal ozone therapy” really do something for your gut health or your body in general? women health examined.
Meet the experts: dr Joseph Salhab is a Florida-based gastroenterologist and expert in digestion, liver and pancreas health, and nutrition. DR Cave Hoda is a gastroenterologist and hepatologist based in San Francisco, California.
Wait, what is ozone therapy?
Ozone Therapy, in his preferably Definition, is intended to supply the body with more oxygen with ozone. “Ozone” is an inorganic molecule with one more oxygen molecule than oxygen itself – simply put, oxygen has two oxygen molecules while ozone has three. Chemically they are very different.
Ozone can be extremely hazardous to human lungs when inhaled. According to the FDA, inhaling ozone “can cause sufficient irritation to the lungs to result in pulmonary edema.”
Experimental research is investigating ozone therapy as a technique for wound healing, relieving pain associated with chronic syndromes such as fibromyalgia, and respiratory disorders such as COPD, according to Dr. Joseph Salhab, a Florida-based gastroenterologist and expert in digestive, liver and pancreatic health. and nutrition.
It’s important to note that these studies are “low quality” and have limited evidence, according to the Cleveland Clinic. In addition, according to Dr. To date, the most important clinical studies on the therapy have only been carried out on animals.
The “ozone therapy” technique uses a generator device to create medicinal ozone, which is administered to the body, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Although it is toxic when inhaled, current studies are looking at whether it might be beneficial for some bodies when administered in other ways – e.g. B. through your skin, through your blood in an IV, or by blowing the gas through a part of your body — such as your rectum, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Ozone therapy has no proven medical benefits.
“There really is no approved medical use for it. It’s a toxic gas and has no known therapeutic use,” says Dr. Cave Hoda, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist from San Francisco, California. “In the best case [it] would be a waste of money, rather it could actually be dangerous and damage the gut and the body.”
Both Dr. Hoda as well as Dr. Salhab say they would not recommend this therapy to patients.
“We don’t have enough evidence for its safety, dosage, or effectiveness,” says Dr. Salhab. “Any type of rectal ozone therapy would, at least for now, be unregulated and unstandardized. i would say so [patients] that it should be used with caution. We really don’t know what [rectal ozone therapy] would even treat.”
Aside from having no proven benefits, according to Dr. Hoda also have many negative side effects.
“The side effects of ozone treatment have been described, with many different problems such as nervous system problems, heart problems and even vision problems,” says Dr. Hoda.
Ozone therapy is also not currently FDA approved, and Dr. Hoda explains that a serious experimental technique like this can “murder the water for real medicine.”
“When it comes time for people to learn something important like vaccines, it’s become so unclear what’s real and what’s not,” he says. “If rectal ozone therapy is done with a drug that we’ve studied and tested and prescribed — if [people] equal, we will not be able to convince people of that [medical practices that are] really important.”
Why would anyone want to try that?
This certainly isn’t the first time Gwyneth has admitted using an experimental and potentially dangerous health trend. Like many other wellness trends, Dr. Hoda that there might be something alluring about the sound of “ozone therapy,” despite its lack of medical benefits.
“It sounds very sexy and interesting and has that ‘scientific’ ring to it,” says Dr. Hoda. “You can go online [and find] YouTube videos explaining how it might work.”
dr Hoda explains that some sources may claim that rectal ozone therapy provides “immunomodulation,” or a boost in your body’s immune system by delivering more oxygen to your tissues, but there’s no evidence that it actually achieves this.
“While there is a possibility that it could play a therapeutic role in the future, I think because the studies are lacking, [doctors] can’t recommend it for anything,” says Dr. Salhab.
What would be a better way to promote GI health?
Both Dr. Salhab as well as Dr. Hoda recommend improving your digestive health through diet and lifestyle choices, rather than experimental therapies. So instead of screwing up your life, just stick to the basics: eat lots of fruits and vegetables, get some exercise, and stay away from toxins like alcohol and tobacco, says Dr. Salhab.
And of course, you should talk to your doctor before trying any new wellness therapy or hack (especially rectal ozone therapy).
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“As medical professionals, part of our job in prescribing treatments for diseases is taking an evidence-based approach,” says Dr. Salhab. “This evidence is backed up by things like clinical trials and peer-reviewed journals. So if a patient would come to me [about rectal ozone therapy]would i tell them See, there’s no evidence that this addresses anything specific.”
dr Hoda also stresses that you should be wary of any buoyant wellness trends you see online — especially for products bragging about words like “detox,” “ancient therapy,” and “boost.”
“If your body has a functioning liver and kidney, it will be able to do this [this] alone,” says Dr. Hoda.
In short, it doesn’t appear that rectal ozone therapy has the potential to be “very helpful.” I’m sorry, Gwyneth.
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Olivia Evans (she/she) is an editorial assistant at women health. Her work has previously appeared in The cut And Teen Vogue. She loves to cover topics where culture and wellness intersect. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, running, and watching rom-coms.