@A myRAteam Member: I (full disclosure: an MD - an ER Doc by training and 20 years of practice, recently forced into disability retrielpment after a catastrophic medical event that made practicing any longer impossible - and 12 years into my life with RA) had NEVER heard of Ozone therapy before your question. Have done some reading.p now. Won't claim any expertise in it...and For all that I'm an MD, my real RA expertise is in being a patient with RA, NOT in trying to play Rheumatologist in spare time. One other preamble before I tell you, nonetheless, what I think: My philosophy about alternative therapies to Western/Allopathic/Science-based therapies has always been (before and since RA in my life): "FIRST DO NO HARM...AND THEN...WHATEVER WORKS!"

Ok... so that said, from the reading I've just done: there seems to be minimal (at best) scientific evidence for the efficacy, much less the safety of "Ozone Therapy." If you're 20 years old, I can't imagine you've had time to Tried all, or even most, of the hard-core, science-proven treatments that have come into the world in the past 15 years. NONE of them are perfect. NONE work for everyone. ALL carry risk and side-effects..BUT..this is true if every medication humans have ever invented for anything...and it is ABSOLUTELY TRUE of not aggressively treating RA, particularly in RH early stages.

So, to put my feelings storght out there: the mainstream meds really do work. There is trial and error finding the right one(s) for each individual. They carry risks and side-effects (believe me I have been the beneficiary and victim of both sides of the coin), but they have real, true, proven benefit as well!

If you were convinced you were getting benefit from this therapy and it was clear that it carried no risk, that would be one thing....but it doesn't sound like it's helping...Frankie your quality of life relative to RA sounds much worse than it has to be (certainly than it SHOULD be). I guess - in no jug,metal way, I promise - I'm urging you to find a Rheumatologist who is knowledgeable about the mainstream therapies AND open to alternative approaches as well (there are plenty out there, thigh obviously not all of them). I worry about this therapy, which is, at best, unproven. I also worry that you are denying yourself much more effective approaches Andy it pains me to think of you at 20, having your life so limited. I want to believe - I DO eleive - that there are more effective approaches for you and a better quality of life available.

NO JUDGMENT. I promise. I just...developing it at 37 was bad enough. I want your u to have as full a life for as long as possible...and just wan to make sure that you are taking advantage of the things that we absolutely KNOW work.

Wishing you all the best.

Mentioned Users

A myRAtea...

Part Two of Two:
THE most important thing is to make sure you find yourself a really, really, really competent rheumatologist who both stays utterly up-to-date on the literature AND makes her or himself available whenever you need to speak or be seen....and that is going to be often. Autoimmune diseases are not like most other diseases where you can wait weeks and weeks for appointments, or days for call-backs. When you are flaring or when you have even a slight suggestion of infection or when a med isn't working (or isn't working anymore)...you need to be able to see the rheumatologist the next day. And it's what they signed up for. Any rheumatologist who doesn't understand that is - by definition...no mater how "smart" - a bad rheumatologist. So no "settling" for an "ok rheum," OK? she or he needs to be either great or replaced! Really....it will make all the difference. Oh...one last thing: I am so glad to hear your Dad was supportive and helpful in your decision. The more your close relatives (it's usually one more than any other) know and understand and read and learn about RA the easier it will be for you. In these early days, try to make sure whomever the best-at-medical-support-in-the-family-is to appointments. NOT because you're 20 and can't handle it yourself, but because it all works better when they understand it for themselves and when you have someone help you to remember your questions and remember the answers. I'm a 50 year-old physician and for the first 5 years I always tried to have someone come with me unless it was just for my monthly injection (and even then, when it wa the first time or two with a new med, I had someone come). NO ONE remembers everything they wanted to ask when they go to the doctor's! not even doctor's. 12 years later, I still make a list for myself every single time. OK. now I'm finished. Wishing you the best!

Thank you everyone. I'm not doing the Ozone at all anymore and no longer going to that doctor, by personal decision and support of my dad. Your input means a lot and I appreciate the honesty from you all. It's so crazy how one thing to the next can be different for each individual with autoimmune diseases. With being only 20 and still getting exposed to treatments and trial/error for the mix, I'm wanting exactly that, pure honesty :) so thank you again! I wish you all the best and hope that you can be pain free, completely or as close to pain free as possible!

I agree, There is help out there for you. Your Dr just has to find the right Mix. It's really not a good idea to use unproven therapy. There are so many proven medications out there that can really help you. Good Luck in whatever you decide to do. I pray everything works out.
Blessings to you

Please listen to Simon, I am frustrated too with a lot of the biologics not working but don't throw your good years away on an unproven therapy. Please, please see a rheumatologist that is open to alternative therapies as well as conventional. I mean no disrespect to your life decisions.