Stay away from ozone therapy, says Subra

PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has cautioned the public against subscribing to any form of “ozone therapy” involving “ozone machines”, which have been proven to have no benefit for any illnesses and could cause medical complications, including death.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said an assessment done by the Malaysian Health Technology Assessment Section revealed there is no scientific evidence to support any therapeutic benefit from the usage of ozone therapy for any illness.

“Moreover, the therapy exposes users to risk of bleeding from the usage of heparin (a blood thinning medication), which includes embolism (occlusion of blood vessels from air bubble), infection from unsterile instruments and permanent disability resulting from impairment of organs such as the kidneys.”

Subramaniam said the therapy uses ozone machines that are claimed to benefit users by increasing the amount of oxygen in the body for rejuvenation and anti-ageing purposes.

“The ozone machine, that is similar to a dialysis machine, operates by injection into a person’s vein and running the blood through the machine (and) falls under the ambit of medical treatment,” he said.

As such, Subramaniam warned practitioners and involved parties to stop such treatments, and recall the distribution and usage of these machines from the market by July 1 or face action.

“Section 2 and 5 of the Medical Device Act 2012 (Act 737) defines the ozone therapy machine as a medical device which must be registered with the Medical Device Authority.

“Anyone who fails to comply may face action and be liable to a fine not exceeding RM2,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years, or both,” he added.