EBOO Toronto | Extracorporeal Blood Ozonation Therapy

Frequently Asked

Is EBOO safe?

Yes. When performed by trained clinicians, EBOO is well tolerated and has an excellent safety profile. Blood pressure, oxygenation, and flow rates are monitored throughout.

How is EBOO different from regular ozone therapy?

Standard ozone (MAH or 10-Pass) treats a smaller amount of blood. EBOO continuously filters and ozonates up to 3 liters, providing a deeper detox, immune modulation, and metabolic effect.

How many EBOO sessions do I need?

Most patients complete 4–10 sessions, depending on severity of symptoms and health goals. Chronic infections or autoimmunity often require multi-week programs.

What is EBOO?

EBOO stands for Extracorporeal Blood Oxygenation and Ozonation. It's a full-system blood therapy, not an IV drip. During a session, blood is gently drawn from a vein in one arm, passed through a sterile filter, enriched with medical ozone across the large surface area of that filter, and exposed to ultraviolet light (a step known as ultraviolet blood irradiation, or photobiomodulation) before being returned to you through a vein in the other arm.^1, 6 At the same time, the blood passes through a medical-grade dialysis filter: alongside oxygenation and ozonation, contaminated proteins, excess lipids, and inflammatory byproducts bind to the dialysis membrane and are removed, so the blood comes back both energized and purified.¹ The circuit is a closed loop driven by a peristaltic pump, which moves the blood gently to protect your red blood cells, and it requires two peripheral IV lines (20 gauge or larger). The result is a continuous, real-time cleansing and recharging of your blood while you rest comfortably — combining the oxidative “training” effect of ozone, the immune-modulating effect of UV light, and continuous dialysis-grade filtration in a single treatment.^1, 6

How is EBOO different from regular ("IV") MAH ozone therapy or "IV Ozone 10 Pass"?

They rely on the same ozone biology but deliver it very differently. 10-pass IV ozone (major autohemotherapy, or MAH) treats blood in batches — a fixed volume is drawn off, mixed with a high concentration of ozone gas from a pressurized generator such as the Zotzmann 2000, reinfused, and the cycle repeated. EBOO instead circulates the blood continuously through a filtered oxygenation–ozonation membrane and adds ultraviolet light, processing roughly two litres in a single session. Beyond that, three distinctions matter more for how the therapy actually works and feels:

Continuous filtration. EBOO's circuit runs the blood through a medical-grade dialysis filter that the 10-pass method doesn't have at all. As the blood passes through, oxidized and contaminated proteins, lipids, and inflammatory byproducts bind to the membrane and are physically carried off into the waste — so the blood returns not only oxygen-rich but genuinely filtered.¹ For the patient, that means an actual reduction in circulating inflammatory waste, on top of the ozone and light effects.

A smaller ozone dose at any one moment — so the effect is felt more subtly. Because EBOO ozonates continuously across a large volume, the concentration of ozone gas in contact with the blood at any given instant is much lower than the concentrated bolus a 10-pass machine like the Zotzmann 2000 delivers with each pass — in the EBOO research, ozone was used at just 0.5–2 µg/mL of oxygen.¹ The result is a gentler, more gradual experience rather than the intense “hit” some people feel with high-concentration passes.

A longer-lasting immune activation. When ozone meets blood it produces two kinds of messenger: hydrogen peroxide, which acts immediately and is gone within minutes, and lipid ozonation products — lipid peroxides such as 4-hydroxynonenal — which are the longer-lived “late messengers” that keep circulating and signalling after the session ends.⁴ Because EBOO treats a large blood volume continuously, it generates a sustained rise in these lipid peroxides (a single EBOO session raises lipid-peroxidation markers several-fold),¹ which is thought to keep the Nrf2 antioxidant and immune pathways switched on well after you leave the clinic. In practice that translates to a steadier, more prolonged activation of the immune and antioxidant response.^3, 2

What's the difference between EBOO and EBO2?

This is worth setting straight, because some marketing (notably the “EBO2 vs EBOO” material circulating) presents EBO2 as a fundamentally more powerful system. In reality, EBOO and EBO2 are the same class of extracorporeal ozone therapy: both filter the blood in a similar way through a medical-grade dialysis membrane, both add ozone over the large surface area of the filter, both run on a peristaltic pump, and both require two peripheral IV lines. The specific claims used to distinguish them don't hold up:

“EBO2 treats far more blood.” Blood volume is simply pump speed × time. EBOO runs at about 40 mL/min and EBO2 at about 45 mL/min, so in a standard session each treats on the order of two litres — and either system can treat more or less blood purely by adjusting the run time. It isn't a built-in capability of one machine over the other.
“EBO2 uses more, or more therapeutic, ozone.” Ozone concentration (“gamma”) is set by the oxygen regulator's flow rate. Both systems can run the full therapeutic range of roughly 3–40 gamma; a specific number is a dial setting, not a fixed advantage.
“Foam in the waste canister proves EBO2 removes more inflammation.” Foam simply reflects the individual patient's inflammatory load, not the machine. EBOO uses the same medical-grade dialysis filtration and produces the same foam from inflamed patients — the waste (water, lipids, oxidized proteins, and inflammatory byproducts) looks the same. It isn't evidence that one system cleans the blood better than the other.

The one difference that genuinely matters is the ultraviolet light chamber (see the next question).

Why does the UV light chamber matter — and what is "turbulation"?

The ultraviolet part of EBOO traces back to Emmet Knott, who developed ultraviolet blood irradiation in the 1930s–40s. Knott's central discovery is the key to the whole thing: blood is opaque, and UV light cannot penetrate it more than about a hair's width. As blood flows past a quartz window, it leaves a thin film that absorbs the UV and blocks it from reaching the rest of the blood. To work, the chamber therefore has to turbulate the blood — keep it churning — so that fresh blood is constantly brought into contact with the light and all of it is exposed evenly.^5, 6

The EBOO system uses a turbulated cuvette built on Knott's original design, with a full-spectrum light source (UVA, UVB, two UVC bulbs, plus LED) roughly three times the power of the original Knott device — which allows the energy dose to be quantified and applied uniformly. By contrast, a UV device without turbulation (such as the Hemealumen unit used by EBO2) lets that blood film form and block the light, so after the first pass the additional exposure accomplishes little. More wavelengths of light or a longer stretch of quartz tubing don't help if the light can't actually reach the blood. In UV blood therapy, turbulation — not tubing length — is what determines whether the light does anything.^5, 6

We keep a separate Hemealumen device in the clinic that we use on the last pass of our IV Ozone Therapy only, because the training explicitly states it loses therapeutic effect after the first pass.

Is EBOO the same as dialysis?

Not quite — and the distinction matters. EBOO genuinely filters your blood, using the same class of medical-grade dialysis membrane found in renal dialysis, so it's fair to say it borrows dialysis technology.¹ But its purpose is different. Kidney dialysis exists to replace lost kidney function, removing metabolic waste and excess fluid to keep someone alive when their kidneys can't. EBOO does not replace kidney function and isn't a treatment for kidney failure. Instead, it combines that filtration with ozone and ultraviolet light to oxygenate the blood, modulate the immune system, and support cellular detoxification — filtration in service of a broader therapy, not organ replacement.

How does EBOO work in the body?

EBOO combines two mild oxidative stimuli — ozone and ultraviolet light — that work on the same principle: a brief, controlled “stress” that switches on the body's own protective systems. This is called hormesis, and it's well described for both ozone and UV blood therapy.^3, 6

On the ozone side, when ozone reacts with blood it generates signalling molecules that activate the Nrf2/ARE antioxidant pathway, raising your own protective enzymes — superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase — and shifting the immune balance away from pro-inflammatory signalling.^3, 2

On the ultraviolet side, the goal isn't to sterilize the blood — only a small fraction of your blood volume passes through the light at once, so direct germ-killing isn't the mechanism. Instead, UV modulates the immune cells themselves: it enhances the ability of white blood cells to engulf pathogens (phagocytosis), improves oxygen utilization, and adjusts cytokine activity.^5, 6 Notably, no microorganism has been shown to develop resistance to UV, and any UV-related DNA changes in your own cells are rapidly repaired by the body's DNA-repair enzymes.^7, 6

Running alongside both stimuli is the continuous filtration step, and it's a meaningful part of how EBOO works — not just a side effect. Throughout the session, your blood is circulated through the medical-grade dialysis membrane, so oxidized and contaminated proteins, excess lipids, cellular debris, and inflammatory byproducts bind to the filter and are carried off into the waste rather than returned to you.¹ This is what you can actually see collecting in the waste canister, including foam when a patient carries a high inflammatory load. Because the filtration runs continuously for the whole treatment — rather than adding ozone to blood that is then returned unfiltered, as batch methods do — EBOO both stimulates the body's defenses and physically clears a portion of the circulating inflammatory load in the same session.

How long is a session, and how many will I need?

A typical EBOO session runs about 50–60 minutes, treating roughly two litres of blood at a gentle flow rate. Treatment plans are individual: some patients do well with just one to three sessions a year, while others benefit from a short series before settling into occasional maintenance. Your clinician will recommend a plan based on your goals and health picture — EBOO is meant to shift your system so your body can carry the healing forward, not to become an indefinite weekly commitment.

Is EBOO covered by OHIP?

No. EBOO is a privately billed integrative therapy and not covered by OHIP.

What does EBOO feel like?

Most patients feel relaxed, calm, and lighter. Some feel energized shortly after, while others feel detox-like fatigue that resolves with hydration and rest. Those experiencing detox-like symptoms typically feel the energizing effects within a few days.

Can EBOO be combined with other treatments?

Absolutely — it is commonly paired with:

NAD+ IV Therapy
Glutathione IV
Chelation
Plaquex
High-dose Vitamin C
Detox or mitochondrial programs

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How will I feel after EBOO — and will it make me tired?

Most people feel well and carry on with their day. Patients commonly describe a sense of well-being, better energy, and improved mental clarity afterward — an effect noted since the earliest ozone and UV blood work.^1, 4, 5 Some people notice temporary “detox” symptoms — mild fatigue, a headache, or feeling a little off — as the body responds; this is usually short-lived, and hydrating and resting help. Benefits often continue to develop over the following one to three days. Any pronounced or lasting tiredness is worth mentioning to your clinician.

What are the side effects of EBOO, and who should not have it?

Delivered within its established therapeutic window by trained medical staff, EBOO has a high safety profile, and side effects tend to be mild and short-lived — brief fatigue, headache, flushing, or minor discomfort at the IV site.^2, 4 Because outcomes and safety depend heavily on technique, EBOO should only be performed with medical-grade equipment and trained clinicians who monitor you throughout.

EBOO is not recommended for people who are pregnant, or who have glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, significant anemia, a bleeding or clotting disorder (including a history of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia), uncontrolled hyperthyroidism, or unstable cardiovascular disease.² A careful consultation before treatment determines whether EBOO is safe and appropriate for you.

Is ozone or UV light dangerous — what does ozone do to the brain?

The concern about ozone is specific: ozone is harmful when inhaled as a gas, where it irritates the lungs — which is why the FDA's longstanding position addresses inhaled ozone. In EBOO, ozone is dosed into the blood inside a closed circuit and is never inhaled, and its effect is strictly dose-dependent — toxic at high concentrations, but a mild, beneficial stimulus at the low therapeutic doses used here.^6, 3 The ultraviolet light works the same way: any DNA changes in your own cells are quickly repaired, and unlike antibiotics, UV prompts no microbial resistance.^7, 6

As for the brain specifically, there is no direct clinical-trial evidence that EBOO treats any neurological condition, and we don't claim that it does. What patients often report afterward is clearer thinking and better focus.^1, 4 Mechanistically, the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway that ozone activates is protective of nerve and mitochondrial tissue in laboratory models — a plausible basis for those reports, though one that still needs confirmation in rigorous human studies.³

Is EBOO good or bad?

EBOO brings together two therapies with long histories. Ultraviolet blood irradiation was used widely in the 1940s and 1950s for serious infections — septicemia, pneumonia, and others — before antibiotics eclipsed it, earning it the nickname “the cure that time forgot”; it's now drawing renewed interest as antibiotic-resistant and viral infections become harder to treat.^{5, 6, 7, 8} Ozone therapy has a substantial body of laboratory and clinical literature describing its immune-modulating, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory effects through the hormetic mechanism above.^1, 2, 3

In practice, EBOO is used as part of a broader program for people dealing with chronic inflammatory, post-infectious, autoimmune, and fatigue-related conditions, often those who haven't responded to conventional approaches. It's important to be straightforward about the evidence: much of it is historical, preliminary, or drawn from laboratory and related ozone-therapy studies rather than large modern trials of EBOO itself.^1, 6, 2 EBOO is best understood as a complementary therapy used alongside standard medical care, not a replacement for it — which is exactly why it belongs in a physician-led setting.

What research supports EBOO? (Sources)

The answers throughout this FAQ draw on the following peer-reviewed sources. The superscript numbers in each answer link to the matching reference.

Di Paolo N, Gaggiotti E, Galli F. Extracorporeal blood oxygenation and ozonation: clinical and biological implications of ozone therapy. Redox Report. 2005;10(3):121–130. doi:10.1179/135100005X38888
Napiórkowska-Baran K, et al. Ozone as an Immunomodulator — New Therapeutic Possibilities in the Treatment of Immunodeficiencies: A Narrative Review. Current Issues in Molecular Biology. 2025;47:1016. doi:10.3390/cimb47121016
Galiè M, Covi V, Tabaracci G, Malatesta M. The Role of Nrf2 in the Antioxidant Cellular Response to Medical Ozone Exposure. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2019;20:4009. doi:10.3390/ijms20164009
Borrelli E, Bocci V. Oxygen Ozone Therapy in the Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: An Integrative Approach. American Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. 2014;2(2):9–13. doi:10.11648/j.ajcem.20140202.11
Knott EK. Development of Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation. American Journal of Surgery. 1948;76(2):165–171. PubMed 18876742
Hamblin MR. Ultraviolet Irradiation of Blood: “The Cure That Time Forgot”? Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 2017;996:295–309. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-56017-5_25
Dai T, Vrahas MS, Murray CK, Hamblin MR. Ultraviolet C irradiation: an alternative antimicrobial approach to localized infections? Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy. 2012;10(2):185–195. doi:10.1586/eri.11.166
Boretti A, Banik B, Castelletto S. Use of Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation Against Viral Infections. Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology. 2021;60:259–270. doi:10.1007/s12016-020-08811-8

Upper Room

Extracorporeal Blood Oxygenation and Ozonation (EBOO)

How Does It Work?

The Science Behind EBOO

The Benefits

Is EBOO Right For You?

What to Expect

During Treatment

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Frequently Asked

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