Beyond his enviable talent and work ethic, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper can credit an unflinchingly healthy lifestyle for his 14-year major league career.
He’s a follower of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, so alcohol was never on the menu. But the eight-time All-Star’s diet is about more than faith, which is why he also discriminates against processed foods, preservatives and nutritionists’ latest boogieman, seed oils.
The lucky molecules that are permitted into his 6ft2, 210-pound frame typically come from organic, farm-raised whole foods, none of which would surprise the two-time National League MVP’s devoted fans.
And yet, Harper’s online followers were left stunned earlier this month when the 33-year-old shared a photo of himself undergoing a form of ozone treatment known as Extracorporeal Blood Oxygenation and Ozonation (EBOO), wherein a third of a patient’s blood is taken from one arm, passed through a device, and returned to the opposite limb.
One skeptical commenter suggested the first baseman was ‘circulating his blood through a fax machine,’ while others maligned the treatment as something aging rocker Keith Richards might undergo to cheat death.
But according to Josh Redd, the smiling doctor pictured behind Harper on Instagram, the treatment is completely misunderstood by critics, many of whom falsely categorize it as a form of blood doping. It’s actually legal, widely accepted by pro leagues and, according to Redd, wildly popular with pro jocks hoping to detoxify, reduce inflammation, enhance immunity and recover from injuries.
Phillies slugger Bryce Harper is seen undergoing Extracorporeal Blood Oxygenation and Ozonation (EBOO) with Dr Josh Redd, who says the treatment is increasingly popular
The EBOO machine exposes blood to a medical-grade ozone mixture over about an hour or so
‘There’s a lot of NFL teams that send me multiple patients, a lot of Major League Baseball teams that send me multiple patients as well,’ said Redd, who owns ten wellness clinics around the country.
He is, of course, limited by HIPAA laws and non-disclosure agreements, so Redd can’t provide names of athletes receiving this treatment. Those anonymous athletes who do seek out EBOO, he said, do so for both injury prevention and recovery.
‘People will come to me to do this procedure just as [a preventative measure], but when they get injured, they’ll do this a lot more to help speed up the recovery.’
A doctor of naturopathic and chiropractic medicine with a master’s degree in public health from Johns Hopkins University, Redd admits ‘some people think it’s hocus pocus.’ Critics include the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which has warned of the potential for embolisms, among other perceived dangers.
Yet, there is growing research on a variety of applications for the treatment, primarily from Europe and China.
One 2023 study from the International Journal of Molecular Science found ozone therapy ‘increased the antioxidant system and decreased oxidative damage’ when used to complement treatments for arthritis, Chron’s disease and bursitis. Other studies found it can help combat chronic fatigue syndrome and autoimmune disorders.
It was even used in 2020 to help patients battling COVID-19 pneumonia.
A Peruvian doctor injects ozone into the blood of a COVID-19 patient during the 2020 pandemic. It is not an example of EBOO, but rather another variation on ozone treatment
As unfamiliar as it may seem, the treatment is hardly new. EBOO is a modern update of ozone therapy, which has existed in various medical forms since the late 1800s and was later used during World War I to help treat infected wounds and gangrene.
Rather than any direct drug reaction, the treatment relies on the body’s ability to heal itself: a medical-grade ozone mixture interacts with blood components to trigger the body’s own antioxidant systems, immune modulation pathways, and cellular stress-response mechanisms.
Unfortunately, ozone (O₃) is an air pollutant that can irritate the lungs, so researchers and doctors sought other methods to administer the gas. With EBOO, that entails a closed-loop intravenous application that avoids pulmonary exposure.
EBOO is often complemented by ultraviolet blood irradiation (UBI), which is rooted in the work of Danish physician Niels Ryberg Finsen, the recipient of the 1903 Nobel Prize in Medicine for pioneering light-based treatments. The UBI process requires a small amount of blood to be exposed to specific wavelengths of ultraviolet light, thereby promoting immune signaling, antioxidant defenses, blood flow and oxygen utilization.
In both therapies, blood travels through a sterile, closed extracorporeal circuit and into the specialized device before being returned to the body through another circuit. The entire process can take between 30 minutes to over an hour, depending on the particulars.
‘The patient feels significant differences, their quality of life is better, and their ability to recover and feel better long term is better as well,’ said Redd.
Niels Ryberg Finsen (1860-1904), the Danish physician who won a Nobel Prize for treating disease with light waves. His worked was used in the development of UBI treatment
Engraving depicting Finsen’s UV arc light used to treat skin conditions, including Lupus
EBOO and UBI are widely used in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Americans, too, are increasingly undergoing both to complement other therapies.
‘There is a kind of integrative cancer treatment where they do all the traditional chemo, radiation and all that stuff, and to support it, they also do ozone therapy as well,’ Redd said. ‘And so you’re seeing a lot of integrative clinics that will actually use this for cancer treatments as well — supportive care.’
Redd additionally pointed to growing hope that the treatments could help those suffering with ‘Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, or anything that causes neural inflammation.’
And just like in WWI, it’s still being used to ease tissue damage. Studies from both China and Italy found ozone treatment helped to lower amputation rates in patients battling diabetic foot ulcers.
The common thread among all of these studies is a call for more research. And without that, the FDA has been slow to approve EBOO and UBI as the treatments have remained largely uncovered by insurance companies.
Ozone treatment has also gotten bad publicity from celebrity endorsers like Gwyneth Paltrow and other amateur influencers, many of whom administer the toxic gas without the supervision of a medical professional.
In the case of Paltrow, the actress admitted to using rectal ozone therapy: The use of a ozone generator and catheter to blow the gas directly into one’s rectum for about ten minutes.
Unsurprisingly, many doctors have warned against this method, which Redd sees as reckless compared to EBOO.
‘The difference between a medically supervised procedure like EBOO and DIY or non-medical approaches is substantial in terms of safety, precision, and physiological impact,’ Redd wrote in an email to the Daily Mail.
‘With EBOO, the ozone concentration, flow rate, exposure time, and total blood volume treated are precisely measured and adjusted based on the patient. This allows reproducible, predictable biological signaling. DIY methods offer no reliable way to ensure accurate dosing, which is critical.’
DIY methods are also far less effective than EBOO, according to Redd.
‘Rectal insufflation relies on indirect absorption through the gut lining, which is variable, less predictable, and far less comprehensive in systemic reach,’ he added.
The rise in at-home, DIY ozone treatment could be attributed to price. A basic ozone generator could cost as little as $300, whereas proper EBOO care under doctor supervision can quickly exceed $1,000, especially when coupled with UBI treatment.
The EBOO/UBI treatment Harper was undergoing on Instagram was on the far end of that spectrum, Redd explained. But as both the doctor and his patient see it, this is a small price to pay, considering everything Harper is up against.
Ozone Paper was burned to relieve shortness of breath in Asthma and Bronchitis in the 1800s
This 1900 advertisement shows an early ozone generator emitting the pollutant
And it’s not just injuries.
The rigors of an MLB schedule require players to be on the road for 81 games a year, not including the postseason. That naturally entails months in hotel rooms, and while ballplayers do enjoy more luxurious accommodations than the rest of us, there remains a lurking danger.
‘When we check to see if [ballplayers] been exposed to mold or if they have mold in their system, we see a ton,’ Redd told the Daily Mail. ‘They stay in these hotels that have water damage, all these different problems. You’re going to be in an environment where you’re exposed to mold.’
One notable example came in 2017, when then-Washington Nationals manager Dusty Baker revealed before a playoff game in Chicago that his players were battling mold issues caused by hotel air conditioning.
And according to Redd, mold remains a problem for ballplayers, many of whom use EBOO to help treat the issue.
‘One of the fastest ways to plummet your health is expose yourself to mold,’ he said. ‘When we have a patient that has a high mold [count], they’ll come in and within four to six treatments, they’ll feel significantly better. Obviously, you have to remove the mold completely, but [EBOO] helps.’
In 2017, Dusty Baker revealed his Nationals were battling a severe mold issue in Chicago
Not all of Redd’s clients are as healthy as Harper. Many pro athletes ‘eat garbage,’ according to Redd, who also offers help with diet as well as a number of other treatments.
But whether a patient is drinking coconut water or Firewater, Redd sees EBOO and UBI as beneficial for patients, provided they’re not pregnant or battling specific bleeding disorders. Naturally, Redd’s clinics offer screenings to ensure the treatment is right for each patient.
As for the FDA, Redd is eager for the government body to reevaluate its stance on EBOO and UBI but insists the science will move forward with or without the bureaucracy.
‘We are the sickest and unhealthiest country of any of the developed countries in the world,’ Redd concluded. ‘I don’t want to do what’s the “norm” in our country. I want to do the most advanced therapies that the world leading countries are doing that have been proven to be safe and effective and that are within the scope of my license.
‘People come to me because they want someone who thinks differently. They want someone who thinks outside of the box, while still maintaining a scientific and research point of view and while staying within the rules and regulations of their sport.’