Is Your Body Exhausted… or Have Your Cells Forgotten How to Make Energy?

When fatigue lingers long after the illness has passed, it may be your cells—not your willpower—that need support.

Over the past few months, I've spoken with a growing number of clients who have been struggling with fatigue.

Some are recovering from cancer treatment or major surgery and are surprised by how long it takes for their energy to return. Others are living with conditions such as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, autoimmune conditions, or simply a level of ongoing exhaustion that doesn't seem to improve, no matter how much they rest.

Although the reasons behind their fatigue may be different, the experience is often remarkably similar—a body that feels as though it's running on empty, a mind clouded by brain fog, and the frustration of desperately wanting to do more but simply not having the energy.

One comment from a client has stayed with me.

"I thought finishing treatment meant I'd get my life back. Instead, it feels like my body has forgotten how to make energy."

Those words really resonated because I remember feeling exactly the same after my bowel cancer surgery.

The cancer had been removed, but healing was only just beginning.

I was incredibly grateful to be alive, yet I couldn't understand why I still felt so depleted. It wasn't ordinary tiredness—it felt as though every cell in my body had been drained of energy.

It was during this time that I first learnt about ozone therapy.

Determined to give my body every opportunity to heal, I visited an integrative medical clinic where I met with a doctor experienced in ozone therapy. After listening to my story and understanding where my body was in its recovery, he recommended a course of intravenous ozone treatments.

Once I'd completed those treatments, he suggested that I continue supporting my recovery at home with my own ozone system.

At the time, I didn't fully understand how ozone worked.

I simply knew I wanted to create the best possible environment for my body to heal.

Now, more than eleven years later, ozone therapy remains part of my overall wellness routine alongside nourishing nutrition, emotional healing, quality sleep, movement, reducing my toxic load, and looking after my mental wellbeing.

Looking back, I don't believe ozone healed me.

My body healed.

But I do believe ozone became one of the many tools that helped create an environment where healing could take place.

The Science is Beginning to Catch Up

When I first started using ozone therapy, there was very little published research available.

Today, that's beginning to change.

One study that particularly caught my attention was published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in 2022. Researchers treated 200 people diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) using oxygen-ozone autohaemotherapy and measured their fatigue before and after treatment.

The findings were encouraging.

• 77.5% of participants experienced significant improvements in fatigue.

• 43.5% improved from the highest fatigue score (7) to the lowest score (1)—the greatest improvement possible on the Fatigue Severity Scale.

• Many participants noticed improvements within one month of treatment, and no significant adverse effects were reported during the study.

While one study doesn't provide all the answers, these findings add to an increasing body of research exploring the potential role of ozone therapy in supporting people living with chronic fatigue.

Why Might It Help?

One of the most interesting parts of the research wasn't simply the results—it was the explanation of why ozone therapy may help.

The researchers describe several biological processes that appear to play an important role in chronic fatigue:

• Persistent oxidative stress

• Chronic inflammation

• Immune system dysregulation

• Reduced mitochondrial function

Mitochondria are often described as the tiny power stations inside every cell. They produce the energy that allows our bodies to function. When they aren't working efficiently, every system in the body can begin to feel the effects.

The researchers suggest that ozone therapy may help by gently activating the body's own antioxidant pathways, improving cellular signalling, supporting immune balance and helping the body adapt more effectively to oxidative stress.

These mechanisms continue to be studied, but they offer a plausible explanation for why some people experience meaningful improvements in their energy and overall wellbeing.

As someone who experienced profound fatigue after cancer surgery, this research makes a great deal of sense to me.

Our bodies don't simply need time to heal.

Our cells need the right environment to repair, regenerate and begin producing energy again.