For decades, chelation therapy (EDTA, DMSA, DMPS) has been the standard for heavy-metal detoxification. It works — but it is narrow. Chelators bind specific metals and pull them out, often stripping minerals along the way and burdening the kidneys. EBOO therapy takes a wider, gentler, more comprehensive approach.
Side-by-Side
Scope
Chelation: specific metals. EBOO: metals, biofilms, viral fragments, lipid peroxides, mycotoxins, pharmaceutical residues — all in one session.
Mineral Loss
Chelation can strip beneficial minerals. EBOO does not chelate — it filters and oxidizes.
Antioxidant Response
EBOO triggers a powerful glutathione and Nrf2 rebound. Chelation does not.
Best Use
At Sanctuary Tulum, we often use EBOO first to reduce total toxic load, then targeted chelation IVs for specific metals if labs confirm them.
EBOO is one component of the broader detox and residential care at Sanctuary Tulum. Learn more about our medical detox center and full luxury rehab.
Clinical Screening Before Any Session
A physician is on site during every session, supported by registered nurses and IV therapy specialists. Vital signs — blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and cardiac rhythm where clinically indicated — are monitored continuously across the session, with emergency medications and airway equipment on hand.2 Credentialing detail lives on the Medical Review Board page, and a broader description of the safety approach is available on the safest psychedelic facility page. Guests are encouraged to review both before deciding whether the program fits them.
How This Fits the Wider Program

EBOO ozone dialysis sits inside a broader biological and neurological protocol at Sanctuary Tulum rather than being offered as a standalone service. That means medical stabilization first, then a physician-scheduled combination of NAD+ IV therapy, HBOT, targeted nutrition, and — where clinically appropriate — medically supervised ibogaine treatment center, ayahuasca ceremony program, or psilocybin therapy. The full framework is described in the proprietary Pouyan Method™. The exact sequence is individual and set by the medical team after intake — one guest's plan rarely looks identical to another's.
Honest Limits of the Evidence
Published research on EBOO vs chelation for the indications discussed here is still evolving. Therapeutic apheresis is well established for specific autoimmune and neurologic conditions in mainstream medicine,3 and ozone therapies have a longer clinical history in parts of Europe than in the United States. For broader wellness applications the evidence base is smaller and largely observational. Sanctuary Tulum does not present these protocols as cures or guaranteed treatments, and no diagnostic or prognostic claim is made outside a clinical evaluation.

Integration and Aftercare
A stay is only useful if it holds. Every program ends with a written integration and aftercare plan — continued check-ins with the integration team, referral to trauma-informed practitioners at home when appropriate, and lifestyle protocols covering nutrition, sleep, movement, and nervous-system regulation. Guests are encouraged to maintain their existing relationship with a treating physician and to return for booster sessions when a specific life transition benefits from it.
Questions Guests Often Ask
Guests weighing EBOO against chelation often ask whether the two carry different risk profiles. Chelation IVs carry a real risk of mineral depletion and, in rare cases, kidney strain, which is why bloodwork before and after a course is standard practice. EBOO does not chelate and does not carry the same mineral-loss profile, though it still requires the same pre-session cardiovascular and coagulation screening as any apheresis-based therapy. Neither is a decision to make without a physician reviewing your specific labs and history first.
A related question is cost and time: a chelation course is typically delivered over more sessions spread across weeks, while an EBOO course is usually more compact. Neither is inherently superior — the right choice depends on what the labs show and what the guest's broader program already includes.
References
- Padmanabhan A, et al. "Guidelines on the Use of Therapeutic Apheresis in Clinical Practice." J Clin Apher. 2019;34(3):171-354.
- Elvis AM, Ekta JS. "Ozone therapy: A clinical review." J Nat Sci Biol Med. 2011;2(1):66-70.
- Reeves HM, Winters JL. "The mechanisms of action of plasma exchange." Br J Haematol. 2014;164(3):342-351.
- CDC/NIOSH. "Chelation Therapy."

