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Disclaimer: This article is educational. Hocatt at Beyond Rest is not a medical treatment for SIBO and should not replace specialist care from your GP or gastroenterologist. If you have been diagnosed with SIBO or are experiencing gut symptoms, please work with a qualified health professional before adding any complementary modality to your plan.
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth - SIBO - is one of the most commonly discussed gut conditions in functional health circles. Standard treatment typically involves rifaximin or metronidazole, sometimes followed by a low-FODMAP or elemental diet, with frequent recurrence. Many people who have been through that cycle start looking for adjunctive options that might support their recovery, gut comfort, and overall wellbeing without adding more pharmaceutical load.
SIBO is defined as an abnormal increase in the number or type of bacteria in the small intestine. The small bowel is not meant to harbour large bacterial populations - that is the job of the large intestine. When bacteria migrate upstream or the migrating motor complex stops working efficiently, bacterial overgrowth can result in bloating, distension, altered bowel habits, fatigue, and symptoms that overlap significantly with irritable bowel syndrome.
Pimentel and Lembo (2020) noted in Digestive Diseases and Sciences that alterations in the gut microbiome play a meaningful role in functional gut disorders, with SIBO-positive patients representing a subgroup who may drive distinct symptom profiles. Diagnosis rates have risen sharply as breath testing has become more accessible and awareness among practitioners has increased.
Hocatt stands for Hyperthermic Ozone and Carbonic Acid Transdermal Therapy. Sessions are 30 to 35 minutes in a private enclosed chamber with the head outside. Modalities include: transdermal ozone (absorbed through the skin via steam - not IV, not rectal, not oral), infrared sauna, CO2 and carbonic acid bath, PEMF, and photon light therapy.
The ozone delivery here is transdermal. This is not the same as rectal insufflation, IV ozone, or autohaemotherapy. Those are separate modalities performed in different clinical settings. Beyond Rest does not offer rectal insufflation, IV ozone, or oral ozone.
Bocci et al. (2011), writing in Medicinal Research Reviews (PMID: 19890812), described ozone as both a strong oxidant and a recognised therapeutic agent with documented effects on circulation, immune modulation and oxidative stress pathways when administered appropriately.
Transdermal ozone does not reach the small intestine in meaningful concentrations. Ozone absorbed through the skin acts peripherally - on skin tissue, peripheral circulation, and local oxidative stress pathways. It does not travel through the bloodstream intact to the small bowel in concentrations that would affect bacterial populations there. Anyone claiming that a Hocatt session will kill SIBO bacteria is not accurately representing what transdermal ozone does.
Hocatt is not a SIBO treatment. It is not a replacement for rifaximin, elemental diet protocols, breath testing, or clinical guidance from a gastroenterologist. Hocatt will not resolve underlying motility dysfunction that requires targeted clinical intervention.
Infrared heat and gut motility: Hyperthermia has measurable physiological effects. Infrared heat increases peripheral circulation, relaxes smooth muscle, and stimulates the autonomic nervous system. There is a reasonable basis for suggesting that gentle thermal therapy may support gut motility. Poor motility is a recognised driver of SIBO recurrence and chronic stress.
CO2 bath and peripheral circulation: The carbonic acid component is vasodilatory - it opens up peripheral blood vessels and increases circulation to skin and superficial tissues. Better peripheral circulation supports tissue oxygenation and nutrient delivery.
The relaxation response and the gut-brain axis: The gut-brain axis is the bidirectional communication network between the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system. Stress, anxiety and nervous system dysregulation have well-established effects on gut motility, intestinal permeability, and symptom severity. A 30-35 minute session in a warm, private chamber produces a genuine parasympathetic shift for most people - moving out of sympathetic and into rest-and-digest mode. For someone whose gut symptoms are entangled with chronic stress, that shift has real value as a repeated practice supporting nervous system regulation.
Post-antibiotic recovery: People who have completed a rifaximin course and want support rebuilding general wellbeing - energy, sleep, gut comfort - use Hocatt in the recovery phase. Functional gut symptom management: People with IBS or functional bloating who have a significant nervous system and stress component to their symptoms. FIFO workers and shift workers in Perth: Fly-in fly-out workers face a combination of irregular meal timing, disrupted circadian rhythm, high-stress work environments, and limited access to fresh food on-site - all of which contribute to gut dysbiosis and motility disruption. For this group, a Hocatt session at East Perth or Wembley during time off functions as both gut-comfort support and a nervous system reset.
Work with your GP or gastroenterologist first. Do not delay or skip medical treatment. Be transparent with your practitioner. Start with the $119 intro session. Do not replace your antibiotic protocol - Hocatt is an adjunct, not a replacement. Consider Hocatt most useful in the post-treatment recovery and recurrence-prevention phase.
Can the Hocatt kill SIBO bacteria? No. Transdermal ozone acts on peripheral tissues and does not reach the small intestine in concentrations sufficient to alter bacterial populations. What Hocatt can do is support general wellbeing, circulation, and nervous system regulation - relevant to long-term gut health but not the same as treating bacterial overgrowth.
Is Hocatt safe if I have SIBO? For most people, yes - but discuss with your GP or gastroenterologist first, particularly if SIBO is currently active or if you have IBD, Crohn's, or ulcerative colitis. Those conditions require specialist clearance.
Is Hocatt the same as ozone rectal insufflation? No. They are entirely different modalities. Rectal insufflation involves introducing ozone gas directly into the colon via catheter in clinical settings. Beyond Rest does not offer this. Hocatt delivers ozone transdermally through the skin in a steam-filled chamber.
How many sessions would I need to notice a difference? Clients using Hocatt for gut comfort and recovery typically report a post-session shift from the first or second session. Whether that accumulates into meaningful long-term improvement depends on consistency and what else you are doing to address gut health. Three to five sessions is a reasonable starting point before making a judgement.
Intro session $119. Book at beyondrest.com.au. Centres: Melbourne - Hawthorn East and Prahran. Perth - East Perth and Wembley. For more, visit Hocatt Melbourne, Hocatt Perth, ozone therapy Melbourne, or ozone therapy Perth.
References: Bocci V et al. The ozone paradox. Med Res Rev. 2011. PMID: 19890812. Pimentel M, Lembo A. Microbiome and its role in irritable bowel syndrome. Dig Dis Sci. 2020.