Are Stem Cells Effective and How Dangerous Are Stem Cells?
My Background and Interest in Stem Cells
I am Michael, and this is my personal story. I have a number of maladies that I have acquired in my 67 years. The first one I can think of was when I was about 12 years old and I completely ruptured my posterior cruciate ligament in my right knee. I did not know this until I was 44, but that is another story.
The second significant injury I incurred was a concussion when I was 15. I was a freshman in high school, playing American Football. Because I was small and did not carry much weight (5 ft, 2 in. 105 lbs), I had to try to do something special to stand out. One practice drill, where all of us freshmen were lined up into two lines, the boy at the end of each line would run alongside the outside of the line and come together at the front line, trying to block each out of the way.
Well, I ran right into a very strong man (Romero Ramirez) and he knocked me flat. No, I do not hold this against him. He was a great classmate, but after showering and while walking home, I tried to recall the past two hours and could not. This worried me and my mother. With all the information we have now, I know it was a concussion.
Fast forward from here, past all my college drinking binges, attending rock concerts, standing in front of the loudspeakers, and having fun, to my life in the Colorado Rockies. I did not know how to ski but was determined to learn how. Well, you know all about it. You fall and get back up, dust off the snow and the cobwebs, then go and do it again.
By the end of the first year of having a season ski pass, I had improved from a bare-bones green skier to attempting to navigate down a double black diamond run. I did make it down alive, but it was a challenge. The next year, I improved and then some. I was doing Black Diamond routinely and really enjoying life. But I would still catch an edge and hit the ground with my head.
These years lead to what I will call mini-concussions. Not serious enough to warrant concern (at that time), but definitely repeated blows to the head. Add to that, the jarring nature of skiing down a slope that did not have moguls but had VW-sized mounds. My knees were taking a beating as well (remember my missing posterior cruciate ligament?).
Well, a few years later I got a real job, working at Martin Marietta in their environmental department. I was working with hazardous wastes, moving around thousand-pound barrels, and working in hazardous environments. When warranted, I wore the correct equipment to protect myself, nevertheless, I was subjecting my body to some serious stuff.
One special event was when I went back to my favorite skiing area with a friend and was trying to show off. I caught an edge and took a big tumble, hitting my left shoulder hard enough to temporarily displace my left rotator cuff.
A year after my brother died and left me with a little money, I decided to go back to college and finally finish my degree. In the summer of 1994, I tried rollerblading. Boy, was that a bad idea. I took a tumble and tore (level II tear) the medial collateral ligament (of course, on the right knee.)
After college and having a steady and financially friendly job, I bought a motorcycle. (Can you hear the drum roll yet?) One mechanic of mine told me there are two kinds of riders, the ones who have dropped their motorcycle and those who will. Well, I dropped my bike and took a little tumble. I did not get seriously injured but I think this injury, slight as it was, healed by fusing two of my vertebra.
Three years ago, I was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate and had prostate surgery, completely removing it. This has led to some very interesting and not nice consequences which I and my life partner have accepted.
My ailments
- A missing PCL and a torn MCL ligament in my right knee (no surgeries).
- Symptoms of brain trauma resulting from one concussion and repeated blows to the head, along with the expected memory loss and occasional serious depression and odd suicidal thoughts.
- Aches in my wrist, carpal tunnel due to working on a keyboard throughout my carrier.
- Back pains with at least one fussed disk.
- A rotator cuff injury that still nags me.
- Significant hearing loss (not enough to require a hearing aid but significant loss of the higher octaves.)
- And some sexual dysfunction due to my prostate surgery.
I had always thought that I had to suffer through my conditions, but I kept up to date on all the developments, hoping for something to come along. Of course, I had heard about stem cells but that was so far off and when it first came out; it was embryonic tissue and fraught with societal and ethical issues.
New Information that Gives Me Encouragement
Until recently, stem cell treatment was only allowed by the FDA if it was harvested from the patient’s own body, underwent no advanced processing, and was re-injected back into the patient’s body in the same day. Otherwise, it would be considered a drug and would have to undergo significant regulatory review.
Advanced processing does not include centrifugation, which separates tissue cells by weight, but would include growing more cells using the same tissues harvested and freezing the resultant tissue for use at a later date.
This kind of procedure can only be performed in the U.S. under the auspices of a research study. However, the State of Texas has recently passed a law that will allow advanced processing if the patient is in chronic pain or is terminal.
Recently, I had the opportunity to watch a very informative docu-series on adult stem cells. This series is currently no longer running, but I was able to find the first episode of “The Healing Miracle–The Truth About Stem Cells” on YouTube. You might be able to find other episodes online but you can also find testimonials here . This informative information and very encouraging for those suffering from treatable conditions.
I also found a presentation by an individual who had suffered for years from Osteoarthritis. It is only 5 minutes of your time.
What are adult stem cells?
Adult stem cells are cells that are either taken from your own body or are harvested from the umbilical cord and/or placenta of live cesarean section births. The stem cells taken from the placenta and umbilical cord are called post-natal stem cells. These do not have the stigma of embryonic tissue harvesting or the danger of using immature stem cells that can cause all sorts of strange growth patterns.
Stem cells include hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which are found in bone marrow, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), which can be found in bone marrow, soft tissues such as body fat (adipose tissue), post-natal tissue, amniotic fluid, blood, molar cells (teeth), and peripheral blood.
There are two other types of fluids that are used to support stem cell treatments, and these are Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Amniotic fluid. Platelets are collected from a person’s blood supply. A small fraction of that blood includes cells called platelets.
These cells are collected and then either re-injected into the target repair site or added to the stem cells to build a more powerful treatment. Amniotic fluids are a great source of growth factors, and can greatly improve the healing and repair of soft tissue.
All the cells in our body age with time. This aging process is expressed as a shortening of the end of chromosomes, called telomeres. These ends degrade, but our body has an enzyme called telomerase which repairs our telomeres. As you age, your body does not repair the telomeres as well as when you are young.
A short video of 3.33 minutes. It is educational, do not miss it.
Using our own stem cells
If we use our own stem cells, we reuse cells with telomeres as short as the rest of the cells in our body. And as we age, our stem cells diminish in number and strength. But if we use post-natal stem cells, those taken from the placenta or the umbilical cord, we are introducing cells into our body that have very healthy telomeres.
MSC cells are often harvested from the fat tissue because of the high density of stem cells in the tissue. Bone marrow has a significantly lower concentration of MSC cells. MSCs are harvested in a liposuction-like process and are used primarily for soft tissue repair. This can include the repair of bone, muscle, tendons, and even organs. Hematopoietic stem cells(HSC) are harvested from the bone marrow and generally used for blood-borne diseases or other viral issues.
In both cases, the tissue harvested is centrifuged to separate the primary tissue from the stem cells. Then it can, 1) be re-injected into the body near the target area or 2) be injected intravenously. There is no surgery (other than the harvesting process) and no hospitalization. Usually, the patient can leave within a few hours after arriving.
A must-see documentary video series
The Healing Miracle – The Truth About Stem Cells, includes conversations with many doctors with comments about the laws in the U.S. and discussions with patients before and after undergoing stem cell therapy. I found out that stem cells can be used to treat chronic knee pain, often with a complete function returning after only one injection.
Stem cells have been used to successfully repair torn muscles, cartilage damage, heart muscle damage, lung tissue damage, kidney tissue, and even liver tissue damage. This series had interviews with former American (and Canadian) Football players who have lived for years in pain due to their professional careers.
After one treatment, these individuals were able to walk normally within a few weeks to a month. Each one stated that they have told all their professional friends to “check out” this treatment before ever considering a knee replacement or surgery for a tendon tear.
You may think this is incredible and doubt the facts, but the series documented tissue repair of a heart attack patient and complete recovery of a number of patients suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder).
Now, this is very significant to me as my brother died of a heart attack 7 years after having quadruple bypass surgery and my mother lived 10 years on oxygen because of COPD. What is even more amazing is the series also documented one patient who recovered from cancer.
Doctors Interviewed
While watching “The Healing Miracle – The Truth About Stem Cells”, I made notes of the doctors and some of their companies. The list includes;
- Dr. Alan Gaveck – Liveyon LLC
- Dr. Andrew Kornstein – Museum Mile Plastic Surgery Center
- Dr. Pierce – Pierce Surgical Consolidated
- Dr. Jeffrey Goldstein – NYU Langone Medical Center Hospital for Joint Diseases.
- Dr. Steven Cohen – Medical Director, FACES+ Plastic Surgery,
- Dr. Hilton Becker, Plastic surgeon
- Dr. Neil Riordan – Stem Cell Institute
- Dr. Kristin Comella – U.S. Stem Cell
- Dr. Jonathan Landow – Managing Director Advanced Stem Cell Rx
- Dr. William Murphy Jr. – U.S. Stem Cell
- Dr. Mark Berman – Cell Surgical Network
- Dr. Kirk Wersland – Predictive Bio Logistics
- Dr. Vincent Giampapa – medical advisor at Jeunesse, nominated for a 2014 Nobel Prize
- Dr. Jay Greenstein – Sport and Spine Rehab Clinical Research Foundation
- Dr. Tami Meraglia – Seattle stem cell center.
- Dr. Hasan Badday – Pacific Pain and Regenerative Medicine
- Dr. James Gardner – General Surgery, Chief Resident, and research fellow in the UCSF Diabetes Center
According to Dr. Tami Meraglia, stem cells can;
- Aid in the repair of teeth.
- Improve blood glucose
- Treat MS
- Treat Cerebral Palsy
- Can be used to treat eye diseases
Others Doctors have been able to use stem cells to successfully treat;
Neurological conditions:
- Parkinson’s
- Multiple scoliosis
- Stroke
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Stem cells are being investigated for the treatment of lesions or damage to the brain, Lyme disease, and Alzheimer’s.
Orthopedics:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Torn ligaments
- Cartilage repair
- Degenerative disk disease
Systemic Issues:
- Autoimmune disease
- Diabetes
- Lung (COPD)
- Heart attack (damage to the muscle tissue of the heart)
- Kidney and liver
- Any organ that has ongoing healing.
- Note, stem cells cannot regrow an organ that no longer exists, but they can help repair an organ that is damaged.
Ok, what else can we expect?
The entire world will soon see this as a new revolution in the way our illnesses and injuries are treated. Instead of treating a symptom, our conditions will be treated.
What can I look forward to?
I can;
- Have my rotator cuff injury repaired and become pain free.
- Have my wrist pain treated.
- Maybe have my lower back pain treated.
- Looking forward to the future and having my hearing repaired.
- Treating the brain trauma I have suffered and reducing my memory loss.
- When necessary, I can have my knee cartridge repaired.
- But …
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- I cannot expect to have my PCL repaired without surgery.
- I cannot expect to have the fussed disks cleaned up without surgery.
- I cannot expect to rebuild my Prostate.
The Answer to the Original Question.
Stem Cells of a young individual (under age 35 as an example) are very effective. The younger the better. After age 35, your stem cells degrade and decrease in quality and quantity as you age. That is why post-natal stem cells are so valuable. Remember that post-natal stem cells are harvested from tissue that would normally be discarded after a live, healthy delivery.
Are there dangers associated with stem cell treatments? Yes, there are some things you must consider.
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- Any needle injection has the potential for infection. This is a minor issue and is controlled by sterile conditions.
- Make sure, if you go outside the U.S. to 3-World countries, the physician is using human adult stem cells.
- Make sure the physician is not using embryonic stem cells.
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Other than these concerns, stem cells are very safe and very effective.
Before you leave, you might care to visit Recommendations. This is a special page with a collection of things you could find interesting.
Source: The life of Michael
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Comments
Patsy
This was quite interesting, educational and sounds like very useful for the cure, aid and treatment of many ailments and injuries.
I myself had my share of many falls with injuries to my neck where I have Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease, head injuries where I was on medication to stop the swelling and pressure around my brain, I have a back injury and pulled/popped the ligaments in my leg and had to wear a walking cast for months. Typing these out brought back memories of pain and slow partial healing.
I still feel the aches of each injury, but I’ve always had a high tolerance for pain which helped a lot! I could sure use a few shots of Stem cells for possible cures or have much less pain.
I enjoyed this article, it was interesting knowing how stem cells work and where they come from.
Thank you,
Patsy
Taetske
Good Morning Patsy,
Thank you for visiting my website and leaving a comment on my guest writer’s article. I also find it a fascinating idea to be able to skip most of the standard surgery procedures we know nowadays. If one still has problems and or pain after surgery stem cells treatment can also be very helpful. I hope the insurance companies wake up soon and will cover the bill in the near future as stem cells treatment is so much cheaper, no side effects, and no recovery time. I, for sure, will first look at stem cells treatment before ever considering any more surgery in my life.
Regards, Taetske
Debbie
Michael,
I was aware of this series but was only able to view the first episode, so I found your summary to be very useful…and hopeful. I heard about using PCP with the process but didn’t understand what that was so your explanation helped. Your list of doctors is also useful as its hard to find the doctors that believe in these new breakthroughs. I’m going to keep it as a reference. I believe cures are available for people such as your self who suffer from chronic conditions. I have MD, which is a degenerative disease, so I’m always looking for new treatments. It would be great if regulatory agencies such as the FDA here in the US would be more supportive of these efforts. Thanks again for spreading good news.
Debbie
Taetske
Hello Debbie,
Thank you for visiting my summary of the most recent Stem Cell treatments.
I think this series was filmed in late 2016 and early to mid 2017 so it may have improved since then. Recently I was sent a message from the film producer. The following is a snip-it from his email to me.
There’s been major advancements with what we know about how to prevent and reverse the devastating effects of autoimmune disease. This is a must-watch event. It’s all revealed in this cutting-edge 7-part docuseries, called “Autoimmune Secrets.” the html is … https://autoimmunesecrets.com/?oprid=2670 .
What I find wonderful is that stem cell treatments have an ever expanding list of conditions that can be improved with their use as a primary treatment method. I am really encouraged that we can finally get away from treating symptoms and actually treat the condition.
Thank you again for visiting my little discussion.
Michael
GiuliaB
Michael (and Taetske), wow, wow and wow again! Of course I’ve read and watched programmes about stem cell treatment, but never did I imagine ithis treatment could vpbe applied in so many field of medicine, to extend to dental treatment. When you read about it – and I expect when you watch it in a video, more so – you can’t but think that medicine is getting closer and closer to miraculous results when it comes to successfully treating patients with as little invasive procedures as possible.
Now, my question is whether stem cell treatment can also be applied to dogs, and pets more generally, to treat a range of medical conditions. I’m thinking primarily when it comes to cancer.
But once again, thank you ever so much for the very informative article 🙂
Taetske
Hello Giulia,
We have found in other studies that all mammals have very similar cellular activity. In our report on Cannabis studies, we found that all mammals have endocannabinoid receptors in their brain. Since we are also very similar to our biological development, I personally see no reason there would not be the same similarity with stem cells. In fact, there are facilities in the States as well as in Spain who treat animals with stem cells. Here is a link to one article in WebMD that discusses stem cell therapy for pets and another research study on osteoarthritis in dogs that is very informative.
https://pets.webmd.com/stem-cell-therapy-for-pets
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4159804/
Michael
Michelle
Oh wow, Michael…you seem to have been through the wringer and back…what an adventure and an awesome story. Thanks for sharing and opening up my eyes to the possibility of renewal for the ‘old body’. I found this article very interesting and eye-opening. There is so much that I did not know that I now do – thanks to this article.
I will re-read and allow it to ‘sink in’. Thanks so much for being so transparent.
Michelle
Taetske
Thank you Michelle, for reading my article. I am glad you can see the value of stem cells that I tried so hard to express. Many people go through trials and tribulations their whole life thinking that some condition they have cannot be helped. I have a friend who lost her spleen due to a rupture. I wonder if, caught in time, the spleen could have benefited from stem cell treatments instead of being removed. Will have to check into this.
Michael
Loes
Hi Michael, first of, it’s a miracle you are still alive, and I see how wonderfully flexible our body really is. I know that our bodies are able to heal themselves, but that, due to the many blockages, we are unable to get the right substances in the right place. By moving stem cells manually to the right place, we give our body better possibilities for healing. This is a startling development. Thank you for this article. Terrific guest blog Taetske 🙂
Greetings, Loes
Taetske
Hello Loes, and thank you for reading and commenting on my article.
Yes, our body is a wonderful machine and if taken care of, it can last a long time.
We are still finding out how to recover from the many stupid things we do to it but I think this will help us recover.
But it is not only the stupid things we do that will benefit from this treatment.
Stem Cells can be used to treat muscular dystrophy, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), and Multiple Sclerosis to name just 3 heart breaking diseases. Anyone with a painful condition (neurological or physical) must look into stem cell treatments before they accept the traditional medical approach.
Michael
Alejandra
Hi Michael and Taetske,
First, thanks Michael for sharing your life story with us, wow you’ve had some bad moments in your life! Thanks for sharing this quite interesting article, as a doctor grand daughter and mother of two young doctors, medicine has always been something great to me, the knowledge of healing others!
The new doctors are currently looking for new systems to find better ways to heal and give the opportunity to have a better quality of life to others. I read your article about mother cells with great interest and I find it fascinating. I hope you can find an improvement to your ills and that you have an improvement in your quality of life.
Taetske
Hello Alejandra and thank you for your kind thoughts.
Yes, I have had a number of spills and events in my life but I have had a lot of fun as well.
I like to think that my spirit guide was with me when I went through all these harrowing events.
I do not want to think about how I would survive today’s world in the big cities.
I know it was a lot more fun growing up in a small town.
I had a lot of fun learning how to ski but I did hit the snow a lot (and snow can hit back).
I am looking forward to getting stem cells to help my memory losses and cure some of the other pains.
Tell your young doctors to help by getting some nutrition training and learn as much as they can about Stem Cells.
Its not just about cosmetics but functional medicine.
Michael
Theri
IF someone has an UNdiagnosed cancer situation and goes for Stem Cell treatments … do their own Stem Cells contain cancer and would those Stem Cells increase the cancer situation, since it already exists in the person’s body?
Taetske
Hello again Theri,
Your second question is puzzling. Your premise’s is that someone has undiagnosed cancer. That presupposes that this individual has diagnosed themselves as having cancer.
Having gone through several family members succumbing to cancers of various types, I have tried to keep abreast of this disease. And yes, we all have unwanted cancer cells floating around inside us but it is generally suppressed by our immune system. It is when the immune system is damaged or nonfunctional, and the cancer cells have the opportunity to multiply, that we start seeing the damaging aspects if this explosive growth.
So, with my limited training (and again I have to say I am only giving my personal opinion), I have found some studies that suggest harvesting your own stem cells prior to chemo and radiation treatment is beneficial (https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/autologous-peripheral-blood-stem-cell-harvesting.)
For a better answer to your questions, I suggest you google a few of the Doctors I listed in my summary and query them with your questions. I do not have the knowledge to give you an answer that I am comfortable with.
Michael
Theri
When using Stem Cells from post-natal, Umbilical Cord blood, does BLOOD TYPE play a roll when using in a different, originating person’s blood type? Eg: BT “O”s can only receive from another same “O” type; however, can give to ANY of the other blood types
Taetske
Hello Theri, and thank you for reading my article.
You present some very good and very important questions and I will try to answer or provide insight into the answers.
I must state right off the bat, that I am not a medical professional. Any information you and I can gleam from the internet, should be taken with a very large grain of salt.
Scholarly studies such as this one, (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4559256/) document that Mesenchymal stem cells are a very promising treatment for many conditions but they do not address your core issues.
The docu-series I followed and summarized did not go into detail regarding having to match the blood type. All the clinics in the series stressed using your own stem cells but advised that umbilical cord and placenta stem cells could be used. This gives one thought that there is some form of tissue typing that is required. One of the doctors in the video series did say that umbilical cord stem cells were “naïve” and would not recognize other cells as being foreign bodies.
However, all the research papers I have found (funded by established Medical Institutions) have warned that the “tissue type” has to be matched for any kind of Stem Cell or Bone Marrow transplant. This “tissue matching” is much more extensive than simple blood matching and may be more problematic for some people.
Michael
Mike
Very informative article . I appreciate your openness in telling us of your injuries and personal battles, very admirable. Keep up the great work! Cheers mike.
Taetske
Thank you Mike, for reading my article on Stem cells.
I tried to report on the injuries to my body in a open and straight forward way so people could see how I think the average Jane/Joe may be able to benefit from this cutting edge treatment. I am not anyone special but I am very much like millions of others who have had injuries similar to mine and have suffered with pain and physical limitations. Stem cell treatments offer a very strong ray of hope.
Michael
Julia
Hi Michael and Taetske,
Thank you for the article. Michael, I wish you could actually have all the issues you listed above repaired… yesterday – not just look forward to…
I was looking thoroughly into stem cell therapy 12 years ago. Very little has changed in the US since then. I am sure that more research was done and medical science made some progress, but from the availability point of you – almost nothing. 12 years ago American families ran fundraisers to go to China and other countries to treat their children with stem cells, and it sounds like the same travel is required today. There was a lot of scam in other countries, and it was really difficult to know in advance whether you’d be treated or just robbed. Do you think FDA protects American citizens or its own ass and its big fat wallet? Pardon my French, I was going to say “reputation”, but is there a reputation to protect?
All the best to you both!
Taetske
Hello Julia,
I have a lot of words to say about the FDA but most of them are not usable here. There are other government agencies I would lump into the same category as well.
Yes, you are right that there are a lot of scam artists out there but the ones on the docu-series I reviewed appeared to be dedicated to the science of stem cells.
I have a friend who suffers from Macular degeneration and it is an especially difficult form to treat. I have sent her a report on a clinical study and she sent it off to her specialist. Sometimes that is all you can do.
If the patient is young, there is a lot of promise because their stem cells are still strong and more plentiful. I do think that more doctors are open to using stem cells. This changed since the State of Texas passed “Charlies Law”, which allows the use of stem cells that have undergone processing and storage, to be used for critical or terminal patients. Another thing to remember is that the FDA allows stem cells to taken from your own body, concentrated and re-injected back into your own body in a single 24 hour period. This includes bone marrow stem cells, and adipose stem cells. Evidence shows that stem cells can help repair nerve damage but this does not mean it can give back sight to someone who has never been able to see. This is beyond my limited understanding of what stem cells can do.
I hope you and your son can eventually find a way to beat this condition and my heart goes out to you, but I do think your son has a wonderful life ahead of him with his music.
Best wishes,
Michael
Pernilla
Hello Michael,
Thank you for this most interesting article. Stem Cell Therapy is a revolutionary development. Until today the symptoms of dieseases are being treated and not the core of the disease. With help of the Stem Cell Therapy the conditions of our body can be restored – that’s like magic. We can get rid of nasty pains, we can save our teeth, people with heart-diesesas, diabetes and artrithis can be cured and much more!
I’m very happy to hear about this kind of therapy and I’m relieved to know that our own stem cells can be used for this treatment and Not embryonic stem cells.
Michael I wish you all the best and hope that the stem cell treatment will help you to regain your vitality and get painfree.
Pernilla
Taetske
Hello Pernilla, and thank you for reading my article.
I was working in the garden this morning and now my elbow hurts like I pulled or strained a ligament.
I wonder if Stem Cells will ever get to being an every day kind of treatment or if they will always be limited to major injuries.
I do think we are witnessing a paradigm shift in the way we treat illnesses and injuries.
I am still young enough to enjoy a very long retirement so I will be taking care of myself.
I hope others read my article and pass the word around that stem cells can make a wonderful improvement in their recovery.
Like you stated, we are no longer limited to treating the symptoms but can now address the actual cause.
Michael
Maria Morris
Interesting summary, Michael. I have osteo arthritis in my ankle and COPD. I hope stem cell treatments become available soon enough so I can benefit from it. And as you suggested recently, this might even help with my essential tremors. Great article!
Taetske
Hello Maria,
Thank you for reading my article. I firmly believe this is a radical game changer with respect to our health care.
I know there are a few clinics in my area that use stem cells in treatments. I will be checking out Cellumed Clinic (http://www.cellumedhighclinic.com/ ) next week to find out more about how they may be able to treat some of my conditions. I am sure you can find qualified doctors in your area.
When researching the location of various doctors in this study, I found a video where one advised his 75 year old patients with COPD to consider stem cell research. They tried it but did not benefit from the treatment because their own stem cells were used. This brings back the concern that for maximum benefit, you have to use young viable stem cells. This will be prominent in my mind when I visit the doctor next week.
Michael
Chuck
Taetske
I looked into your post about EMF, and as a result I found this very informative article about stem cells. My interest is due to my wanting stem cell therapy for my right leg.
In June, 2013 I had lower back surgery. It did not go well. My back went out in 1998. From that time until the end of June 2013, I had been using pain medication to treat my pain. I had no physical problems by doing so. My body was in very good shape. I was able to play sports and lift heavy weights.
Despite my insistence that I would never have back surgery, I gave in to my doctor’s demand to have back surgery because he said that if I didn’t, I would suffer permanent nerve damage ( my sciatic nerve ). That scared me enough to have the procedure. The result was that my back is considerably weaker and my leg is numb on the inside of my calf and the outside of my upper thigh. This has caused a feeling of strangulation such as having a full leg cast.
Here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, stem cell ads are popping up in our newspaper almost daily. I went to one doctor who specializes in SC therapy, and got his opinion about my condition. He was also a pain management doctor at one time; so he knew what to look for when he saw my x-rays and MRIs. He told me that I am a candidate. One of my concerns was what type of stem cells would be used. Embryonic cells would not be feasible due to my religion, but I was assured that placenta type cells would be used. Now the big question: how much does it cost? I was told that it would be $9000. Well, that took me out of the running right away. However, I still have hope that I will find the money some day. I started a Go Fund Me page on Facebook.
I researched stem cells very thoroughly, and can attest to the truthfulness of Micael’s ( Yours or not? ) post. The problem in the USA is that it is not approved for health insurance benefits because it doesn’t have FDA approval yet. Thanks for this great post.
Chuck
Taetske
Good evening Chuck,
Here is the reply from my better half. He emigrated to Spain in August 2016. It is all internets fault.
Good morning Chuck,
Thank you for visiting my post and I am sorry that you had to fall for the doctor’s recommendation (demand).
You are correct that stem cell treatments are not covered by insurance in the US of A (yet).
Regarding your questions.
The use of embryonic stem cells is not allowed nor practiced. At least that is what I understand. They can use adipose stem cells (from your own body fat) or placental stem cells from live-born babies (I responded to one comment that I do not know if there is a protocol for determining if you have to match any biological parameters with the donor of the stem cells.) The benefit of placental stem cells is that they are young and robust. If you use stem cells from your own body, they will have the same age as you and may not be as helpful. If you are under 40, your stem cells may be robust enough.
I do not know what the costs of this treatment might be in the US but when we investigated costs here in Spain, we came to similar range of figures. Multiple thousands…
One thing else to consider is that recently some patients had received a batch of stem cells that had been contaminated with bacteria. Not the clinic’s fault but the company they received them from. I would google the news on this event but here is a link https://www.painnewsnetwork.org/stories/2018/12/22/12-patients-sickened-by-contaminated-stem-cells.
I would still strongly consider stem cell treatment.
Regards, Michael
p.s. This might interest you, it starts in 2 hours. https://www.stemcelldocuseries.com/optin/
All the best, Taetske
Tye
Looks like we need to hit the brakes on the Stem Cell Docuseries. Looks like some of the people appearing in the series could be shysters. “Dr.” Kristin Comella, which appeared in episode 5 yesterday, got her PhD from an “online university in Panama”. And US Stem Cell has been sued by the FDA. The company allegedly blinded some patients that used stem cell therapy to treat their macular degeneration. US Stem Cell is currently listed on the OTC as a penny stock, which are companies that are notorious for being scams.
This might just be a case of the FDA and big pharma colluding together to stop stem cell companies, because if what they do is real, they know the days of surgery and people spending huge amounts of money on drugs will be over in a flash.
Here’s the link to the scam article… (the link offered no longer functions. The link was to http://www.latimes.com / business / hiltzik / la-fl-hiltzik-us-stem-cell-20180427-story.html) .
Taetske
Good afternoon Tye,
Thank you for commenting on my Stem Cell page. I hope you downloaded your free PDF?
I would like to ask you who do you mean by saying: We need to hit the breaks. Who is we?
I have investigated Dr. Kristin Comella and found out that she received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Florida International University She continued with her studies in the stem cell field. The online university from Panama is the only doctoral program in stem cell biology in the world that can be taken online.
It is true that patients had a negative experience with the treatment for macular degeneration with stem cells. It must be mentioned that the stem cell material came from US Stem Cell but the operation as such was done in another clinic. It is of course not favorable for a new treatment to get bad press. We should not forget how many people die worldwide because of wrong diagnostics or prescription overdose.
What the FDA approves or not for me is not a standard to go by. In the past, they have approved medicine to be put on the market which caused a lot of harm. Big Pharma is close buddies with the FDA so one needs to be careful with what they say and do.
A good example of how bad it can get is Roundup made by Monsanto. It was approved by the FDA and used worldwide because it does not pose any risk to our health, come on.
I am sorry I could not see your link as I live in Europe.
Regards, Taetske
angell70
HI Taetske, thank you for sharing your article with us. I have been looking and reading through it and to be honest, I really love it. Firstly, because you are so honest and not hiding your life and how you are doing to improve this life. Stem cell therapy a real fact that is really working for arthritis, and other bones disease. This is really amazing!
Reading regarding Michael, I was really fascinated, obviously this person is an amazing individual with a lot of background much suffering and never give up hoping for better treatment.
It is well known that as we grew old this body, get older. Our cells grow older, neurons died and can not reproduce although they’ve said that we can revive ourselves just through traditional methods as meditation, naturist treatment, etc.
WOW, sry can’t stop saying this, as Michael also the person in the video, through his treatment in 7 days, get everything back just with stem cell therapy. Amazing.Fantastic
Thank you for this splendid information, I never hear or read such a detailed explanation for everyone understanding. Many blessing to you.
Taetske
Good afternoon Angel,
Thank you for visiting my website and for your comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF? Tulip widget.
Michael wrote this article so he will reply to you.
Regards, Taetske
Hello Angell and thank you for your comment
.
I wrote the article for Taetske, and I am glad you enjoyed reading it. I have been through a few things.
But I do not think they were that horrible at the time they happened.
As I said in the article, I did not realize the extent of the injuries until much later (except for the rollerblading accident). I really did not know the extent and seriousness of the concussions.
It is frightening what we now know about this issue. We celebrate contact sports and do not think about the damage
our sports heroes accumulate until it is too late.
This article is meant to inform all of us, that many of the small minor injuries we experience can turn
into major issues, so we must stay informed of the options.
Michael
Cynthia
Very interesting and informative article on stem cell treatments. Can you believe that I had NO IDEA what stem cells are used for? I am ashamed to say that the only thing I ever knew was that stem cells are taken from aborted babies and were, therefore, bad. Now my eyes are opened and I can’t wait to dig into this research you’ve provided to learn more about how stem cells facilitate the healing process. Thank you for posting!
Taetske
Good afternoon Cynthia,
Nice to see you again and thank you for your comment.
As Michael wrote this article, here is his reply.
Regards, Taetske
Thank you, Cynthia, for your comment.
Until a few years ago, you would have been correct in the assumption that all stem cells were fetal stem cells. But we adults still have them, even at my age (a few days away from 70).
When you find you have some issues where regenerative tissues could be used to improve your life, look into adult
stem cells because this field is going to continue to advance.
Michael
Sheen
Hi there
Gosh you have really had a rough time physically with so many accidents and injuries.
I enjoyed the YouTube video on arthritis as my Mother has been and continues to suffer from this chronic disease.
I am interested in Telomeres and the analogy given by Dr Lynne Cox from Oxford University was easy to understand and made a lot of sense.
The medical profession is making a lot of progress with anti-aging treatments.
I hope that you find some great stem cell options for yourself.
Best wishes
Sheen
Taetske
Good afternoon Sheen,
Thank you for stopping by and for your comment. I hope you downloaded your free PDF? Tulip widget.
As Michael wrote this article, he also replies to you.
Regards, Taetske
Thank you for your comments Sheen,
I do not think that I have had a horrible life, just the usual active bumps, and bruises.
I have just had the privilege to understand (a little after the facts) what has happened.
Yes, stem cells might be a great way to correct some of my issues, but I encourage the younger generations to
harvest some of their stem cells while they are still young with long telomeres so that when they identify a problem,
they have the necessary resources to correct the issue.
I hope you get the chances I did not take.
Michael