the whole body.
Maintaining good circulation and blood flow where the healing is taking place is critically important for tissues to heal. If you do not have good circulation, even good nutrition may not reach the body part where help is needed. Staying well hydrated is a simple way of making sure you have good circulation. Obviously, watching what you eat and keeping your cholesterol under control can only improve blood flow. Your cells (including stem cells) need to stay in a state of good hydration for important cellular functions to take place.
Managing Stress
Mental stress, self-doubt, and negative thinking all suppress the natural ability of our bodies to fight disease. This is the X factor that is generally not addressed in mainstream medicine. Patients don’t acknowledge it, and most physicians are not equipped to handle it. The mind is a powerful tool. When used correctly, it can help us fight great odds. When not used well, it can create havoc. The body follows the mind.
The above factors impact our ability to heal no matter what treatment we undergo. This is true with medications, surgeries, and even stem cell treatments. If you are really looking for results, pay attention to fundamentals.
CASE STUDY: RON
Ron was proud of his 20 years as a special-needs teacher. Now 48, he was in the same school district he started in. Ron had several opportunities to move up the administrative ranks. But he loved the kids. He always enjoyed a good joke, and his students loved him for it. Special education can be high stress. But Ron had a positive outlook. Ron was brought up in a family with plenty of love and abundance. Helping those in need brought him great pleasure.
Ron was hooked on sodas and Twinkies. He would have a Big Gulp cup in his hand as he walked through the corridors. Life progressed, and his habits stayed the same. One evening Ron started having persistent chest pains. He had to be hospitalized. After angiography, a blockage in one of his arteries was identified. A metal stent was placed to open up his artery. Ron had a body mass index of 38 and was diagnosed with obesity. But the additional and more severe diagnosis was type 2 diabetes. Inflammatory markers in his blood work were elevated. Ron also had suffered from severe constipation for several years. Ron was started on a long list of medications. He was disappointed in himself for not taking care of his health. When Ron got out of the hospital, he was determined to change his life and be an example for the students.
Obesity and inflammation are two sides of the same coin. Obesity can lead to inflammation, and inflammation can lead to obesity. We now understand more about what happens to the cells in diabetic patients. Inflammation due to diabetes is widespread throughout the body. It can affect many organs at the same time. Inflammation unfortunately interferes with stem cells and their ability to regenerate and repair. Inflammation then starts affecting the function of normal cells. Left unchecked, inflammation can cause strokes, renal failure, and nonhealing wounds.
What starts inflammation in the first place is unclear. While a genetic predisposition to obesity is known, not much can be done about it. Several other theories exist, especially one involving the gut microbes, the bacteria in your bowel. As mentioned above, Ron had been severely constipated for several years. It could be a combination of factors. Poor diet and lack of exercise are prime examples. It is extremely important that diabetics follow a regimen of weight loss, caloric restriction, and regular exercise to keep their diabetes under control. Staying hydrated every day and eating pomegranates can help reduce inflammation of the cells in diabetes.
We hope that by now you have a better understanding of what happens when you are not feeling well. Think about what your cells are undergoing and how inflammation affects them. Address the root cause and not just the symptoms. Do everything in your power to make your cells healthy again. Only then is your healing complete. Next we will look at how stem cells may help you in your efforts to heal naturally.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Disease and injury lead to inflammation.
2. Inflammation of the cells stops regeneration and repair.
3. Stem cells are extremely potent anti-inflammatories.
4. Fresh food + exercise + positive mindset = best anti-aging cocktail.
CHAPTER 3
How Stem Cells Work
We are powered by our stem cells from conception to death.
Understanding Fundamentals
Wonder how many people would get a haircut if our hair could not regrow! That cut on your finger—a surgeon can stitch it up to bring the skin edges together, but ultimately the skin closes up because of cell growth and multiplication. Though we may not be aware of it at all times, cell multiplication and replacement is a fundamental process that goes on in our body 24/7. Unfortunately, the dreaded disease cancer only exists because our cells replicate. Cancer is just a manifestation of the regeneration and replication process gone awry! There happen to be too many cells in one place; cell multiplication is out of control. In most cases, a pathologist can only determine cancer when the cells are compared with an area of normal cells. Cancer cells actually look like their own host cells.
Stem Cells Can Form Other Cells
Let’s expand further by exploring this question: What is a stem cell? And the answer is that a stem cell is a cell capable of self-renewal and capable of forming other cells. We all start our journey as a stem cell. The self-renewal capability of your stem cells is maintained throughout your life. It is the ability to grow into other cells that varies at different stages of your life. At the embryonic stage, the stem cell is capable of growing into any kind of cell or organ system. As you mature, your stem cells are able to grow only into cells they are surrounded by. This is what unfolds in their natural state. Of course, a stem cell can be programmed in a laboratory to grow into a particular type of cell. The process involved in reprogramming a stem cell is currently an area of tremendous research. Also, different tissues have different regenerative capacity. That means different stem cells behave differently. Within the world of stem cells, there are different types. Various stem cells may be required depending on the particular condition being treated. A stem cell that heals your knee will not cure your diabetes! Stem cell treatments are most effective when they replace or repair cells that are missing. So when the cartilage in your joint is worn out, you need stem cells that are capable of regenerating the cartilage. When you have diabetes due to lack of insulin production, you will need stem cells that are capable of producing insulin.
In the past, healing has been largely dominated by chemicals that can suppress the symptoms of pain. Anti-inflammatories such as NSAIDs and steroids have been commonly used. Drugs that are designed to suppress the inflammation end up suppressing the function of those very same cells that are in need of healing, causing further harm. Our symptoms may resolve in the short run, but at the same time, these medications can be very toxic. These medications interfere with cell function rather than promote regeneration and repair. There is a reason why most medications stop working after a while; the cells become so damaged they become resistant.
As we have learned, the presence of inflammation takes away the ability of your cells to multiply and replace themselves. That is why inflammation is the basis of most conditions that take root in your body. This inflammatory state then diminishes the ability of the local cells to perform any meaningful repair or healing. Common conditions such as joint pain, tendinitis, asthma, arterial blockage, and hepatitis are all examples of chronic inflammation. Uncontrolled inflammation is the root cause of many conditions that afflict us.
