Body Naturally Heals Itself
Your body naturally heals itself daily. When you sprain an ankle or suffer a minor injury, repair and regeneration sets in, and you heal. That is how you survive. Your body fixes minor issues and renews cells. But when the injury is more profound or repetitive, the local cells are not able to perform continued meaningful repair or regeneration. For example, let’s take tennis elbow. This is an initial sprain or inflammation at the site of the muscle attaching to the elbow bone. When that early inflammation does not get a chance to heal, the inflammatory process becomes chronic. Slowly it gets to a stage that will require some form of treatment to get relief. Sometimes we make the process worse by not resting. This is seen very commonly among athletes. Without providing rest to the body part that’s hurting, inflammation persists and can become chronic.
Regenerative treatment is the basic fundamental concept that aims to jump-start your local cells to help repair cell damage. And, of course, as you know by now, one major tool in the box of regenerative treatments is stem cells. The single most important property of stem cells is that they can exert a strong anti-inflammatory effect. Stem cells can clean up inflammation at the cellular level without causing any side effects. This is contrary to what you have experienced with NSAIDs and steroids. Stem cells exert a major impact on healing by not only growing new cells, but also secreting certain growth compounds that make the local environment at the site of injury healthy. That allows new cells to form and start functioning normally. This is how regeneration and repair happens and you ultimately heal. Nature’s best gift to us!
Five Important Stem Cell Functions
Besides being powerful anti-inflammatories, stem cells perform many functions that aid in regeneration and repair. There are five important functions a stem cell performs. These five main actions are how stem cells help you in fighting injury and disease:
1. They replace dead cells by forming new cells.
2. They release growth factors and compounds that promote cell growth.
3. They promote blood flow in the area of healing by forming tiny new blood vessels.
4. They cancel out the body’s own inflammatory responses.
5. They slow the breakdown process.
All of the above mechanisms lead to a healthy local environment among the cells. An environment that is more conducive to repair and regeneration.
These functions are critical to the efficacy and effectiveness of stem cells. They help define the possible applications of stem cells and the role they can play in a variety of conditions. Often stem cells are thought of as something that will create a whole new joint, organ, or even a duplicate copy of your body. And someday we may get there. For now the stem cells’ most important job is regeneration and repair. The stem cells work in conjunction with your local cells to help remove inflammation and promote blood flow. This will allow nutrients to reach the problem area, further aiding the healing process. Better blood flow helps remove toxic waste material and reduce inflammation. In essence, stem cells work to improve the local environment at the site of injury and disease. A healthier environment then jump-starts the local cells to function again.
In order for stem cells to do their job, they need to be delivered precisely to the site of disease or injury. Unless stem cells reach that site, they cannot modify the local environment of the damaged cells. Stem cells continue to multiply and replicate and repair the cells as time goes along. However, we do not have the full capability to do this for every condition. A more realistic application of stem cells for now is in the area of joint pain and sports injury. Stem cells have provided a much-needed alternative for the management of joint pain, tendinitis, plantar fasciitis, back pain, and sports injuries.
CASE STUDY: SAMIR
Samir, a 40-year-old pharmacist, has complained of pain in his feet for years. He has been diagnosed with plantar fasciitis. His profession requires standing for long hours and certainly has contributed to his condition. Samir has tried physical therapy, has had cortisone injections multiple times, and has sought opinions from numerous doctors. Except for a few days of intermittent relief, his pain has always been there. Samir has been told by several doctors that he just has to learn to live with the condition. There may not be any cure.
Samir’s older brother is a primary care physician in the community and knew of a doctor who specialized in stem cell treatments. He referred Samir to his physician friend. Samir was evaluated. Using ultrasound and X-rays for guidance, the doctor gave Samir a single treatment of Samir’s own stem cells. The injections were made at multiple sites within the plantar fascia. Samir noticed a 50% reduction in his pain two weeks after treatment. He was assessed in follow-up and received one more treatment to the plantar fascia. Samir has been pain-free for the past two years.
CASE STUDY: ALBERT AND HIS MOTHER
Albert has been taking care of his mother, who has suffered from Parkinson’s disease for several years. He’s hired the best caregivers to help his mom deal with this disabling condition. She’s had numerous treatments over the years that have seemed to help her. But she still cannot function independently and needs help with daily activities. Between work and taking care of his mother, Albert has very little time for anything else. He’s completely dedicated to making sure that he can do the best for his mother.
Recently Albert noticed a lot of stem cell advertisements targeting people with Parkinson’s disease. He was curious. During the next visit to his mother’s doctor, Albert inquired about the role of stem cells for her.
Parkinson’s is a condition where there is a loss of dopamine-producing brain cells. Dopamine helps brain cells communicate with each other. The lack of dopamine leads to miscommunication among the brain cells that affect the patient’s movement. As you can imagine, stem cells in Parkinson’s should have the ability to grow new cells to replace the ones that were lost. But as we noted earlier in the book, brain cells do not regenerate readily. The use of stem cells in Parkinson’s is a sophisticated process and will have to be studied in a laboratory. After the right stem cells are found, those stem cells will have to be delivered into the specific area of the brain affected in Parkinson’s. One can imagine how complex and risky that procedure could be. There is also the possibility of negative side effects and complications that we may not be aware of. So even though some clinics advertise using stem cells from the patient’s fat or bone marrow or from a newborn baby’s umbilical cord, these cells do not have the sophistication to grow into brain cells. These cells are administered intravenously and never make it to the area of the brain affected in Parkinson’s. This is a total waste of time and money along with unknown risks.
Still, it is important to know that there is significant ongoing research with stem cells especially derived from an embryonic stage or manufactured stem cells, either of which can then be programmed to grow into the brain cells needed for Parkinson’s disease. This research is at its very early stages. You should inquire about clinical trials conducted at academic centers. This at least will assure that you are getting the right stem cell treatment. You can also make sure the risks and side effects are being adequately monitored.
It is understandable why patients and their families feel the desperate need to ease the suffering of their loved ones. We are often willing and tempted to buy into the hype of stem cells. Unfortunately, this only takes away valuable resources that can be used to improve the patient’s quality of life.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
When it comes to stem cell therapy, one size does not fit all! A stem cell treatment that can alleviate your joint
