Age Management Medicine Enters Stem Cell Therapy Discussion

The adult stem cell debate about the FDA trying to classify the patient’s stem cells as drugs is heating up.  Interesting article this morning from a physician proferssional organization on Regenexx, the FDA, and Adult Stem Cell Clinical and Lab Guidelines.  I think the article says it all.

Age management is a new field that many doctors have embraced.  This AMMG professional group recognizes that physicians should work directly with patients on using their own stem cells as therapies and should produce professional guidelines to allow the safe use of these therapies.

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Feel the Pulse: Listen to the Voices of the People

Stem cell therapies continue to have increasingly successful applications.

A patient movement, called Safe Stem Cells NOW has recently been formed as a response to the classification of a patients own stem cells as a drug.  The patient group believes that this misclassification of adult stem cells will dramatically slow the availability of stem cell therapies.

The American Stem Cell Therapy Association (ASCTA) has created an on-line publication of its patient web-site, www.safestemcells.org, which reflects the activities and opinions of patients behind the Safe Stem Cells NOW movement.

Please take a movement a listen to what patients are saying: www.safestemcells.org/Patient_Voices.html

My Cells Are What?

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National Stem Cell Therapy Laboratory Guidelines

Adult stem cell therapy continues to have success in treating a variety of medical conditions. A national, physician based organization, The American Stem Cell Therapy Association (ASCTA), have just published a comprehensive set of laboratory guidelines. Please visit: http://stemcelldocs.org/uploads/ASCTA_Lab_Practices_Guidelines_Version_1_0_Final_2.pdf.  Why are these guidelines important?    These lab guidelines serve as the backbone for safe stem cell labs being run by your doctor, practicing medicine using your stem cells.  If you are a physician who is concerned about your ability to treat your patients, please visit:  http://www.stemcelldocs.org/

Whiplash: A New Treatment Option

Whiplash involves a range of injuries to the neck caused by or related to a sudden distortion of the neck.  Typically this is associated with a rear-end motor vehicle injury.

Whiplash

Common symptoms include neck and shoulder pain, balance disturbances, memory loss and headaches.

Different structures may be injured and cause pain with include:  cervical facets, supra and inter-spinous ligaments, the AA joint,  the OA joint, transverse and alar ligaments and cervical discs.  At the Centeno-Schultz Clinic treatment options include cervical facet injections, radiofrequency, autologous mesenchymal stem cell therapy, intramuscular stimulation and cervical strengthening.

A recent study by Ishikawa MD, demonstrated that a cerebrospinal leak was a common source of headaches, dizziness, visual impairment and nausea in patients who had whiplash injuries.  A nuclear medicine test called radio-isotope cisternography identified a cerebrospinal leak in more than 50% of patients, most commonly in the lumbar spine.  Treatment involved injection of a patients own blood into the epidural space thereby “patching” the leak.  Patients had significant reduction in their symptoms following therapy.

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Adult Stem Cell Therapy for Chest Pain

One million patients in the United States suffer from angina:  chest pain due to blockage of the arteries in the heart.   Thirty-three percent of these patients are not afforded any benefit from traditional therapy such bypass surgery, oral medications or insertion of stents in the blocked vessels. 

Adult, autologous stem cell therapy has recently been demonstrated to be of benefit to these patients.  At Northwest University, 167 patients with severe angina underwent a prospective, randomized study in which autologous, adult stem cells were injected into the heart muscle.  Six months after the procedure, those patients who had received autologous stem cell therapy had significantly improved exercise tolerance.  These are the same patients who were not candidates for conventional therapy.

 If you are a patient and disagree with their proposed restriction of your healthcare, please visit: www.safestemcells.org.

Adult Stems Cells Improve Heart Function

Two items had major headlines this week:  adult stem cell therapy for cardiac patients and the snow in Vail.  Two recent storms have brought record amounts of snow to Vail.  Words alone can not accurately describe the back bowls!

Back Bowls in Vail

Physicians at  Emory University  have demonstrated that infusing bone-marrow-derived, autolgous stem cells in patients who have sustained a heart attack and underwent angioplasty, had an increase in blood flow to the heart.  The study examined the significance of injecting three different amounts of stem cells:  5, 10 and 15 million cells.  At three months, the patients who received higher doses of stem cells showed the greatest improvement in blood flow to the heart.  This is very promising technology and has the potential of re-defining the management of patients with heart disease.