Today, there is an abundance of bold claims about the vast number of health conditions that stem cell therapy can treat. With a quick online search, you can easily find a stem cell clinic somewhere in the world that will offer to cure almost anything, from back pain and arthritis to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. There are hundreds of stem cell treatment clinics in the U.S alone, even though the practice is still highly controversial. For all the hype that has surrounded the supposed miracle potential of stem cells, there is still much more research needed.
What Are Stem Cells?
Stem cells are unique human cells that can evolve into nearly any cell type and are harvested from one of two sources. Some of them are human embryonic stem cells, obtained from fertilized eggs and donated for this purpose. The other source is adult stem cells, like bone marrow, obtained from completely developed tissue. This first source remains controversial for moral reasons, with many voices declaring their opposition. So far, the stem cell treatment industry remains unregulated by the FDA.
In laboratory tests, stem cells show specialized functions of dividing to form new cells called daughter cells. These cells can become new stem cells or specialized cells with a particular function, such as blood cells, brain cells, heart cells, or bone cells. No other cell in the human body can regenerate new cell types like stem cells.
How Stem Cell Therapy Works
Researchers can grow these cells in the lab and manipulate them for use in a person. The cells could be injected into the heart muscle, for example, to repair a defective heart and avoid the need for a transplant. Some stem cell therapy has been performed to replace cells damaged by chemotherapy and some types of cancer. Most of these transplants use adult stem cells or cells from umbilical cord blood, which is much less controversial.
Is it Worth the Risk?
The challenge is being able to identify which cells will transform into the cell types desired and how to stop the body from triggering an immune response that leads to rejection. Until these and other potentially dangerous side effects are eliminated, the treatment remains unproven. Nevertheless, some clinics claim success without scientific backup, charging uninformed patients tens of thousands of dollars. There have also been reported cases where physical harm resulted from stem cell injections, including severe infection and blindness.
Researchers have successfully performed therapeutic cloning on animals, but not on humans. Consumers who decide to try stem cell treatments need to proceed with caution, verifying the source of the cells and asking for clinical proof of positive results.
At Atlantic Surgical Associates, we use a conservative form of this treatment for joint arthritis and chronic joint inflammation. Please click here to see more information on regenerative therapies for small joint arthritis.