The Stem Cell Cure. Kerry Johnson MBA PhD
from foreign sources require laboratory processing, cleaning, and sometimes expansion and/or programming. Foreign stem cells are frozen in storage until needed for your treatment. Laboratory processing of foreign stem cells should be properly performed in order to minimize the risk of introducing any new disease into your body. Laboratory processing can kill many cells. The steps involved are critical to have enough live cells for an effective treatment.
12. How are my own stem cells collected from my body?
Every part of your body, every organ system, possesses stem cells. You can get your own stem cells from any part of your body. However, the goal is to collect them safely in a way that does not harm your body. Commonly used sites to collect your own stem cells are bone marrow, fat, muscle, tendon, dental pulp, lining of your joints (synovium), skin, and liver. It is hoped that in the near future many more sites will serve as a safe source of collection. Surprisingly, your blood does not contain stem cells. It is a good source of platelets (platelet-rich plasma or PRP) but not stem cells.
13. How are stem cells delivered into my body?
It depends on the intended site of delivery of stem cells, which in turn depends on the condition being treated. Precise delivery of stem cells at the site of disease and injury in your body is critically important in order for you to see results. Stem cells regenerate and repair. Although they secrete valuable growth factors, unless they make it to the site of damage, you are unlikely to see robust results. Currently most stem cells have to be delivered through a targeted injection using very small needles under imaging guidance such as ultrasound or X-rays, videoscope, blood flow, or a direct injection. The important goal is that a sufficient number of live stem cells reach areas where help is needed. Other potential routes such as intravenous, intranasal, intra-arterial, intrathecal (CSF), and inhalational are important to consider. The efficacy and the safety of each one of these routes are still being evaluated in clinical trials.
14. What are the potential risks of stem cell therapy?
Again, it depends upon what kind of stem cells you are getting and how the stem cells are delivered into your body. Your own stem cells carry the least risk. Any manipulation of stem cells in a laboratory or foreign source of stem cells can carry the risk of infection, disease transmission, rejection, and tumor formation. Delivery methods themselves can cause bleeding and additional trauma, although collateral damage is minimal when small needles are used.
15. How many stem cells do I need? Is there a specific number?
Not yet! Unlike the dosage of medications, the exact number of stem cells needed to treat a particular condition in a particular patient is yet unknown. Clearly the greater the extent and severity of damage, the more stem cells that would be needed. No matter what, it would be unreasonable to expect that a single treatment or injection will cure your condition completely. This also depends on how healthy you are otherwise. Several factors may play a role in determining the number of cells and/or number of stem cell treatments you may need.
16. Besides the number of cells, what else is important in a stem cell treatment?
Viability—how many stem cells are alive at the time of your treatment. You can have a high total cell count, but if a significant number of stem cells are dead, you may not see results. This is especially important when a foreign source of stem cells is being used or if the stem cells are being processed in the laboratory. Whenever laboratory processing and cleaning are involved, a certain number of stem cells are bound to be lost. How many live stem cells you get at the time of treatment is important. Another important aspect is the quality of the stem cells. Testing can determine their quality. The hope is that we will also be able to detect any changes in the structure of stem cells and predict how they will behave in your body. The count, quality, and structure of stem cells are all important criteria in minimizing risks and predicting a desired outcome.
17. How many stem cell treatments will I need?
It comes down to what your condition is and how much help your local cells need. For example, an 18-year-old kid playing basketball and suffering his first knee injury is going to heal very differently compared with a 60-year-old skier who has suffered a knee injury and has endured multiple previous knee surgeries. Furthermore, those 60-year-old skiers with similar multiple prior knee injuries and surgeries will heal differently from each other. We are just starting to learn how our cells behave and why patients don’t heal the same way. How your stem cell treatment was performed will also determine how many treatments you will need. There are many variables that can affect the efficacy of a stem cell treatment.
18. What is the success rate with stem cell treatment?
This depends on your condition, the source of the stem cells, and the way they are delivered. There are so many different ways of doing stem cell treatments that there can be no apples-to-apples comparison. At least not yet. Due to a lack of standardization, the results are varied. When the treatments are performed correctly for the right reasons, success rates can be around 60% to 70% for joint pain, back pain, and sports injuries. For other conditions, very little is known about how effective the treatments will be. Ongoing research will provide answers in the near future.
19. Why don’t some patients see results after stem cell therapy?
No single treatment of any kind is effective in all patients with the same condition. We believe the same is true of stem cell therapy. Our hope is that, in time, as more knowledge is gained, the failures will be minimal. We already know that there is a small group of patients who do not respond to stem cell therapy no matter what. The cause is unknown. But the answer could be genetic in nature.
If all other factors remain the same, outcomes from any procedure depend on three factors:
• Your general health, both physical and mental
• Your environment
• Your genetic makeup
While we don’t have much control over the latter, we can do a lot to benefit the first two. Our body’s capacity to heal from most conditions is dependent on how healthy we are. With similar conditions, two patients undergoing the same procedure using a physician possessing excellent technical skills can have very different outcomes. Medical treatments aid your body in healing. But ultimate healing takes place from within. No treatment can work unless your body and mind have the ability to heal. With so much emphasis on physical appearance, we have forgotten that the mind controls the body. Thoughts become actions. Our actions in turn determine our life. Everything that makes up the environment we live in, starting with the air we breathe, to the people that surround us, has an impact on our ability to heal.
20. Are stem cell treatments approved by the FDA?
Not yet. With so many different treatments under the “stem cell” umbrella, it has become difficult for any regulation to be formulated. Governments, providers, and commercial suppliers are equally to blame. There is a lack of understanding of the science of stem cells, especially the power of your own stem cells. Some providers manipulate desperate patients. Commercial suppliers are hungry for profits. Many have taken advantage of suffering patients. Many patients are getting fake stem cell treatments or denied a stem cell therapy that could have greatly helped. Either way, many patients end up paying a price. Unfortunately, ignorance and greed often overtake science.
21. Does insurance cover stem cell treatments?
Not yet. Some commercial manufacturers and clinical practices may offer insurance coverage. Generally this is through manipulation of a billing code that may be fraudulent. Unfortunately insurance companies are tied to government regulation. Yet insurance providers have a wonderful opportunity to conduct their own internal studies between patients receiving mainstream treatments and those undergoing recognized forms of stem cell therapy. Isn’t the purpose of your health insurance to offer you the best possible treatment?
22. How much does it cost for stem cell treatment?