The Stem Cell Cure. Kerry Johnson MBA PhD
overall cost depends on the condition that is being treated, the source of the cells being used, and the number of treatments involved. The average cost of a treatment, for example, in a patient with joint pain is between $2,000 and $8,000 per stem cell treatment. We also hear numbers as high as $15,000 to $20,000 per treatment. This wide variation in cost tells us that stem cell therapy is all over the place. There are several ways of doing the treatment. Greed complicates things further. So beware! The lack of standardization makes it difficult to compare results. Further, none of these treatments or protocols have been approved. Published data are sketchy, and robust studies are lacking. We recommend that you look into clinical trials at academic centers. Google should not be your only source when it comes to stem cell treatments!
We hope that these questions and answers satisfied some of your curiosity. And also that you will have even more questions that we can address. That will be the true success of this endeavor. To further your understanding, let’s look at some clinical case reports.
CASE STUDY: NICOLE
Nicole, a 19-year-old college freshman, was riding on the back of her boyfriend’s motorcycle. They were headed to the dorm returning from a late-night party. As they merged onto the freeway, an out-of-control pickup truck hit them. Nicole was ejected into the air, hitting a utility pole. No drugs or alcohol were involved. Nicole became paralyzed from the neck down suffering a severe spinal cord injury. A life brimming with hope came to a halt. A day earlier, she could eat, bathe, dress, text, play, and engage in all the normal activities any other teenager could do. That ended. The psychological and emotional impact on both Nicole and her family was profound. Her younger brother was having a hard time coming to terms with her injury and hospitalization.
Luckily for Nicole, she gained access to a recently developed clinical trial. Stem cells had recently been programmed to grow into nerve cells. They could successfully be implanted into her damaged spinal cord.
Nicole underwent the new treatment. Over the next few weeks, she regained motion in her arms and hands. For the first time in months, she was able to write and even use her phone. This was a huge recovery. Only time will tell whether this was spontaneous. Did she actually benefit from the experimental stem cell therapy, or was it just luck?
Cases like this create faith in the power of stem cells. Although such treatments are now limited to just a handful of patients enrolled in high-powered clinical trials, there is tremendous hope for the future.
CASE STUDY: SEAN
Sean was a rising high school football star. He was recruited by a very successful college football program while in 12th grade. He was hoping to eventually transition to the pros. Sean suffered an injury to his knee causing a complete ACL tear with associated meniscal and ligamentous injuries.
It is not uncommon for the knee to suffer extensive damage when an ACL is completely torn. As Sean lay on the field with his leg twisted, his professional career hopes faded. Despite surgical repair and a robust rehab, Sean was unable to play football at the same level. He needed prolonged rest to recover, ruining his chances of landing in the pros. Having a profound love for the game, he now focused his energies on developing younger players. A couple of years out of college, Sean became the head coach at his alma mater high school. He was ecstatic about his new position and looked forward to being a good coach.
Now barely 36, and approximately 17 years after his original surgery, Sean began to notice pain in his treated knee, which progressively became worse. He especially felt discomfort after he ran drills with his players. The pain became persistent. It interfered with his daily life and job. He had always stayed in great shape. There was never any drug or steroid use. But now the pain was unbearable. Since Sean’s meniscus was torn and removed at the time of his ACL repair, he did not have much space left between his bones. He would need a knee replacement.
Sean was in the middle of rebuilding his career. Now the thought of undergoing such a major surgery frightened the hell out of him. He had a two-year-old daughter at home. With surgery, there are risks of blood clots, infections, and even future revision surgeries. Sean wanted to save his knee. He shied away from cortisone and gel injections that offered temporary relief. Sean started looking for alternative options. He was able to discover the promise of stem cell therapy. His own stem cells could be drawn from his tissues, and the procedure would be done on the same day at the same sitting.
After his own stem cells were separated, they were injected into his knee. Within the next few weeks, Sean noticed a significant reduction in pain that gradually improved mobility. After the therapy, he was able to get back to his coaching duties without pain meds. He continued to improve. Sean will possibly require additional treatments as time goes by. But he successfully avoided the debilitations of surgery.
These two case histories lay out the current scientific possibilities. However, keep in mind that the term “stem cells” has become a fad. As we noted earlier, it is the latest pitch among snake oil salesmen. It is important to ignore the hype. This craze encompasses a host of treatments, some of which may not even involve true stem cells. The only connection is that they are loosely labeled stem cells. These fad treatments often lead to poor outcomes, unwanted side effects, and complications.
Using fresh stem cells from your own body is a procedure that has been around for more than a decade. It has primarily gained popularity in Europe and Japan. Stem cell treatment is now being performed in some shape or form all over the world. A significant amount of published data have supported many of these treatments. But due to a lack of standardized protocols, these treatment methods have not yet been approved by the FDA and are not currently covered by health insurance. We firmly believe that stem cells will be a major treatment tool in the near future. This book will help separate fact from fiction.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The field of stem cell research is evolving. Different perspectives and ideologies exist. The current lack of standardization further complicates understanding. We hope that the knowledge shared in subsequent chapters will provide a fertile ground to build on. This in turn will help you to make better decisions when seeking stem cell treatment either for yourself or for your loved ones and to become more aware of its potential.
CHAPTER 2
Understanding Disease, Injury, and Aging
First, do no harm.
Breaking It Down
Before we can understand how stem cell therapy works, it is important to know what happens during disease and injury. Now more than ever before, we are starting to look further than just the symptomatic control of conditions. We are trying to identify the root causes. Ideally this should have been done all along with any so-called approved treatments. We are partly to blame, in a society obsessed with fixes that provide immediate satisfaction like fast food. Pharmaceutical companies have thrived on that perception.
Most medications come with serious downsides. Among all the drugs out there, none have done more harm than pain medications. Look at the opioid crisis gripping us all. In the end, we all pay a heavy price directly or indirectly through a ripple effect from this level of immediate gratification.
We are finally investigating what happens in the first place to our cells in disease and injury. How do our cells respond when injury and disease happen? Our hope is that this will point us in the right direction. Some treatments are being developed that are safe and effective and come without much downside.
Stem cell therapy is the latest kid on the block, but it has its own limitations as well. We still need to be careful in developing medications that actually enhance our healing capacity. Surgery should be offered only when its goals and outcomes are well defined. Only then can any treatment be called truly successful. We should all uphold the maxim “First, do no harm.” Only then can we maximize our journey and realize our true potential, individually and as a human race.
When a disease or any other medical condition afflicts us, three important things must be first understood:
1. What caused the