What Consumers Should Know About Stem Cells

Stem cells are the cells that divide into specialized cells performing certain functions under ideal conditions in the body or in the laboratory. Thus, it helps generate healthy cells to replace diseased cells (regenerative medicine). Stem cell therapy can benefit spinal cord injuries, Insulin-dependent diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, and cancer. Stem cell therapy could be potentially used to test the effectiveness and safety of new drugs. The stem cells could be embryonic stem cells coming from 3-5 days old embryo or adult stem cells found in bone marrow or fat which have limited ability to be differentiated to various cells of the body. Stem cell therapy ( regenerative medicine ) would help promote repair response to diseased or injured tissues by using stem cell therapy which can be used instead of transplantation of organs which has limited supply. Stem cell transplantation ( bone marrow transplant) has been used to replace cells damaged by chemotherapy fighting certain cancers such as lymphoma, multiple myeloma and researchers used stem cells in heart failure.

The only stem cell-based products approved by the FDA in the U.S consist of blood-forming cells derived from cord blood. Therapeutic cloning injects donor nucleus into the egg which is allowed to divide. Thus, creating a line of stem cells that is genetically identical to the donor cells. FDA issued a recent warning that unapproved stem cell therapies can be harmful, may be illegal without proven results to protect consumers.

Many questions and concerns were raised regarding the ethics of embryonic stem cell research. Unproven stem cell treatment can have severe adverse effects including reactions at administration sites, growth of tumors and blindness when stem cells were injected into the eyes. Thus, consumers depend on FDA to review and approve specific stem-cell therapy. Insurance companies do not cover stem cell therapy and thus it is paid cash out of pocket. Patients typically pay more than $700.00 for a treatment for platelets and up to $5000.00 for fat and bone marrow injections. The Federal Trade Commission has fined many stem-cell clinics for their deceptive advertising.

Nevertheless, claims such as stem cell treatments have been shown to improve sight in patients with Macular degeneration and have even made blind people see again! It has also helped patients with chronic kidney disease, cure Parkinson’s Disease, stroke patients with damaged brain tissue. Consumers have to be careful with such claims of unproven of cure, which could clearly constitute fraud. Consumers searching for help for their loved ones diagnosed with serious diseases are advised to start their research with agencies like the NIH National Institute of Health or FDA( Food and Drug Administration). The FDA has warned consumers about the dangers of unproven stem cell “treatments” especially when the advertisement sounds too good to be true!

FDA ruling against clinics making fraudulent claims about what diseases stem cells can really treat without proven clinical human research and trials. It is important for consumers to know that those suspicious clinics may be switching from using bone marrow or fat to produce stem cells into placenta or birth tissue ( such as amniotic stem cell treatment) as they can be simply bought and injected without any need for lengthy application process with the FDA. One company even saved its amniotic stem cell products from ultra-cord bank. The use of placental material in wound care could be very lucrative because the material according to FDA has homogenous use and only needs minimal changes to successfully bypass the expensive and lengthy FDA approval process.

There are currently no available data to suggest that placental tissue is better than traditional skin graft for wound care. Recent published reports of pregnant women that were asked at their most vulnerable time shortly before delivery to donate their placenta to be used for helping people with diseases but in fact, it is about lucrative business with unsubstantiated claims to support what they are offering.

• Dr Adel Eldin, MD, FACC, FACP, MBA, GGA
• Board Certified Cardiologist
• Founder, CEO
• Affordable Quality Healthcare Program
• www.prontocare.co
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