Stem Cells Treatment

What are stem cells?

A type of undifferentiated cell with the ability to give rise to specialized and specific cells is known as Stem Cells. Stem cells can turn into a specific type of cell with stimulation, allowing regenerative medicine experts to use stem cells to treat certain diseases and to repair certain tissues. This can be done by transplanting stem cells to the injury site and turn those cells into the type of cell that is needed to heal or repair the damaged tissue.

Why are stem cells so important?

The human body has 7 core types of cells:

• Blood cells
• Bone cells
• Fat cells
• Muscle cells
• Nerve cells
• Skin cells
• Stem cells

A stem cell can regenerate and turn into any of these types of cells and perform the function of that cell type. This is what makes them so important as a curative or preventative treatment option when any of the other cell types are impaired.

How are stem cells collected? Where do stem cells come from?

There are 3 categories or types of stem cells based on their source of origin/ collection:

• Adult stem cells – there are multiple sources for the collection of adult stem cells from the body, including adipose/ fat tissue, skin, liver, and bone marrow
• Embryonic stem cells – these are used in research only and come from unused embryos created during an IVF procedure – these can convert into any type of body cells
• Perinatal stem cells – Blood, umbilical cord tissue, and amniotic fluid also contain stem cells.

What is stem cell therapy?

The use of stem cells to treat a condition or to prevent one from occurring is known as stem cell therapy. The most common way that stem cells are thought of as a treatment for the disease is through a stem cell transplant, most commonly via a bone marrow transplant.

Most countries only allow adult stem cells to be used for therapeutic purposes, restricting the use of embryonic stem cells for research purposes only.

Embryonic stem cells differentiate into the necessary cell type, and these mature cells then replace tissue damaged by disease or injury.

What are the benefits of stem cell therapy?

There are several advantages of stem cell therapy for persons diagnosed with debilitating chronic diseases. It provides effective and viable treatment to enhance the body’s natural ability to regenerate. It causes rejuvenation of tissues and organs.

Stem cell therapy can:

• Provide powerful abilities
• Improve blood flow to stimulate the growth of new blood vessels
• Promote self-healing
• Prevent further premature damage to cells and tissues
• Reduce scars
• Control abnormal responses of the immune system

How does Stem Cells Treatment work?

Stem cell therapy is done in the following steps:

1. Stem cell extraction
2. Stem cell purification, concentration, and activation
3. And, Stem cell transplantation

Once transplanted, the stem cells mimic the action and function of the recipient site cells, allowing them to regenerate.

What conditions can be treated with stem cells?

Currently, stem cell transplants or bone marrow transplants have been conducted to replace cells damaged due to cancer or chemotherapy.

Umbilical cord blood cells have been used to treat blood disorders, such as leukemia and some other genetic blood diseases.

The use of stem cells is in the research stage as a therapeutic option for several diseases, including:

• Wounds
• Diabetes
• Spinal cord injuries
• Chronic conditions and Orthopedic injuries
• Cardiovascular disease
• Traumatic brain injury
• Erectile dysfunction

What are the challenges in stem cells treatment?

There are ethical and medical concerns to using stem cells. The medical concerns primarily relate to the recipient site not accepting the stem cells as intended, leading to infections or adverse side effects. The ethical concerns related to the use of embryonic stem cells are considered as the destruction of an embryo, or the modification of stem cells resulting in the creation of a manipulated cell type with adverse/ unknown consequences.

STEM CELL THERAPY AT AACSH

American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Hospital (AACSH) offers stem cell therapy for the treatment of hair loss, skin aging, scars & stretch marks, wrinkle fillers, knees & shoulders joints, and for treatment of sports & orthopedic injuries. The team of medical doctors and researchers at AACSH ensures that the stem cells are ethically obtained, purified, and used to provide effective results for all treatments.