Stem Cell Therapies

Although a great deal of research is being carried out on stem cell therapies many countries have put a ban on treating people using stem cells. People that are interested in having this form of treatment are therefore forced to go abroad to places where there are no restrictions. One such place is China. China appears to be at the forefront of stem cell therapies and research.

Stem cells have been used to treat conditions such as alzheimers, arthritis, ataxia, autism, batten disease, brain injuries, diabetes, epilepsy, eye diseases, hearing problems, heart disease, huntingdons disease, hydrocephalus, kidney disease, liver disease, lung disease, lupus, leaukaemia, mulitple scelrosis, muscular dystrophy, parkinson’s, stroke, spinal cord injury, respiratory disease, spina bifida etc.

There are many testimonials and accounts of patients experiences such as the one below on the China website.

“Kevin Maxwell, 37, Australia

Condition

Primary – Coronary Artery Disease

Secondary – Type I Diabetes, degenerative eye disorder

Reason for Coming for Treatment

Kevin’s primary reason for seeking out stem cell therapy was his heart’s rapidly decreasing ejection fraction following a heart attack and a diagnosis of coronary artery disease with several blockages. Just following his heart attack, his Australian physician looked at his rate of decline and gave him eight months to live. Kevin was quickly put on an a transplant list but was told to expect to wait seven to eight years before a donor heart would be available. Kevin’s heart disease is a complication of his Type 1 Diabetes. He is insulin-dependent and before stem cell therapy received 4 to 6 injections of insulin per day. Kevin knew that the stem cell therapy wasn’t capable of curing his heart disease or Diabetes but hoped that it could improve his ejection fraction and overall health of his heart.

Treatment in Thailand

Shortly after Kevin’s heart attack he received a round of autologous stem cell injections (extracted and expanded from his own bone marrow) in Thailand. After the therapy he saw a marked improvement in his heart’s ejection fraction–rising from below 20% to over 50%. Two years later his doctors noticed his ejection fraction slipping again. He also saw a significant reduction in his insulin requirements with fewer swings and requiring half as much insulin as before.

Treatment in China

With his heart’s ejection fraction slipping, Kevin chose to come to China to receive Beike’s umbilical cord blood stem cells at Bethune International Peace Hospital in Shijiazhuang. Just prior to his surgery he developed a bleed in his left eye associated with a degenerative eye disorder related to his Diabetes. He chose to forego surgery on the eye in the hope that the stem cell therapy might provide some benefit to his vision as well. His cardiologist agreed to perform a challenging stent implantation during which he received direct injections of stem cells into his heart wall via catheterization. He also received three stem cell injections via IV. He stayed in the International Patient ward at Bethune for two weeks during the therapy.

Condition After Treatment

Immediately following surgery, Kevin noticed that the bleed in his eye had stopped. The cloudy vision brought on by the bleed cleared up over the next few days. In the first few days after the surgery he found his fatigue was reduced and his energy levels increased. With more energy available now he is finding it easier to strengthen his heart. He now takes only two insulin injections (Humalog) rather than he 4 to 6 he took prior to stem cell therapy. He is hopeful that the reduction in his insulin requirements will pay off in fewer degenerative effects.”

There are many such testimonials on the web site so no doubt stem cell therapies have helped many people. As always do your homework to find out about any negative aspects before deciding to go ahead with any new therapy.