by admin | Jul 13, 2018 | Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Stem Cell Therapy
Chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as systemic exertion intolerance disease, is a challenging condition for many patients, their families, and the doctors who care for them. The illness is difficult to diagnose since not all symptoms will appear in every patient. Some do experience feeling chronically fatigued yet may not have chronic fatigue syndrome.
Most patients with chronic fatigue syndrome have a sudden onset of fatigue that may occur soon after an infection, such as a cold, pneumonia, or mononucleosis. Patients with chronic fatigue syndrome usually experience overwhelming fatigue that may interfere with sleep and the ability to think and concentrate. Symptoms tend to get worse after periods of heavy physical activity, but may also occur after simply rising from a seated position or standing for a long period. Importantly, most patients with chronic fatigue syndrome began life with few or no symptoms. Many were previously high functioning in their daily lives who are now impacted by the symptoms they experience.
Just as chronic fatigue syndrome is difficult to diagnose, it is also difficult to treat. Not every treatment will work for every patient. In fact, there is no widely accepted, specific treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome. Treatment is mostly supportive and aimed at reducing symptoms. While many medications have been tried such as antidepressants, steroids, stimulants, vitamin B12, essential fatty acids (and many others), no drug treatment has been consistently successful at helping people with chronic fatigue syndrome.
A recent report by Akarsu and colleagues may offer some hope for people with chronic fatigue syndrome. Sixteen patients with confirmed chronic fatigue syndrome received 15 sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy over a period of three weeks. Each treatment was for 90 minutes in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Participants in the study agreed to stop all physical therapy or medication for chronic fatigue syndrome so that those treatments would not interfere with the results of the study.
The research group found that chronic fatigue syndrome patients tolerated hyperbaric oxygen therapy very well, and had no complications. In all measures tested, patients were significantly better after treatment than they were before hyperbaric oxygen therapy started. Specifically, patients had better scores on two clinical tests of fatigue (visual analog fatigue scale and the Fatigue Severity Scale) and in a quality of life assessment (Fatigue Quality of Life Score). The improvement in scores was not subtle—in each test, there was a clinically significant increase in the average score. The results showed that hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly and substantially reduced fatigue and improved quality of life in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome/systemic exertion intolerance disease. These results are incredibly encouraging since they indicate hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be an effective treatment for those battling chronic fatigue syndrome.
by admin | Jul 6, 2018 | Stem Cell Therapy, COPD, Stem Cell Research
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an incurable lung disorder which makes it difficult to breathe. It includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema and is characterized by a persistent cough and mucus production. While it is not curable, it can be managed through ongoing treatment to provide patients with effective symptom control and good quality of life. There are a few key types of lung damage that can occur in COPD:
- With emphysema, the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs are compromised. The walls of alveoli are stretched and actually cause the lungs to expand, which makes it more difficult for air to move in and out.
- In chronic bronchitis, the bronchial tubes are constantly inflamed, which limits airflow. In specific, the cilia (hair-like structures in the airways) become damaged. The airway can also become swollen and clogged.
- Refractory asthma is also marked by swelling of the bronchial airways. Even medications cannot reverse the swelling.
Here, we examine a form of COPD treatment which has been gaining attention recently.
Blood-Derived PRP
Blood-derived platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is increasingly being used to treat a broad range of conditions, including sports injuries and arthritis. The procedure is performed via intravenous blood extraction. After the blood cells are harvested, they are processed, and the platelets are separated from other blood components. With the higher concentration of platelets, the treated blood is then reinserted into the patient with the hopes of reducing inflammation and speeding up the body’s healing process.
The problem with blood-derived PRP is that the evidence illustrating the effectiveness of this treatment for COPD is lacking. While some studies have been performed and suggest the treatment’s ability to support hair regrowth and reduce osteoarthritis pain, the lack of definitive proof supporting PRP therapy’s ability to make a noticeable impact on COPD has spurred criticism.
A Better Alternative
Stem cell PRP takes PRP injections a step further by mixing platelets with stem cells to treat the structural airway issues present in all forms of COPD. In numerous studies, this approach has shown promise. Coupling blood derivatives with stem cell therapy have proven effective in tissue regeneration in areas like the knee and gums, for instance. In one report, researchers concluded that the therapy “offers a promising therapeutic approach that has shown potential in diverse degenerative lung diseases” based on findings across 15 separate studies.
Through traditional PRP treatment, platelets become 5-10 times more concentrated, or 150,000- 450,000 platelets per microliter. When combined with stem cells, however, they become supercharged and platelet counts are much higher. Because research suggests that the therapeutic level for platelet count should be closer to 1,000,000 per cubic milliliter, PRP and stem cells are far more powerful than PRP alone. Moreover, PRP therapy is derived from whole blood alone, meaning it contains very few CD34+ cells – the cells commonly found in the umbilical cord and bone marrow which have the greatest self-renewal capacity – if any.
With stem cell therapy for COPD, it is guaranteed that these cells will be introduced into the body in a higher concentration. They can then promote the healing process, replacing countless cells throughout the entire body, including the lung tissue.
by admin | Jul 11, 2014 | Stem Cell Research
As a patient, you may have been told that there wasn’t much to do for your chronic illness or pain. While some treatments can help to hold off the major symptoms, there wasn’t much hope for recovery. With the benefits of stem cell therapy, though, all of that changes. Stem cells allow for the treatments of symptoms on a level that is unmatched by traditional therapies. In fact, stem cells have many benefits to recommend them as a way to treat previously untreatable conditions.
Ethical Treatment
First, stem cell therapy is an ethical treatment. At Stemedix, we harvest the stem cells from the fat stores over your stomach or buttocks. None of the stem cells we use in treatment are taken from fetuses or any other unethical practice. This means that stems cells can be pursued without the worry of the ethics behind it, and it is much safer than using the cells harvested from other methods, including bone marrow.
Autologous Transplantation
Second, the transplantation is autologous. This means that the cells that are transplanted are your own cells. Your body is much less likely to reject these cells and cause a systemic reaction. The ability to replace your own cells after processing means that you will not have a rejection response, and this means you will have fewer concerns over the transplantation. One of the problems with stem cells from other sources is the immune system rejection and destruction of the tissue, but with our process, you will not have this problem.
Simple and Convenient
When compared to other methods, the mini liposuction and autologous transplantation are simple and convenient. In the past, cord blood was needed, and this meant that the sample had to be banked at birth for stem cells to be available. Then, a painful procedure to remove stem cells from the bone marrow in the pelvis was the accepted way to transplant stem cells. With the mini liposuction, the procedure is the same day and painless.
Treats Difficult Conditions
Of the benefits of stem cell therapy, another important one is that it is a viable therapy for difficult conditions. For instance, the current gold standard treatment for ALS merely helps to support the symptoms, not pose a cure. Stem cells, on the other hand, can go a long way toward reversing the effects of chronic, difficult to treat conditions. Although they do not pose a cure for any of these conditions, they actually help to reverse symptoms far more than traditional medical treatment. For conditions deemed untreatable, stem cell transplantation offers hope.
Positive Research Emerging
Stem cells are an emerging treatment, and studies into their efficacy have not yet been conducted. However, preliminary studies into the effectiveness of this treatment have shown promise. Of course, no large, double blind, peer reviewed study has been conducted, but the smaller studies have shown that stem cells can help with chronic problems. As the treatment becomes more mainstream, larger studies will be conducted. These studies will then show how beneficial stem cell transplantation is to the treatment of chronic conditions and help to bring the treatment out of the shadows.
Learn more about stem cell therapy for different conditions here.
by admin | Jul 10, 2014 | Stem Cell Research, Athletic Injury
Professional athletes put their bodies on the line all in the name of the game. From football to soccer, these men and women suffer some of the most severe musculoskeletal injuries that are seen in medicine today. Part of the athlete ethos is to get back on the field as soon as possible, and for that reason, more and more athletes are turning to autologous stem cell treatment. Whether it is for back problems or knee issues, professional athletes are willing to try this new technique to get back into playing form.
Payton Manning and Athlete Injuries
One of the most famous cases of athletes using stem cells to get back onto the field is Payton Manning. A quarterback in the National Football League, Manning suffered a number of hits that led to a herniation in one of the discs of his neck. Unable to throw, he sat out an entire season trying to rehabilitate his neck with surgeries and rest.
Unfortunately, none of these measure fully healed his neck, and before the next season started, Manning had stem cells injected into his neck to attempt to heal the disc and nerves. Soon after that, he began throwing again, and he is back to almost his original form as a player on the field. Where other medicine failed him, Manning found that the stem cells allowed him to recover more fully, and with this cutting edge treatment, he was able to continue on with his career.
How Stem Cells Help Athletes
Payton Manning isn’t the only athlete to use stem cells. In fact, many football players submit to this treatment every year in the hopes of healing their soft tissue injury. Soccer players the world over have even gone so far as to have their stem cells harvested from their bone marrow and banked should they ever need it. With most newer technologies, though, this is unnecessary as adipose derived stem cells can be harvested in larger quantities and administered all in the course of one day. As mini liposuction with adipose stem cell transplantation becomes more popular, more athletes will try it.
Most of the treatments that require stem cell transplants are stubborn and severe soft tissue injury. For instance, knee problems are huge in sports, and transplanting stem cells directly into the joint can help to heal ligaments and cartilage in ways that other treatments can’t. This can apply to any joint, such as the shoulder, elbow, or hip, and it is a common way stem cells are used in athletes. Another usage is for back problems. Again, the stem cells are transplanted directly into the problem disc, and it helps to heal the herniation, restoring function to the nerves.
The Future of Stem Cells in Sports Medicine
As stem cells become more accepted as a mainstream medical treatment, sports medicine will find more ways to use them. Instead of being an unusual treatment, it will become popular with athletes who can appreciate the speed of healing from stem cells and the specific targeting that stem cells allow for. Joint and back problems are increasingly becoming a problem for professional athletes, and it is only a matter of time before stem cell transplantation becomes the rule rather than the exception.
One place that stem cells may be able to help with sports medicine is in the controversial concussion issue. From repeated blows, many athletes experience multiple concussions, which can lead to brain issues later, such as Parkinson’s and dementia. Stem cells are helpful for these issues, as well, and perhaps using them can keep the brain deficits at bay for those who have been severely affected by concussions. It is yet another way that stem cells can benefit sports medicine and the men and women who take the field.
Find out more about stem cell treatment for sports and athletic injury.
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