Tag Archives: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Why are Stem Cells Important?

May 3, 2015

What are stem cells, and why are they important?

Stem cellStem cells are very special, powerful cells found in both humans and also in other animals. Stem cells are the precursors of all cells in the human body. What makes stem cells special is that they are regenerative and malleable. They have the ability to replicate themselves and to repair and replace other tissues in the human body. Some tissues, like skin, need constant renewal, which could not take place without skin stem cells. Other stem cells repair damage to the body’s tissues, for example, rebuilding damaged or degenerating muscle tissue. New research also indicates that stem cell malfunction or damage may be responsible for certain cancers and even muscular-degeneration diseases like Muscular Dystrophy.

Stem cells differ from other kinds of cells in the body. All stem cells have three general features that make them different from other body cells. These features are: they are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods. They are unspecialized and they can give rise to specialized cell types. Stem cells are capable of dividing and renewing themselves for long periods. Unlike muscle cells, blood cells, or nerve cells which do not normally replicate themselves, stem cells may replicate many times, or proliferate.

The stem cells have a unique ability to divide and become more specialized cells forming cells like bone, blood, or muscle. It is this ability that makes them attractive agents in many areas of medicine. They can therefore be used to fight very many diseases in the regenerative medicine. Another advantage of stem cell therapy treatments is that autologous stem cell transport is made possible. This means that a person may be treated by doctors harvesting the stem cells from the patient and having the stem cells reimplanted into the same patient after finding out what was lacking in the patient. This reduces risks of infection as well as rejection which are helpful to the patient.

Importance of stem cells

the stem cells are very important cells in the body and have been since targeted for treatment of degenerative diseases. They have been called the center pieces of regenerative medicine. Medicine that involves growing new cells, tissues and organs to replace or repair those damaged by injury, disease or aging. there ability to proliferate into other cells of the body like the bone and muscle tissues have made them a priority in treatment of various degenative diseases like aging and even osteoporosis among others. here is how stem cells work in treatment of various diseases.

Rejuvenation– the stem cells can be used in rejuvenation process. through rejuvenation the bodies healing ability is boosted. Typically, the body is programmed to naturally repair itself that is why after you get a cut you can stay without going to hospital but still get healed within a very short time. However there other crucial organs that when damaged do not easily get repaired. When the body’s cells cannot get differentiated to give rise to new healthy cells and heal the damaged cell then there is a problem. According to Mayo clinic the cells that were once thought of as terminally differentiated including the heart, lungs and nerves which are more specialized are able to remodel as they possess ability to self-renew. However researchers are still working to come up with strategies through which the ability of these cells to self-heal can be enhanced.

Stem cellReplacement– here the stem cells can be used to replace the damaged cells.in degenerative diseases like osteoporosis the damaged tissues can be replaced with fresh stem cells that will proliferate into more functional bone issues and relieve the system of the damaged tissues. the stem cells can be transplanted in autologous manner where the stem cells will be harvested in the adipose or the bone marrow and be used to replace the affected cells in organ. with autologues stem cell transplant the issue of donor is not a problem neither are there issues of rejection nor the need for immunosuppression .

Regeneration- Through regeneration the stem cells are delivered to diseased tissues or organs, where they will ultimately restore tissue and organ function. This can be done through cell-based therapy or by using cell products, such as growth factors. Bone marrow transplants are an example of regeneration. Regeneration aims to awaken cells that are not functional or have malfunctions. With stem cell therapy there is hope for affordable healthcare solutions that heal the body whole without life threatening side effects.

Stem cells are a cutting edge

Stem cells are capable of self-renewing giving rise to several copies of themselves. They also have the capability of shifting shape and changing type, therefore they can be used to form the cells that are damaged and restore the functions of the damaged tissues. The stem cells can be used to replace the cells that have malfunctioned due to structural damage. The amazing part of the stem cell differentiation is that when a stem cell divides both the daughter cell and the parent stem cells have the potential to differentiate into different cells or to still remain as stem cells. Owing to this ability of stem cells to differentiate into more specialized cells, they can rebuild lost blood vessels, reverse scarring, regenerate damaged nerves, and bring back the healthy you.

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Stem cell therapy has a lot to offer to patients, Visit us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) an expert in integrative and regenerative medicine will be able to help.

What are stem cells, and why are they important?

 

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Treating Diabetes With Stem Cells

May 2, 2015

Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes

DiabetesDiabetes is a serious disease that has continued to debilitate the human race. This disease comes in two forms namely the diabetes type 1 which is also known as juvenile and the type 2 diabetes which is also known as adult diabetes. The type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder which occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and kills the beta cells of the pancreas. When this happens the release of insulin in the body will be interfered with adversely. Consequently, sugar builds up in the blood instead of being used as energy. About five to 10 per cent of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes generally develops in childhood or adolescence, but can also develop in adulthood. Type 1 diabetes is always treated with insulin. However some dietary approaches can be used to help in keeping the sugar level right.

Diabetes is one of the top ten leading causes of death worldwide according to a recent WHO report; in 2012 the global prevalence of diabetes was estimated to be more than 10% among adults. The most prevalent type of diabetes is the type 2 and it is rampant in adult population. Diabetic patients develop hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, which account for high rates of morbidity and mortality among adult patients. In the past treatment of diabetes has been marred by different factors, oral medications that were the major form of treatment are not as effective as after sometime the patient may develop insulin dependence. Oral insulin medication is also not so effective since exogenous insulin cannot provide the tight glycemic control exerted by the pancreas-derived insulin secretion. Researchers consequently have been prompted to come up with better ways of addressing this menace. Stem cell therapy is the new effective way that is hoped to save the human race. It works by replacing the damaged cells and normalizing the blood sugar level.

Autologous stem cell transplant for treatment of diabetes

The stem cells are very important owing to their crucial functions in the body. These cells are present in the bone marrow and in the adipose tissues. Owing to their ability to form other cells and tissues, they can be harvested from either the bone marrows or the adipose tissues and be used to heal or replace cells in the affected places. When the harvest of the stem cells is done from the patient’s own body and the used within his body then it is called autologous stem cells transplant. Autologous stem cell transplant is safer since the cells are from the body and therefore there is no risk of them getting rejected neither to induce unpleasant allergic reaction nor require need for immunotherapy. The autologous stem cell therapy can be used to replace the affected cells and help restore proper functioning.

In autologous stem cell transplants, the doctors use peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. With peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, the stem cells are taken from blood. The growth factor G-CSF may be used to stimulate the growth of new stem cells so they spill over into the blood. G-CSF is a protein that is produced naturally in the body. The blood is removed from a vein and passed through a machine that separates the stem cells. The machine then returns the remaining blood through a needle in the person’s arm or through a central venous catheter. This way of collecting stem cells is called apheresis

Using mesenchymal cells yields best results

DiabetesBefore the use of autologous stem cell transplant, the islet transplantation was majorly used in cell based therapy for diabetes treatment. This method however successfully used in the past has its own disadvantages. Its major pitfalls included the following; limited donors, graft rejection, the need for continued immune suppression and exhaustion of the donor cell pool. To help fill these pitfalls that made this treatment unpleasurable, researchers targeted the stem cell therapy as a better alternative and they were not wrong, it has been noted that the stem cell therapy works better for diabetic patients who fail to control hyperglycemia even with insulin injection. This is because autologous cells are readily available and do not entail prolonged hospital stays or sustained immunotoxic therapy. Among autologous adult stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells therapy has been applied with varying degrees of success in both animal models and in clinical trials.

The cell based therapies had been introduced in treatment of diabetes for diabetes mellitus and it surely achieved success. It involved the use of islet transplantation. It was so successful especially in treatment of diabetes type 1 but it had some other failures that could not be overlooked and it’s these failures that are now addressed by the stem cell therapy. Stem cell therapy is a solution to some of the drawbacks of islet transplantation especially the shortage of donors. Autologous stem cell therapy allows for a person’s on organs to be used in the transplant.

The mesenchymal stem cells are used as they are able to proliferate and form new more effective cells replacing the damaged cells. They are mostly harvested in both the bone marrow and the adipose tissues where they are available in the highest amount. The mesenchymal stem cells help maintain the capacity of multilineage differentiation potential, both within and across lineage barriers. They are easy to cultivate and expand, and maintain pluripotentiality after prolonged culture conditions.

Diabetes is a killer disease; visit us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) an expert in integrative and regenerative medicine will be able to help.

Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes

 

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Stem Cell Therapy Is Non-Invasive Safe and Gives Fast Results

March 4, 2015

Stem Cell Therapy Is Non-Invasive Safe and Gives Fast Results

Stem cell therapy is an option to patients with degenerative diseases but would rather have treatments that are non-invasive. in fact the very nature in which stem cells work makes it a better option to patients as it has few risks and side effects are rarely life threatening (if there is). The stem cell therapy is applicable to those fighting aging, autism, diabetes, orthopedic conditions among other diseases. autologous stem cell transplant allows the cells harvested from a patient to be used in the same patient in fact on the day, this is because the mesenchymal stem cells that have the ability to form more differentiated cells like bone cells , liver cells, heart cells, muscle cells among other are available in enough amounts in the adipose tissues as well as in the bone marrow therefore there is no need to keep the harvested cells in the petri dish in the laboratory to be cultured so as to be able to serve a desired purpose. They can be harvested on the same day and be reimpplanted into the target area in the patient’s body on the same day. Autologous stem cell transfer is a safe and effective procedure and strategy to treatment of diseases since the cells used are from the patient and therefore there is no risk of donor shortage, donor morbidity, cell rejection and even contacting diseases from the donor.

stem cell therapy

Autologous stem cell therapy is non-invasive and gives fast results

Autologous stem cell transplant refers to a case where the stem cells harvested are from the patient to be treated. Normally, the body has stem cells in the bone marrow, in muscle tissues and also in the adipose tissues.  These stem cells turn into red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets to help your body stay healthy. However there are situations when the amount of stem cells in the body is not enough to keep you healthy. This may be caused by some diseases like multiple myeloma or by aging. When this happens there will be need for supplementing the amounts of the stem cells so that they can be able to offer protection to your body. This calls for stem cell transplant which may be done by placing healthy stem cells in the patients’ body through an IV to restore the normal functions of the stem cells. At times the stem cells may be harvested from outside the body especially from placentas after successful normal delivery, but mostly the stem cells are harvested from the patients’ body since autologous transplant is safer and time saving. Autologous stem cell transplant is safer since the cells are from the body and therefore there is no risk of them getting rejected neither to induce unpleasant allergic reaction. Autologous stem cell transplantation may provide the best outcome for patients, since autologous cells are readily available and do not entail prolonged hospital stays or sustained immunotoxic therapy. Among autologous adult stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells therapy has been applied with varying degrees of success in both animal models and in clinical trials.

Stem cell therapy tackles myriads of ailments

The medicinal properties of the stem cells have seen it being used for treatment of myriad ailments or as therapy for many diseases that are not even treatable. for the cases of these diseases that are not treatable the stem cell therapy helps to alleviate on the dangerous symptoms of the diseases and offer comfort as well as lengthen the lives of those who are victims of these diseases. needless to mention , the stem cell therapy has become a crucial component of regenerative medicine with many researchers still working around the subject to find out how its applicability can be useful in treating lifestyle diseases that have become a problem to this generation and many generations to come. The stem cell therapy has been proposed as an effective therapy in cases of autism, diabetes, arthritis and cancer among other diseases.

Mesenchymal stem cells holds key to regenerative medicine

Stem cell therapyResearchers have found a specific stem cell type to be very important in stem cell therapy to fight aging and other degenerative diseases as well as orthopedic conditions. These stem cells that are considered to be the most important are known as the mesenchymal stem cells.  The Mesenchymal stem cells are found in the bone marrow, the circulating blood as well as in adipose tissues. Mesenchymal stem cells are the most important stem cells for orthopedic purposes as they help to   repair and replace damaged tissues hence restoring the cell functions.

The Mesenchymal stem cells are very helpful, however as a person ages the number of mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow gets depleted and this is what results in aging and increases a person’s chances of suffering from joint diseases and other orthopedic conditions. It is therefore very logical to go through a stem cell therapy as an anti-aging procedure that will also help on mitigating on the adverse effects of aging. Today these stem cells have now become an integral part of regenerative medicine. there is a lot that can be done with stem cell therapy, Visit us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) an expert in integrative and regenerative medicine will let you know how you can benefit from stem cell therapy.

Stem Cell Therapy Is Non-Invasive Safe and Gives Fast Results

 

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Stem Cells For Relieving Chronic Pain

March 3, 2015

Relieve Chronic Pain without Surgery with Stem Cell

Chronic pain can make your life unbearable. No one wants to be maimed by chronic pain. However there are conditions that may enslave you to chronic pain. Diseases such as cancer and arthritis are known to cause unbearable pains that must be mitigated failure to which the pain may beckon some other grievous conditions that may shorten your life in the long run. There has been various ways through which patients have been put on programs that help them mitigate on the effects of chronic pain. Some of the most common avenues through which chronic pain is managed are through the use of pain drugs such as the opioids. However the use of these drugs also poses a great challenge as the patient may become dependent on them and they can also be easily abused leading to addiction among other problems associated with narcotic drug use.  Apart from the use of these opioid to manage chronic pain there are also circumstances that a chronic pain patient may have to be put to surgery to help reverse the chronic pain and restore normal tissue functioning.

Well, today there are leading regeneration centers that have understood that there must be a better way of dealing with chronic pain. the frustrations that patients go through in search of a better treatment for their pain has put scientist on their heels, researching on better ways that are not only effective but also affordable. Today most regeneration centers dealing with chronic pain are focusing on providing innovative stem cell treatments to our patients in order to reinvigorate their quality of life without complex surgery that most patients maimed by chronic pain dread. With advanced technology, chronic pain patients are getting better treatment that is less invasive by the use of stem cell therapy.

chronic pain

Stem cell therapy can help in controlling your pain

Stem cell therapy is a highly beneficial treatment that aims to assist patients who typically suffer from chronic pain, take back control of their lives. Stem cells have contributed to the healing process of various patients with medical conditions that resulted in damage to the joints or nervous system. You will however need to find a reputable hospital or doctor who has experience in treating chronic pain with stem cell therapy to help you take back control of your life. Generally, the use of stem cell therapy in pain management has seen many patients of pain for example those maimed by osteoarthritis, back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, knee joint pain and rotator cuff syndrome get relief from pain and improve quality of their lives. Stem cell therapy is yet to replace the old ways of managing pain such as use of opioids that may make the patient addicted to them in the long run and surgery that is dangerously invasive and cause myriads of discomfort. Today, reputable doctors are utilizing stem cell therapy for patients suffering from osteoarthritis, neurological diseases and degenerative conditions. The pain treatment is now aimed at reducing pain, increasing strength, increasing flexibility, increasing mobility and energy of chronic pain patients that suffer from these conditions.

How is it done?

Chronic PainAs mentioned earlier, the stem cells are responsible for healing of the body, the body needs to have enough of these stem cells to be able to heal incases of acute pain. However the stem cells may get diminished as a person ages there by utilizing the power of stem cell therapy, the patient’s own stem cells can be harvested and injected right into the area where they are most needed. The process involves isolating these stem cells from a sample of the patient’s blood, bone marrow or adipose tissue and injecting them into the damaged body part to promote healing. Platelet-rich-plasma (PRP), a concentrated suspension of platelets (blood cells that cause clotting of blood) and growth factors, may also be used to assist the process of repair. The stem cell therapy works to repair the damaged tissues by utilizing the healing ability of undifferentiated cells that form all other cells in our bodies.

Before, the harvesting of the stem cells that are to be used in the treatment, a doctor will apply a local anesthetic in the area from which these stem cells will be harvested. After which, about 30-60cc of bone marrow stem cells or about 20cc of adipose-derived stem cells is extracted. What follows is separation of stem cells and the platelets from the rest of the body by the help of a centrifugal machine. Finally, the    Healthy stem cells and growth factors are then injected directly into the damaged area where they facilitate healing of the damaged tissues. After this stem cell injection, PRP injection may also be given after four to six weeks should there be need.

At AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we assist a wide variety of patients who suffer from chronic pain with our stem cell therapy. Chronic pain can be overbearing, draining, and leave you feeling hopeless. That’s why it’s important to remember that there is help available at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center. Our lead doctor, Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) has a vast experience in the field of integrative medicine that pain patients can tap on for their own good. Call on her today at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and find out how she can harness the power of stem cell therapy to help you win back control of your life.

Relieve Chronic Pain without Surgery with Stem Cell

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Safe Autologous Stem Cell Transplant for Diabetes

March 1, 2015

According to a recent WHO report, diabetes is one of the top ten leading causes of death worldwide; in 2012 the global prevalence of diabetes was estimated to be more than 10% among adults. The most prevalent type of diabetes is the type 2 and it is rampant in adult population. It is reported that diabetes is the leading cause of renal failure and blindness in developed countries, a person suffering from diabetes also has high chances of having a limb amputated. The risk of limb amputation is 10 times higher in diabetic patients. It is also known that most diabetic patients develop hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, which account for high rates of morbidity and mortality among adult patients. Most patients receive treatment through oral medication but this is also dangerous since after sometime they become insulin dependent. Oral insulin medication is also not so effective since exogenous insulin cannot provide the tight glycemic control exerted by the pancreas-derived insulin secretion. Due to these myriad problems stem cell therapy can be very useful in replacing the affected cells and restore normal cell function normalizing insulin levels in the long run.

What is autologous stem cell transplant?

The body has stem cells in the bone marrow, in muscle tissues and also in the adipose tissues.  These stem cells turn into red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets to help your body stay healthy. However there are situations when the amount of stem cells in the body is not enough to keep you healthy. This may be caused by some diseases like multiple myeloma or by aging. When this happens there will be need for supplementing the amounts of the stem cells so that they can be able to offer protection to your body. This calls for stem cell transplant which may be done by placing healthy stem cells in your body through an IV to restore the normal functions of the stem cells. at times the stem cells may be harvested from outside the body especially from placentas after successful normal delivery, however when this stem cells are sourced from within the body of the patient then it is referred to as autologous stem cell transplant. Autologous stem cell transplant is safer since the cells are from the body and therefore there is no risk of them getting rejected neither to induce unpleasant allergic reaction.

autologous stem cell transplant

How stem cells collected

In autologous stem cell transplants, the doctors use peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. With peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, the stem cells are taken from blood. The growth factor G-CSF may be used to stimulate the growth of new stem cells so they spill over into the blood. G-CSF is a protein that is produced naturally in the body. The blood is removed from a vein and passed through a machine that separates the stem cells. The machine then returns the remaining blood through a needle in the person’s arm or through a central venous catheter. This way of collecting stem cells is called apheresis. In adults, most autologous transplants use stem cells from blood. In a child, the decision whether to use cells from the bone marrow or the blood depends on the size of the child.

Mesenchymal stem cells work best for diabetes

In the past cell based therapy as used in treatment of diabetes began by use of islet transplantation have been successful in providing a source for insulin secreting cells. However this method has had its share of failures and disadvantages that created a vacuum that doctors hoped to be filled by a better cell based therapy. Some of the downs of the islet transplantations included; limited donors, graft rejection, the need for continued immune suppression and exhaustion of the donor cell pool. the search for a more reliable and sustainable source of insulin secreting cells made stem cell therapy a target as a promising alternative for islet transplantation in  diabetic patients who fail to control hyperglycemia even with insulin injection. Autologous stem cell transplantation may provide the best outcome for those patients, since autologous cells are readily available and do not entail prolonged hospital stays or sustained immunotoxic therapy. Among autologous adult stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells therapy has been applied with varying degrees of success in both animal models and in clinical trials.

autologous stem cell transplantCell-based therapies for diabetes mellitus had achieved lots of success with the application of islet transplantation from cadaveric donors, and the success of the Edmonton protocol back in 1999. Despite the success of islet transplantation in fighting diabetes more so for type 1, there were some drawbacks for example there was need to use immunosuppressive regime so as to favor graft acceptance and prevent rejection. It is with these loopholes that researchers sought to find better treatment with mesenchymal stem cells. Stem cell therapy is a solution to some of the drawbacks of islet transplantation especially the shortage of donors. Autologous stem cell therapy allows for a person’s on organs to be used in the transplant.

In autologous stem cell transplant the most effective mesenchymal stem cells are used to differentiate into insulin producing cells. The mesenchymal stem cells can be harvested in the bone marrows or in the adipose tissues where they are found in plenty. The mesenchymal stem cells have very many advantages when used as they have a high capacity to self-replicate and differentiate to bone and fat-forming cells and other tissue cells. They maintain the capacity of multilineage differentiation potential, both within and across lineage barriers. They are easy to cultivate and expand, and maintain pluripotentiality after prolonged culture conditions. For more information on diabetes, Visit us at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Centre at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) an expert in integrative and regenerative medicine will be able to help.

Safe Autologous Stem Cell Transplant for Diabetes

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