THIS STORY I AM SHOWCASING TODAY  THIS POOR NURSE HAS TO GO TO GERMANY AND PAY OUT OF HER OWN POCKET (WHICH IS EMPTY) FOR A STEM CELL TREATMENT FOR HER HEART THAT IS NOT AVAILABLE IN GREAT BRITAIN AND THE BRITISH NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE REFUSES TO PAY FOR IT!

AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO RANT ABOUT THE SHORTCOMINGS OF A "FREE" HEALTH CARE SYSTEM SUCH AS THOSE IN GREAT BRITAIN OR IN CANADA, THIS BLOG IS ABOUT ADULT STEM CELLS.

WHEN YOU READ THE WHOLE ARTICLE YOU WILL FIND THE NURSE WAS TREATED IN GERMANY WITH ADULT STEM CELLS TWICE ALREADY FOR HER HEART CONDITION AND WAS VERY IMPRESSED WITH HER RESULTS:

The therapy involves taking stem cells from bone marrow in the hip, selecting the cells they need then passing them by catheter into the heart. The cells then grown back into the muscle wall and blood vessels, assisting the heart.

The treatment is not yet approved in the UK because it is considered too experimental, although St Bart's Hospital, London, has been running trials since 2003.

Joan underwent her first round of treatment at the Johann Goethe Institute in Frankfurt in early 2005. She paid £7,800 but the true cost was nearer £10,000 with expenses.

Before the procedure her heart was functioning at 16.5 per cent but this rose to 30 per cent afterwards.

She then had a second round of treatment in 2007 costing another £10,000, which lifted her heart function to 40 per cent.

Joan said: "The results from the previous sessions were brilliant and without the treatment I don't think I would be here. It makes the heart work much more efficiently.

"Before the first treatment I was housebound and couldn't do anything, but afterwards I felt fine. I had another round of treatment and again there was an improvement.

"I have a very good GP and cardiologist who supported my application, but the PCT says it does not meet their criteria.

"They have said it is an experimental treatment, but it is carried out in many countries.

"I know it is not a cure, but it does give me a lease of life and has already kept me going for three years."

NOW THE NHS REFUSES TO PAY FOR THIS 10000 POUND STEM CELL TREATMENT IN GERMANY. HOWEVER, I AM ASSUMING THE NHS WILL PAY (AND HAS PAID) MUCH MORE FOR HER TREATMENT- DOCTOR'S VISITS, MEDICINE, HOSPITAL FEES, OPERATIONS- BUT WHEN IT COMES TO A MINIMAL RISK, MINIMALLY CONTROVERSIAL TREATMENT SUCH AS ADULT STEM CELL THERAPY THAT IN THE LONG RUN WILL SAVE BRITISH TAX PAYERS THOUSANDS OF POUNDS (AND THIS IS JUST FOR ONE HEART PATIENT, THERE ARE THOUSANDS MORE LIKE HER OUT THERE),  THE NHS SAYS NO-  GO FIGURE!

THIS NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE ARTICLE HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD. THE AUTHOR GIVES MORE EVIDENCE OF THE BIAS AGAINST ADULT STEM CELL RESEARCH THAT IS ROBBING AMERICANS OF THEIR TAX DOLLARS. MEMO TO CALIFORNIANS- READ THIS ARTICLE AND SEE WHERE YOUR TAX DOLLARS ARE BEING SPENT:

UPDATE:  Sometimes I get so angry about the bias shown towards adult stem cell therapy that I forget why I started this blog in the first place.  I thank the adult stem cell awareness blog for reminding me -  this injustice against adult stem cell research and Dr. Lubin has a bright side in that it brought more attention to Dr. Lubin's success with sickle cell anemia:  if you or someone you know has sickle cell anemia, you should try to reach Dr. Lubin for a safe and probably effective therapy.  I suggest going to the website of the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute for more information.

When Dr. Bertram Lubin, head of the Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, applied for a $5 million facilities grant last fall from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to support his research on sickle-cell anemia, his colleagues thought the application was a slam dunk.

The CIRM the agency that distributes grants and loans under California's voter-approved $3 billion stem-cell initiative thought otherwise.

So, why was Lubin's application shot down?

Lubin's clinical data, in the opinion of his colleagues and independent observers, was solid. His request in response to an RFA for facilities grants was modest in comparison to the eight-figure grants the CIRM eventually approved. He just wanted to build new labs for the Children's Hospital. And Lubin is no second-string researcher: His work is supported by the NIH, and he has served on many NIH peer-review committees. Lubin's research, which focuses on adult stem cells derived from the placenta, could arguably translate almost immediately into therapeutic applications to the benefit of millions of black children who suffer atrociously from the effects of sickle cell anemia. About 1,000 babies a year are born with the genetic disease in the United States.

As it turns out, Lubin's work was faulted among other things, according to a summary on the CIRM website, for showing “no evidence of current use or planned expansion into the use of human embryonic stem cells.

This is a must read! Click Here to Read The Whole Thing

ANOTHER DOG SAVED WITH THE HELP OF STEM CELLS THANKS TO THE GOOD FOLKS AT VET-STEM.

THIS IS A FANTASTIC STORY BY THE WRITER, KEITH GOLDBERG. NOT ONLY DOES HE DESCRIBE A WONDERFUL FEEL GOOD STORY ABOUT HOW STEM CELL THERAPY IS NOW HELPING DOGS (AND CATS AND HORSES), BUT HE ALSO DESCRIBES THE STEM CELL PROCEDURE IN GREAT DETAIL AND HE DELVES INTO THE BACKGROUND OF VET-STEM AS WELL WHICH IS SOMETHING I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED ABOUT. MOST WRITERS WOULD HAVE JUST CONCENTRATED ON THE JOYFUL RESULTS OF THE STEM CELL THERAPY, BUT I GIVE A GOLD MEDAL TO KEITH GOLDBERG FOR GOING THE EXTRA MILE AND GIVING US A LITTLE MORE TO CHEW ON:

FIRST, THE FEEL GOOD STORY-

Six weeks have passed since Dasha's treatment. Her limp is just about gone. She no longer takes pain medication.

She's still working on climbing the stairs.

Her doctors say it will be several more months until they can see the treatment's full effect.

But when Anne Marie saw Dasha climb the fence one afternoon, she screamed with joy.

A neighbor had just stopped by, and the dog greeted her by putting her front legs on the backyard fence and standing on her hind legs the same legs she dragged around like anchors just weeks earlier.

"She's never done that before," Anne Marie says. "Every day, I see something new."

 Click here to read the whole article including the procedure and background information

I am officially opening my International Center for Adult Stem Cell Education (ICASCE). What is this you may ask? Read on my friends:

ICASCE was recently (April '08) founded to educate the American public on the potential of adult stem cells for diagnosing, treating, curing and preventing disease. Thousands of people are dying unnecessarily each month because they don't know there are adult stem cell treatments available. The fact is that adult stem cells offer promising prospects for effective treatments and possible cures for people with heart conditions, spinal cord injuries, and a host of incapacitating diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's." ICASCE was recently (April '08) founded to educate the American public on the potential of adult stem cells for diagnosing, treating, curing and preventing disease. Thousands of people are dying unnecessarily each month because they don't know there are adult stem cell treatments available. The fact is that adult stem cells offer promising prospects for effective treatments and possible cures for people with heart conditions, spinal cord injuries, and a host of incapacitating diseases such as diabetes, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's."

For more information, click here

A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO, THE STORY ABOUT THE WOMAN WHO "CHANGED HER BIRTHDAY" TO MATCH THAT OF THE WOMAN WHO DONATED HER BONE MARROW TO SAVE HER LIFE (SCROLL DOWN 2 POSTS) BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES.  THIS STORY ISN'T A SUCCESS STORY YET, BUT I HOPE THIS ONE WILL HAVE THE SAME HAPPY ENDING:

A couple whose daughter was born with brain damage hope to fly her to China for pioneering stem cell treatment.

Kelly Wright and Carmine Lane, of Southdown, were left reeling from the discovery that their daughter Abbie had been born with hydrocephalus, also known as water on the brain.

"One half of her brain is very damaged. She is also prone to infantile spasms.

"But the treatment might encourage some of the cells to regrow, which could help with her movement."

The Bieke Corporation Hospital in HangZhou - 112 miles from Shanghai - is the world leader in the use of stem cell technology to help, and in some cases cure patients with brain trauma.

MANY CHILDREN AND ADULTS HAVE TRAVELED TO THE SAME PLACE WITH SOME SUCCESSFUL RESULTS.  BEST OF LUCK TO THEM- DM

CLICK HERE TO READ THE SAD BUT HOPEFUL STORY