Multiple Sclerosis Cured in Canadian Patient After Stem Cell Treatment

Alex Normandin, 26, of Montreal, Canada has been cured of his Multiple Sclerosis following the implantation of his own Adult Stem Cells. The stem cell therapy was done in conjunction with a research program in Ottawa with Dr. Mark Freedman.

A medical student, Alex was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than 2 years ago and was distressed to learn that he had the aggressive form of MS and was on track to be in a wheelchair in a matter of months.

Process of Stem Cells for Multiple Sclerosis in Canada

Luckily, he was accepted into Dr. Freedman's stem cell research program at Ottawa General Hospital. In this stem cell program, the patient is first given chemotherapy to kill off the immune system. Then, the stem cell transplant takes place to "reboot" the immune system.

From the stem cell article:

Normandin became patient 19. His transplant took place in December 2008. It worked.

Not only does the disease appear to have stopped its progression, but Normandin says he feels his co-ordination and strength improving.

Normandin is buoyed by the treatment's eight-year track record — none of the 24 patients have suffered a relapse or a brain lesion. (The article fails to mention the one patient who died from the chemo)

Stem Cell Therapy in China Quote Remembered

Readers of this blog may remember Dr. Freedman from this Multiple Sclerosis Stem Cell post in which he commented on stem cell therapy in China:

Dr. Freedman is concerned that patients are forking over large amounts of money for unproven treatments like this, especially when there is no follow-up care or monitoring when they get home.

“It’s dangerous in the wrong hands,” he said. “The only reason these places could be in existence is to take people’s money and offer them something that’s unproven.”

I called that the "Most Hypocritical Statement So Far in 2009" then, and I will stick to that for the following reasons:

1. Chemotherapy is dangerous.  1 of Dr. Freedman's patients died while receiving it before the stem cell transplant- to call another treatment dangerous (which doesn't use chemo, by the way) is hypocritical.


2. He says the therapies are unproven and only in existence to take people's money-  however, in this article- it is revealed not only is his own treatment unproven, but it also is not free, in fact, far from free- "The trial procedure costs would be about $50,000 to $60,000 per patient."  (A reader has since wrote in and says the Canadian Government pays for this treatment)
   

Actually that cost is more than other stem cell therapies in Costa Rica and China that we have covered in here (both are around $25-30,000) and do NOT use chemo.

So for those people who say that stem cell therapy overseas is very expensive-- just look at Canada, or for that matter, look at Dr. Richard Burt's multiple sclerosis study at Northwestern University in Chicago.  The cost for one multiple sclerosis patient is $90,000

I'm directing  this at critics who always point out that overseas stem cell therapies are expensive and dangerous rather than pointing out the "arrogance" of Dr. Freedman, who as far as I can tell is truly helping Multiple Sclerosis patients although he probably shouldn't be opening his mouth about other stem cell treatments.

Stem Cell Treatment By The People, For The People

And yes, all of  these stem cell treatments in Canada, USA, Costa Rica, and China are "unproven" in the eyes of the medical world and the New England Journal of Medicine, although they all are proven in the eyes of the patients who receive the Adult Stem Cells whether they are in the form of umbilical cord stem cells (China), mixture of stem cells from the patient's fat and cord blood stem cells(Costa Rica) and/or Adult Stem Cells given in the form of a stem cell transplant after chemotherapy (Canada, USA).   They all seem to work most of the time FOR THE PATIENTS NOW and that is what is important. Making Multiple Sclerosis patients wait for 10 years or so for the endless cycle of clinical trials in the US and Canada to end just so their doctors can see the words "proven" in a study is a travesty.

The Emergence of the Internet and Self Directed Healthcare

We can ask Jason Upshaw and friends about stem cell therapy in Costa Rica. Or, we can ask Betty Helm about how stem cell therapy in China worked for her MS. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, patients now have a bigger say and more access to information than ever before.

Dr. William Davis at the Heart Scan Blog has a great post on how health care is changing. Much like stockbrokers have disappeared due to online companies like E-trade and Ameritrade, patients can now take a more self directed approach to their health thanks to the internet.

Stem Cell Research Already Paying Dividends in Colorado

Dr. Christopher Centeno, a pioneer in stem cell research in Broomfield, Colorado is now treating patients with osteoarthritis, joint pain, knee injuries and non-healing broken bones at his clinic using the patient's own Adult Stem Cells to repair the damage.

Goodbye Ankle Surgery- Stem Cell Treatment Instead

Hal Kaye, an accountant who loved sports had endured four difficult ankle surgeries trying to repair a damaged arch sustained 15 years ago. The four surgeries had almost crippled him and the last surgery had caused his bone to in his ankle to die due to an artery dying off.

For Hal, an avid golfer, his quality of life had deteriorated. Hal said,"Golf was done in a cart with a handicap flag on the cart with a cane hanging from my golf bag.”

Facing an ankle fusion as a fifth surgery, Hal decided to change things up and try to heal himself using his own Adult Stem Cells implanted by Dr. Centeno.

From a cane to running again after Adult Stem Cell treatment

2 months after having his own stem cells implanted, he didn't have to use his cane anymore. Later, after 2 more injections of his own Adult Stem Cells, Hal was running again, “I got on my treadmill and did my first mile where a year before that, 100 yards was a job,”

From the stem cell article: For now, the Regnexx treatment is strictly used on some orthopedic patients, from osteoarthritis sufferers, to knee replacement candidates. Dr. Centeno said soon, adult stem cell treatment could replace orthopedic surgery altogether.

Centeno said he believes if the success of the treatment continues, health insurance coverage is not far off.

The Regenexx procedure is available in new treatments for the following bone and joint conditions:

* Non-Union Fractures
* Chronic Bursitis
* Chronic Bulging Lumbar Disc
* Thumb Surgery Alternative
* Shoulder Arthritis
* Moderate Hip Osteoarthritis
* Severe Hip Osteoarthritis
* Non-healing Fracture of the Arm
* Sacral Fracture (Tailbone)
* Knee Osteoarthritis - Cartilage Lesion
* Knee Osteoarthritis and Meniscus Changes
* Shoulder Rotator Cuff Tear
* Posterior Meniscus MRI
* Talar Dome MRI
* Ankle Talofibular Ligament Repair
* Non-Healing Fracture of the Foot

Stem Cell Doctors Taking on the FDA!

Dr. Centeno is also leading the charge in taking on the FDA's stance that a person's own stem cells are a drug.
He has formed a group of doctors AND a group of patients who are taking on the FDA. If you are an individual that is not a Doctor you can still get involved. ASCTA is focused on physician membership but there is a patient forum at www.safestemcells.org that you can get involved and ACT now! Please visit this patient site and contact the FDA and your congressman to tell them what you think.

Published Research Using Adult Stem Cells for Multiple Sclerosis

A stem cell research study showing that Adult Stem Cells taken from a patient's fat and then implanted back into that patient, helps improve their Multiple Sclerosis. The research study documented 3 case studies of Multiple Sclerosis patients.

Case Studies of Multiple Sclerosis Patients Implanted with Fat Stem Cells

Case Study #1- 50 year old man with Relapse-remitting MS:

Before the Stem Cell Therapy:

• Multiple Seizures


• Sexual Dysfunction


• Significant Memory Loss


• Taking Multiple Medications- Solu-Medrol, Baclofen,
  Provigil, Tegretol, Trileptal, Tysabri, Vitamins, Omega-3 and Zanaflex

After the Fat Stem Cells were implanted:

• No more seizures


• Improved Sexual Function


• Improved Memory


• OFF ALL MEDICATIONS

Case Study #2- 32 year old man with Relapsing-remitting MS

This patient reported after the stem cell therapy and treatment that he now has:

1. Better Balance and Coordination


2. His Depression is gone


3. Significantly improved overall condition

Case Study #3- Man diagnosed in 1993 with Relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis
The patient was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in 1993, presenting symptoms were noticeable tingling and burning sensation in the right leg, followed by paraplegia lasting almost three weeks.

And after the Adult stem cell treatment?

His gait, balance and coordination improved dramatically over a period of several weeks. His condition continued to improve over the next few months and he is currently reporting a still continuing improvement and ability to jog, run and bike for extended periods of time daily.

You can see the full stem cell study here It is called "Non-expanded adipose stromal vascular fraction cell therapy for multiple sclerosis"

Celebrity Stem Cell Doctors Involved in this MS Study

Some of the authors of this paper are very notable.  For example, there is Dr. Amit Patel, an American cardiologist who is now doing a stem cell trial for the heart at the University of Utah.

Also, appearing as a collaborator on this study was Dr. Robert Harman, of San Diego, the CEO of Vet Stem, known for treating dogs and horse with fat stem cells.

Not to mention Michael Murphy, who I believe did the first trial in the United States treating peripheral vascular disease with Adult Stem Cells.

And I can't forget Neil Riordan and Thomas Ichim, the leaders of Medistem and  Cell Medicine in Costa Rica that is responsible for helping so many multiple sclerosis patients.

Here is the full list:   Neil H Riordan, Thomas E Ichim, Wei-Ping Min, Hao Wang, Fabio Solano, Fabian Lara, Miguel Alfaro, Jeorge P Rodriguez, Robert J Harman, Amit N Patel, Michael P Murphy and Boris Minev.

Special Note-
EFFECTIVE APRIL 15, The Repair Stem Cell Institute has named Cell Medicine, which is Dr. Riordan's and Dr. Ichim's clinic in Costa Rica as it's 8th recommended stem cell treatment center (out of about 200 in the world).

Stem Cell Research Yields Benefits for Broken Bones

Stem Cell researchers have discovered that a drug for osteoporosis actually has a positive side effect- it can speed up the healing of bone fractures or broken bones by stimulating the patient's own Adult Stem Cells.

Teriparatide- Now a Stem Cell Drug

The drug is called teriparatide (Forteo) and it is a "fragment of parathyroid hormone that contains 34 amino acids rather than the 84 found in the naturally occurring substance."

Adult Stem Cell Research Results for Unhealed Bone Fractures

From the stem cell article:

In an observational study of 145 patients with slow-to-heal fractures, 93% had complete recovery within 12 weeks of starting treatment with teriparatide (Forteo), according to Susan Bukata, M.D., of the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, N.Y.

Within 12 weeks of starting treatment, 141 of the 145 patients no longer had pain at the fracture site, 135 had radiographic and clinical union of their fractures, and six had partial union of their fractures that clinically functioned as a healed fracture.

Only four had no improvement in pain or fracture union.

93%? Not bad.

You can find the full research paper on healing fractures here

How Do the Adult Stem Cells Work?

Dr. Edward Puzas, the lead investigator of the clinical trial for pelvic fractures said that teriparatide speeds up the healing of the broken bones by increasing the number of the cartilage and bone stem cells involved in the healing process.

He said "As a result, the callus forms quicker and stronger. Osteoblasts form more bone and the micromotion associated with the fracture is more rapidly eliminated," he said.

Fractures Healed- No More Pain

Susan Bukata, M.D., of the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester was also involved in the stem cell clinical study.

"I had patients with severe osteoporosis, in tremendous pain from multiple fractures throughout their spine and pelvis, who I would put on teriparatide," she said.

"When they would come back for their follow-up visits three months later," she said, "it was amazing to see not just the significant healing in their fractures, but to realize they were pain-free."

Old Bones Become Young Again Thanks To Adult Stem Cells

This is great news as the new stem cell drug would most benefit the elderly as it boosts the body's bone adult stem cell production to the point that adults' bones appear to heal at a rate typically seen for young kids ie. very fast. About 5% of fractures don't heal. There are approximately 6 million bone fractures in the USA every year so this stem cell drug should be able to help a lot of people- about 300,000 people.

Other Stories of Adult Stem Cells Helping Bone Fractures

Loraine Holland of England had her leg healed after her own stem cells were implanted

Also, Anthony Giancola of Australia had his broken leg healed after an Adult Stem Cell treatment as well

For those of you in the United States- I would suggest Dr. Christopher Centeno of Regenexx in Colorado where they also do a procedure that is probably much easier than taking teriparatide.

Stem Cell Therapy in Iraq

An English priest living in Baghdad, Iraq has had his own Adult Stem Cells used to treat his Multiple Sclerosis. Canon Andrew White, the vicar of St. George's Church in Baghdad was the recipient of this stem cell therapy to treat MS.

No Ethical Issues to Use His Own Stem Cells for Multiple Sclerosis

Andrew has a medical background and had helped establish the Bone Marrow Transplant Centre in Baghdad in 2001. He was good friends with Dr. Majid, the director of the center who saw that Andrew was suffering from the effects of his Multiple Sclerosis and approached him about using his own Adult Stem Cells for treatment.  Andrew had no objections or ethical issues about using his own stem cells and agreed to the stem cell therapy.

Process of Using Andrew's Own Adult Stem Cells

1. Both  his arms were cannulised


2. He was connected to the Blood Cell Separator


3. Blood was taken from one arm and the stem cells were removed and then the blood was returned through his other arm (took 2 hours)


4. Andrew's own Adult Stem Cells were injected into his spinal cord via lumbar puncture

From Andrew's Stem Cell post on his blog.

Good luck Andrew.  My best wishes to you. Since you used your own stem cells, you have nothing to lose- and much to gain.

Hopefully it will turn out well- like Jason Bradshaw, the Texas Sheriff who also had stem cell therapy for Multiple Sclerosis, albeit using a different technique- Adult Stem Cells taken from his fat and a mixture of cord blood stem cells too.