Stem Cells For Arthritis

A patient who underwent stem cell therapy to treat his arthritic knee has proof in the form of MRIs showing how the adult stem cells helped his arthritis. Vassilis Ferentouros, a 49 year old man from Greece says he can feels no pain in his knee after the treatment that used stem cells taken from his hip.

Stem Cell Research Helps Arthritic Knee

Vassilis had arthritis, edema and osteonecrosis of his left knee.  MRI reports showed edema and an osteonecrosis of the femoral condyle.  Facing the prospects of an artificial knee, Vassilis looked at what stem cell research had to offer.  That was when he contacted the Xcell Center in Germany, a stem cell treatment center that uses only the patient's own stem cells.

Process of stem cells for arthritis

1. A small amount of bone marrow is drawn from the patient's hip
2. The stem cells are then separated from the bone marrow at the XCell-Center’s EU certified cGMP laboratory.
3. The adult stem cells are then injected into the affected joint- in Vassilis' case, his knee stricken with arthritis

MRI of Vassilis' Knee With Arthritis Before Adult Stem Cells

MRI of Vassilis' Arthritic Knee After Stem Cell Research and Treatment

Compare the amount of edema in the 2 pictures. See the edema (the white) in the first picture and then notice the lack of edema in the second picture. From the stem cell news article, Vassilis says --

The post-treatment MRI showed a distinct decrease of the subchondral edema. Prior to my stem cell treatment I was neither able to walk nor drive a car without pain medication. I immediately stopped taking the pain medication after therapy and my pain diminished. I was able to run 50 meters a few weeks ago, which is tremendous progress for me.

Speaking Perfect Sense On Adult Stem Cell Treatment

Currently, I am trying to lose the excess weight. To me stem cell therapy seemed like the best, last resort. Compared to the more invasive, time consuming, physically straining surgical options that were offered to me, stem cell therapy appears to be a minimally invasive, cost effective procedure that has brought me excellent results.

Interested in Stem Cell Therapy

If you are interested in this stem cell treatment for arthritis at the Xcell Center in Germany or perhaps adult stem cells for another condition, please write me an email at don@repairstemcells.org and put TREATMENT in the subject line and I will be happy to assist you.

Stem Cell Research Results In Muscular Dystrophy Treatment

In the latest victory for stem cell research, patients with Muscular Dystrophy have shown improvements after being implanted with adult stem cells.  Very recently, it was widely believed that Muscular Dystrophy or MD was even beyond the reach of stem cell therapy.  However, the good folks at ICM and MediStem led by Dr. Thomas Ichim and Dr. Neil Riordan are now changing the landscape of medicine as we know it.  They are proving once again that one should never say never in regards to the power of the adult stem cell.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Helped By Adult Stem Cells

Ryan Benton, 23 years old, was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy when he was very young.  Most people with Duchenne MD don't live past their 20's.  The disease had ravaged Ryan's muscles and had severely weakened him.  Luckily, Ryan's parents had grown up with Dr. Neil Riordan in Wichita and had a connection.  With nothing to lose and everything to gain, they traveled to Costa Rica where Dr. Riordan has set up his institute (and now in Panama too).

Dystrophen Levels Increase From Stem Cell Therapy

Ryan was the first MD patient to be treated  at the clinic.  His therapy consisted of him being injected with adult stem cells from donated umbilical cord blood.  No embryonic or placental stem cells were used! The doctors injected the cord blood stem cells into muscles all over his body- in 46 different places to be exact.  The results?  Incredible.

Before the Stem Cells:

1. Ryan's Dystrophen levels were between 0-5.  This is "normal" for a Muscular Dystrophy patient, but normally a person's dystrophen level should be between 50-100.
2. Lack of balance and endurance
3. Muscles had wasted away

After The Treatment:

1. Ryan's Dystrophen levels are normal-- NORMAL for a person without Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or MD!
2. Ryan's balance has improved and he doesn't get tired as easily.  He says he feels healthier.
3. Ryan has gained 30 lbs of muscle back

From the stem cell news article:

Dr. Riordan says he had already seen people with multiple sclerosis and spinal chord injuries drastically improve with his adult stem cell treatments but now--he sees great hope for MD patients has well.a

Since Ryan, three more MD patients have been treated at Dr. Riordan's clinic. They also report that they are seeing improvements. Dr. Riordan says he has not charged them or their families a dime because he says it is all about advancing the science to find a cure.

Stem Cell Pioneers

Bravo to Ryan and Dr. Riordan as they are true stem cell pioneers, each in their own unique way.  Ryan, for not giving up and being the first Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy patient to go to Costa Rica for the treatment and Dr. Riordan, for constantly coming up with new ideas and innovations in the stem cell research forum of medicine.

ISSCR Shame

It really is a shame that Ryan and Dr. Riordan have to go to Costa Rica to probably save Ryan's life. If there was no clinic in Costa Rica, Ryan would have no hope and no possible stem cell treatment and then almost surely death. Shame on Dr. Irving Weissman and his cronies at the ISSCR who would have given Ryan no hope and no treatment if it was up to them.

Treatment Information

If you are interested in this stem cell treatment for Muscular Dystrophy (MD) or perhaps for another disease or condition, please email me at don@repairstemcells.org and put TREATMENT in the subject line and we will assist you.   

Are Stem Cell Therapies A Scam?

Today, we have another article about patients who are going overseas for stem cell therapies that are not available in the United States due to the FDA's rigid and archaic regulations that continue to cost lives and keep patients in unnecessary pain under the guise of "protection."

Ejection Fraction From 39% to 62% - Must Be A Placebo Effect???

This stem cell research article features Dr. Zannos Grekos of Regenocyte who treats heart and lung patients.  The article starts with Howard Lindeman, a coronary artery disease patient who in his own words had "99.9% blockage everywhere"  We featured Howard before in this post about heart attack and stem cell research in which he said "I had the procedure done and since then, I've just been getting better and better and better. I'm going to be 58-years-old in May and I'm on my way to being 35 again,"

6 months after the stem cell treatment, tests show that Lindeman's ejection fraction, a measure of the heart's pumping capacity has gone from 39% all the way to 62%!

Next, the article features Barbara McKean, a COPD lung disease patient who was moving around pulling an oxygen tank 24/7  but now no longer needs it thanks to the stem cell therapy by Dr. Grekos. 

Cam Calls Scam On Stem Cell Treatment

What does Cam Patterson, M.D., director of cardiology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. have to say about this? 

"It's a scam," Dr. Patterson said. "I don't see any other way to characterize this."

"Keep in mind that the placebo effect is very powerful," Dr. Patterson said. "It can fool patients. It can fool other physicians, and it certainly doesn't surprise me at all that some people feel they've gotten better after they've invested an enormous amount of money, time and effort."

So, Lindeman's ejection fraction (a typical measurement for heart patients that the director of cardiology of UNC should be familiar with) has gone up from 39% to 62% and Cam calls it a placebo effect and scam??  And McKean who needed to pull an oxygen tank around with her and now no longer needs it and Cam calls it a placebo effect and scam? 

It is closed minds like Cam's that permeate throughout the medical establishment in the United States.  Cam closes his mind totally that this therapy can and does help people.  Are there unanswered questions about stem cell therapy? Definitely.  Is stem cell therapy a 100% cure? No.  Does it work all the time?  No. But we can say the same things about a "proven" angioplasty- which evidently wasn't helping Howard Lindeman.
 
However, there is enough evidence that adult stem cells can help dying patients like Lindeman and McKean, patients who didn't have the time for Patterson to declare that this is a "proven" treatment and had to do something and thus took educated risks. 

What a wonderful placebo effect!  Give me some of that placebo too.

One Doctor Is Convinced - More Needed

From the previous post on Barbara, the COPD patient:

Luckily, Barbara's doctor does not intentionally close his eyes to the obvious:

McKean's family physician, Dr. Robert Folsom, confirmed to CNN that she had been suffering for many years from an advanced state of COPD, an incurable lung disease. Folsom told CNN he was "quite incredulous" after seeing her condition improve.

Folsom, who said he has been McKean's family physician for many years, disputed any suggestion that her apparent recovery stemmed from a "placebo effect" -- an improvement sometimes seen in patients who are given an inert substance in clinical trials.

"I know about the placebo effect, and her improvement does not seem to be a result of that," he said.

More Doctors With Open Minds Needed

We need more doctors like Dr. Folsom who don't intentionally close their eyes when they see adult stem cells do the work that the drug companies' medicines can't. 

Hearing Loss Improved By Adult Stem Cells

Chloe Sohl, an 18 year old music student at the University of Arizona is reporting that her hearing loss has improved in both ears after her adult stem cell treatment.  The left ear improved 50% from being totally deaf and the right ear has regained almost all of her hearing back.

New Stem Cell Research Company In Town -RNL Bio

RNL Bio, a fairly new stem cell research company which has facilities in Seoul, South Korea, Los Angeles and Germantown, Maryland was responsible for this stem cell success story.  We covered RNL Bio before when they treated famous artist John Lawson Cullison Jr as seen in this stem cell video for his arthritis

Now, they have released this new lengthy stem cell news story:

Chloe Sohl, an 18-year old college student who majors in music at University of Arizona was suffering from autoimmune hearing loss since the age of 15. Although there is no known cause of her diagnosis, it is a serious disease that slowly damages the organs. Chloe's father, Dr. Bertram Sohl is a director of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Mary's Medical Center in Long Beach, California and her mother, Dr. Veronique Jotterand is an ophthalmologist and Vice Chief of Staff at Miller Children's Hospital in Long Beach, California. Even though Chloe's parents are medical doctors, they felt helpless and
devastated about their daughter's progressive condition. They tried every possible medication, but Chloe's condition got worse. The only options they had were for Chloe to use a hearing aid and for her to take medication to slow down her autoimmune system.

Ever since Dr. Sohl met Dr. Jeong Chan Ra, CEO of the firm, they began to see hope in Chloe's hearing. Dr. Ra established RNL Life Science in California to promote stem cell banking and to introduce the benefit of stem cell therapy through medical tourism. He held a seminar on April 20, 2009 with 30 doctors from Southern California on the topic of adult stem cell therapy in San Pedro, California. Among the attendees was Dr. Sohl, who was stunned at RNL BIO's achievements in stem cell therapeutics that was able to improve various conditions by stem cell treatment.

Update- Stem Cell Video For Hearing Loss

Jin Hong, the managing director for RNL Bio wrote us and brought attention to this fantastic stem cell video featuring Chloe and how her parents who are both doctors came around and tried the stem cell therapy that has improved Chloe's quality of life:

Principle of Stem Cell Therapy Explained

The principle of adult stem cell therapy is actually simple because it utilizes the natural healing ability of our own body. "Every part of our body already contains stem cells that play a key role in maintaining and repairing our own structural and functional system. Due to aging, the amount of stem cells decrease and that's why the time and ability to recover from cellular damage slow down and chronic and degenerative symptoms develop as time goes by. The principle of our stem cell treatment is to make enough amount of stem cells and to bring them back to the patient's own body. Surprisingly, we found that stem cell therapy has great potential to treat autoimmune diseases," explained Dr. Ra.

Process of Stem Cells

1. Chloe visited Dr. Won, a plastic surgeon in Los Angeles to harvest her fat tissue around her belly button in last June.
2. Then the tissue was sent to the laboratory RNL BIO in Germantown, Maryland, where they isolated stem cells, put them in liquid nitrogen shipper and transported them to RNL BIO in Seoul, Korea.
3. In Seoul, it took them a month to expand her stem cells to a sufficient amount enough to treat her hearing loss. Chloe's family planned a trip to Korea during their summer vacation. At last, on July 27, 2009, they visited Korea for two weeks.
4. The stem cell treatment took place in Japan -- 600 million cells were administered by three injections with 5 day intervals. The cells were injected into her veins and auditory system. Chloe's hearing was tested two months after the procedure was completed on October 16, 2009. The results were spectacular. The left side of her ear improved 50% from not being able to hear at all. The right side of her ear gained almost complete hearing.

Wonderful!  Spectacular!  And the fact that Chloe's parents are both prominent doctors (and they agreed to the treatment) makes it even more of a miracle.  Maybe the tide is shifting and the medical establishment is finally accepting that adult stem cells will NOT harm, but will only help as they did with Chloe's hearing loss.

The Faiella Family Has A New Book About Autism

Over the last two years, I have tried to follow the life of the Faiella family, mainly through their stem cell blog, but also through various news stories.  Matthew Faiella, a 9 year old boy,  born with autism, has two amazing parents who have tried to provide him with the tools to help improve his quality of life.  Namely, these tools have come from stem cell research using adult stem cells and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. 

Hard Work And Research

Now, the Faiella family has come out with a new book, titled Out of the Darkness, The Faiella Family's Journey to Recover their Autistic Son . In this book review, Kent Huckenlively, of  The Age of Autism website, summarizes the Faiella story about how Daniel (Matthew's father) working as a bellboy at a hotel, has worked so hard and done his research to provide Matthew with the adult stem cells and hyperbaric oxygen treatment that has changed Matthew in so many ways:

The prognosis given to their son (Matthew) a few months later was similarly grim.  He was diagnosed as severely autistic, flapping all day, and engaging in constant unusual vocalizations.  Even after years of ABA therapy he could only speak in two word sentences.  The doctor suggested institutionalizing him.  The book details many of the therapies they tried, but note that two seemed to work especially well for him, HBOT therapy and stem cells.

In November of this year the Faiella family will go down to Costa Rica for their fourth and they believe final stem cell treatment.  Matthew has made extraordinary progress and Daniel told me that when a local television reporter came over to do a story on them he could not believe Matthew had ever been autistic.  At most an outside observer would conclude he has some developmental delays.