The Don Margolis Blog

In Utah, they are about to begin a trial that will have patients with peripheral vascular disease treated with their own adult (repair) stem cells.  The trial will be offered to patients who are "no-option," that is, they can't do an angioplasty, they can't do a bypass, the only option left is amputation.  Well now, thanks to Repair Stem Cell Therapy, there is another option- getting stem cell treatment using a patient's own stem cells.

Here is part of the article-

Can stem cells save patients from amputation?  (I can save somebody a lot of work- YES!! THEY CAN!!!- DM)

August 11th, 2008 @ 6:14pm

By Ed Yeates

Utah doctors want to know if a patient's own stem cells might save them from amputation. (Memo to Utah Doctors- Yes, they can!!!- DM)

The University of Utah is starting a unique clinical trial using volunteer patients who are at a critical stage of their vascular disease.

Surgeons may have to amputate a limb for a number of reasons. Patients might be soldiers, or victims of an accident, or they might have what is called peripheral vascular disease. Diabetes, age, smoking, high cholesterol and genetics all play a role in how this disease blocks vessels going to the lower limbs. In critical stages, patients are at the end of their rope.

Stem cells from study volunteers will be brought to the University of Utah's cell therapy lab. There they'll be purified and concentrated. The cells will be drawn from the blood stream of patients who have been given a medication. That medication literally mobilizes the stem cells out of the bone marrow.

Once prepared in the lab, the concentrated cells go back to those same patients.

Dr. Kraiss said, "We're hopeful that taking a lot of these cells from the patient's own bone marrow and then injecting it into the areas where there's poor blood supply that these cells will basically manufacture new blood vessels."

Ok,  I have to be positive that this is a step in the right direction, albeit a tiny one and too slow for my (and millions of others suffering from Peripheral Vascular Disease) liking.  My goal at the Repair Stem Cell Institute is to make adult (repair) stem cell therapy available to all!

Click here to see the whole thing

It seems like everyday, they are finding a new way to use stem cell treatment.  Today, I have a story on repair (adult) stem cells being used for spinal fusion.  Chronic back pain affects millions of people around the world.  Sometimes, back surgery or "spinal fusion" is the only solution to their back pain.  Well, "spinal fusion" just got a lot easier thanks to stem cell therapy.  Quicker recovery time, less pain, and most likely a better outcome- what's not to like about repair stem cells?  Read on about this back patient, Leslie Mignona:

She decided on spinal fusion, which helps reduce nerve pain by stabilizing the spine.

But instead of the traditional approach, she opted for a new procedure using adult stem cells to fuse her spine together.

"I think it's extremely exciting," orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kam Momi said.

Momi said stem cells offer an alternative to traditional spine fusions, which are done using a patient's own bone.

"What we did was make a separate incision at the pelvis, scrape out bone from the inside of the pelvis, and pack that into the spine where we wanted it to go," Momi said.

With the new stem cell procedure, disc space is filled with a material called "Trinity." Trinity is a mixture of donated adult stem cells combined with crushed bone from a bone bank.

Once the material is in the spine, the cells go to work.

"They genetically turn on the switches to make bone cells, and eventually the bones fuse together," Momi said. (YES! Repair Stem Cells doing their job!- DM)

Recovery time is fast, lasting only about three months, compared to the year-long recovery associated with traditional fusions.

Click here to read the whole thing

While most of my stories focus on stem cell therapy in China, Thailand, Costa Rica, and the United States, we don't normally hear too much from our friends Down Under in Australia. Well, it turns out they are busy there too with adult stem cell therapy. In this successful trial, they treated patients who had non-healing bones with their own repair (adult) stem cells. Take a look at this:

A 36-YEAR-old man who suffered a badly broken leg that wouldn't heal is walking again without crutches after the successful trial of stem cells to repair non-healing bones.

A year after Anthony Giancola suffered a compound fracture of the leg in a motorcycle accident on New Year's Eve 2005, he was still unable to walk freely.

"I was 'egg shell walking' where I could only put light pressure on the ground," Mr Giancola said.

But within two weeks of being implanted with his own bone marrow stem cells from his pelvis in December 2006, the fracture was improving and he was able to attend a friend's wedding without crutches.

"There was no pain whatsoever and within two weeks I felt good," Mr Giancola said.

Eight of the 10 trial patients had complete unions in their fractures, including one man whose fracture had not knitted properly since his accident almost four years ago.

To read more about how repair stem cells heal broken bones, click here

Today, one of the Repair Stem Cell Institute's very own Scientific Advisory Board members is in the news.  Dr. Zannos Grekos, a cardiologist in Florida is helping heart disease patients with their own adult stem cells.  Dr. Grekos can help heart attack victims, congestive heart failure patients and coronary artery disease patients by treating them with stem cells taken from their own body.

Don't take my word for it, let's see what some of his patients had to say:

One year ago, Richard Rzaca was struggling just to do everyday tasks. He has had a near fatal heart attack and underwent 4 bypasses. Despite medications, his heart was getting weaker by the day.

Before the stem cells, Rzaca's heart was pumping at 25%. A few months later, it's at 73%.

"I was looking for help, and the good Lord sent me up here to see Doctor Grekos, and it was the best move I ever made in my life," said Rzaca.
A similar story for heart attack survivor Peter Holler, who underwent a quadruple bypass:

"The front part of my heart was dead from the original heart attack." Holler explained.

The portion of Holler's heart that had been dead, started pumping again after his stem cell treatment.

"No matter what the price is, you can't buy it," Said Peter Holler. "I call him the miracle worker."

And Dr. Grekos- what does he have to say?

"We improve their quality of life, we've reduced mortality," Dr. Grekos explained.

"We don't have any rejection, we don't have any disease, we have never seen an infection," said Dr. Grekos. 

"In the big picture it's a very low risk procedure with a very high upside on the benefits one can gain," explained Dr. Grekos. "Using adult stem cells is going to be the way that future physicians and maybe current physicians will be treating disease."

Dr. Grekos summarizes adult stem cell therapy perfectly- probable benefits, very little risk- improved quality of life.  Is that so hard to understand?

Click here to read the whole article

Two months ago, I wrote about two gentlemen who traveled to Costa Rica together to receive repair stem cell treatment for their multiple sclerosis.  Richard and Preston were treated in late May, 2008.  I first wrote about them here and then followed up with them last month(one month after their stem cell therapy) where Richard stated he has a lot more energy and is "still feeling better," and Preston stated he is "still feeling like a million bucks!" (click here to see last month)-  Now, after approximately two months after their stem cell treatment, I went to check their multiple sclerosis blog to see how they were doing:

From Preston: 

Others noticing an improvement

Something happened to me this past week. I went to eat with some friends and one person asked how I was doing after the medical treatment. I didn't have to answer because one of the other guys said, "He must be pretty good. He's not dragging his feet."

And from Richard:

Thursday I went back to the audiologist, and she reduced my hearing aid volume in my left ear down another level. That is 4 levels in the last 4 weeks.

The clinic again checked to make sure it was in complete working order, which it was, and basically they can't explain how someone's hearing can improve. The Lord can.

Go check out their blog for more great stuff like this and see how they are winning their battle with multiple sclerosis

Repair Stem Cells are at it again!  Today, I present Garrett Kaulbars, an 8 year old from Naples, Florida who was suffering from aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder.  Garrett needed a bone marrow transplant to save his life.  Luckily for Garrett-  he has a twin brother, Tanner,  who provided a perfect match of stem cells to implant into Garrett to help save him.  Now, Garrett is counting the days until he is allowed to leave the house so he can eat at Red Lobster, his favorite restaurant.  I suggest the garlic grilled jumbo shrimp Garrett.  I am happy you will be able to enjoy it  :):

Now, Garrett Kaulbars is counting the days until he can go to Red Lobster for seafood.

Not before Sept. 4, but afterward.

That's when the 8-year-old will hit the 100-day mark since his bone marrow transplant and he will be considered out of the woods.

His immune system should be strong enough by then that he will be able to leave the confines of his North Naples home.

Click here to read more about Garrett

The brave Goranflo family has two children suffering from Batten Disease.  Their daughter Hailey is in China right now and looks like she is improving less than half way through her full stem cell treatment.  And, the son Carter is waiting to see if he will be accepted into a new study at Cornell.  However, if he isn't, he is on his way to China as well to join his sister:

Positive news for the Goranflo family who has two children battling Batten's Disease.  Their daughter Hailey is in China and will receive her third stem cell treatment. But now her little brother Carter may not be headed to china to join her.  Instead, he might receive treatment in the United States.

 “When we first found out about the children having the disease we contacted Cornell and several others doing study trials.  Its called gene replacement therapy it's the cure for battens disease said Neil Goranflo, father of the two children.

Neil says Hailey is stronger and more alert, even talking after receiving only two of the five stem cell injections.  While Neil and Carter are thrilled to hear that Hailey is getting better, they're anxiously awaiting being all together again (REPAIR STEM CELLS DOING THEIR JOB-DM)

Click here to read about this brave family 

This is great news for Hodgkin's sufferers.  A trial has been published in the Annals of Oncology that shows adult stem cell treatment is an effective way to treat Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Researchers from the Royal Marsden Hospital recently reported long-term data including 195 patients with recurrent Hodgkin's lymphoma who received an autologous stem cell transplant between 1985 and 2005.  

• 61% of patients achieved a complete disappearance of cancer.


• Median survival was nine years.


• Median progression-free survival was three years.


• Five- and 10-year overall survivals were 55% and 49%, respectively.


• 10% of patients developed a second cancer, the most of which were acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndromes.


• Mortality caused by treatment occurred in 6% of patients.

The researchers concluded that an autologous stem cell transplant provides an effective long-term therapeutic option for patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma that has stopped responding to prior therapies. Patients with recurrent Hodgkin's lymphoma may wish to speak with their physician about their individual risks and benefits of an autologous stem cell transplant.

If you or someone you know has Hodgkin's Lymphoma, you may wish to contact Dr. Shimon Slavin in Israel as he may have a stem cell treatment for you.  Dr. Slavin's email address is slavinmd@gmail.com

Or you can click here to read more about the successful trial for Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Many times I have featured repair stem cell recipients who have traveled from the United States to China for a successful stem cell treatment.  And many times I have featured others who went to Costa Rica where they also received a successful stem cell treatment.  Today, I am featuring a spinal cord injury patient who went to China last year for her stem cell therapy, and after some improvement from the stem cells in China, now wants more.

Therefore, she is planning to go to Costa Rica hoping for even more improvement.  Here is how Kayla Spano's first trip to China went:

A trip to China 15 months ago for stem cell treatment in hopes of reversing paralysis from a May 2006 car crash didn't put Kayla Spano at her goal of walking again.

But it helped her regain some feeling and control of her lower abdomen, which along with intense physical therapy aided in strengthening her upper body so much so that the 18-year-old no longer depends on her mother, Karen Burr, or others to get in and out of her wheelchair and wherever else she needs to go. (This is fantastic-DM)

Instead, Kayla was able in January to enroll in LSU-Shreveport to work toward a major in accounting, live in a campus apartment and get a vehicle with controls so she can drive where she wants to go.

"Before China, I couldn't sit up without holding onto something. Now, I can reach out and lift things over my head, like my wheelchair, and put it in the car. If I didn't have the improvements, I couldn't do that. And there are other things I can do by myself.

"I need to be independent before I can walk "» because if I walked first that would be like taking the easy way out. I went to China to get these improvements and get independent, and now I have this opportunity to do more."

But Kayla is not content to just sit. She is determined to give stem cell surgery another try. She still wants the chance to try to walk again.

To reach that goal, Kayla is planning a trip this year to San Jose, Costa Rica, where she'll again undergo a series of stem cell implants. This time, however, there will be more treatments over a shorter period of time.

Go for it Kayla!  We are all cheering for you!

Click here to read the full article

For those of you new to this blog-  I not only blog about adult (repair) stem cells, but I also have recently formed the Repair Stem Cell Institute, to promote the benefits of repair stem cells and help people with seemingly hopeless conditions/diseases  find new hope with stem cell treatment.  Today, I have released a list of stem cell treatment centers that already  have helped thousands of patients get a better quality of life thanks to repair stem cells.  Spinal cord injuries, emphysema, type 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis are just a few conditions now treatable with repair stem cells and are included on the list.  There are more than 100 other conditions also included on the list.  The list includes direct contact information with the doctors/treatment centers:

Click here to see my list and descriptions (including condtions/diseases treated) of stem cell treatment centers.

Click here to see my press release about my stem cell organization