Stem cell therapy is one of the most intriguing areas of medicine nowadays. Still, many have yet to understand what stem cells are. How does stem cell therapy treat illnesses, and what can you expect after this type of treatment? You can find all the answers in our text below, so be sure to keep reading.
What Are Stem Cells?
Stem cells are the body’s master cells – the cells from which all cell types with specialized functions are made. Under proper conditions in the body or in the lab, these cells can divide into daughter cells – which can be either new stem cells or specialized cells with a certain function in the body. Specialized cells are made in a process called differentiation.
What Is Stem Cell Therapy and How Does It Work?
Stem cell therapy is otherwise called regenerative medicine because its main effect is promoting the repair of various tissues that are difunctional, have been affected by diseases, or are damaged by injuries. Researchers hope that stem cell therapy is the future of organ transplant – considering that organs are limited in supply, it’s easy to understand the interest in stem cells as a potential replacement for traditional organ transplantation.
After being extracted from the source (which can be an adult, an embryo, or even an umbilical cord), stem cells are grown in a lab. They are manipulated to differentiate into certain cell types and then injected into a patient – the cell type a person needs depends on their condition.
How Does Stem Cell Therapy Treat Illnesses?
Stem cells can become any type of cell, which means that they can theoretically be used for treating any tissue, organ, or system in the body. The idea is that if a patient has heart disease, they get cells injected into the heart muscle, and if they have arthritis, they get cells injected into their joints. Then, those stem cells will divide in the body and work to repair the tissue that has been damaged.
This method has been used for many years – you just may have heard of it under a different name. Stem cell therapy is, in fact, exactly what bone marrow transplants are. Doctors have been using adult stem cells or blood from the umbilical cord to replace cells that were damaged by chemotherapy or diseases.
Can Everyone Have Stem Cell Therapy?
Back pain, osteoarthritis, and other types of joint pain are some of the most common indications for stem cell therapy. There are numerous other conditions that can be treated this way, which leads us to wonder if anyone can benefit from stem cell therapy.
One of the most researched areas of regenerative medicine is chronic pain, which means that many patients with this condition might benefit from stem cell therapy. However, keep in mind that this depends from case to case and that you’ll have to talk to your doctor to determine if you are a good candidate.
Are There Some Potential Problems With This Therapy?
One of the issues that researchers have come across is the problem of adult stem cells. While these are obviously the easiest stem cells to come by, not all research can be done on them, as they aren’t as durable and versatile as embryonic stem cells. They also may not be able to produce all cell types, which limits their use in therapy.
Talk to Your Doctor About Stem Cell Therapy
If you’re interested in stem cell therapy for, let’s say, your joint pain, you might want to explore this topic further by talking to your doctor. There are many stem cell injections available, and a good doctor will be able to recommend the right one for your condition. You can get a free consultation with one of our doctors at Luxe Foot Surgery clinic and get into details about this treatment. Don’t waste any more time – contact us to book your appointment!
FAQ
What Is the Best Stem Cell Treatment in the World?
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is currently considered the best type of stem cell treatment. This is the most researched and extensively used stem cell therapy, and it is used for treating various immune and blood disorders. One of the most famous examples of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a bone marrow transplant.
