Stem cell therapy from China. Is it worth trying?

[Farooqji]

I had posted this in reply to someone in another post but now posting it here to get the feedback of other members on the the topic. A forum member had described Stemgenex as using fat cells from patients own body which doesn't work. I have been in touch with Stemgenex via email and on phone but they could not satisfactorily replied my questions. I even contacted a patient who was shown in their advertising video, but could not get the answer. There are several lawsuits against them as well. I read a post by a forum memeber Motherfather a few months back. He was very much satisfied with the results of stem cell therapy he received from a Chinese clinic. I contacted the said clinic and asked all the clarification which were in my mind. The clinic in China from where Motherfather has got stem cell therapy uses embryonic cells from discarded fetuses. I had talked to them in details. They charge around 20k USD and their treatment spans over 15 days. I had specifically asked them about the type of cells they use. Their reply was "The stem cells from your own body can not be used to treat your disease, because Parkinson disease is due to gene mutation in brain nerves, your won cells have gene mutation, so it can not be used. Our stem cells are from fetus' nerve tissue, it is the best stem cells to treat nerve disease. "

I dropped the idea of getting their treatment due to feedback from some patients. According to some of them, the treatment almost eliminate the symptoms, however it's not long lasting. The positive effects remain for few months and maximum up to 1 year. Anyone who has the knowledge of Chinese clinics and the effectivenessof their treatment are requested to please share their feedback

[CPT_Helen Partner]

There are a number of stem cell clinics claiming to be able to cure all known diseases - however these procedures may not be implanting replacement dopamine cells. We strongly recommend very careful investigation into the procedure offered, and it is also important to discuss your options with your healthcare team as they may have other solutions, including taking part in a research study.

[Farooqji in reply to CPT_Helen]

Thanks for the kind advice. However as the PD progresses , one has to take a calculated risk to prevent things from getting worse!

[Kia17]

Please can you let me know the Chinese Clinic name?

[Farooqji in reply to Kia17]

Wu medical center Beijing

[Kia17 in reply to Farooqji]

Thanks Iqbal

[munchybunch]

I’m watching this thread with interest. It seems stem cells will be the way but it’s a bit early yet it seems. Do you agree? A friend in the Uk was told to wait a couple of years by her dr

[Coling]

Hi Iqbaliqbal,

Thank you for posting so many interesting and informative items.

It appears to me that stem cells will in the next 3-5 years be part of the solution see

abc.net.au/news/2016-09-14/...

However, my neurologist who is part of the above team explained to me that these cells take time to mature into useful players.

Then, of course, there is no guarantee that (if the cause of PD is not addressed) they will not go the way of your old dopamine so that's why I suggest it is potentially part of the solution.

[Eliza-Jane]

In September 2016 the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia injected stem cells directly into a man's brain with another 11 people to follow. They said results wouldn't be known for 12 months. There hasn't been any more news on this, so I assume it hasn't been successful.

[Farooqji in reply to Eliza-Jane]

I am closely following it up. There is a lot of hope of success with this trial. The latest updates can be found in the following link

parkinsonsnewstoday.com/201...

[felixned]

Simon's site has a fantastic write up on this topic. There is lecture by his mentor describing stem cells challenges in humans. I'll send you the link later.

Here it is:

scienceofparkinsons.com/lec...

[ion_ion]

I think at this moment this is a scam. Most of these clinics are in China, Ukraine, India, Russia etc. I know there are some in US, too. In future it may be a solution.

[Farooqji]

there is a clinic in Switzerland which I had contacted a few months back. They were very straight forward in telling that their treatment regress the symptoms for a period ranging from 3 months to one year (depending on patients ). After which the treatment has to be repeated. I have sent a email to the Chinese clinic (which use embryonic cells ) asking them the durability of their treatment. I have also requested them to let me know some patients contacts (belonging to my country ) with their consent so that I can verify the results. I will share their reply when I get it

[Parkie- in reply to Farooqji]

Hello Iqaliqbal. Concerning this Switzerland clinic, did they mention how much the stem cell therapy costs? Tks

[Farooqji in reply to Parkie-]

let me check my emails and I will revert back

[hanifab23]

Iqbaliqbal

I am also considering stem cell therapy if you have more information please kindly post

This disease has really taken a toll on me and my family

[ChristyMeans]

My MD in Los Algodones Mexico near Yuma AZ USA uses embryonic human stem cells. He told me they are umbilical cord stem cells. His cost is a $3K USD for the 1st treatment & $60 USD for "boosters." He said it's best to get the full stem cells again annually which would cost $3K at the most. I honestly don't know how he's making any money. He downplayed bone marrow stem cells from the patient themselves bc he said the cells are usually old and damaged once the patient needs help which makes total sense to me. Plus, it's much more expensive.