Stem Cell Treatment

[michaela13]

I'm wondering if anyone has had success with adult stem cell treatment. There's a place in California. Meredith Viera's husband received treatment for MS there. Also, Gordie Howe received treatment in Mexico for a stroke with great success after doctors gave up hope.

[honeycombe3]

Michaela13,

Thanks for flagging this up. I have done some online research this evening into Gordie Howe's story. As a UK national I hadn't heard of him or his treatment but the articles indicate that he made a spectacular recovery from 2 strokes after having treatment in Mexico as part of a trial with a company in San Diego.

My special interest is that I was involved in a stemcell transplant trial in Europe for over 3 years before having to withdraw due to an unrelated health issue.

I am not sure whether any of the 150 volunteers from 5 EU countries has yet had the transplant surgery.

For me this raises several extremely alarming concerns over the planning, funding & outcomes of trials.

Further to this particular trial you may like to follow a trial in Glasgow last year (2013/4) in which I think it was 5 stroke patients had stemcell transplants & I believe 3 were making good progress.

[michaela13 in reply to honeycombe3]

I've been following this company called Stemgenex based in California. I spoke with a representative and it sounded pretty good. The cost is pretty expensive though $15,000. Covers everything including hotel stay. I think this will be the only way to go. He told me half the patients have MS or Parkinson's.

[Ramuu in reply to michaela13]

I have also received reply from this Company. They are charging for clinical trial / study ; this is generally not the case in US !! None of these have FDA approval nor insurance coverage. Most of these companies carry out SCT in other countries not in US . Just for info, I am reproducing the mail received from this company "

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: [e-mail]>

Date: Mon, Jul 21, 2014 at 8:16 PM

Subject: RE: Ref : Clinical Trial Recruitment of PD Patients for Stem Cells

Hi ,

There is a cost to the treatments. The cost is $14,900 to partake in the clinical study. Please let me know if this is an option and we can talk further.

In Vibrant Health,

XXXXX

Director of Patient Advocacy

StemGenex® - Stem Cell Centers of Excellence

1200 Prospect Street

Suite G100

La Jolla, CA 92037

[phone] ext. 1002

[phone] - Direct

[phone] Fax

From:

Sent: Sunday, July 20, 2014 12:18 AM

To: [e-mail]

Subject: Ref : Clinical Trial Recruitment of PD Patients for Stem Cells

Dear XXXXXX,

I am diagnosed with PD since 2010 ; still able to do my routine work ( with some movement & postural difficulties at times ) . I would like to know is there any way I could offer myself for your clinical trials ??. Please let me know.

Looking forward to your reply

Regards

Bangalore

INDIA

[Johnasilk in reply to honeycombe3]

Save your $15,000' These people are charlatans and have no right to promise the unavailable.

Their is a ring of similar clinics around the world promising a cure for YOUR complaint. All have a no guarantee policy because they can not deliver anything.

There is an ongoing trial on in Washington DC which is being overseen by the right authorities and may be in 5 to10 yrs we will get somewhere.

Even in the land Down Under we can't escape these weasels with one of my support group falling to the lies and spending around $45000 to chase a dream to NO avail despite best en-devours of a number of us to dissuade her. She went to Germany to some clinic and came back with a placebo effect which wore off within two weeks and then she returned to her original state

KEEP AWAY AND SAVE YOUR MONIES

[esrob]

I was diagnosed with Parkinson's over 14 years ago. At 79 years old, I do not expect to see a cure in my lifetime, but I am ever hopeful that there will be relief for the younger people.

Regarding stem cell treatment, I can only speak about what I have seen. My niece has MS. Over two years ago, the condition of this lovely, cheerful and hardworking farmer's wife and mother of three was extremely worrying, A critical illness insurance enabled her to take up a course of stem cell treatment (using her own cells). The result is nothing short of a miracle. Not only is she back climbing five bar gates and dealing with a work schedule that would flatten most healthy people, but she has entered a Monster Ski Challenge to raise money for MS Research. We are so very proud of her. I believe that she does have top-ups, but as she says, she has got her life back.

[JeanieBeanie in reply to esrob]

Where did she have this done?

[esrob in reply to JeanieBeanie]

I am just on my way out. Will phone my niece when I get back.

[michaela13 in reply to esrob]

Thanks esrob.

[michaela13 in reply to michaela13]

How could I speak to her?

[esrob in reply to michaela13]

I have just phoned my niece and her husbandd to find that they left this afternoon to do their Monster Ski run to raise funds for MS. They will not be back until next Wednesday. Will talk to her next weekend.

[metacognito]

It's important to note that the referred California stem cell operation, StemGenex, has been around since 2007. Rather than operating from their own facilities, they still subcontract with secondary skin/laser and cosmetic treatment clinics in San Diego or Santa Monica to administer their yet controversial treatments from. As Michaela noted in her posting, the majority of patients are seeking relief for either MS or for Parkinson's (I was told these two conditions account for 70% of patients). This being the case it would seem that, if any significant number of people were in fact experiencing positive outcomes from their experience, it should be easy to find more than ONE positive PD testimonial (after several years of administering the treatments).

The video on the company's website promoting their treatment for PD features a former pilot, Warren Hudson, who describes details about the progression of his condition, touches very briefly on a momentary post-treatment experience (psychosomatic?), then proceeds to describe how he has ever since been incorporating virtually everything under the sun (including buying his own hyperbaric oxygen chamber) in order to keep on top of PD's various manifestations - all leaving one to wonder what effect (if any) the stem cell procedure ultimately had on his condition.

Until we are able to find more than 1 or 2 CREDIBLE reports of a successful stem cell treatment of PD symptoms on the StemGenex site, on their Facebook page, or anywhere else on the WWW, wise people would do best to steer clear.

[michaela13]

That's the problem 5 to 10 years. I know i don't have that long to wait. It's unacceptable.

[mistydog1]

A few things to consider with stem cells.

1. How are the cells administered so they only go to the affected cells in the Brain. The biggest problem is getting the cells to where they need to be.

2. Nerve cells unlike other cells in the body need to make the connections across gaps to a recipient cells if the cells don't line up then they aren't effective. Which brings me to the next consideration yet to be answered with research.

3. How many cells are needed, also what happens if your body rejects the new cells. Cancer stem cell transplant they aren't always successful, even when the donor and recipient were good DNA matches.

4. Stem cells are unconditioned cells so with poor techniques to administer them they can travel to other parts of the body where they can grow tissue leading to tumors.

Just some thoughts to consider.

[michaela13 in reply to mistydog1]

Stemgenex only uses your own adult stem cells from adipose tissue which contains the most stem cells so they're not rejected. They put them back with 2 methods- Iv into the bloodstream and intranasally so they cross the blood brain barrier. You can go to the website and it explains it completely.

[michaela13 in reply to michaela13]

Nothing else had worked for me! I can't wait. I'll be in a nursing home by then.

[chirodoc]

I had fetal stem cells at Radar's clinic in Mexico in 2012 but am not able to tell if I benefited from the treatment. In April am trying the adipose source of stem cells which is what they are doing in the California clinics. Would like to say I will be able to tell benefits. Would like to feel like I am the miracle.

[michaela13 in reply to chirodoc]

Please let me know how you do.

[esrob]

Hi Michaela,

Just to let you know that my niece received her stem cell treatment for her MS at Natural Bioscience in Switzerland.

[michaela13 in reply to esrob]

Thanks!

[Hidden]

I can sense the need you and the rest of us feel for some treatment that will put an end to the misery. But this is not it, not yet. Stem cells have been used successfully on the blind, on spinal injury and on stroke victims. The trials on PD produced either a small improvement, no improvement at all, or tumours.

You'll have to be patient with stem cells. I believe they will one day be used very successfully on diseases like PD. In the meantime put your money to better use.

[jmitch]

February this year I went to Stemgenex for SCT. They never promised a cure, but I have received an improvement in my quality of life.

I am 25 years with RRMS and since procedure, have had noticeable improvements in my balance, dexterity, gait, ability to lift my drop foot.

For some, the improvements I have experienced are small, they are HUGE to me.

You may ask any questions, I will do my best to answer.