Stem cell therapy is the administration of stem cells, usually through IV or injection, to provide relief for a disease or condition. Stem cell therapy can be used to treat cardiovascular diseases and orthopedic conditions, as well as assist in the growth of new hair and skin tissue. In addition, stem cell therapy requires less recovery time than most surgeries. In this article, we discuss the benefits of stem cell therapy.
What are Stem Cells?
Stem cells are undistinguished cells that can become multiple different types of cells and proliferate indefinitely. Stem cells can be found in many different parts of the body, including bone marrow, the brain, blood vessels, gut, teeth, skin, and liver.
What is Stem Cell Therapy?
Stem cell therapy is the use of stem cells to prevent or heal a disease or condition. The most popular form of stem cell therapy involves the transplantation of blood stem cells to treat diseases that affect the blood or immune system. Stem cell therapy can be very useful in helping manage and mitigate the symptoms of long-term medical conditions such as arthritis, cancer, and Parkinson’s disease.
How Does Stem Cell Therapy Work?
Stem cell therapy uses stem cells to encourage and assist the repair response of diseased or dysfunctional tissue. Stem cell therapies usually involve the administration of mesenchymal stem cells, multipotent stem cells that can differentiate into multiple different kinds of cells. Researchers and scientists grow mesenchymal stem cells in a lab where they are specialized to provide treatment for a specific disease. Stem cell therapy can also involve taking healthy, regenerative cells from another part of the body and injecting them into the injured or diseased tissue.
What are the Different Types of Stem Cell Therapy?
There are many different types of stem cell therapy. These include stem cell injection, stem cell transplant, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Stem Cell Transplant
A stem cell transplant is a procedure in which a patient receives healthy stem cells to replace damaged and diseased cells. Before stem cell transplants, patients often receive chemotherapy and radiation therapy to prepare the body for transplantation. After the procedure has been conducted and stem cells enter the patient's bloodstream, the newly injected stem cells travel to the bone marrow. There, they begin a process called engraftment in which the stem cells help to form new, healthy cells.
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a type of stem cell transplant that involves the infusion of stem cells to establish and increase blood production and flow in patients whose immune system has been compromised. Stem cells for this type of treatment can be obtained from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood. In most cases, cells for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation are sourced from the patient’s own body, a family member, or an unrelated donor. The goal of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is to increase bone marrow function and eventually destroy malignant tumor cells or generate fresh, healthy cells that can replace the dysfunctional ones.
Stem Cell Injection
Stem cell injection is a form of stem cell therapy that involves depositing stem cells into the body through a needle or syringe. Stem cell injection begins by extracting stem cells from their source within the body. Once the stem cells are fully prepared, they are injected into the tissue. This procedure is usually done with the help of an ultrasound machine to ensure precision in injection.
Benefits of Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cell therapy can provide treatment and relief for a variety of conditions including arthritis, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease. Studies have shown that stem cell therapy can also assist the growth of healthy skin tissue, enhance collagen production, and stimulate hair growth after loss or incisions. In some cases, stem cell therapy can be a less invasive and risky procedure than surgery. Stem cell therapies are non-surgical procedures that effectively reduce pain and require significantly less post-treatment recovery compared to surgery.
Summary
Stem cell therapy is a form of regenerative medicine that can provide healing for a variety of diseases and conditions. It involves the transplantation or injection of stem cells to heal and offer relief for conditions such as arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, and diabetes. Stem cells can be administered through injection, transplantation, or IV fluid. Before they are administered, stem cells are specialized in a lab to most effectively treat disease.
