Friday, March 22, 2013
Friday, March 1, 2013
5 days post stem cell cervical surgery!
My super duper lupus healing powers are slowing down a bit and I'm tired and achy but healing well.
I had a cervical fusion at C4 and C5 and one at C5 and C6 with dissectomy. My surgeon did a hybrid stem cell and plasma surgery using adult marrow stem cells to help regenerate the discs! Here is an excerpt from my surgeon's website at http://arizonaspinedoctor.com/stemcell/orthopedic-stem-cell-therapy/stem-cell-therapy-for-spine/
Here is a picture of me in my cervical orthotic I'm wearing for two weeks post surgery:
PIC IS TWO WEEKS AFTER SURGERY
It is utterly amazing what can be done for spinal issues today compared to just years ago. My surgeon is certainly on the cutting edge of this change and I want to put what he had to say about spinal surgery in the future and the possibilities of stem cell treatments and surgeries from his own website here: http://arizonaspinedoctor.com/stemcell/frequently-asked-questions/
Frequently Asked Questions
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are unspecialized or undifferentiated cells,
capable of two processes: self-renewal and
differentiation/specialization.
What is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine is a new and advancing scientific field focused on the repair and regeneration of damaged tissue utilizing stem cells that promote natural healing.
What’s the difference between PRP and stem cell therapy?
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a mix of concentrated platelets and serum. Why is this important? Surgeons have known for years that healing depends on platelets. These very tiny blood components are rich in growth factors and help form a blood clot during injury. When you injure an area like a ligament or a muscle, they seep into the wound during the bleeding that normally occurs. They then set up a blood clot to stop the bleeding and start to release growth factors to the area to coordinate a repair response. Over the first week or so, they act as a time release “pill” that secretes various growth factors as various times. These time release growth factors do things like bring in stem cells and bring in new blood vessels to ensure that the body can get more blood to the area. PRP is created when the doctor takes blood from a vein and places it in a special centrifuge to concentrate platelets (usually 3-5 times their normal concentration). To use a gardening metaphor, if you have a plant that is injured and not doing well, placing some more water and fertilizer in the ground may help your plant recover. Platelets are like fertilizer, their growth factors help rev up the local repair response. So PRP is generally good for helping things that may either heal on their own (given enough time) or are maybe stuck in the healing process and need a little “kick” to get things going towards resolution. While PRP may help recruit a few stem cells to the area, stem cell injection therapy is much more advanced. For orthopedics in particular, if PRP is like adding additional fertilizer and water to the plant, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC’s) are like placing new seeds in the area and hiring a gardener. MSC’s are capable of not only differentiating into the new tissue that is lost, but also coordinating the repair response (so the seeds and the gardener). So MSC therapy would be more appropriate for degenerative diseases where there is lost tissue (like chronic arthritis, a partial tendon or ligament tear, a low back disc where there are torn fibers allowing the disc to bulge). In addition, the lab prep for MSC therapy is much more complex than PRP. While PRP can be made in a simple bedside centrifuge, MSC’s are isolated and grown in a sophisticated cell culture lab by cell biologists usually over a over two week period. The upshot, PRP is great to kick start a healing process that may be stuck, MSC’s and other stem cell approaches will likely rule the day in regenerative medicine.
What is the difference between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells?
Adult stem cells are found in mature adult tissues including bone marrow and fat. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are not found in the adult human body. ESCs are obtained from donated in-vitro fertilizations. The use of ESCs raises many ethical concerns for many reasons, one of which is that ESCs are not autologous (from your own body), thus, there is a possibility of immune rejection. Adult stem cells do not raise any ethical issues nor pose any risks for immune rejection. Adult autologous stem cells, as in the cells used by Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy, are simply your own cells working for you.
Does the Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy research or use embryonic stem cells in clinical procedures?
No, the cell therapy systems used by Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy only autologous adult stem cells isolated from the patient. Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy does not participate in embryonic stem cell research or use embryonic stem cells in any of our clinical applications.
Are there ethical issues associated with harvesting adult stem cells?
No, adult stem cells do not raise ethical questions as they are harvested from the patient’s body and simply returned, or relocated, to that same patient during the same procedure.
Are there cancer-causing risks associated with adult stem cell treatments?
No. Where embryonic stem cells have been shown to form teratomas (germ cell tumors), there is no data that suggests adult stem cells have the same potential to promote the development of tumors.
Where do adult stem cells come from?
In adults, stem cells are present within various tissues and organ systems, the most common being bone marrow and fat tissues.
How does Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy obtain adult stem cells for use in cell treatment?
Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy uses a system that uses adult stem cells from bone marrow tissue. The stem cells are obtained through an aspiration procedure.
How are adult stem cells used?
Adult stem cells are used to treat patients with damaged tissues due to age or deterioration. During the procedure, stem cells are isolated from the patient, concentrated and delivered back to the patient at their site of injury to assist in the healing process.
Are there different types of adult stem cells?
Yes, there are many types of adult stem cells found in the body that have variable differentiation/specialization potential. The adult stem cells that aid in the repair of damaged tissue are multipotent, mesenchymal stem cells. These are located in bone marrow and fat tissue. These cells can become only four different tissue types: bone, cartilage, muscle, or other connective tissues such as tendon or ligament.
Are the harvested adult stem cells expanded in a laboratory setting prior to delivery back to the patient?
No, Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy does not use in vitro expansion. The stem cells are harvested, processed in the procedure room, and delivered back to the patient at the same point of care.
How do stem cells know what type of tissue to develop into?
The differentiation of stem cells is dependent on many factors, including cell signaling and micro-environmental signals. Based on these cues, stem cells are able to develop into healthy tissue needed to repair damaged tissue. For example, multipotent stem cells delivered to damaged bone will develop into bone cells to aid in tissue repair. Cells delivered into a joint or disc will develop into cartilage cells. The exact mechanism of lineage-specific differentiation is unknown at this point.
Will my body reject the stem cells?
No, adult stem cells are autologous and non-immunogenic.
Where are stem cells currently being used?
Autologous adult stem cells are currently being used in hospitals and clinics during surgery, and other procedures, to aid in the repair of damaged tissues. Stem cells are also being used in both laboratory and clinical settings. Laboratories are using human and animal-derived stem cells to conduct in-vitro studies as well as in-vivo studies with small and large animals.
What medical disciplines are currently using stem cells in their treatment?
Stem cells are currently being used in orthopedic, cardiovascular, trauma and plastic surgeries and to treat disease. At Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy, we specialize in adult stem cell applications for both orthopedic and spine conditions.
What conditions would exclude me from being able to undergo orthopedic stem cell therapy?
For spine patients, if you have severe stenosis or spondylolisthesis, or other spine instability, you would not be a good candidate for stem cell therapy. For other orthopedic patients, a fracture or acute trauma (such as a complete ACL or meniscus tear) would exclude you. Even if stem cells won’t help you, we can evaluate your condition and provide you with alternatives. Please contact us if you’d like to schedule an appointment.
Are stem cells from a diabetic or a patient with any other autoimmune disease considered less viable or “unhealthy”?
No, all stem cells are equal regardless of diabetes or other autoimmune disease.
Is treatment with adult stem cells covered by insurance?
Currently, insurance doesn’t cover stem cell treatment, but there are other orthopedic and spine treatments we can recommend that are covered by insurance. Please contact us if you would like to know more.
Stem Cells and the FDA
Orthopedic & Spine Stem Cell Institute is not offering stem cell therapy as a cure for any condition, disease, or injury. No statements or treatments on this website have been evaluated or approved by the FDA. This website contains no medical advice. All statements and opinions provided by this website are provided for educational and informational purposes only and we do not diagnose or treat via this website or via telephone. Orthopedic & Spine Stem Cell Institute is offering patient educational resources and information to treat individual patients with their own autologous stem cells and we are not involved in the use or manufacture of any investigational drugs.
We do not claim that any applications, or potential applications, using these autologous stem cell treatments are approved by the FDA. The results of treatment may vary in each individual. We do not claim that these treatments work for any listed nor unlisted condition, intended or implied. It’s important for potential patients to do their own research based on the options that we present so that one can make an informed decision.
I had a cervical fusion at C4 and C5 and one at C5 and C6 with dissectomy. My surgeon did a hybrid stem cell and plasma surgery using adult marrow stem cells to help regenerate the discs! Here is an excerpt from my surgeon's website at http://arizonaspinedoctor.com/stemcell/orthopedic-stem-cell-therapy/stem-cell-therapy-for-spine/
Stem Cell Therapy for Spine
Degenerative disc disease in
your spine isn’t really a disease, but the term used to describe common age- or
injury-related changes to the discs in your spine. These include the loss of
fluid/hydration in the discs, which can result in reduced flexibility, and
tears or cracks in the annulus (outer layer) of the disc that can cause it to
bulge, rupture, or break apart. Depending on the location of the disc, those
with degenerative disc disease may suffer from mild to debilitating neck or
back pain, numbness, or a combination of both, that can also affect the arms
and legs. If traditional non-surgical methods don’t take care of the pain, surgery
involving removing the disc and replacing it with an artificial one or fusing
the surrounding vertebrae is often the last-resort treatment.
Stem cell therapy, however, used in the area of the affected
disc may help the disc to heal itself. This would reduce the inflammation, thus
reducing the pressure on the nerves that cause the pain or numbness.
Stem cell therapy may be appropriate for treating:
Degenerative disc disease in
cervical and lumbar discs
Stem cell therapy is not able to treat:
Severe stenosis
Spondylolisthesis
Scoliosis
Kyphosis
While not everyone with back or neck pain is a candidate for
stem cell therapy, they can provide an exam and consultation at our office to
determine your suitability for the procedure. If you are interested in learning
more about stem cell therapy to help repair degenerative disc disease, please contact them here.
Here is a picture of me in my cervical orthotic I'm wearing for two weeks post surgery:
It is utterly amazing what can be done for spinal issues today compared to just years ago. My surgeon is certainly on the cutting edge of this change and I want to put what he had to say about spinal surgery in the future and the possibilities of stem cell treatments and surgeries from his own website here: http://arizonaspinedoctor.com/stemcell/frequently-asked-questions/
Frequently Asked Questions
What are stem cells?
Stem cells are unspecialized or undifferentiated cells,
capable of two processes: self-renewal and
differentiation/specialization.
What is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine is a new and advancing scientific field focused on the repair and regeneration of damaged tissue utilizing stem cells that promote natural healing.
What’s the difference between PRP and stem cell therapy?
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) is a mix of concentrated platelets and serum. Why is this important? Surgeons have known for years that healing depends on platelets. These very tiny blood components are rich in growth factors and help form a blood clot during injury. When you injure an area like a ligament or a muscle, they seep into the wound during the bleeding that normally occurs. They then set up a blood clot to stop the bleeding and start to release growth factors to the area to coordinate a repair response. Over the first week or so, they act as a time release “pill” that secretes various growth factors as various times. These time release growth factors do things like bring in stem cells and bring in new blood vessels to ensure that the body can get more blood to the area. PRP is created when the doctor takes blood from a vein and places it in a special centrifuge to concentrate platelets (usually 3-5 times their normal concentration). To use a gardening metaphor, if you have a plant that is injured and not doing well, placing some more water and fertilizer in the ground may help your plant recover. Platelets are like fertilizer, their growth factors help rev up the local repair response. So PRP is generally good for helping things that may either heal on their own (given enough time) or are maybe stuck in the healing process and need a little “kick” to get things going towards resolution. While PRP may help recruit a few stem cells to the area, stem cell injection therapy is much more advanced. For orthopedics in particular, if PRP is like adding additional fertilizer and water to the plant, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC’s) are like placing new seeds in the area and hiring a gardener. MSC’s are capable of not only differentiating into the new tissue that is lost, but also coordinating the repair response (so the seeds and the gardener). So MSC therapy would be more appropriate for degenerative diseases where there is lost tissue (like chronic arthritis, a partial tendon or ligament tear, a low back disc where there are torn fibers allowing the disc to bulge). In addition, the lab prep for MSC therapy is much more complex than PRP. While PRP can be made in a simple bedside centrifuge, MSC’s are isolated and grown in a sophisticated cell culture lab by cell biologists usually over a over two week period. The upshot, PRP is great to kick start a healing process that may be stuck, MSC’s and other stem cell approaches will likely rule the day in regenerative medicine.
What is the difference between adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells?
Adult stem cells are found in mature adult tissues including bone marrow and fat. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are not found in the adult human body. ESCs are obtained from donated in-vitro fertilizations. The use of ESCs raises many ethical concerns for many reasons, one of which is that ESCs are not autologous (from your own body), thus, there is a possibility of immune rejection. Adult stem cells do not raise any ethical issues nor pose any risks for immune rejection. Adult autologous stem cells, as in the cells used by Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy, are simply your own cells working for you.
Does the Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy research or use embryonic stem cells in clinical procedures?
No, the cell therapy systems used by Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy only autologous adult stem cells isolated from the patient. Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy does not participate in embryonic stem cell research or use embryonic stem cells in any of our clinical applications.
Are there ethical issues associated with harvesting adult stem cells?
No, adult stem cells do not raise ethical questions as they are harvested from the patient’s body and simply returned, or relocated, to that same patient during the same procedure.
Are there cancer-causing risks associated with adult stem cell treatments?
No. Where embryonic stem cells have been shown to form teratomas (germ cell tumors), there is no data that suggests adult stem cells have the same potential to promote the development of tumors.
Where do adult stem cells come from?
In adults, stem cells are present within various tissues and organ systems, the most common being bone marrow and fat tissues.
How does Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy obtain adult stem cells for use in cell treatment?
Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy uses a system that uses adult stem cells from bone marrow tissue. The stem cells are obtained through an aspiration procedure.
How are adult stem cells used?
Adult stem cells are used to treat patients with damaged tissues due to age or deterioration. During the procedure, stem cells are isolated from the patient, concentrated and delivered back to the patient at their site of injury to assist in the healing process.
Are there different types of adult stem cells?
Yes, there are many types of adult stem cells found in the body that have variable differentiation/specialization potential. The adult stem cells that aid in the repair of damaged tissue are multipotent, mesenchymal stem cells. These are located in bone marrow and fat tissue. These cells can become only four different tissue types: bone, cartilage, muscle, or other connective tissues such as tendon or ligament.
Are the harvested adult stem cells expanded in a laboratory setting prior to delivery back to the patient?
No, Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy does not use in vitro expansion. The stem cells are harvested, processed in the procedure room, and delivered back to the patient at the same point of care.
How do stem cells know what type of tissue to develop into?
The differentiation of stem cells is dependent on many factors, including cell signaling and micro-environmental signals. Based on these cues, stem cells are able to develop into healthy tissue needed to repair damaged tissue. For example, multipotent stem cells delivered to damaged bone will develop into bone cells to aid in tissue repair. Cells delivered into a joint or disc will develop into cartilage cells. The exact mechanism of lineage-specific differentiation is unknown at this point.
Will my body reject the stem cells?
No, adult stem cells are autologous and non-immunogenic.
Where are stem cells currently being used?
Autologous adult stem cells are currently being used in hospitals and clinics during surgery, and other procedures, to aid in the repair of damaged tissues. Stem cells are also being used in both laboratory and clinical settings. Laboratories are using human and animal-derived stem cells to conduct in-vitro studies as well as in-vivo studies with small and large animals.
What medical disciplines are currently using stem cells in their treatment?
Stem cells are currently being used in orthopedic, cardiovascular, trauma and plastic surgeries and to treat disease. At Center for Spinal Disorder & Stem Cell Therapy, we specialize in adult stem cell applications for both orthopedic and spine conditions.
What conditions would exclude me from being able to undergo orthopedic stem cell therapy?
For spine patients, if you have severe stenosis or spondylolisthesis, or other spine instability, you would not be a good candidate for stem cell therapy. For other orthopedic patients, a fracture or acute trauma (such as a complete ACL or meniscus tear) would exclude you. Even if stem cells won’t help you, we can evaluate your condition and provide you with alternatives. Please contact us if you’d like to schedule an appointment.
Are stem cells from a diabetic or a patient with any other autoimmune disease considered less viable or “unhealthy”?
No, all stem cells are equal regardless of diabetes or other autoimmune disease.
Is treatment with adult stem cells covered by insurance?
Currently, insurance doesn’t cover stem cell treatment, but there are other orthopedic and spine treatments we can recommend that are covered by insurance. Please contact us if you would like to know more.
Stem Cells and the FDA
Orthopedic & Spine Stem Cell Institute is not offering stem cell therapy as a cure for any condition, disease, or injury. No statements or treatments on this website have been evaluated or approved by the FDA. This website contains no medical advice. All statements and opinions provided by this website are provided for educational and informational purposes only and we do not diagnose or treat via this website or via telephone. Orthopedic & Spine Stem Cell Institute is offering patient educational resources and information to treat individual patients with their own autologous stem cells and we are not involved in the use or manufacture of any investigational drugs.
We do not claim that any applications, or potential applications, using these autologous stem cell treatments are approved by the FDA. The results of treatment may vary in each individual. We do not claim that these treatments work for any listed nor unlisted condition, intended or implied. It’s important for potential patients to do their own research based on the options that we present so that one can make an informed decision.
I am recovering well. My hospital experience was OUTSTANDING and I'll come back to this page and fill in more info as I feel better and can take more time to do so.
I want to say that Dr. Thongtragen at the Orthopedic and Spine Stem Cell Institute in Phoenix, AZ can be contacted here: http://arizonaspinedoctor.com/stemcell/contact-us/ His care was meticulous, his bedside manner was sweet and caring and his office was efficient and helpful in every way from presurgery to post surgery needs. I feel lucky and hopeful not only that the fusions will help my pain and spine but that the stem cells may actually regenerate ! Remember in Star Trek..the lady in the hallway after McCoy gives her a pill starts yelling.."Doctor gave me a pill and I grew another liver!!!!" Well, it looks like the future is HERE!
More info to come on my recovery and details on the exact surgery and choices made in my case.
I am surely blessed! Thank you Dr. T!
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