All stem cell treatments are not the same

Most stem cell clinics are run by either doctors that do not have surgical training or sometimes not a medical doctor at all. These clinics typically only use allograft tissue ( from a donor such as a new born baby) this includes amniotic and umbilical cord tissue. Amniotic tissue does not contain any live stem cells. Umbilical tissue is a great source of stem cells when it is fresh but there is significant debate on wether the cryopreserved umbilical tissue has any live stem cells. The main benefit of umbilical cord tissue is actually the significant amount of growth factors that can enhance the effectiveness of true stem cell sources such as bone marrow and adipose tissue. Unfortunately these clinics do not have the training or legally cannot perform the procedures to obtain these tissues so they often mislead consumers and tell them the cryopreserved tissue they use is the best. In fact, it appears that the best effect we have obtained is to use a combination approach depending on what injured area is being treated. However this approach can only be performed by properly trained physicians.

Bone marrow versus adipose tissue stem cells

True stem cell are obtained either from bone marrow through a bone marrow harvesting technique of the hip or from adipose tissue from a small mini liposuction technique. Unfortunately, there are a lot of very poorly trained physicians performing these techniques. In order to obtain the best quality of stem cells, there are many specific steps that must be performed or the quality and amount of cells will be inadequate to obtain effective results.

The amount of stem cells in the bone marrow decrease significantly with age. However, there are many stem cells located around the tissue surrounding fat cells and a lot of recent research has demonstrated the number of stem cells appear to maintain significant levels with age. In fact, there are up to 1000 times greater amount of stem cells located from fat tissue harvesting than bone marrow. However, Many variables in the process can determine the quality. This includes the type of infiltration of tumescent which allows the harvesting, timing of the harvest after placing the tumescent, technique used in liposuction procedure, amount of pressure, centrifuge techniques, knowledge of which portion of the centrifuged tissue actually has the highest and best quality of stem cells, etc.

Techniques to enhance function of stem cells

We utilize growth factors obtained from the patients blood (PRP) or from umbilical cord tissue to enhance the function and effectiveness of the stem cell treatment. There are also many nutritional regimes that can also enhance the function of these cells. Nutrition can in fact have significant effect on the amount of stem cells obtained and also the quality and function of those stem cells injected. Proper nutrition with appropriate supplements in our program can actually improve the lifespan of those cells to deliver a longer effect and better results. Most clinicians who are involved in stem cell therapy do not optimize the body to properly receive and maximize function of these cells.