Friday 17 August 2018

Why Stem Cell Treatment Centers May Be The Future Of Modern Medicine

By Patrick Mitchell


Medical science has certainly come a long way very quickly. Now, many diseases that were seen as a certain death sentence just a few decades ago can be cured, or at least managed. New generation medication can work wonders and newly developed surgical procedures saves countless lives. Research in many fields continue unabated. Bone marrow transplants, for example, seems to promise a revolution in the entire medical field. Already stem cell treatment centers offer certain patients these transplants.

Bone marrow transplants have been available for a number of years. Thus far, however, they were only considered for patients with certain types of cancer, especially leukaemia patients. These patients routinely receive chemo therapy and in the process very large numbers of blood cells are destroyed. Bone marrow transplants are used to encourage the growth of new, hopefully healthy cells. Very few transplants are done because they are deemed to be dangerous.

It is important to note that these transplants do not cure any disease. At best, they can add a few years to the lives of patients. It is also important to keep in mind that bone marrow transplants are deemed to be extremely risky. Researchers nevertheless hope that transplants will indeed become a cure for many different medical conditions, including some types of cancer. Much more needs to be done first, however.

Researchers say that once marrow transplants become a reality, dread diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson and many types of brain injuries will become a thing of the part. The transplants causes the creation of new cells in the brain and these new cells simply replace the damaged ones that initially caused the disease. Even spine injuries will be treated in this manner, helping many patients that would otherwise be paralysed.

Researchers also have high hopes of devising ways in which to use marrow transplants to treat heart diseases. At present, heart disease is one of the most prolific killers all over the world. If marrow transplants can result in the growth of new cells to replace the damaged ones, many types of heart disease will be curable and many millions of patients will get a new lease on life.

Unfortunately, the whole issue of bone marrow transplants is at the centre of controversy. Critics say that these transplants are dangerous. Moreover, they point out that it is common practice to use the blood taken from the umbilical cords of unborn babies to perform these transplants. This poses an enormous moral dilemma. Women may even decide to become pregnant for the sole purpose of making money from their unborn babies.

Huge amounts are being poured into the research in this field. Critics say that researchers are making false and premature promises about the end result of their efforts. They say that results are still years away and that it is unseemly and unprofessional to claim any type of progress or breakthrough at present. There can be absolutely no claim that any breakthroughs are imminent.

Bone marrow transplants may well become one of the biggest medical breakthroughs ever. If this happens, many millions of lives will be saved and many types of disease will be conquered. It is important to remember, however, that the road ahead is still long and that a lot of work will have to be done before the research will bear fruit.




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