Saturday, 4 November 2017

Stem Cell Treatment Centers Offer Many Patients New Hope

By Paul Jones


It was not too long ago that people almost certainly died if they developed infection, contracted flue and even when suffering from a bout of measles. The medical field, however, has made vast strides and many diseases and conditions that used to be a death sentence can now be treated very successfully. Research continue unabated and new breakthroughs are announce almost every week. Stem cell treatment centers, for example, offer revolutionary therapies that will hopefully help millions of people.

Bone marrow transplants have been done for at least the past thirty years. However, up to now such transplants were only done on patients that suffered from serious blood related diseases such as Leukaemia and other types of cancer related to the blood. Such patients receive chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants aim to repair the devastating effect of the chemical on all cells in the body which are killed indiscriminately.

It is true that bone marrow transplants are done mainly on cancer patients at present, and only as a last resort, but researchers are confident that this revolutionary therapy will soon be in general use for the curing or management of many types of diseases. Unfortunately, research is still in its infancy and much more needs to be done before this type of therapy can be used on humans safely.

One of the fields that are earmarked for the application of bone marrow transplant is the management of debilitating diseases such diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimer and other conditions that cause the brain to degenerate. Also on the list of are patients that suffer injuries of the spine and physical brain damage. Eventually, bone marrow transplants will hopefully be effective in reversing the devastating effects of strokes and seizures.

Another exciting potential application of bone marrow transplants is to stimulate the growths of new cells and muscles in the heart. Currently, heart disease in its various forms is one of the biggest medical problems faced by humans. Much can already be done, but physical damage to the heart cannot yet be treated. Bone marrow transplants promise to remedy this drawback and give millions a new lease on life.

Critics of bone marrow transplants abound, however. They point out that, at present, almost all patients receiving a transplant die if the procedure is unsuccessful. They also have serious concerns about the ethics of such transplants, mainly because it is not just bone marrow that is used, but also fluids from the umbilical cord of babies not even born yet. This, they say, can cause serious unethical behaviour.

Critics also question the validity of the claims made by researchers. They say that these claims are completely unsubstantiated and that there is absolutely no proof that bone marrow transplants will indeed become the new wonder cure. They also accuse facilities already offering these transplants of raising false hopes in patients purely in pursuit of making huge profits.

One thing is certain and that is that medical research will continue to find solutions to serious problems. Whether bone marrow transplants will become a wonder cure remains to be seen. However, most people will agree that it would be very beneficial if such breakthroughs actually happen.




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