Sharing the Health!

Stem Cell Clinics to Finally Be Regulated!

US News and World Report describes how the U.S. Food and Drug Administra- tion is planning to regulate doctors pushing stem cell procedures that pose the gravest risks to people desperately seeking help. These businesses have had no one oversee- ing them in the past. Their injections can cost $5,000 to $50,000, but there’s little research that such procedures are safe or effective.

Stem cells have been recognized for their ability to reproduce and regenerate tissue. And while emerging research suggests that they will eventually be used to treat a range of diseases, they are currently only approved for a handful of medical proce- dures. Adult stem cells from bone marrow transplants have long been used to treat leukemia and other blood diseases.

Most of the clinics offer adult stem cells isolated from fat. Employees collect the fluid from you via liposuction, treat it with chemicals and then inject it back into the body to treat various conditions.

Three Florida women were left nearly or completely blind by one such fat-based procedure according to a report published earlier this year in the New England Journal of Medicine. The Florida Medical Board previously revoked the license of another stem cell practitioner after two patients died under his care after receiving IV drips of stem cells to the bloodstream.

COPD Navigator is a new term being used for respiratory therapists whose goal is to teach people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Dis- ease the tools they need to avoid hospitalization. One such person is Mike Hess who has a Facebook support page and has produced videos to accomplish his mission. Visit www. youtube.com and search for “COPD Navigator Live”.