By linna January 19, 2019 - 9:20am

You have probably heard of stem cell research. It has been a bit of a hot topic in the last couple of decades. When first introduced it was met with moral and ethical obstacles. Early research focused on obtaining stem cells from embryos and fetuses. These days we are far removed from those methods. Actually, the procedure for obtaining stem cells now gathers them from our own bodies. The list of conditions that can be treated with stem cell procedures grows almost daily. I cannot begin to cover all the possible circumstances that can be addressed by stem cell therapy as this would be a novel instead of an article. Hopefully, though, I can help you decide if you may be a good candidate for treatment. Please keep in mind only a professional can tell you for sure if you could qualify.

Common Treatable Conditions

One of the most promising procedures that recent research has produced is to treat Parkinson's disease. Stem cell therapy works by allowing damaged neurons in your brain and nervous system to be regrown. You can have therapy to treat Parkinson's disease today. Many centers across the United States and the world are performing these procedures. Further research is currently being conducted to allow physicians to treat Alzheimer's as well. Though treatment for Alzheimer's is not as far advanced as Parkinson's hopefully treatment will be available in the near future.

Spine injury

Everyone knows someone that suffers from chronic back pain. Degenerative Disk Disease (also referred to as DDD) is an excruciating and often debilitating condition where the disk (liquid filled space between vertebrae) is leaking. DDD is also due to back injuries that have ruptured the disk. The resulting pain is caused by compression of the spinal column; which can cause pinched nerves in the spinal cord. In the old days, one of the only options that patients had was back surgery. Anybody with chronic severe pain has heard the horror stories associated with a failed operation. The only other option was to live with the injury and rely on opiates to combat their constant pain. The latter option has led to a beast of its own now known as the "opioid epidemic." Luckily, today patients have another promising option. Stem cell treatment has had significant breakthroughs in alleviating chronic back pain due to the conditions mentioned in this section. Chances are if you have back pain you are a good candidate for treatment

Rheumatoid Arthritis

One of the newest and most advanced techniques for treating RA is the use of stem cells. Best of all it is a natural solution. Once again your own stem cells are extracted from your body usually from fatty tissue (adipose) or your bone marrow. RA affects everyone differently, and this treatment method can be custom tailored to aid you in your specific needs. Patients with RA are seeing dramatic results while undergoing treatment, and the treatment has revolutionized how people are being helped.

Treatment for Organs

Stem cells are not only used to treat chronic pain conditions but also can be used to regenerate specific cells of damaged organs such as the heart and kidneys. Adipose-derived cells are often used for the ability to differentiate between cells. Your heart is made up of different types of cells; a few of which are of primary concern. Adipose cells have been shown effective for repairing and regenerating cells damaged due to heart failure or a heart attack just to name a couple of instances. The ability to differentiate is critical when working with major body organs. Patients with kidney failure are also seeing positive results by undergoing treatment.

As you can see, many possible conditions may qualify you for stem cell therapy. There are just too many to go over in a single article. If you or someone you know has a condition that may be related to the ones above, please consider treatment. Even if your situation isn't covered above that doesn't mean treatment isn't available. I urge you to speak with your doctor. Relief may be closer than you think.