Stem cell therapy remains a highly misunderstood method of healing. For Brooklyn orthopedics and doctors who rely on it, there are significant results as well as extended promise. Get to know this practice that is becoming more mainstream as it works with even the toughest cases.
What Are Stem Cells?
Stem cells can become many different cells. They are used to treat a variety of diseases and research for both people and animals. The stem cells divide and repair the body. Cells can be taken from the body or made in a laboratory. They can be found in adult tissues and embryos and are found in blood and bone marrow. Stem cells from embryos are pluripotent which means they can be many different types of cells. Adult cells come in two types. One is from tissue such as the brain or liver and can only make cells of that type of cell. The other is adult cells from a laboratory that are induced pluripotent. These cells imitate embryonic cells.
What Is Stem-Cell Therapy?
Stem cells from a person’s own body are used to repair damage to various areas. It is called regenerative medicine and is a non-invasive treatment. These cells sometimes can be used rather than donor organs which can be hard to find. They are implanted and speed up healing in the body.
What Has Stem-Cell Therapy Been Used For?
There are numerous disorders that can be helped by stem-cell therapy. One important use is for cancer treatment. Stem cells are used to fill in the bone marrow when cancer or chemo has destroyed it.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is for cancers affecting the blood like leukemia. Radiation or chemotherapy is done before the Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Anemias are other blood diseases helped. It is also used for injuries to joints and immune diseases. In the case of bone-related conditions, the cells give each bone the ability to heal, or at least continue to improve from its previous state.
How Does Stem-Cell Therapy Help Animals?
Stem-cell therapy can help animals. In dogs and cats, this therapy is used for osteoarthritis. It is used in the treatment of injuries to bones and tendons in horses. Fat cells are taken from the animals and sent to a laboratory. Injection into an area like a joint is done while the animal is under anesthesia. The anesthesia is much like what humans experience. While under sedation, additional pain injections or treatments may be administered.
Its use for animal care is also helping people with their chronic pain. Some of the treatments used today started out in veterinarian clinics or similar situations where animal patients put their potential to the test. As those in the medical industry noticed it’s helpfulness, they relied on the findings to present medication and treatments for human patients.
The practice of using stem cells in medicine is quickly becoming a factor in how patients are treated. By learning how this works and its benefits, many who are worried about using the process can see its potential. In the coming years, its uses seem limitless as its popularity grows.