Stem cells represent a new era in medical treatment. Though there has been much controversy in the media and scientific circles over the harvesting and subsequent use of these cells, much of this involves embryonic stem cells. The use of these adult derived cells has not attracted the same controversy, in part because they are typically harvested from the patient involved.
The beauty of these cells is that they can become many other types of cells in the body. This means that they are effectively like “blank slates” and can grow into bone, muscle tissue, cartilage, fat, and many other types of tissue. This makes them tremendously powerful when it comes to treating certain injuries and degenerative conditions.
Regenerating Damaged Areas of the Body
In regenerative orthopedics, for example, cells are harvested from the patient, separated from the other tissues, and then re-injected into the patient at the site of injury. To gain some idea of how useful they are, imagine a sports injury where the cartilage of the knee is damaged and degenerating, causing pain. Injecting these cells into the site allows them to grow into new cartilage.
Likewise, these cells also have the potential to develop into bone marrow cells, making more research into their use in curing diseases such as Leukemia essential in the coming years. Of course, the controversy surrounding embryonic harvesting continues to prevent their use in certain types of medical treatment.
Facilities such as the Center for Manual Medicine offer this type of regenerative medicine, and it is expected that these types of treatments will rapidly gain adherents in the coming years. Where they really shine is in the fact they are minimally invasive but effective treatments. By using the patient’s own cells for healing purposes, this type of treatment avoids some of the complications involved in traditional surgical techniques. Stem cells in Lawrence, KS, represent the future of regenerative medicine and provide an exciting insight into new medical developments to come.
