“We’re all human, aren’t we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving.”
~ JK Rowling, British writer
There is no dearth of information, when it comes to advancements in stem cell therapy. It can certainly be overwhelming to read through complex medical terminologies, which can prove to be quite confusing for many. Starting from the basics will definitely make things much more comprehensible.
This therapy is a set of techniques that endeavour to restore and regenerate cells that have been damaged or destroyed by disease. Although these techniques are still relatively new, their applications and scope have attained ground breaking proportions. Rightly said, this form of treatment is at the pinnacle of bio-medical research.
Top Ten Things about Stem Cell Therapy
Although stem cell therapy is still in its nascent stages, researchers have discovered that these treatments are effective for many diseases. Stem cells have been used in the treatment of leukaemia and other cancers, Parkinson’s disease, immunity disorders and anaemia, to name a few.
Here is a list of things that one ought to know about such therapies:
1. There are many varieties of stem cells found in the human body. Each has its own use.
2. A single variety of cells will not work for a multitude of diseases or disorders. For example, hematopoietic cells can regenerate only blood.
3. Accepted therapies are not large in number. This is because clinic trials continue to be restricted. Stem cells therapies are still in the experimental stages.
4. Physical changes do not imply success of a treatment or therapy. So, be careful of clinics that advertise their competence merely through patient testimonials.
5. Science is a long and difficult process. Even if the basic sciences of such treatments are established, developing them into successful treatments will take a lot of trial and error, which would be a time consuming process.
6. These cells require complex instructions about what they are expected to do and how they are expected to behave.
7. Risks are involved in any such medical procedure. Every patient is different, so there are chances that the treatment process and outcome might vary for each person.
8. Unproven treatments might not be successful. There cannot be any guarantees about any therapy’s success.
9. An experimental treatment does not automatically mean that it might be a part of a set of clinical trials. You should be careful that such treatments have passed clinic trial stages.
10. Stem cell therapy is constantly moving forward and researchers are very optimistic that they will soon be available for treating a range of human conditions and disorders.
Although this type of treatment remains a new science, scientists see wide scope, which drives the phenomenal advances in this line of bio-medicine.