If It Is Good Enough for a Presidential Candidate, Maybe It Can Help You Too
This week, Presidential candidate and Texas Governor, Rick Perry, made news that he opted to receive an infusion of adult stem cells to assist him in his recovery from back surgery.
The stem cells were created from Perry's own fat, which was harvested from Perry by liposuction.
Stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis is regularly making news these days, as it was also announced earlier in the week that a prominent Texas philanthropist (Dusty Durrill) also received this treatment - in Panama.
What is the Treatment? In the cases of Perry and Durrill, fat was removed from the men by a mini-liposuction under light anesthesia.
Interestingly, cells known as "mesenchymal stem cells" and "t regulatory cells" exist in the harvested fat.
These special cells are then separated from the fat tissue, cultured in a laboratory, and tested for quality and impurities.
After about a week, the cells are implanted into the osteoarthritis impacted joint.
These cells have anti-inflammatory properties, and can, theoretically, reduce arthritis-related swelling, and help the body repair itself.
Additionally, it appears that cells also can assist the body in regrowing damaged bone tissue.
FDA Status The FDA has, until now, not approved the treatment.
Consequently, the injections are relatively expensive, and not typically covered by insurance.
Despite the FDA's failure to approve the treatments, clinics offering this and other stem cell treatments operate in several locations in the United States.
While the FDA would like to stop the treatment, characterizing them as "unproven drugs," the doctors administering the treatments currently argue that as long as they are using the patient's own cells in the treatment, no FDA approval is required.
This issue is currently in litigation.
The Downside So far, many doctors have argued against the treatments.
Dr.
George Q.
Daley, a past president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, worried that Governor Perry might be setting the wrong example for ailing patients, observing that "as a highly influential person of power, Perry's actions have the unfortunate potential to push desperate patients into the clinics of quacks, who are selling unproven treatments for everything from Alzheimer's to autism.
" AP, August 19, 2011.
Additionally, stem cell researcher Dr.
Christine Mummery of the Leiden University Medical Center, in Leiden, Netherlands said that at best "nothing happens," and at worst, the patient may die from their treatments (L.
A.
Times, August 19, 2011).
The Punchline? On the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Ray Sullivan, Governor Perry's chief of staff, said: "The governor consulted with his physician and decided the best course of action for him.
He's very pleased with the results of the surgery, with the rapid recovery, and with the procedure that he had.
'' AP, August 19, 2011 So, while I would hate to rely on only one example when considering a new and controversial treatment, it sounds like Governor Perry's campaign will at least partially be riding on the success of this stem cell treatment.
The stem cells were created from Perry's own fat, which was harvested from Perry by liposuction.
Stem cell therapy for osteoarthritis is regularly making news these days, as it was also announced earlier in the week that a prominent Texas philanthropist (Dusty Durrill) also received this treatment - in Panama.
What is the Treatment? In the cases of Perry and Durrill, fat was removed from the men by a mini-liposuction under light anesthesia.
Interestingly, cells known as "mesenchymal stem cells" and "t regulatory cells" exist in the harvested fat.
These special cells are then separated from the fat tissue, cultured in a laboratory, and tested for quality and impurities.
After about a week, the cells are implanted into the osteoarthritis impacted joint.
These cells have anti-inflammatory properties, and can, theoretically, reduce arthritis-related swelling, and help the body repair itself.
Additionally, it appears that cells also can assist the body in regrowing damaged bone tissue.
FDA Status The FDA has, until now, not approved the treatment.
Consequently, the injections are relatively expensive, and not typically covered by insurance.
Despite the FDA's failure to approve the treatments, clinics offering this and other stem cell treatments operate in several locations in the United States.
While the FDA would like to stop the treatment, characterizing them as "unproven drugs," the doctors administering the treatments currently argue that as long as they are using the patient's own cells in the treatment, no FDA approval is required.
This issue is currently in litigation.
The Downside So far, many doctors have argued against the treatments.
Dr.
George Q.
Daley, a past president of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, worried that Governor Perry might be setting the wrong example for ailing patients, observing that "as a highly influential person of power, Perry's actions have the unfortunate potential to push desperate patients into the clinics of quacks, who are selling unproven treatments for everything from Alzheimer's to autism.
" AP, August 19, 2011.
Additionally, stem cell researcher Dr.
Christine Mummery of the Leiden University Medical Center, in Leiden, Netherlands said that at best "nothing happens," and at worst, the patient may die from their treatments (L.
A.
Times, August 19, 2011).
The Punchline? On the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Ray Sullivan, Governor Perry's chief of staff, said: "The governor consulted with his physician and decided the best course of action for him.
He's very pleased with the results of the surgery, with the rapid recovery, and with the procedure that he had.
'' AP, August 19, 2011 So, while I would hate to rely on only one example when considering a new and controversial treatment, it sounds like Governor Perry's campaign will at least partially be riding on the success of this stem cell treatment.
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