Cell therapy is a broad term used to describe medical treatments that involve cellular material being injected, grafted, or implanted into a patient. Typically this involves living cells such as stem cells or your own blood cells. Stem cell therapy continues to be one of the fastest-paced medical practices that is being researched and one of the newest techniques to repair damaged cells. Adult stem cell therapy and research may soon hold the key to the cure for a plethora of diseases. The most common use of stem cell therapy is for bone marrow transplants. Some newer therapies are being derived from umbilical cord blood.
Research continues to develop various sources for stem cell therapy to allow stem cell treatment for neurodegenerative diseases and conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. Adult autologous stem cells can aid in degenerative diseases such as joint disease and arthritis. The procedure’s main purpose is to replenish your body’s supply of healthy regenerating cells.
How Does It Work?
Stem cell therapy is relatively new, but it is a simple procedure. The therapy takes advantage of your body’s resources to fix your injuries. For example, the doctor will take a syringe and extract material from your bone marrow. This bone marrow contains valuable stem cells. After extracting the material, the material must go in a centrifuge. The centrifuge purifies the stem cells to optimize their healing ability. After a few days, the stem cells are ready. Doctors then inject the stem cells into your elbow, and then recovery can begin.
Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy
Another form of Cell Therapy is PRP. PRP therapy is Platelet Rich Plasma therapy — a non-surgical treatment that uses a person’s own blood to treat a number of conditions. Some of the conditions it has been used to treat are arthritis, bone or spine injuries, hamstring or tendon injuries, hair restoration, and even wrinkling skin.
PRP therapy starts with collection of the patient’s blood, which is then placed in a centrifuge where the platelet-rich plasma is separated from the other components of the blood. Platelets are the body’s natural supplier of growth factors, which stimulate soft tissue repair, increases blood flow, and promotes stem cell generation, which assists the body in healing itself.
Cell therapy can vary depending on the patient. Some cases might require stem cells, while others may not. The best thing to do is speak with a cell therapy specialist, like a cell therapy specialist in Hollywood, CA, to determine if cell therapy could be beneficial for you.
Thanks to MetroMD for their insight into what cell therapy is and who could benefit from it.
