A primer to incorporating stem cells in your practice

Sponsored by Advanced Medical Integration

Stem cells and their application to chiropractic has not always been clear-cut or widely accepted.

However, as an addition to your practice they can open up new doors of healing. But what are stem cells and what can they do for your practice?

Stem cell therapy is one of the most important discoveries ever made in the health care field. First let’s talk about stem cells, what they are, and why they are so important.

Boon to chiropractic

The fact that chiropractors may administer stem cell therapy
as part of their practice is an incredible way to achieve the dream of being a
true healer. We are just beginning to understand what stem cells can do. There
is a frenzy of research as a presidential directive to encourage more research
and treatments by stem cell.

What are stem cells?

Stem cells are primitive, “unspecialized” cells that divide and transform into specialized cells of the body such as liver, muscle, blood, and other cells with specific functions, the process known as differentiation. Stem cells are referred to as “undifferentiated” cells because they have not yet committed to a developmental path that will form a specific tissue or organ.

In some areas of the body, stem cells are designated to divide regularly to renew and repair the existing tissue as long as the body lives. The bone marrow and gastrointestinal tract are examples of areas in which stem cells function to renew and repair tissue.

Nutshell

An egg is fertilized in the mother’s womb. The union of a sperm and ovum forms a single cell known as a zygote. The sperm and the ovum each carry half of the genetic material required to form a new individual. Once that single cell or zygote starts dividing, it is known as an embryo. What happens then?

One cell becomes two, two become four, four become eight, eight become sixteen, each new cell doubling rapidly until it ultimately grows into an entire sophisticated organism composed of many different kinds of specialized cells. That organism, a person, is an immensely complicated structure consisting of many, many, billions of cells with functions as diverse as those of your eyes, your heart, your immune system, the color of your skin, your brain, etc.

“During the early stages of embryonic development the cells remain relatively undifferentiated (immature) and appear to possess the ability to become, or differentiate, into almost any tissue within the body. For example, cells taken from one section of an embryo that might have become part of the eye can be transferred into another section of the embryo and could develop into blood, muscle, nerve, or liver cells.”

Source of stem cells

The richest source is from embryos, but there is a serious
ethical consideration there, so other sources were discovered. The cells found
in the umbilical cord are rich in in mesenchymal, or cells that develop into connective tissue,
blood vessels, and lymphatic tissue, stem
cells, and can be harvested in abundance for they are present in every
umbilical cord, and there is one for every child born. Here are enough stem cells
to serve, when processed properly, the entire earth with the basic healing
material for man.

Discovery

How is this useful? They are cells without a name or title or function other than to become precisely like some other cell in the body by replicating it but this time it is a fresh new healthy cell. When injected into the body, the cell is drawn to the area where repair is most needed, morph into healthy cells there and replaces the sick and broken ones with those that are good as new.

For example, these nameless, undifferentiated cells injected into the knee where the cartilage was torn or worn will become healthy, strong renewed cartilage, replacing the old. This is successfully done every day. These amazing living tissues “know” just what to do and what to become as that is their instinctive duty as it was in the beginning and continues throughout the life of the living organism.

Stem cells

Theoretically, Stem cells have the ability to change to any tissue found in the body and, as a result, can provide nearly limitless potential for medical applications (regenerative medicine).  

Current studies are researching how stem cells may be used to prevent or cure diseases and injuries such as Parkinson’s disease, type 1 diabetes, heart disease, spinal cord injury, muscular dystrophy, Alzheimer’s disease, strokes, burns, osteoarthritis, vision and hearing loss. Stem cells could also be used to replace or repair tissue damaged by disease or injury.

Success stories

• A stem cell treatment improved the neurological symptoms of three-fourths of the multiple sclerosis patients in a Phase 1 clinical trials.
• A two year old girl born without a windpipe has a new one grown from her own stemcells.  
• Parkinson’s disease successfully treated with stem cells in monkeys with Parkinson’s-like disease.
• Knee cartilage regeneration and spinal disc regeneration, joint and soft tissue pain.
• In the treatment of lupus

What diseases could be treated by stem cell research?

In theory, there’s no limit to the types of diseases that could be treated with stem cell research. Given that researchers may be able to study all cell types via embryonic stem cells, they have the potential to make breakthroughs in any disease.

Wave of the future

This is indeed the wave of the future. As research and discovery digs in deeper more and more diseases and disabilities will be cured through this discovery.

Consider the rapidity of change in all technologies during the last twenty years. Change will occur in the future, but at an accelerated rate, and you can expect what we today would consider miracles. Don’t be left behind. Learn about it and begin utilizing this amazing technology.

Your patients will benefit beyond imagination by being able to avoid surgery and return function to normal and have a real life again.

About Advanced Medical Integration

Advanced Medical Integration (AMI) is the nation’s leading consulting group for establishing holistic, philosophically based medical integration.  Whether you are new to medical integration or already have an integrated center, AMI will help you develop your practice to the new standard in desired holistic medical services.