Stem cells have enormous potential to help scientists discover new treatments for various injuries and diseases and other health problems. For example, blood stem cells can continue to treat and save many children diagnosed with leukemia.
However, not all treatments are safe. Therefore, you must proceed with caution when seeking unproven treatment, although you can receive holistic treatment at the Seattle Stem Cell Center.
In this article you will learn more facts about stem cell technology.
Facts About Stem Cell Technology
1. Only A Few Stem Cell Treatments are Safe
Stem cell technology can treat a few diseases with safe means. However, several scientists continue to research safer ways of administering stem cell treatments.
Currently, however, the most common treatment is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, also known as blood stem cell transplantation. One example is bone marrow transplantation, which is used to treat disorders of the immune system and blood. It is also used to treat certain types of blood cancer.
In addition, eye injuries affecting the cornea, as well as skin and bone diseases can be cured by a stem cell treatment that includes tissue transplantation. The medical community supports this treatment because they believe it is safe.
However, other treatments using this technology are still being tested. It is therefore important to know which type of stem cell treatment is properly approved, otherwise it may end up having fatal side effects.
This leads us to the next point.
2. Unproven Treatments May Cause Severe Side Effects
For some health conditions, no treatment is available. For this reason, victims suffering from such conditions believe that they can try any available treatment. They also have nothing to lose. On the contrary, they end up heart-broken and sometimes in a worse state than when they started:
- The patient may suffer additional complications that can last a lifetime and make the management of the disease more difficult.
- Once the patient has undergone a trial for a particular treatment, many of them are not suitable for further studies in the future.
- Such studies have a massive financial impact on the family. The patient has to pay not only for the treatment, but also for accommodation, transport, and other related expenses. To make matters worse, government health programs and insurance companies do not cover such treatments.
It is crucial to take these factors into account before pursuing unproven treatments. Sit down with your family and discuss the risks and benefits of treatment.
3. One Stem Cell Treatment May Not Treat Other Conditions
Stem cells are specific, so a cell from one tissue cannot reproduce other cells in another tissue. For this reason, treatment may not be effective for another disease or condition affecting other organs and tissues of the body.
However, scientists have found a way to manipulate these cells to form the cell they want. To obtain the desired cell, scientists use pluripotent stem cells, and these have enormous potential to develop new treatments.
These cells require specific instructions to produce certain cells that are needed to repair damaged tissue. If they receive the wrong instructions, these cells can overgrow, which can lead to tumors.
4. Your Own Cells May Not be the Perfect Candidates
The immune system attacks your own cells, but this happens only in rare cases. However, certain risks arise when certain cells are taken from your body, cultured, and injected back into the body. And this is how it works:
There are harmful bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens in the external environment that contaminate the cells and can cause illness when reinjected.
Cell manipulation can cause disturbances, which can disrupt normal cell function.
The place of reintroduction also plays a role. If the cells are injected in the wrong place, this can cause problems.
5. The Treatment Should Match the Disease
If you know exactly which disease you suffer from, you have a better chance of knowing what kind of treatment you should seek. For example, if you suffer from a blood disease, finding a blood stem cell transplant is the right option.
On the other hand, if you suffer from an eye disease, the same treatment will not work in your favour.
The Bottom Line
Stem cell research continues to increase, while researchers continue to shed light on this type of treatment. With the help of advanced research, they will be able to gain a deeper understanding of how diseases develop and thus develop cures.
They still have a long way to go, but the future is bright.
