How It Works - Regen - Regenerative Medicine

How Do Stem Cells and Stem Cell Therapy Work?

Over the years, many individuals and celebrities have raved about their positive experiences on stem cell therapy, which has healed and rejuvenated their aging, injured or diseased bodies in a way traditional medicine and surgeries alone could not. This includes Michael Schumacher, who, after a near-fatal brain injury, received transfusions of inflammation-reducing stem cells and is now conscious again; Mel Gibson’s 92-year-old father, who, riddled with numerous age-related diseases, received IV doses of umbilical cord tissue MSCs and reported a “new lease of life” which included a general reduction in inflammation, improved cognition, vision and overall strength. More recently, American professional golfer, Brooks Koepka, had stem cells injected into his injured knee and reported that he “finally feels 100 per cent” after battling the pain for four months.

How Do Stem Cells Do That?

To understand why stem cell therapy has proven to be such a promising and revolutionary treatment in the medical field, one must first understand the unique characteristics of stem cells:

They are the body’s master cells

Unlike all other cells in our bodies which are specialized (e.g. heart cells, blood cells, nerve cells), stem cells are undifferentiated cells naturally found and produced in our bodies, from which all other specialized cells arise. No other cell in the body has the innate ability to generate new cell types. Therein lies the crux of stem cell therapy—the potential to create new, healthy, youthful and specialized cells; particularly where disease and injury have caused tissue damage in the patient.

Their purpose is to regulate and upkeep our bodies

Stem cells remain in their undifferentiated state until their use is required by the body, in which case it will locate the area of need and apply themselves there—differentiating themselves into specialized tissues (e.g. organ tissue or cartilage). This process helps our bodies repair and renew its organs and systems.

The amount and potency of our stem cells decrease with time

Most potent, abundant and flexible in youth, the quality of our stem cells naturally decline as we age, placing our bodies at a higher risk of disease, illness and slower recovery. You can see this playing out in real life whereby injured children tend to recover much faster than injured adults, because their bodies are able to repair themselves more efficiently.

There are various sources of stem cells

Stem cells come from two main sources—adult body tissues and embryos. Although embryonic stem cells are the most versatile and potent due to their youth and their ability to differentiate into much more cell types than adult stem cells, they are also controversial due to ethical concerns that they are derived from human embryos. Alternatively, umbilical cord blood is also a good source of youthful stem cells that have the ability to generate into many different cell types. Other adult stem cells—which are more limited in what type of cells they can generate—can be found in the bone marrow and adipose fat tissue, among others.

At Regen, we specialize in using Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) which are sourced from donated umbilical cord blood, bone marrow or adipose fat tissue (whether it is from the patient or a donor); and we do not obtain stem cells from embryos.

Where Stem Cell Therapy Comes In

Anti-Aging & Rejuvenation

Because the function and quantity of our own stem cells decline as we age, our skin, muscle strength, bone mass, immunity and cognition become affected. With stem cell therapy, therein lies the potential to slow or even reverse aging in cells. Stem cell therapy is so effective for anti-aging treatment (including aesthetics) because they can be transplanted to wherever they are needed. This replenishes the body with a fresh supply of concentrated stem cells to facilitate the repair and rejuvenation process in all organs, including the skin. The result is an improved overall health, strength, appearance and organ function, enabling you to feel youthful, active and strong again.

Regenerative Medicine

In cases where injury and disease have taken a toll on the body, stem cells can be guided into becoming specific cells that can in turn be used to regenerate and repair these diseased or damaged tissues. With regenerative medicine, there is a possibility of repairing a diseased or injured organ using the patient’s own stem cells, thereby doing away with the need for donor organs and aggressive treatments that are usually extremely costly, hard to come by and come with a slew of side effects. People who might benefit from this include those suffering from liver cirrhosis, fibrotic lungs, kidney failure, osteoarthritis and much more.

How Is Stem Cell Therapy Conducted?

There are two ways the stem cells can be administered—intravenously (IV) or through a direct injection into the affected area. In the case of the intravenous infusion, it will first begin with a vitamin and mineral drip. Thereafter, stem cells will be introduced into the channel over a period of 20 minutes. Once done, the drip will be completed with antibiotics to ensure that there will be no risk of infection.In the case of a direct injection into the affected area (e.g. knee caps), it will be carried out by our orthopaedic surgeon so you can rest assured that you are in good hands. The direct injection method ensures that there will be a high concentration of stem cells to repair the injured body part effectively.

Recovery and Repair

Depending on the individual’s condition and purpose of the stem cell therapy, recovery may take place between a period of a few days to a few months. Once you start to feel improvement, however, you will also notice sustained improvement over the next few months. Side effects are rare and usually mild, and easily managed by our team of experienced medical staff.