Re: Stem Cell and Diabetics

[Guest guest]

Stem cell therapy works for about a year, and then the effects wear

off. However, the stem cell therapy centers don't normally disclose

this information up front. If you go for stem cell therapy, they

will tell you to follow up with a portable chamber in your home 3-6

months after the comletion of the stem cell therapy, since HBOT

mobilizes stem cells.

For most people, your money is better spend just buying the chamber,

since stem cell therapy runs anywhere from $10,000 - $45,000 per

treatment, and it needs to be repeated on an annual basis. There are

several stem cell therapy support groups on if you want further

information.

Diane

>

> Does anyone know of any studies going on with stem cell and

diabetics. For kids. I have a klid in my family that is now delvooed

diab.

>  

> Not my child a close family member.

[Guest guest]

Please show me where you found this information. I am in contact with

several stem cell reciepiants and they have not seen this. Is there a

study I don't know about?

> >

> > Does anyone know of any studies going on with stem cell and

> diabetics. For kids. I have a klid in my family that is now delvooed

> diab.

> >  

> > Not my child a close family member.

>

[Guest guest]

I began researching stem cell therapy after I was contacted by a

family whose son with cerebral palsy underwent the treatment in

China. They had instructed him to start HBOT 3 months after the

completion of the stem cell therapy. I began hearing from other

families as well, and all of them were told to buy chambers and start

HBOT after the completion of their children's stem cell treatments.

I went on various support groups where people spoke about their

experiences with stem cell therapy, and I also spoke to people whose

family members had tried it. Stem cell therapy made some people

sicker, others saw no improvement at all, and those who saw some

improvements were disappointed that the effects did not last very

long.

However, there is one clinical trial using stem cells with autistic

children that showed positive results. Some of the families of

children with autism have had good results with stem cell therapy.

However, many of them have done 8 or more treatments.

Diane

>

> Please show me where you found this information. I am in contact

with

> several stem cell reciepiants and they have not seen this. Is there

a

> study I don't know about?

[Guest guest]

The following article is about stem cell treatments in China. There

have been a small number of patient deaths in China resulting from

stem cell treatments, and some patients have developed tumors and

other diseases. The Chinese use fetal stem cells, whereas adult stem

cells are used in Mexico and the Caribbean. Stem cell treatments are

typically done in third world countries where there are few

regulations governing experimental treatments.

Diane

Americans seek stem cell treatments in China

Western doctors warn of risks from experimental procedures

Jan. 6, 2008

BEIJING - They're paralyzed from diving accidents and car crashes,

disabled by Parkinson's, or blind. With few options available at home

in America, they search the Internet for experimental treatments —

and often land on Web sites promoting stem cell treatments in China.

They mortgage their houses and their hometowns hold fundraisers as

they scrape together the tens of thousands of dollars needed for

travel and the hope for a miracle cure.

A number of these medical tourists claim some success when they

return home.

Jim Savage, a Houston quadriplegic, says he can move his right arm.

Penny of Hawaii says her Parkinson's tremors are mostly gone.

The parents of 6-year-old Rylea Barlett of Missouri, born with an

optical defect, say she can see.

But documentation is mostly lacking, and Western doctors warn that

patients are serving as guinea pigs in a country that isn't doing the

rigorous lab and human tests that are needed to prove a treatment is

safe and effective.

Effectiveness questioned

Noting the lack of evidence, three Western doctors undertook their

own limited study. It involved seven patients with spinal cord

injuries who chose to get fetal brain tissue injections at one

hospital in China. The study reported " no clinically useful

improvements " — even though most patients believed they were better.

Five developed complications such as meningitis.

Experts in the West have theories about why some people think they've

improved when the evidence is thin. Some are often getting intensive

physical therapy, along with the mysterious injections; the placebo

effect may also be a factor.

Steeves, a professor at the University of British Columbia who

heads an international group that monitors spinal cord treatments,

has another theory. Some patients may be influenced by the amount of

money they paid and the help they got from those who donated or

helped raise money.

" Needless to say, when they come back, what are they going to report

to their friends and neighbors? That it didn't work? " said

Steeves. " Nobody wants to hear that. "

He and other experts have written a booklet advising patients who are

considering such treatments.

Western doctors discourage their patients from seeking such

treatments. They note that it's impossible to gauge the safety and

effectiveness of the treatments, or even know what's in the

injections put into brains and spinal cords.

A journey of hope

Patients and their families say they accept those risks. They simply

don't have time to wait for more conclusive evidence. For many, the

trip to China is a journey of hope.

" It's one of the only games in town, " said Savage, 44, a lawyer who

suffered severe spinal cord injuries after a canoe trip 25 years ago.

Savage spent 2½ months in late 2006 and early 2007 at a hospital in

the southern China city of Shenzhen to get what he was told were stem

cell injections in his spine from umbilical cord blood. He made the

arrangements through Beike Biotechnology Co., which offers the

treatments at a number of hospitals in China.

Afterward, Savage said he was able to move his right arm for the

first time since his diving accident. He also said he noticed greater

strength in his abdomen and more sensation on his skin.

Just how many foreigners like Savage are coming to China for

treatment isn't known. China is only one of several countries where

such techniques are being offered.

Many Chinese doctors don't wait for results of rigorous testing

before treating patients, and they offer what they say are stem cell

or other cell treatments to those willing to pay.

What is known about the procedures being performed comes from

material on their Web sites or from patients who give detailed

accounts of their visits. Little has been published in scientific

journals for other doctors to scrutinize.

Limited tests in people

The use of stem cells for treatments isn't new. For decades, doctors

around the world have been using adult stem cells from blood and bone

marrow — and more recently from umbilical cord blood — to treat

cancers of the blood like leukemia and lymphoma and blood diseases

like sickle cell anemia.

Scientists have been exploring whether such adult stem cells and

other cells such as those from the retina or fetal brain tissue could

be used to replace cells lost because of injury or disease. And they

are trying to figure out if there's a way to stimulate the body's own

stem cells to make repairs.

But those strategies are still being investigated in the lab in

animals; there have been very limited tests in people.

Whether any clinics in China are using the more controversial

embryonic stem cells — doctors in some other countries claim to be —

isn't clear. These stem cells are taken from days-old embryos. They

can develop into all types of cells, but research into their

usefulness is in early stages.

'I just wanted something back'

Patients seek out these unproven treatments after hearing about them

from other patients, patient groups or Web sites for the medical

companies. The patients' stories posted on the Internet usually tell

of some kind of improvement from the treatments — slight movements in

arms or legs, fewer spasms or tremors, a feeling of sensation, an

ability to sweat.

Hrabik, 21, has been disabled since a 2004 car crash left him

with limited use of his hands and legs. His father took out a second

mortgage on their Oak Ridge, Mo., home to help pay for $20,000 worth

of stem cell injections at a Beike facility in China.

More than a year after returning home, Hrabik says he has nearly

complete use of his left hand, with improvement in the right. He can

work on his customized 1993 Nissan 240SX, a modified number complete

with hand controls and racing seats.

He said he was able to move his left fingers within days of that

first injection of umbilical cord stem cells into his spinal cord.

There's been little progress since he left China, but he called the

incremental changes significant.

" I just wanted something back, no matter what it was, " said Hrabik,

who attributes some of the changes to the physical therapy that he

had in China.

Expanding treatment options

Beike founder Hu, who returned from abroad in 1999 with a

doctorate in biochemistry, said the company has treated more than

1,000 patients, including 300 foreigners from 40 different countries.

The only side effects have been slight fevers and headaches among a

small percentage of patients, according to Hu.

He said patients with trauma injuries experience the most dramatic

improvements; those with degenerative diseases such as ALS, also

known as Lou Gehrig's disease, tend to improve initially but then

slide back to their former condition within months.

" Patients shouldn't have their expectations too high, " Hu said. " For

patients to think they can walk again may be too much at this stage, "

he said.

He's now seeking venture capital to expand his web of treatment

centers, labs and doctors and adapt proprietary techniques from

researchers overseas.

" There is real potential here for China to take the lead in stem

cells, " Hu said.

Also offering treatments is Tiantan Puhua in Beijing, a joint venture

between Asia's largest neurological hospital and an American medical

group. Tiantan's sunny, sparkling rooms are a far cry from the dour

facilities and staff at most Chinese hospitals. Diseases treated

there range from stroke and spinal cord injuries to cerebral palsy

and ataxia, a rare neurological condition that can cause slurred

speech.

The hospital says its stem cell injections are combined with daily,

three-hour doses of intravenous drugs designed to stimulate

production of the patient's own stem cells. Physical rehabilitation

and Chinese medicine are also part of the plan. A standard two-month

course of treatment costs $30,000 to $35,000.

'We are making no promises'

" We want to see actual improvements, " said Dr. Sherwood Yang, head of

the hospital's management team. " We are giving them another option at

the highest level of safety. "

Yang contends that 90 percent of patients show some results, with the

rest suffering disabilities that are too far advanced to respond to

treatment.

" We are making no promises, " he added. " It's impossible to say

exactly how any given patient will respond. "

Western experts point to the lack of documented evidence that cell

treatments have any benefit for spinal cord injuries or degenerative

diseases like Parkinson's.

" All of us in the so-called Western world, if there was something

valid, we'd be the first to be offering it, " said Steeves, the

Canadian professor and director of the International Collaboration on

Repair Discoveries, known as ICORD.

Three other experts were involved in the study that found no

improvement in the seven spinal cord injury patients who went for

fetal brain tissue injections in China. The patients were evaluated

before and after their surgery.

The doctors stressed their observations were no substitute for a

larger, more strict investigation.

" People are looking for a cure, " said Dr. Bruce Dobkin, a neurology

professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of

Medicine, one of the study's authors. " They may come to do something

based more on a gut feeling. It's like looking for a religious

miracle. "

'I have no regrets'

Along with the patients' booklet of advice about exploring

experimental treatments, Steeves and other researchers have drawn up

a set of guidelines on how to do research in spinal cord injuries.

Another researcher, Dr. Wise Young of Rutgers University, is

assembling a network of Chinese medical centers and universities to

train researchers and conduct studies that meet international

standards.

Dr. Okun, medical director of the National Parkinson

Foundation, said his group discourages patients from seeking out

experimental treatments unless they're being done under the most

rigorous research protocols.

" Stem cell therapy ... is a really interesting area that has a lot of

promise for therapeutic approaches. But we're just not ready to be

putting stem cells into people's brains at this point in time, " said

Okun.

But such warnings don't dissuade people like Penny of Captain

Cook, Hawaii. She sought treatment for Parkinson's disease at

Tiantan, where doctors drilled into her skull and injected what she

was told were cells from a donor's retina. One year later, she said

her tremors are almost gone and her medication has been cut to one-

half of a single pill.

" I have no regrets and would do it all over again if need be, " said

, 53.

So would the parents of Rylea Barlett of Webb City, Mo. The family

raised nearly $40,000 from friends and neighbors to spend a month in

China at a Beike facility last summer, hoping treatments would cure

their daughter's blindness. The child was born with an optic nerve

disorder.

Dawn Barlett said her daughter responded to lights shone in her eyes

within a week after the first of a series of five stem cell

injections and can now make out blurry images on TV.

" She had no vision whatsoever before we left, " the mother

said. " There was no hope otherwise. "

The girl's optometrist, Larry Brothers, said: " It truly is a miracle. "

But when pressed for details, he said he detected " subtle

differences " in Rylea's optic nerve after her return from China.

Asked if he would characterize her progress as incremental, he said

that " might be too optimistic. "

URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22455125/page/2/

[Guest guest]

Diane,

Making a blanket statement is where I have to differ. If phrased that

from those you have talked to this is what they observed.... I have

also talked to several families that have done stem cells. They were

all following the same protocol and all were getting very remarkable

results. We are also in contact with the doctor of those families.

In the future, please phrase your statements so that people may know

why you are saying these things and whether it is your opinion or from

evidence/studies. When stated as absolutes, it may be putting down

those programs which are working.

Again, the devil is in the details or lack thereof.

> >

> > Please show me where you found this information. I am in contact

> with

> > several stem cell reciepiants and they have not seen this. Is

there

> a

> > study I don't know about?

>

[Guest guest]

> >

> > Does anyone know of any studies going on with stem cell and

> diabetics. For kids. I have a klid in my family that is now

delvooed

> diab.

> >  

> > Not my child a close family member.

>

WOW you lie so much, Stem Cells to not wear off!!!Still just trying

to make money for your bad chambers HUH!!!HBOT mobilizes stem cells

only at 2.0 ATA and never been proven that it does it with mHBOT

chamber!!!

People if you want learn how great Adult Stem Cells are and also

mHBOT but not the ones Diane sells, go to my blog

www.recovering.blogspot.com

>

[Guest guest]

WOW that is a lie!!! Stem Cells do not wear off!!!

> >

> > Does anyone know of any studies going on with stem cell and

> diabetics. For kids. I have a klid in my family that is now

delvooed

> diab.

> >  

> > Not my child a close family member.

>

[Guest guest]

WOw you really put misinformation. The family who did stem cells 8

times, did Embryonic which so no result anywhere with anything

according to the FDA. Adult Stem Cells is the way to go because it

does help 73 disorders.

www.recovering.blogspot.com

> >

> > Please show me where you found this information. I am in contact

> with

> > several stem cell reciepiants and they have not seen this. Is

there

> a

> > study I don't know about?

>

[Guest guest]

She is lying!!! You DO NOT lose the gains after a year.

They wouldn't disclose it because it is not true

www.recovering.blogspot.com

> > >

> > > Does anyone know of any studies going on with stem cell and

> > diabetics. For kids. I have a klid in my family that is now

delvooed

> > diab.

> > >  

> > > Not my child a close family member.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

She is lying!!! You DO NOT lose the gains after a year.

They wouldn't disclose it because it is not true

www.recovering.blogspot.com

> > >

> > > Does anyone know of any studies going on with stem cell and

> > diabetics. For kids. I have a klid in my family that is now

delvooed

> > diab.

> > >  

> > > Not my child a close family member.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Diane,

   I understand you try to boost your sales for your Healing Dives HBOT

Chambers. You can put your advertisements in other places instead of misleading

our parents here.

 

patty

From: <july776@...>

Subject: [ ] Re: Stem Cell and Diabetics

medicaid

Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008, 12:34 PM

WOW that is a lie!!! Stem Cells do not wear off!!!

> >

> > Does anyone know of any studies going on with stem cell and

> diabetics. For kids. I have a klid in my family that is now

delvooed

> diab.

> >  

> > Not my child a close family member.

>

[Guest guest]

My son has had stemcells in China and we have not seen any loose of skills.

He only keeps learning new ones. I would like to see the info that you have

and who wrote it.

Rita

**************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination.

Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out

(http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000002)

[Guest guest]

This is a post on stem cell therapy from a Multiple Sclerosis support

group.

Diane

" I actually went to Dr. on the recommendation of another

patient who was treated by him and had great results. Too bad I went

before I found that her results disappeared after one year. I had no

results AT ALL.

The man he was working with, Dr. Sapse, was put out of business by

the Feds and a warrant was issued for him by his native country of

Romania.

I truly believe Dr. is well meaning. But you are playing

with fire here. I guess I started to worry when Dr, made

incisions for the implants and I noticed his nurse wore open toed

sandals. No surprise the incisions became infected and I had to take

Keflex. He says the stem cell implants have been tested for disease

but you only have his word for it. I was lucky my desperation didn't

lead to a price I would have to pay for with my life.

I think stem cell therapy is valid in the right hands. Wait until

this administration changes and, hopefully, get it done in the

states. Northwestern University out of Chicago is doing a lot of

research in treatment. Contact them. "

Lydia

[Guest guest]

What are you telling parents who are asking about the Chinese stem-

cell therapy?

That I have two problems with this therapy.

First, from a scientific point of view, there is no evidence that

cord-blood stem cells can ever form neurons, at least not in any peer-

reviewed scientific literature. And I can assure you anyone doing

legitimate research in this area is not withholding information to

the contrary, because obviously this would be a major breakthrough if

neurons could form from cord-blood stem cells.

Even if they could form neurons, there's no evidence that these

neurons could ever make it to the eye where they could form new

ganglion cells that are the cells that form the optic nerve, because

the eye is a very protected environment from foreign material.

Second, from an ethical point of view, it is really not appropriate

to be treating children who cannot give assent to the procedure

themselves with a therapy that has no basis even in the laboratory

for its use. Also, there are real risks with any procedure in which

you are injecting foreign material into the body, especially if

you're injecting it into the cerebrospinal fluid, which is my

understanding of what they're doing in China. Because this foreign

material can cause inflammation, can cause meningitis and cause

serious brain injury.

It's also an ethical problem because I do not think that thorough and

formal consent is obtained.

Finally, there's no scientific oversight of this work. In this

country and Europe, this type of research could never be done without

scientific oversight, even making sure that they're actually doing

what they say they're doing. There is no way of knowing that they're

actually purifying stem cells appropriately, that they're injecting

stem cells, that they have any sort of monitoring of adverse affects

from this. So this is really an inappropriate way to do any research,

especially on innocent children.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=88123868

[Guest guest]

It's my personal belief that if you want to try stem cell therapy, it

be the last therapy you try. You should always try HBOT first, because

HBOT may resolve the problem, and you may not need stem cell therapy.

HBOT is far safer than stem cell therapy, it's far less expensive if

you have a portable chamber in your home, and it does not have the

adverse effects associated with stem cell therapy.

Diane

[Guest guest]

Diane,

Please explain to me where you are getting your information about stem

cells and adverse effects. I am a strong believer in HBO my son has had over

200 dives and we did see some good improvements from it. It takes more than

HBO to get some people to where they need to be. We have seen NO adverse

effects with stem cells.

In my personal beliefs you should try stem cells then do HBO to get the most

effects. This is coming from my experience with my son.

Rita

**************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination.

Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out

(http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000002)

[Guest guest]

Rita,

   I am pretty interested in the Stem Cell you did in china. Where did you do it

in china and how good was it? Would you share some information with us? Thank

you very much!

 

patty

From: rdbadge@... <rdbadge@...>

Subject: Re: [ ] Re: Stem Cell and Diabetics

medicaid

Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008, 11:05 PM

My son has had stemcells in China and we have not seen any loose of skills.

He only keeps learning new ones. I would like to see the info that you have

and who wrote it.

Rita

************ **New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your destination.

Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out

(http://local. mapquest. com/?ncid= emlcntnew0000000 2)

[Guest guest]

My son went to Costa Rica and keeps getting better from stem cells.

You don't loose any skills after a year. MHBOT has help him too.

www.recovering.blogspot.com

>

> My son has had stemcells in China and we have not seen any loose

of skills.

> He only keeps learning new ones. I would like to see the info

that you have

> and who wrote it.

>

> Rita

> **************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your

destination.

> Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out

> (http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000002)

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

There is no side effects doing Adult Stem Cells from Cord blood, I have

done it for my son in Feb 2008 and June 2008 and going to do it a third

time, read about it here www.recovering.blogspot.com

>

> It's my personal belief that if you want to try stem cell therapy, it

> be the last therapy you try. You should always try HBOT first,

because

> HBOT may resolve the problem, and you may not need stem cell

therapy.

> HBOT is far safer than stem cell therapy, it's far less expensive if

> you have a portable chamber in your home, and it does not have the

> adverse effects associated with stem cell therapy.

>

> Diane

>

[Guest guest]

She is making it up. She knows nothing about stem cells.

www.recovering.blogspot.com

>

> Diane,

>

> Please explain to me where you are getting your information about

stem

> cells and adverse effects. I am a strong believer in HBO my son

has had over

> 200 dives and we did see some good improvements from it. It takes

more than

> HBO to get some people to where they need to be. We have seen NO

adverse

> effects with stem cells.

>

> In my personal beliefs you should try stem cells then do HBO to get

the most

> effects. This is coming from my experience with my son.

>

> Rita

> **************New MapQuest Local shows what's happening at your

destination.

> Dining, Movies, Events, News & more. Try it out

> (http://local.mapquest.com/?ncid=emlcntnew00000002)

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

You try to scare people so they will run out and buy your cheap

chambers!!!

www.recovering.blogspot.com

>

> The following article is about stem cell treatments in China. There

> have been a small number of patient deaths in China resulting from

> stem cell treatments, and some patients have developed tumors and

> other diseases. The Chinese use fetal stem cells, whereas adult stem

> cells are used in Mexico and the Caribbean. Stem cell treatments are

> typically done in third world countries where there are few

> regulations governing experimental treatments.

>

> Diane

>

> Americans seek stem cell treatments in China

>

> Western doctors warn of risks from experimental procedures

>

> Jan. 6, 2008

> BEIJING - They're paralyzed from diving accidents and car crashes,

> disabled by Parkinson's, or blind. With few options available at

home

> in America, they search the Internet for experimental treatments —

> and often land on Web sites promoting stem cell treatments in China.

>

> They mortgage their houses and their hometowns hold fundraisers as

> they scrape together the tens of thousands of dollars needed for

> travel and the hope for a miracle cure.

>

> A number of these medical tourists claim some success when they

> return home.

>

> Jim Savage, a Houston quadriplegic, says he can move his right arm.

> Penny of Hawaii says her Parkinson's tremors are mostly gone.

> The parents of 6-year-old Rylea Barlett of Missouri, born with an

> optical defect, say she can see.

>

> But documentation is mostly lacking, and Western doctors warn that

> patients are serving as guinea pigs in a country that isn't doing

the

> rigorous lab and human tests that are needed to prove a treatment is

> safe and effective.

>

> Effectiveness questioned

> Noting the lack of evidence, three Western doctors undertook their

> own limited study. It involved seven patients with spinal cord

> injuries who chose to get fetal brain tissue injections at one

> hospital in China. The study reported " no clinically useful

> improvements " — even though most patients believed they were better.

> Five developed complications such as meningitis.

>

> Experts in the West have theories about why some people think

they've

> improved when the evidence is thin. Some are often getting intensive

> physical therapy, along with the mysterious injections; the placebo

> effect may also be a factor.

>

> Steeves, a professor at the University of British Columbia who

> heads an international group that monitors spinal cord treatments,

> has another theory. Some patients may be influenced by the amount of

> money they paid and the help they got from those who donated or

> helped raise money.

>

> " Needless to say, when they come back, what are they going to report

> to their friends and neighbors? That it didn't work? " said

> Steeves. " Nobody wants to hear that. "

>

> He and other experts have written a booklet advising patients who

are

> considering such treatments.

>

> Western doctors discourage their patients from seeking such

> treatments. They note that it's impossible to gauge the safety and

> effectiveness of the treatments, or even know what's in the

> injections put into brains and spinal cords.

>

> A journey of hope

> Patients and their families say they accept those risks. They simply

> don't have time to wait for more conclusive evidence. For many, the

> trip to China is a journey of hope.

>

> " It's one of the only games in town, " said Savage, 44, a lawyer who

> suffered severe spinal cord injuries after a canoe trip 25 years

ago.

>

> Savage spent 2½ months in late 2006 and early 2007 at a hospital in

> the southern China city of Shenzhen to get what he was told were

stem

> cell injections in his spine from umbilical cord blood. He made the

> arrangements through Beike Biotechnology Co., which offers the

> treatments at a number of hospitals in China.

>

> Afterward, Savage said he was able to move his right arm for the

> first time since his diving accident. He also said he noticed

greater

> strength in his abdomen and more sensation on his skin.

>

> Just how many foreigners like Savage are coming to China for

> treatment isn't known. China is only one of several countries where

> such techniques are being offered.

>

> Many Chinese doctors don't wait for results of rigorous testing

> before treating patients, and they offer what they say are stem cell

> or other cell treatments to those willing to pay.

>

> What is known about the procedures being performed comes from

> material on their Web sites or from patients who give detailed

> accounts of their visits. Little has been published in scientific

> journals for other doctors to scrutinize.

>

> Limited tests in people

> The use of stem cells for treatments isn't new. For decades, doctors

> around the world have been using adult stem cells from blood and

bone

> marrow — and more recently from umbilical cord blood — to treat

> cancers of the blood like leukemia and lymphoma and blood diseases

> like sickle cell anemia.

>

> Scientists have been exploring whether such adult stem cells and

> other cells such as those from the retina or fetal brain tissue

could

> be used to replace cells lost because of injury or disease. And they

> are trying to figure out if there's a way to stimulate the body's

own

> stem cells to make repairs.

>

> But those strategies are still being investigated in the lab in

> animals; there have been very limited tests in people.

>

> Whether any clinics in China are using the more controversial

> embryonic stem cells — doctors in some other countries claim to be —

> isn't clear. These stem cells are taken from days-old embryos. They

> can develop into all types of cells, but research into their

> usefulness is in early stages.

>

> 'I just wanted something back'

> Patients seek out these unproven treatments after hearing about them

> from other patients, patient groups or Web sites for the medical

> companies. The patients' stories posted on the Internet usually tell

> of some kind of improvement from the treatments — slight movements

in

> arms or legs, fewer spasms or tremors, a feeling of sensation, an

> ability to sweat.

>

> Hrabik, 21, has been disabled since a 2004 car crash left him

> with limited use of his hands and legs. His father took out a second

> mortgage on their Oak Ridge, Mo., home to help pay for $20,000 worth

> of stem cell injections at a Beike facility in China.

>

> More than a year after returning home, Hrabik says he has nearly

> complete use of his left hand, with improvement in the right. He can

> work on his customized 1993 Nissan 240SX, a modified number complete

> with hand controls and racing seats.

>

> He said he was able to move his left fingers within days of that

> first injection of umbilical cord stem cells into his spinal cord.

> There's been little progress since he left China, but he called the

> incremental changes significant.

>

> " I just wanted something back, no matter what it was, " said Hrabik,

> who attributes some of the changes to the physical therapy that he

> had in China.

>

> Expanding treatment options

> Beike founder Hu, who returned from abroad in 1999 with a

> doctorate in biochemistry, said the company has treated more than

> 1,000 patients, including 300 foreigners from 40 different

countries.

> The only side effects have been slight fevers and headaches among a

> small percentage of patients, according to Hu.

>

> He said patients with trauma injuries experience the most dramatic

> improvements; those with degenerative diseases such as ALS, also

> known as Lou Gehrig's disease, tend to improve initially but then

> slide back to their former condition within months.

>

> " Patients shouldn't have their expectations too high, " Hu said. " For

> patients to think they can walk again may be too much at this

stage, "

> he said.

>

> He's now seeking venture capital to expand his web of treatment

> centers, labs and doctors and adapt proprietary techniques from

> researchers overseas.

>

> " There is real potential here for China to take the lead in stem

> cells, " Hu said.

>

> Also offering treatments is Tiantan Puhua in Beijing, a joint

venture

> between Asia's largest neurological hospital and an American medical

> group. Tiantan's sunny, sparkling rooms are a far cry from the dour

> facilities and staff at most Chinese hospitals. Diseases treated

> there range from stroke and spinal cord injuries to cerebral palsy

> and ataxia, a rare neurological condition that can cause slurred

> speech.

>

> The hospital says its stem cell injections are combined with daily,

> three-hour doses of intravenous drugs designed to stimulate

> production of the patient's own stem cells. Physical rehabilitation

> and Chinese medicine are also part of the plan. A standard two-month

> course of treatment costs $30,000 to $35,000.

>

> 'We are making no promises'

> " We want to see actual improvements, " said Dr. Sherwood Yang, head

of

> the hospital's management team. " We are giving them another option

at

> the highest level of safety. "

>

> Yang contends that 90 percent of patients show some results, with

the

> rest suffering disabilities that are too far advanced to respond to

> treatment.

>

> " We are making no promises, " he added. " It's impossible to say

> exactly how any given patient will respond. "

>

> Western experts point to the lack of documented evidence that cell

> treatments have any benefit for spinal cord injuries or degenerative

> diseases like Parkinson's.

>

> " All of us in the so-called Western world, if there was something

> valid, we'd be the first to be offering it, " said Steeves, the

> Canadian professor and director of the International Collaboration

on

> Repair Discoveries, known as ICORD.

>

> Three other experts were involved in the study that found no

> improvement in the seven spinal cord injury patients who went for

> fetal brain tissue injections in China. The patients were evaluated

> before and after their surgery.

>

> The doctors stressed their observations were no substitute for a

> larger, more strict investigation.

>

> " People are looking for a cure, " said Dr. Bruce Dobkin, a neurology

> professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of

> Medicine, one of the study's authors. " They may come to do something

> based more on a gut feeling. It's like looking for a religious

> miracle. "

>

> 'I have no regrets'

> Along with the patients' booklet of advice about exploring

> experimental treatments, Steeves and other researchers have drawn up

> a set of guidelines on how to do research in spinal cord injuries.

> Another researcher, Dr. Wise Young of Rutgers University, is

> assembling a network of Chinese medical centers and universities to

> train researchers and conduct studies that meet international

> standards.

>

> Dr. Okun, medical director of the National Parkinson

> Foundation, said his group discourages patients from seeking out

> experimental treatments unless they're being done under the most

> rigorous research protocols.

>

> " Stem cell therapy ... is a really interesting area that has a lot

of

> promise for therapeutic approaches. But we're just not ready to be

> putting stem cells into people's brains at this point in time, " said

> Okun.

>

> But such warnings don't dissuade people like Penny of Captain

> Cook, Hawaii. She sought treatment for Parkinson's disease at

> Tiantan, where doctors drilled into her skull and injected what she

> was told were cells from a donor's retina. One year later, she said

> her tremors are almost gone and her medication has been cut to one-

> half of a single pill.

>

> " I have no regrets and would do it all over again if need be, " said

> , 53.

>

> So would the parents of Rylea Barlett of Webb City, Mo. The family

> raised nearly $40,000 from friends and neighbors to spend a month in

> China at a Beike facility last summer, hoping treatments would cure

> their daughter's blindness. The child was born with an optic nerve

> disorder.

>

> Dawn Barlett said her daughter responded to lights shone in her eyes

> within a week after the first of a series of five stem cell

> injections and can now make out blurry images on TV.

>

> " She had no vision whatsoever before we left, " the mother

> said. " There was no hope otherwise. "

>

> The girl's optometrist, Larry Brothers, said: " It truly is a

miracle. "

>

> But when pressed for details, he said he detected " subtle

> differences " in Rylea's optic nerve after her return from China.

> Asked if he would characterize her progress as incremental, he said

> that " might be too optimistic. "

>

> URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22455125/page/2/

>

[Guest guest]

Yes and they are doing it here in America

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=stem+cell+and+diabetics

www.recovering.blogspot.com

>

> Does anyone know of any studies going on with stem cell and

diabetics. For kids. I have a klid in my family that is now delvooed

diab.

>  

> Not my child a close family member.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Diane have you lost your damn mind. You must realize we have done stem cell in

the past. I myself as well and Im doing fine and back to work. I was asking this

question in reagrds to someone that was specializing in Diab. paitents.

 

You have no absoultley none. Experience in this feild of Stem Cell's. So

therefore I read your email and did not reply at first. I waited for a response

from the group before I said anything.

 

Im done for a while this just took the cake. I can not believe you chimed in on

this one. This is another e Creacy in the makeing's.

 

See you later. I have to take a break..

From: <july776@...>

Subject: [ ] Re: Stem Cell and Diabetics

medicaid

Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008, 11:31 AM

> >

> > Does anyone know of any studies going on with stem cell and

> diabetics. For kids. I have a klid in my family that is now

delvooed

> diab.

> >  

> > Not my child a close family member.

>

WOW you lie so much, Stem Cells to not wear off!!!Still just trying

to make money for your bad chambers HUH!!!HBOT mobilizes stem cells

only at 2.0 ATA and never been proven that it does it with mHBOT

chamber!!!

People if you want learn how great Adult Stem Cells are and also

mHBOT but not the ones Diane sells, go to my blog

www.recoveringMatth ew.blogspot. com

>