Treating MS with Fat Stem Cells

Video explaining the possible treatment of multiple sclerosis using fat derived stem cells (h/t Rebecca Taylor):

“They Don’t Know What Else is Out There”

Video of Kadi DeHaan from Michigan who was paralyzed in a car accident four years ago and has benefited from treatments using stem cells derived from her own bone marrow:

She really nails it here when she says that when you mention stem cells many people assume you’re talking about embryonic and “don’t know what else is out there.” Either they are totally unaware of any alternatives or they think that ESCs are the only ones capable of treating patients. For example, a survey last year found that more people think that embryonic, rather than adult, stem cells have already resulted in cures and treatments. The reality, of course, is that ACSs have had tremendous success in human patients with various diseases and disabilities whereas ESCs have successfully treated nothing significantly – in mice, let alone humans! And yet the ESCR hype remains. Some now even go so far as to guarantee the disease fighting power of therapeutic cloning It should be quite obvious by now that results don’t really matter so long as it looks like something is being done to maybe, someday, possibly eradicate disease and suffering. Unfortunately in this case that something involves the intentional use and destruction of tiny human beings.

Diabetes Orgs are in Denial

Well, in one way or another.

Jill Stanek says they are being deceitful, claiming to oppose cloning, when in fact, they only oppose reproductive cloning, not therapeutic cloning. Of course, they do endorse embryonic stem cell research, so it’s not a surprise that they also endorse therapeutic cloning. We wonder, along with Jill, why don’t they just say it instead of hiding behind words that many people are not familiar with?

And still another way the diabetes orgs are in denial is their fervent support for embryonic stem cell research. They are hopelessly left behind in the hype of the 90’s as science marches forward. For example, results from one trial using patients’ own stem cells and chemotherapy, allowed some participants with diabetes Type 1 to go 4 years without the use of insulin, while the average was almost 3 years.  Interestingly, it appears that most of the American Diabetes Association research grants have been awarded to research using non-embryonic stem cells (at current viewing). Given that embryonic stem cell research has not been banned in the US, one wonders why the ADA has not thrown their money at embryonic stem cell research? Perhaps they actually don’t have that much faith in it, afterall? Perhaps they’d prefer that you and I pocket the iffy research and they can keep their donors happy by funding the studies with the solid outcomes . . . maybe?

See past entries: Not at any cost and Happy World Diabetes Day.

Use your own

Use your own stem cells. Time and and time again this phrase pops out whenever there is an authentic stem cell success in trials or already demonstrated in therapeutic use.  A marketing guru needs to come along and “brand” the concept of autologous stem cells and tissue generation so that people “get it”. I suggest, “use your own”.  See how often the phrases their own, his own, or your own show up with a google search for stem cells. Here are a few instances to get you started:

Patients will receive injections containing millions of their own stem cells

A new windpipe with tissue engineered from her own stem cells 

patients were also treated with stem cells from their own noses 

Treating a heart attack with the patients’ own bone marrow stem cells