Monday, August 13, 2018

Why Stem Cell Treatment Centers May Be The Future Of Modern Medicine

By Patrick Mitchell


One cannot help but marvel at the astonishing speed with which the medical field leaps forward. New medicines, new procedures, new instruments and novel treatment methods seem to be introduced almost daily. Many previously deadly diseases are now perfectly curable. At present, it seems that bone marrow transplants are the new hope for a very major medical breakthrough. Stem cell treatment centers exist already and they are ready for the future.

Bone marrow transplants have been available for a number of years. Thus far, however, they were only considered for patients with certain types of cancer, especially leukaemia patients. These patients routinely receive chemo therapy and in the process very large numbers of blood cells are destroyed. Bone marrow transplants are used to encourage the growth of new, hopefully healthy cells. Very few transplants are done because they are deemed to be dangerous.

It is important to note that these transplants do not cure any disease. At best, they can add a few years to the lives of patients. It is also important to keep in mind that bone marrow transplants are deemed to be extremely risky. Researchers nevertheless hope that transplants will indeed become a cure for many different medical conditions, including some types of cancer. Much more needs to be done first, however.

Researchers say that once marrow transplants become a reality, dread diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson and many types of brain injuries will become a thing of the part. The transplants causes the creation of new cells in the brain and these new cells simply replace the damaged ones that initially caused the disease. Even spine injuries will be treated in this manner, helping many patients that would otherwise be paralysed.

Another area that is targeted by research in bone marrow transplants is heart disease. Many types of heart disease involves damaged cells. Transplants can promote the growth of new cells to replace the damaged ones. Because heart disease is so rampant everywhere, a breakthrough in the use of bone marrow transplants to treat heart disease will certainly benefit millions of patients.

There are many people that seriously resist any further research in bone marrow transplants. Their main argument is an ethical one. Bone marrow is harvested for humans and this fact alone opens an entire field of possibility for unethical medical practices. Even worse, the easiest way is use the blood drawn from the umbilical cords of babies still unborn. What if people start trading the lives of unborn babies for money, critics demand to know.

Critics also say that researchers are making far too many claims far too early. There has been no major breakthrough yet, says the critics, and it will be many years until such breakthroughs can be expected. Unfortunately, the hype created by researchers also create expectations that will never be fulfilled. Critics say that this is misleading both the public and the funders of medical research.

Bone marrow transplants may well become one of the biggest medical breakthroughs ever. If this happens, many millions of lives will be saved and many types of disease will be conquered. It is important to remember, however, that the road ahead is still long and that a lot of work will have to be done before the research will bear fruit.




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