I was over at my girlfriend's chic boutique trying out some new close for the KL Fashion Weekend happening next week with a few other girls that happen to be there at the same time when this interesting topic of Stem Cells suddenly popped up. One of the ladies was considering to do stem cells but was not so convinced as the price is exorbitant and the person explaining the product doesn't even have any medical background.
This is a common scenario in Malaysia where more and more people are selling so called stem cell treatments that seem to be the cure for every single disease in the body ranging from consumables to injection form, promising eternal youth. Apparently it is more of an Asian trend compared to other parts of the world where they are more skeptic on whether the product is real.
Why is this obsession in stem cells? Well basically, being in a society where outlook is very important, many believe that stem cells can help improve your appearance and make you live longer. There are many research done in stem cells and a lot of the testing done shows really good outcomes, with the reproduction of cells such as neural cells, NK killer cells, skin, cartilage and also heart muscle. Yes, the technology is out there definitely and more and more people had benefit in these novelty treatments.
However, these are really high grade, laboratories of the most stringent manners in terms of harvesting, culturing, magnifying, enhancing and storing which definitely will not come cheap.The lab itself requires thousands to be maintained monthly to adhere to the stringent quality control standards and the hiring of specialized, well trained and experienced scientists is also a bomb to cost.
Which actually makes me wonder, how can people believe in over the counter so called 'stem cells' products promising anything from flawless skin to longevity. If the quality is what it claims, the price shown would be incredibly cheap and ridiculous. And yet, many fall for these stem cell products and they are mushrooming everywhere. The best part is some products sell stem cells, stating that the product is from the stem of a plant (yeah, how low can your marketing gimmick go?) but at least they are honest enough to mention it on their package.
Then you have the MLM companies parading stem cell promises to their members and buyers and you get tablets from sheep, deer and whatever animal they can get their hands on. These sign ups are not cheap and on top of having to recruit more people in, you still need to maintain a monthly of few hundreds to few thousands.
The worst part is the source. Many claim to be from either Germany or Switzerland but sometimes it is hard to be positively sure. Many of the over the counter supplements are written as Swiss formula, which means the recipe is swiss, but it could be manufactured elsewhere.
My personal take on it? As far as stem cell research and technologies, yes, the advancement is pretty much fascinating. But the high cost laboratories and technical expertise means that it is not a cheap technology to begin with. Supplements that come in the box are mainly extracts of the real thing combined with other supplements to make it more efficient. Depending on the quality, the extract percentage can range from below 1% to perhaps 30-50% of the capsule. I have tried a few on the market and my personal favourite is Celebre placenta capsules because of how fast it makes my skin glow and become soft, and that I do not get any break out nearing my menstrual cycle. Others I have tried takes more than 2 weeks to work and usually affects my menstruation. As for over the counter products, I really err on the side of caution because twice I tested placental products from different brands and it caused excessive weight gain.
In terms of IV or IM injections, there are a few different types of cell preparations. The cheapest form are the extracts, whether from placenta, fetus or specific organs . These are not live cells, just extracts usually taken from the whole soup after the live cells and lipoproteins are taken out. Then you have the lyophilized form of stem cells, which are air dried cells which has more DNA content as compared to the extracts. And the most expensive are the cryocells, which are live cells in the millions based on which organ specified. However, all these lines are mainly from animals such as sheep, rabbits, deer etc.
In terms of human cells, we have started on mesenchymal human cell cultures. Many claim it to be better than animal cells but with one major limitation. It only divides into mesenchymal type cells i.e. muscle, cartilage, bone, blood and some connective tissue. Re-enhancement is required for differentiation into other cells such as neuronal cells or NK (natural killer) Cells.
So, who to take and which one to take? If you are looking for soft glowing skin or have a few deranged parameters on your regular blood test, the extracts would do wonders in transforming your skin and optimizing your organs. You can choose to consume the supplements or do the injections. You will need to consume regularly for pills at least for 3 months for the effects to last. I sometimes recommend my patients to take daily for 3 months, then alternate every other day to save on the cost. For those who do not fancy swallowing a big capsule in the morning, you can go for the weekly injections usually between a 6-8 weeks course. The effects are faster than consuming daily, and you can have a lasting effect between 6-12 months. (Some even more, but it really depends on lifestyle). For those who have damaged organs or severe diseases like ischaemic heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc. Then you have no choice but to go with cryocell types specifically to the organ in question. There are specific protocols based on the patient's problems and different organ cell cultures are made and sent in cryo. Even for cancer patients, depending on the stage, there is a possibility of NK cells culturing to aid the immune system to fight the cancer but all of this require proper consultation, evaluation of the patient's condition and investigations, or treatments done. The stem cells do not offer 100% cure but there have been cases where there is a marked improvement especially in the quality of life that allows the patient to sort out their last requests. There are also some success stories on autistic children, where improvement of the child's focus and behaviour is seen as early as 1 month post treatment. Cryocells innoculation whether animal or human source usually requires a repeat treatment after 1-2 years depending on the condition.
If money is not an issue, and you just wish to try out an alternative method of treatment, stem cells may provide some solutions to the patient. A proper clinical assessment and counselling needs to be done to manage expectations because despite the high price tag, it is not a all-in-one cure.
For more information or appointment feel free to contact us at drmmclinic@gmail.com or send a text to +60129660852 and we will get back to you.
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