Please click on the ‘Play’ button below to hear a short message from Dr. Zahra Figueredo about how she treats neurological diseases with her unique stem cell therapy.
Damage or dysfunction to the brain, spinal cord, or nerves is the cause of neurological diseases. They can also be caused by genetic factors, infections, traumatic injuries, autoimmune disorders, and toxic or chemical exposure. These diseases can affect individuals of all ages, although some are more prevalent in certain age categories. Depending on the condition, symptoms may include convulsions, migraines, numbness, memory loss, and difficulty with movement or coordination. Some neurological diseases can be fatal or even life-threatening, resulting in permanent disability or diminished quality of life. Depending on the condition, available treatment options range from medication to surgery.
Our stem cell therapy for neurological conditions and diseases has been proven to be effective in many patients suffering from neurological conditions and disease to reduce overall inflammation, to repair nerve injury and help fortify the immune system.
STEM CELL THERAPY FOR MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS
Multiple Sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system. It is a long-term autoimmune disease. It happens when the immune system attacks the myelin sheath that covers nerve fibers, causing nerves to become inflamed and damaged. This can cause a wide range of symptoms, such as tiredness, muscle weakness, trouble with coordination, balance and mobility, eye problems, problems with the bladder and bowel, memory loss, and changes in mood. MS can manifest differently from person to person. Some people remain functional on a daily basis while others can be severely debilitated. The symptoms of MS can potentially progress and worsen over time unless a patient is in remission.
Stem cell therapy has shown promise in treating MS. This treatment includes taking stem cells from the patient’s bone marrow or blood and then modulating the immune cells that are attacking the myelin sheath. Clinical studies have shown that stem cells can help slow or even stop MS from getting worse (in remission). In one study, 78% of people who had stem cell therapy did not have any disease activity after five years, while only 2% of people who had traditional care did not.
This study found that stem cells worked better than standard treatment at reducing relapses and making people with aggressive MS less disabled: ‘Stem Cell Transplant Stops Multiple Sclerosis in its Tracks.’ Dr. Michael Sy, MD. This is the headline from WAFB who spoke with neurologist, Dr. Michael Sy, MD at the University of California, Irvine. Drugs to treat Multiple Sclerosis can cost up to $100,000 per year but Dr. Michael Sy continues: ‘Because the stem cell transplant therapy allows patients to get off all their medications, in the long run, researchers believe this will not only be lifesaving, but also cost effective.’
Dr. Sy explains, “Bone marrow transplant offers the opportunity to just completely reset the immune system.”
How Stem Cell Therapy May Help Stroke Survivors Recover
A stroke is a medical situation that happens when a part of the brain loses or doesn’t get enough blood, causing brain damage. It’s also called a CVA, which stands for «cerebrovascular accident.» Ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke are the two main kinds of stroke. Ischemic strokes happen when a blood vessel that provides blood to the brain gets blocked. When a blood vessel in the brain breaks or leaks, it can cause a hemorrhagic stroke.
A stroke can be caused by high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, being overweight, or having atrial fibrillation. The chance of stroke is also affected by age, gender, and genetics. Anyone can have a stroke but they can occur more commonly in older adults, people with a history of stroke in their family, and people with certain medical conditions and lifestyle factors. Strokes can be very dangerous and can lead to a wide range of problems, such as disability, trouble speaking, memory loss, and even death.
Studies have shown that stem cell therapy can help stroke patients heal faster by reducing inflammation, encouraging the growth of new blood vessels, and help regenerate damaged brain tissue grow back. Stem cells have been demonstrated to boost the brain’s natural ability to heal and stimulate regeneration of new cells. This treatment also helps to promote neuroplasticity, which helps to reorganize the brain’s circuits.
In research conducted at Stanford University School of Medicine mobility was restored in many subjects that took part in the study. Regeneration and healing was demonstrated in other research involving subjects of all ages having suffered various types of strokes.
It’s clear that this stem cell treatment speeds up healing, no matter how old the person is or what kind of stroke they had.
In a recent CNN article in February 2023 entitled ‘Stem cell therapy may reduce risk of heart attack and stroke in certain heart failure patients’: “Specifically, patients who received the stem cell therapy were less likely to have a heart attack or stroke over the next 2.5 years, especially among those who were found to have a high degree of systemic inflammation as measured by a laboratory test,” said the study’s lead author Dr. Emerson Perin, a practicing cardiologist and medical director at The Texas Heart Institute in Houston.
STEM CELL THERAPY FOR SPINAL CORD INJURIES
Spinal cord injuries are described at various levels of “incomplete”, which can vary from having no effect on the patient to a “complete” injury which means a total loss of function.
Treatment of spinal cord injuries starts with restraining the spine and controlling inflammation to prevent further damage. The actual treatment can vary widely depending on the location and extent of the injury. In many cases, spinal cord injuries require substantial physical therapy and rehabilitation, especially if the patient’s injury interferes with activities of daily life.
After a spinal cord injury, many of the nerve fibers at the injury site lose their insulating layer of myelin. As a result, the fibers are no longer able to properly transmit signals between the brain and the spinal cord contributing to paralysis. Unfortunately, the spinal cord lacks the ability to restore these lost myelin-forming cells after trauma. When the spinal cord is damaged—either accidentally (car accidents, falls) or as the result of a disease (multiple sclerosis, infections, tumors, severe forms of spinal bifida, etc.)—it can result in the loss of sensation and mobility and even in complete paralysis.
Transplantation of stem cells in the spinal cord involves direct implantation and cell placement to foster cell development. The delivery of stem cells at the site of injury maximizes their regenerative potential. We do this by applying the stem cells locally with intrathecal injection into the cerebral spinal fluid at the sight of injury. We also infuse the stem cells intravenously with mannitol as well as intranasal aspiration to ensure the stem cells reach the central nervous system. Through our multiple deployment methods we leave no stone unturned.
- RESEARCH REFERENCES
- Adipose stromal vascular fraction-mediated improvements at late-stage disease in a murine model of multiple sclerosis.
Stem Cells. 2016 Oct 12. doi: 10.1002/stem.2516. [Epub ahead of print]
Bowles AC, Strong AL, Wise RM, Thomas RC, Gerstein BY, Dutreil MF, Hunter RS, Gimble JM, Bunnell BA
Mediators of Inflammation
Volume 2016 (2016), Article ID 5302120, 5 pages
http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/5302120
Adam Stepien, Natalia L. Dabrowska, Marzena Maciagowska, Renata Piusinska Macoch, Aleksandra Zolocinska, Slawomir Mazur,Katarzyna Siennicka,Emilia Frankowska, Rafał Kidzinski, Małgorzata Chalimoniuk, and Zygmunt Pojda
J Neurol Sci. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2014 Oct 15.
Published in final edited form as:
J Neurol Sci. 2013 Oct 15; 333(0): 43–49.
Published online 2013 Jan 4. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2012.12.009
Jeffrey A. Cohen
