“Latest Stem Cells News”

“During filming for ‘Doc Hollywood’ in 1991, I noticed spasms in my left pinkie finger. In about 6 months most of my hand was shaking and my shoulder was sore”. Michael J. Fox, an internationally renown star since “Back to the Future”, told weekly magazine ‘Grazia’ how he discovered his illness and what he has experienced in the past years.

At the age of 30, his career was cut short by Parkinson’s disease. Now, after years of silence, isolation, alcohol, and crisis (“Initially I reacted with rage, I just wanted to drink so I could avoid dealing with the situation,” said the actor), thanks to the help of his wife, Tracy Pollan, he has written a book: “Lucky Man” and has returned to television with “Michael J. Fox: Adventures of an Incurable Optimist”, a trip around the world interviewing well-known people, and not only about their idea of optimism. “I am investigating into the nature of optimism and hope, and the level of acceptance that helps you persevere and face every day in the best way possible.

Those who are sick will never know how nice it is to feel well again.” He says that he no longer wants to return to film-making: “I will not make films anymore. I don’t miss anything about the film industry. The ‘Stuart Little’ films (he was the voice of the mouse, editor’s note) were ideal for me because I just had to sit there in a dark room with headphones and a microphone”.

Now involved in politics and stem cell regulation reform, he finances research into Parkinson’s through his association, “The Michael J. Fox Foundation”. The only advice that he wants to give to people is to never forget that every day, in every moment it is possible to invent the future that you want. Death is the ending of everyone’s story. We all have to die sooner or later. Once you accept this, the problem becomes the quality of your life.”

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Preston Walker and Richard Humphries are shining examples of how stem cell research using Adult Stem Cells are improving lives right now. Preston and Richard were the first two Multiple Sclerosis patients to receive stem cell treatment with their own cells derived from their fat.

Stem Cell Treatment in the USA? Of Course Not

The treatment and therapy took place in May 2008 in Costa Rica and since then the duo have generously donated their time to other Multiple Sclerosis patients who were in the same boat Richard and Preston were in approximately 1 year ago.    They are also spreading the word that Adult Stem Cells can help Multiple Sclerosis now with a treatment that is simple with no side effects.

A Note From Richard Humphries -Multiple Sclerosis Adult Stem Cell Treatment

Recently Richard wrote this regarding his own stem cell therapy:

Myself and Preston Walker were the first to receive the fat cell derived stem cell treatment in hopes of leveling off our immune system which has successfully happened without the severe side effects of chemo which has shown not as successful as the adipose treatment much less the unneccessary expense.

I’m case study #1 in the paper (Multiple Sclerosis Study) just released and have had two stem cell treatments in Costa Rica where they promise nothing but deliver wonderful results. Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis patients can’t wait on historical data. Time is not on our side but stem cells improved my quality of life and the follow up MRI looks excellent.

Richard Humphries

Stem Cell Treatment Enables Police Sergeant to Patrol Again

And then Preston Walker wrote this email to another Multiple Sclerosis patient who was considering using the stem cell research and therapy that changed his life:

I received the treatment in Costa Rica in May 2008. My symptoms included fatigue, depression, a cognitive cloud, foot drop and heat intolerance. At the time I went, I was taking features , Wellbutrin XL, Provigil and Razadyne.

The only thing I am taking now is Avonex as a maintenance drug. I am free of the fatigue and depression. I still have a cognitive cloud but it is nothing like it was before the treatment!

I am a police Sergeant in Fort Worth, TX. I am assigned to patrol and wear a dark blue uniform. If it wasn’t for the treatment, I don’t think I would make it to retirement in a few years. I feel absolutely certain that I will continue my active lifestyle and my career.

You can read the full story on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s website (www.startelegram.com). Once you get to the homepage, click on the BLOGS link. Once the next page loads, click on My Fight with MS in the bottom right hand corner. If you will go from the beginning by looking at the May 2008 folder in the archives (left hand side of the page), you will get a better idea of my journey while in Costa Rica. I underwent the treatment with Richard Humphries who posted while we were there also.

I will not tell you I am cured, but I am virtually symptom free!! My quality of life improved exponentially after the treatment.

If I can be of any further help, don’t hesitate to ask.

Preston Walker

The Debate on Stem Cell Research – Why So Much Emphasis On Cures?

Are people getting so caught up on the stem cell research issue that we are ignoring the patients who are in need of help right now? When the issue of stem cell research comes up, we always hear about promised cures. Are we so intent on 100% “cures” that we ignore stem cell treatments that are not “cures”, but do indeed help improve the quality of lives of the majority of patients right NOW. I’m sure Richard and Preston above are very happy with their results. Is their Multiple Sclerosis cured? No, it wasn’t a “cure”. Does that mean it isn’t good enough?

Why do we have to go for the homerun on every at bat, when a patient would be grateful for a single or double? Would Michael J Fox be happy if his Parkinson’s symptoms subsided for 5 years like this gentleman?

I see endless articles and letters to the editor that support state or federal taxes for Adult Stem Cell research or Embryonic Stem Cell research, but rarely do I see an article or letter promoting USING the only treatment that works now- Adult Stem Cells.  In the end, with all this hoopla, we are forgetting about what should be the reasons for the debates and research in the first place- the patients.

Remember, there are no side effects from using your own stem cells, either they help (most of the time) or they don’t (no harm done).

Perhaps we should take aim at the FDA as they are responsible for classifying a patient’s own stem cells as a drug thus forcing decades of clinical trials and sentencing millions of patients to unnecessary suffering and deaths by withholding the use of something that could help improve patients’  lives with very little risks.  Preston and Richard were lucky in that they had the resources and the courage to travel outside the box that is the FDA’s jurisdiction.  Millions others are not so lucky.

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Dr. Amit Patel of the University of Utah is reporting that 3 out of 3 heart disease patients have improved in the initial stages of his stem cell research trial in which the cardiomyopathy patients had their own Adult Stem Cells injected back into their heart in a minimally invasive surgical procedure.

Dr. Patel presented the initial data at the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT) annual meeting in San Diego, California.  The clinical research trial is treating heart patients with both ischemic cardiomyopathy and non-ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy and then injecting them with their own Adult Stem Cells.  There is a control group in the study as well. Translation-  some patients are not getting the benefit of the stem cells and receive a placebo.

Initial Data of Patients Treated with Adult Stem Cells

Here are the results so far (from the stem cell article)-

• 3 cardiomyopathy patients who received their own stem cells were followed up at 3 months.  They all improved on their New York Heart Failure Classes- all 3 going from a Class III to a Class II.  In contrast 2 out of the 3 who didn’t get stem cells , did NOT improve.
• Overall quality of life scores (Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire) improved in all 3 patients who received the stem cell therapy.  The physical and emotional well-being of all the patients who received the treatment also improved.  There was no consistent trend in the control group (the group that didn’t get the stem cells)

Millions Would Benefit With Use of Own Stem Cells

While these are positive results and I am happy for these patients, there are thousands of cardiomyopathy patients who are not able to receive this stem cell treatment.  Dr. Kit Arom of Vescell in Thailand, a former associate of Dr. Patel, is now treating these exact same patients with their own stem cells and none of these dilated cardiomyopathy and heart attack patients are in a “control” group ie. they are getting the exact same procedure and getting their own Adult Stem Cells that Dr. Patel’s trial is doing (sucessfully).

Dr. Kit Arom has been treating heart disease patients in Thailand since 2005 with this exact same procedure- and the USA has just done 3??? Is something wrong here?

The Debate on Stem Cell Research – A Smokescreen?

While there is the endless debate on Embryonic Stem Cell research vs. Adult Stem Cell research, is the debate just some  clever smokescreen thrown up by the drug companies, FDA, and cardiologists, none of whom will benefit from heart (or name your disease)  patients using their own Adult Stem Cells to help themselves?  Is this stem cell debate just a means to slow down the use of the patient’s own cells?  Remember, there are no side effects from using your own stem cells, either they help (most of the time) or they don’t (no harm done).

Are people getting so caught up on the stem cell research issue that we are ignoring the patients who are in need of help right now?  Are we so intent on 100% “cures” that we ignore stem cell treatments that are not “cures”, but do indeed help improve the quality of lives of the majority of patients right NOW.   I’m sure the patients who improved in the stem cell heart study above are very happy with their results.  Are their hearts 100% perfect now?  No,  it wasn’t a “cure”.  Does that mean it isn’t good enough?

Why do we have to go for the homerun on every at bat, when a patient would be grateful for a single or double?  Would Michael J Fox be happy if his Parkinson’s symptoms subsided for 5 years like this gentleman?  Or, I’m sure the heart patients are pleased that instead of getting short of breath from getting the mail, that they are probably now able to walk around their local mall with their loved ones.

I see endless articles and letters to the editor that support this research or that research, but rarely do I see an article or letter promoting USING the only treatment that works now- Adult Stem Cells.  In the end, with all this hoopla, we end up forgetting about what should be the reasons for the debates and research in the first place- the patients.

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