The Stem Cell Trekker » China

Peddling Hope: Unproven Stem Cell Treatments For Sale In A Country Near You

Executive Editor — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 12:41:29 +0000

On the surface it seems easy. Overseas stem cell “clinics” peddling unproven treatments to desperate and dying patients, charging tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege of being injected with mysterious concoctions of cells meant to cure almost every ailment: What’s not to hate? But for many patients, the issue is more complex than it may at first seem.

To them, the fact that a treatment has not been thoroughly tested and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is a minor detail, with hope trouncing logic in a world where mainstream medicine can sometimes neither cure nor alleviate suffering.

The result is a booming international business that is growing every year, thanks in large part to the Internet and the savvy marketers who prey on patients’ fears.

Girl Can See For The First Time Thanks To Stem Cell Operation

Executive Editor — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 19:26:59 +0000

A little girl who has been blind since birth has seen her mother and father for the first time – at the age of four.

Izabelle Evans can now see up to three feet in front of her after groundbreaking stem cell treatment in China costing $79,000.

Parents James Evans and Hollie McHugh said nothing could beat the feeling of the first time their daughter looked into their eyes and said: “mummy” and “daddy”.

Hollie, 24, of Hayling Island, Hampshire (UK), said: “The results were better than we could ever have dreamed of. If you walk past she can see you and say ‘hiya.’ It is amazing because doctors here said she couldn’t see anything at all before we went.”
Izabelle can now see objects three feet in front of her

Izabelle was blind from birth after being born with septo optic displasia – a congenital condition which affects just five in one million babies and also causes hormone deficiency and mobility problems.

Read the full article at the Daily Mail.

New Prayer Book For Stem Cell Patients

Paul — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:30:48 +0000

Are you a patient thinking about stem cell treatment? Or in the middle of it? Or at home recovering from it? Now there is a prayer book that is specifically written for you.

First, stem cells are immature cells that renew themselves for long periods through cell division.

Also, under certain conditions, they can be “tricked” chemically to become cells that do special things, like become the beating cells of the heart muscle or the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas.

Doctors around the world are already using stem cells to treat diseases. No one is really sure if the treatments are safe and effective (by scientific standards). But many desperately ill and disabled patients travel many miles and spend many thousands of dollars to obtain these treatments.

This book of prayers is for those patients. But it is also for all patients now and in the future who seek relief from their diseases and disabilities through stem cell-based therapeutics.

Each day, people all over the world are moved to worship and adore God, and to acknowledge that they are dependent upon God.

The Gospels mention many times that Jesus himself often withdrew to quiet, desolate places to pray.

As St. Augustine once wrote, “He wishes our desires to be expressed in prayers so that we may be able to receive what he is ready to give.”

This Treasury of Prayers has four inspiring sections:

● Prayers Before Stem Cell Treatment (Contemplation and Decision);

● Prayers While at the Hospital or Clinic;

● Prayers for Patients with Specific Diseases, Conditions and Disabilities

● Scriptural Readings for the Spiritual Comfort of Stem Cell Patients.

To purchase at Amazon.com, click here.

For more information about “And I Shall Be Healed,” click here.

Florida Girl With SMA Lifts Her Foot After $36,000 Chinese Stem Cell Treatment

amyryan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:29:47 +0000

An eight-year-old Titusville, Fla., girl suffering from spinal muscular atrophy returned from Qingdao, China, on October 3 after spending 34 days receiving stem cell injections that cost her family and friends $36,000. Spinal muscular atrophy is a neuromuscular disease characterized by degeneration of motor neurons, resulting in progressive wasting away and weakness. Patients often require comprehensive medical care. Sierra Journey Factor’s family said they detected improved neck control and other improvements after the treatment. “I saw her pick her left foot off the bed. It was really amazing,” the girl’s grandmother said. The family plans to take the girl back to China in two years for more stem cell treatment.

By Amanda Stratford, “Titusville girl receives help in China”, October 4, 2009, © Florida Today

Chinese, European Medical Experts Call For Global Ban On Unproven Stem Cell Treatments

amyryan — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 15:44:42 +0000

A group of Chinese and European doctors, lawyers and bioethicists has called on countries around the world to ban unproven and potentially unsafe stem cell treatments. The group, known as Bionet, says patients “subjected to a huge amount of hype” and desperate for stem cell treatments are wasting thousands of dollars traveling abroad. A team of Bionet investigators that visited stem cell clinics in China and India said that “stem cell research was being moved too rapidly into clinical practice without proper study.” About 150 clinics in China offer unproven stem cell treatments at an average cost of US$25,000. China recently proposed new guidelines calling for clinical trials of treatments before they are used therapeutically.

Wisconsin Teen Says Chinese Stem Cell Treatment “Worked Like A Miracle”

Paul — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:54:18 +0000

A wheelchair-bound 16-year-old Janesville, Wisc., boy diagnosed with Type 2 spinal muscular atrophy as an infant recently returned from China, where he underwent a month-long series of experimental stem cell treatments. Kyle Knopes said the treatments “worked like a miracle:” he is now able to open and close his hands, lift his arms, and has more energy. The eight treatments, which were accompanied by physical therapy, involved injections of stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood. Kyle hopes that the treatments have slowed the progression of the disease.

Fla. Girl Off To China To Receive Stem Cells To Treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy

Paul — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:13:30 +0000

An eight-year-old Titusville, Fla., girl born with Type II spinal muscular atrophy will be making an 8,000-mile trip to Qingdao, China, for a month-long round of controversial stem cell treatments to straighten her arms and legs and boost her immune system. A genetic disease that disrupts a person’s ability to voluntarily control muscle movement, SMA also caused restrictive lung disease and polycystic kidney disease in the girl. With a life expectancy of 15 to 30 years, Sierra Journey Factor and her family are willing to spend the $36,000 for six umbilical cord blood-derived stem cell injections, plus $6,000 for the 16-hour journey. “Stem cells are probably going to help me straighten my arms, my fingers and help me sit up straighter,” Sierra said. “And to lift my hands up in the air.”

By Amanda Stratford, “Titusville girl prepares for trip to China for stem cell therapy”, August 27, 2009, © Florida Today