Stem Cell Treatment Centers Hope To Change The Face Of Medicine

By Frances Moore


It seems like just a few years ago when antibiotics were hailed as the new miracle drug in the medical field. These days it is just one of many major breakthroughs that were achieved in the intervening years. Doctors are now able to save patients that would most certainly have died just a decade or two ago. Research continues unabated and progress is reported regularly. At stem cell treatment centers, for example, scientists are working on ways in which to use bone marrow transplants to cure many conditions.

Bone marrow transplants are not new. They have been performed for a number of years on very ill patients suffering from leukemia and other blood related cancers. These patients, after receiving repeated chemo treatment, have very poor immune systems. With bone marrow transplants, it is hope to encourage the growth of new blood cells to replace those destroyed by the drastic chemo treatment.

The misconception that bone marrow transplants are a cure for cancer is quite widespread. It is not a cure for cancer and can at best add some years to the lives of desperately ill patients. However, scientists believe that these transplants will indeed be able to cure many different types of cancer. Research is expensive and sometimes even dangerous, so progress in this field is very slow and positive results are still some years away.

It is not just a cure for cancer that interests researchers in bone marrow transplants. They believe that these transplants have particular promise in the reversing of damage done to brain cells. If they achieve positive results in this area, patients with brain damage or spine damage may be cured. The possibility of reversing the effects of debilitating diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer is also very exciting.

Heart disease remains one of the most deadly killers in the world. Researchers think that the day will come when bone marrow transplants will be effective in stimulating the growth of healthy cells inside the heart to take the place of those damaged by the disease. Research in this area is still in its infancy, however, and real results will not be achieved within the immediate future.

Despite the high hopes that researches have for the potential of bone marrow transplants, the entire issue remains extremely controversial. Critics say that these transplants are not only very dangerous, but that there is not a shred of scientific evidence that it holds any benefits whatsoever. The fact that bone marrow is routinely harvested from the umbilical cords of unborn babies is also a major issue of contention.

Critics also accuse researchers of being overly optimistic about the results they hope to achieve. They say that there is absolutely no evidence that bone marrow transplants will become a cure for any disease and that scientists simply use the possibilities as a lure to attract yet more research money. In the process, research in more deserving and promising fields is not funded properly.

Despite the controversy and criticism against research into bone marrow transplants, one hope that the results scientists are hoping for will indeed come true. Many millions of lives will be saved and mankind will have a major victory over many diseases. Results are still a way off in the future, however.




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