Stem Cell Treatment Centers Offer Hope To Cancer Patients

By Eric Davis


One can hardly comprehend the numerous advances that have been made in the field of medicine during the past few decades. Diseases and conditions that used to seen as a death sentence are now treated successfully. People live longer than before and there is no reason whatsoever to doubt that cures for many other diseases will eventually be found. One exciting development is stem cell treatment centers that may soon offer treatment for many dread diseases.

Bone marrow transplants have been in the news as a potential life saving breakthrough. However, these transplants have actually been performed for a number of years. Thus far the only beneficiaries were patients suffering from blood related cancers and that had to undergo chemo treatment. Bone marrow transplants are sometimes done in order to encourage the growth of new cells in the place of those destroyed by the chemo.

It is believed that bone marrow procedures play an important role in prolonging the lives of cancer patients, but they do not cure cancer. Researchers are hopeful that this situation will change and that transplants will be used to cure many types of cancer and many other diseases besides. Because of the dangers involved, progress in this field is painstakingly slow and human trials are still many years away.

The purpose of these transplants is to encourage the growth of healthy new cells. Scientists believe that once this technology becomes safe and commonplace, it will be effective in reversing the brain damage caused by debilitating conditions such as strokes and Parkinson disease. It is even foreseen that transplants will be able to reverse the havoc caused by physical brain injuries.

Heart disease remains one of the biggest killers, especially in the western hemisphere. Researchers think that transplants will one day be used to repair damaged cells and tissue, even inside the heart, thereby curing many types of heart conditions. If this hope becomes reality, there can be no doubt that many millions of people will benefit greatly. In fact, it is hoped that any destroyed tissue will be able to be replaced eventually.

Bone marrow transplants and related research fields have been heavily criticized. Vehement opposers of this form of treatment have pointed out that these transplants often use blood extracted from unborn babies instead of actual bone marrow. They argue that this practice will lead to very serious ethical abuses and that women will deliberately fall pregnant in order to sell umbilical cord blood to unscrupulous operators.

There are also many others that accuse researchers in this field of creating false hope of imminent results that will prove to be revolutionary. They point out that this is simply not true. Useful results are still many years in the future and critics say that scientists simply maintain the hype about the potential of bone marrow transplants in order to secure sufficient funds for ongoing research.

Whether bone marrow transplants will be the next medical miracle remains to be seen. One thing is certain, however. Any breakthrough that will lead to a victory over disease will be welcomed by all and sundry.




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