On our blog, we provide you with accurate information about adult stem cell therapy, the latest stem cell treatment methods, hospitals, clinics, breakthroughs and other stem cell news.
China has overtaken India to become the worlds leading provider of stem cell treatments. To manage this largely new and legally fuzzy area of medicine, Chinese authorities have spent the last couple of years trying to build a legal and regulatory structure that will continue to support serious healthcare providers as well as protect patients and over the course of the next couple of months, authorities hope that we will see some of those laws go into action.
While rumors abound that this will mean the end of stem cell treatment for non-Chinese citizens, we are happy to report that treatments will, in fact, continue to be provided to all nationalities but only by government certified hospitals and healthcare centers. How this will effect smaller and private clinics is still unclear.
For travelers coming to China for stem cell treatment however, the new rules can be difficult to access and navigate and it may be difficult to know who is who among those providing treatments.
We interviewed a couple of regulators and asked them what potential stem cell patients should consider when looking for a treatment provider. They suggested the following:
Always ask the agent or provider if the hospital or clinic they are referring you to is licensed to provide stem cell treatment
Ask if the hospital has their own lab and if they process the stem cells themselves. If not, consider changing provider
Only consider hospitals issued a "grade A" by the Chinese government
Stick to larger hospitals, avoid smaller private clinics
Make sure the hospital provides other medical services besides stem cell treatment
Make sure the hospital also treats Chinese citizens and is not only built for "stem cell tourists"
If you have questions or would like to find out more, contact us on Vigendo.com or on Facebook.
At a press conference on Tuesday, regulators at the Chinese Ministry of Health unveiled the latest in a line of regulation aimed at controlling the growing stem cell industry. Deng Haihua, spokesman of the Chinese Ministry of Health explained that
"all medical research and clinical practices of stem cell therapywithout approval from the ministry and the State Food and Drug Administration will be put to an end after the overhaul."
This does, however, not spell the end of stem cell therapy in China and is good news for patients looking for safe and effective stem cell treatment. The new regulations do not only put more pressure on existing treatments to provide adequate information on safety and efficacy, they will also stop rogue clinics from offering untested treatments that have not been approved for clinical use.
Vigendo works with several hospitals still offering state of the art treatment for a number of conditions. To find out more about what treatments are available and how to access them, email us today
Adult stem cells are increasingly being used effectively in anti-aging treatments. At an increasing number of clinics worldwide, stem cells have shown to be effective in slowing aging, improving skin elasticity and decreasing the general signs of aging.
Recent research, published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, further supports the results achieved by these adult stem cell treatments. In experiments carried out at the University of Pittsburg, scientists have seen that new stem cells not only replace dead or damaged cells in the body, they can also revive the body’s own cells which further improves results long term. The use of adult stem cells, taken either from umbilical cords or from the patient’s own body also means avoiding the use of human embryos and ethical issues.
For individuals looking for a safe and ethical solution to age related problems, whether medical or esthetic, stem cells are proving to be a viable option. Treatments are available today at leading medical facilities worldwide.
Will the next adult stem cell treatment help improve hearing? Scientists in the UK seem to think it might. According to recent research at Britain's Keele University, stem cells may be able to regenerate the lost or damaged fibrocytes that are the leading causes of hearing impairment in the elderly.
Research has shown that for most elderly patients hearing begins to decline when their so called fibrocytes, or cells within the inner ear which manage levels of potassium and sodium, start to degenerate. In fact, cell degeneration is a common cause of many of our age related ailments, some of which are already treated with adult stem cells today.
By replacing these cells with pluripotent stem cells or inducing the body to create more cells when it otherwise wouldn’t, modern stem cell therapy is able to help patients regain lost function and improve quality of life.
In a world first, Australian scientists have for the first time been able to create a stem cell model of pluripotent cells from a human skin biopsy that has the ability to regenerate brain cells damaged or destroyed in patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis.
The results, published in the scientific journal Stem Cell Research, is important because scientists had used skin cells, which meant avoiding the use of human embryos and ethical issues.
This is another breakthrough in adult stem cell research and paves the way for further treatments that benefit MS sufferers. Today, treatment is already being administered in many parts of the world using stem cells taken from umbilical cords.
In many parts of the world, adult stem cell treatment is not yet being offered as a treatment alternative. In China however, thousands of patients are being treated with stem cells daily, with great results. Read more...
Recent German trials now also show what Chinese scientists have known for many years: that stem cells are effective in treating Parkinson's Disease. Read more...