Injuries Treated with Stem Cells

Aspen Integrative Medicine has treated patients from Denver to Grand Junction and beyond for the following conditions:

 

  • Partial Tendon / Ligament Tears
  • Joint Repair
  • Cartilage Disorders
  • Osteoarthritis / Osteoporosis
  • Chronic Sports Injuries
  • Degenerative Joint & Disc Disease
  • Chronic Sprains and Strains
  • Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar Spine Strains
  • Arthritic Joints
  • Shoulder Pain, Hip Pain, and Knee Pain
  • Ligament Laxity or Tears
  • Tendon and Ligament Injuries
  • Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries

Our Procedure for Stem Cell Therapy

At our stem cell clinic in Basalt, Colorado, the adult stem cells are extracted from the patients blood by a simple blood draw after the patient recieves hyperbaric oxygen the day before infusion. Within a 24-hour window of harvesting, the stem cells are activated and injected into the patient’s injured areas. The procedure for stem cell injections can last up to 2 hours. The typical recovery time after stem cell therapy is generally 3 to 5 days, with the ultimate results appearing within 1 to 3 months.*

*Results may vary; no guarantee of specific results

What to Know Before Receiving Stem Cell Treatment

What to Know Before Getting Stem Cells PowerPoint at Basalt Library

Dr. Hughes discusses stem cell types including embryonic vs. adult stem cells, multipotent vs. pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal vs peripheral blood-based stem cells, and how to make a stem cell decision.

Adult Stem Cells for Chronic Pain Live Webinar

Dr. Hughes explains chronic pain, the various types of stem cells, and which stem cells are best for specific issues.

What Is a Stem Cell?

Basically a “blank” cell, an adult stem cell is capable of becoming another cell type in the body, such as a skin cell, a muscle cell, or a nerve cell. Adult stem cell therapy can be administered to help replace or even heal damaged tissues and cells, serving as a built-in repair system for the human body and replenishing other cells.

Recent stem cell research by the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) suggests that this cellular therapy can help reduce neuroinflammation, preserve brain tissue and improve cognitive function following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Meanwhile, other regenerative medicine studies have indicated that adult neural stem cells have regenerative and reparative properties for the treatment of injuries or diseases in the central nervous system.

By definition, stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells that can differentiate into specialized cells and divide to produce more stem cells. There are three ways adult stem cells can be obtained: from bone marrow, adipose tissue, or blood.

Unlike embryonic stem cells, the use of adult stem cells in research and therapy is not considered to be controversial, as they are derived from adult tissue samples rather than discarded human embryos. By law, these adult stem cells have to be injected or infused into the patient within 24 hours after being obtained.

Adult stem cells have the ability to divide and generate all cell types of the organ from which they originate. They possess two properties: self-renewal and multi-potency, meaning they can go through numerous cycles of cell division while still maintaining their undifferentiated state. Stem cells hold the ability to generate into several distinct cell types, including neural cells found in the brain.

Regenerative stem cell therapy can stimulate tissue re-growth and greater blood flow to the affected areas.* The goal of treatment with stem cells is to replace damaged cells and to promote the growth of new blood vessels and tissues in order to help the target organ function at a greater capacity.*

*Results may vary; no guarantee of specific results

What Are the Different Types of Stem Cells?

Peripheral Blood Based Stem Cells

At Aspen Integrative Medicine, our peripheral blood based stem cells (pull from the patient’s own blood) are pluripotent and non-invasive. Pluripotent adult stem cells, those derived from the blood, have the ability to divide and generate all cell types and are consider “uncommitted”. These stem cells hold the ability to generate into several distinct cell types, including neural cells found in the brain. Pluripotent stem cells behave like embryonic stem cells and give rise to all the cell types in the body. They endure a long lifespan and work best in combination with PRP.

Aspen Integrative Medicine only uses pluripotent stem cells in efforts to obtain the best results possible! Regenerative stem cell therapy can stimulate tissue re-growth and greater blood flow to the affected areas.* The goal of treatment with stem cells is to replace damaged cells and to promote the growth of new blood vessels and tissues in order to help the target organ function at a greater capacity.* *Results may vary; no guarantee of specific results

Bone and Fat Stem Cells

Multipotent adult stem cells, those derived from bone or adipose tissue, have the ability to divide and generate all cell types of the organ from which they originate. They carry many growth factors, much like PRP, to help regenerate the same types of tissue they are taken from (fat and bone), unlike TBI Therapy’s peripheral blood stem cells, which are pluripotent and can turn into any types of tissue.

Amniotic Stem Cells

Amniotic fluid is what surrounds the baby. When the mother’s water breaks, this is the fluid that ends up on the floor. While amniotic fluid likely contains helpful growth factors and some “extracellular matrix,” it is not a stem cell product. See https://www.regenexx.com/amniotic-stem-cell-treatment/

 

Warnings:

Be cautious about using cord blood or amniotic cells from another person due to widespread environmental contamination. Maternal exposure to some PFAS has been linked to altered thyroid hormone levels in maternal and umbilical cord blood. Chemicals designed to repel oil and water, known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), have been used widely in everything from food wrappers, cosmetics, and textiles, to firefighting foams. As a result, they have been detected into our food, water and our bodies.

Most forms of regenerative medicine are still in early stages of development and adult stem cells and stem cells from birthing tissues have not yet been shown to be safe and effective for use in the treatment of any other diseases or conditions.

The FDA issued a warning letter to Cord for Life, Inc., located in Altamonte Springs, Florida, for manufacturing unapproved umbilical cord blood products in violation of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) requirements, including failing to validate processes to prevent bacterial contamination, raising potential significant safety concerns that put patients at risk. In addition, the FDA issued 20 letters to separate manufacturers and health care providers across the country who may be offering unapproved stem cell products, reiterating the FDA’s compliance and enforcement policy.

Umbilical Stem Cells

Most umbilical cells are not pluripotent but multipotent.  There are currently several limitations to using Umbilical Cord stem cells. Although many different kinds of multipotent stem cells have been identified, Umbilical Cord stem cells that could give rise to all cell and tissue types have not yet been found. See: http://www.cordbloodsolutions.com/EmvsUm.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

 

“I don’t think the umbilical stems did anything, it was a couple of years ago.

I also heard a podcast and the doc said all the umbilical cells are dead.”

-patient report

 

Warnings:

Be cautious about using cord blood or amniotic cells from another person due to widespread environmental contamination. Maternal exposure to some PFAS has been linked to altered thyroid hormone levels in maternal and umbilical cord blood. Chemicals designed to repel oil and water, known as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), have been used widely in everything from food wrappers, cosmetics, and textiles, to firefighting foams. As a result, they have been detected into our food, water and our bodies.

Most forms of regenerative medicine are still in early stages of development and adult stem cells and stem cells from birthing tissues have not yet been shown to be safe and effective for use in the treatment of any other diseases or conditions.

The FDA issued a warning letter to Cord for Life, Inc., located in Altamonte Springs, Florida, for manufacturing unapproved umbilical cord blood products in violation of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) requirements, including failing to validate processes to prevent bacterial contamination, raising potential significant safety concerns that put patients at risk. In addition, the FDA issued 20 letters to separate manufacturers and health care providers across the country who may be offering unapproved stem cell products, reiterating the FDA’s compliance and enforcement policy.

Stem Cell Technology Used at Aspen Integrative Medicine

The stem cells are extracted at our Colorado clinics using Tithon Biotech technology. This patented procedure, termed PBD-PSC Technology, is founded in discoveries involving a unique population of pluripotent stem cells. These cells were initially isolated from adipose-tissue (fat), but were later found to originate in bone marrow and distributed in peripheral blood as well as other bodily fluids.

Pluripotent stem cells are abundant in peripheral blood and reproductive tissue secretions, and they dissipate in number and function in humans as they age. Tithon Biotech scientists have determined that these cells play a large role in future stem-cell-based therapeutic applications in both humans and animals.

“Traditionally, inflammation continues to be considered a natural, but sometimes harmful, response to injury,” said Helen Blau, PhD, professor of microbiology plus immunology and director of Stanford’s Baxter Laboratory intended for Stem Cell Biology. “But we wondered whether there can be a component in the pro-inflammatory signaling cascade that also activated muscle repair. We found that a single exposure to prostaglandin E2 has a profound effect on the proliferation of muscle tissue stem cells in living animals. We postulated that individuals could enhance muscle regeneration by simply augmenting this organic physiological process in existing stem cells already situated along the muscle fiber.”

Scientific References and Stem Cell Research