Adult stem treatment for dogs

[hlichten]

In fact, stem cell therapy, as it is perfected could involve more and more new drug developement.

Consider...you may be able to swallow pills that will trigger certain stem cells within you from being released.

As I said, just too early to know, but science, medicine and pharmacy are not about to die.

Harv

...Stem cell therapy, at least at this early stage, will not replace most prescription drug use...

 

[hlichten]

Let's hope that they become more reliable. I have already paid for one very expensive treatment in Thailand this year that did nothing that I or any doctor can detect, and am headed off later this week for a second treatment in Germany.

Harv

...A dose of realism is hard to listen to as we all want to start feeling better right now. I think that in the meantime the stem cell treatments abroad will become more and more reliable before they are offered here in the U.S. ...

 

[barbara]

I second this

Now that I will agree on Harv. (post #21). Interesting discussion really.

 

[Technocracy]

Tony - Drug companies are already trying to get into the vitamin/supplement business in my opinion by trying to get them regulated by the FDA. I think this would be a real fiasco. I don't think they are pushing this in terms of thinking ahead to things like stem cell research replacing lots of prescribed medicines. I think it is just one more step in the direction of massive greed. We don't need government intervention in every facet of our lives, especially when this intervention may be for the benefit of huge corporations and not the end user.

I agree with not needing government intervention.

Government almost never does anyone any good, but consistently does harm in one form or another. In good measure because its primary focus is always perpetuating and increasing itself, rather than serving the people it is supposed to be working for.


The drug company + FDA combination is a fiasco indeed.

The greed wouldnt even bother me so much if they actually did anything that would be worth the cost, or even a good part of the cost. The incompetence at every level in both groups forbids that from happening however.

 

[Technocracy]

Let's hope that they become more reliable. I have already paid for one very expensive treatment in Thailand this year that did nothing that I or any doctor can detect, and am headed off later this week for a second treatment in Germany.

Harv

Good luck Harv,

I sincerely hope it helps you.

 

[hlichten]

Good luck Harv,

I sincerely hope it helps you.

THANK YOU !!
I do too!!

The drug company + FDA combination is a fiasco indeed.

Now THAT is the real truth!

Harv

 

[sp1d3rdan]

Good Luck!

Harv,

Yes I wish you luck on your treatment!
A little optimism goes a long way.

 

[TheBaron]

In fact, stem cell therapy, as it is perfected could involve more and more new drug developement.

Consider...you may be able to swallow pills that will trigger certain stem cells within you from being released.

As I said, just too early to know, but science, medicine and pharmacy are not about to die.

Harv

Have to agree with you here 100%. This is what baffles me with the drug industry - stem cells by themselves will not necessarily do the job.

Moreover, for the government not to fund research because of no apparent immediate return is really naive! Firstly the cost of treating people just to maintain and keep disease and other conditions at bay is expensive. Secondly if more people survived then there are more to pay tax!

In the UK it is a bit different and the government has a big incentive to drive and fund the research. The UK has a national health funded by national insurance contributions and the government and is free. In this case the government ought to have all the interest to pursue cures and treatments which greatly reduce this bill!

I wish you all the luck with your treatment Harv and a full and speedy recovery.

 

[TheBaron]

Barbara, I do not know what's holding the UK government from putting a real focus and national effort behind finding stem cell treatments.

For instance in Israel there is the political will and the government there has driven for the establishment of a Stem Cell consortium. No imagine if key countries in Europe, together with the US, Japan, China and Australia teamed up and with government assistance with measures to lessen red tape, easier sharing of information between research labs and a view to make all these research labs involved into one large international lab.

We are talking here of one of the best chances in history to eradicate some very nasty diseases and conditions which true on one hand means a bigger pension bill but on the other the strain of the health service will be greatly reduced.

The hypocracy in all this is deeper than we even think. For example, the UK biggest export industry in tobacco! The government spends millions in campaigns to allegedly stop people smoking. However it is not in the government's interest for people to stop smoking! Why so? It is so because the value of UK sales for all the tobacco products listed above amounted to ?12.1 billion.

Now the government makes an even bigger profit on the back of smokers! Cigarette taxation in the UK is the highest in the world, making cigarettes, on average, more than twice as expensive as elsewhere. As I mentioned already people in the UK spend about ?12 billion pounds on cigarette products of which nearly ?10 billion is tax.

With this in mind, is the government really going to actively seek the reduction of the number of people smoking when this will mean a reduction in the ?10 billion tax income for the government.

On the other hand, stem cell treatment of cancer in this example might mean that people will smoke more than ever before because there is a cure?

 

[sp1d3rdan]

Unfortunately I think there is great competition between countries and labs. There is opportunity to profit from stem cells and sharing would allow some other labs to jump ahead. Although in many ways the competition is good as they must work harder and faster to find cures before others.

The good thing is that the money is finally starting to flow into stem cell research. Unfortunately I think it may take many years before these treatments or cures will be available for us.

I do believe that when the first stem cell treatments have been out for a year or so, other stem cell treatments will follow very quickly as the FDA will assume that they are safe for other treatments.

 

[barbara]

A thank you note

My dream is that in a few years, anyone reading these posts, will shake their heads in disbelief at what we are all going through to regain our lives, not just for ourselves, but for others. I think our forum members are doing a bang up job helping enlighten others and I truly want to thank all of you for your participation. I have learned so much from all of you. We have a great group here and we are to congratulate ourselves for that. I am in an enthusiastic mood today because I am feeling great. Thinking back to last fall, I only remember laying around on the couch all the time. I was very ill. So here's to obsolescence of this forum as it is now. May the not too distant future forum be full of stem cell success stories. Cheers everyone!

Also, The Baron makes some excellent points. Many people only think our governments are looking out for our welfare. The tobacco example he gives it certainly a good one. Billions of U.S. dollars are poured into eradicating diseases in many third world countries and yet here in my home country, progress and spending to help me or my fellow citizens through stem cell research is poor. I personally hate to even think of a government/FDA alliance on research and future development of stem cell therapy. I think this is not the way to go. Scientists here in the U.S. are strapped when they try to work within the law. The FDA is all about human safety and it will slow things up even though there would be so many people willing to volunteer to have stem cell treatment for clinical trials. It is no wonder that stem cell companies choose to work in countries that are "stem cell friendly".

 

[jdog]

i think its money issues too. If a treatment works its big money to try and find a way to monoplize it. No one would pay for an animal like they would pay for themseleves.

Plus lets face it, think of all the unnecessary pain medications of they could start curing and preventing disease. They'd lose billions.

At least we know the technology exist and thats something worth fighting for.

 

[jdog]

Also i read that susposedly a company in socal is aiming to start cosmetic stem cell fat thearpy in 2008. dont know the reality of it however.

 

[TheBaron]

I agree with Barbara about the government's involvement in the lack of progress. If US history teaches us nothing it teaches us one very fundamental lesson. It is people at base level who bring change and it is down to community, society and a nation to pick itself up, face its challenges grabbing the bull by the horns and doing something about it.

It was like that for US independence and then the civil war and any other major event in the US.

The private sector needs to be allowed to take the lead. There will be quacks on the way but only individuals will thread where government will never dare. That's how the west was won and that's what pushed the gold rush!

The government's beligearant stance is short sighted. I wish and hope that a country like China makes a break through - then you will see if the government will continue dragging their feet.

With others using stem cells for cosmetics this is good! The more the technlogy is used and refined the less ground called "safety" is left to stand on!