Responses and comments provided by Peter K. Sidorenko, Co-Founder, Stem Cells for Hope
Thank you all for the opportunity to participate in Stem Cell Pioneers ?Ask the Doctor? chat.
I would like to make three statements up front so that everyone can better relate to the questions and our answers in this forum.
There are three very important considerations to remember about a successful stem cell transplantation treatment program.
First we need to harvest or culture grow enough stem cells (either adult or cord blood stem cells) to be able to treat a full grown adult. Many stem cell treatment protocols in use today only harvest 1.5MM to 10MM stem cells. It may seem like a lot, but in the transplant world it is not. We have treated several patients that have been to other treatment facilities who have provided us with their medical documentation from these facilities. The most prevalent is in Germany where they use 1.45MM adult stem cells harvested from the hip in their treatment of MS and Parkinson?s. Patients typically see an improvement for a week or two and then they are back to the exact same condition. The reason for this is not enough stem cells are used in the procedure. Stem Cells for Hope?s treatment clinics harvest between 70MM to 100MM stem cells to be used in our treatment protocols.
Note: Embryonic and iPS stem cell are not used in any of our treatment protocols.
The next most important part of a successful stem cell treatment is to be able to get these large number of additional stem cells to the areas of the body that need the regeneration properties of the stem cells to help repair the damage caused by neuro degeneration or injury.
Remember. every cell in the human body is programmed to die. That is what controls the longevity of our life spans. In people with degenerative medical conditions or serious injuries the body itself speeds up this process.
Please keep these three facts in mind as we go through the questions and answers presented here.
Q: Is there any research being done for the treatment of fibromyalgia with stem cells? This stuff is bad news for those who have it.
A: Sorry friends, currently we at (SCFH) do not have any stem cell based treatment for Fibromyalgia within our network of Clinics and Hospitals. Stem Cells do help with inflammation in the body therefore helping with the pain management as well but not enough to make any significant positive change in patients. We are looking at possible future treatment protocols for these types of nerve and joint problematic conditions.
Q: I wonder if you could explain the journey of a Mesenchymal stem cell from the injection site (typically IV) when used in stem cell therapy. What happens after injection?
Also, if the stem cells find a site needing repair how does they go about doing this and how long do you believe it would take to complete its healing?
A: In order to answer these questions I would like to present to you two very important definitions that will help explain the process.
First, what are Mesenchymal Stem Cells?
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells traditionally found in the bone marrow. However, mesenchymal stem cells can also be isolated from other tissues including cord blood and peripheral blood. Perhaps one of the important considerations for human applications is that mesenchymal stem cells can be derived from a small bone marrow sample from a given patient, expanded in culture for approximately 15 days, and given back to the patient.
Stem Cells for Hope uses certain chemicals added to an IV to promote the bone marrow to produce additional Adult Stem Cells into the bone marrow blood. After 3 days of this process we then tap into the tibia (bone between knee and the ankle) and extract the bone marrow blood that is now extremely rich in the patient?s own Adult Stem Cells. Using this unique process we are able to harvest between 70MM to 100MM stem cells which are used in the transplant process during the treatment.
Next, what are Cytokines? (Greek cyto-, cell; and -kinos, movement)
Cytokines are any of a number of small proteins that are secreted by specific cells of the immune system and glial cells, which carry signals locally between cells, and thus have an effect on other cells. They are a category of signaling molecules that are used extensively in cellular communication.
Damaged or injured organs and tissue in the body secrete Cytokines into the circulatory system to indicate that they have a problem. Stem Cells have Cytokine receptors that will attract them to the damage or non- functioning areas.
On to the question?.
Once the large amounts of stem cells are introduced into the circulatory system via an IV, they will circulate throughout the body and touch the various organs and tissues within our bodies. The stem cells will attach themselves to the heart, the liver, the pancreas, the skin (through the blood supply), nerve and muscle cells and help regenerate these cells that are lost as a result of normal aging or due to accelerated degeneration caused by an adverse medical condition.
Let us take for example, a patient who has a heart attack and has now lost 1/3 of the function of their heart. Looking at an x-ray of the chest you will see the heart muscle with a dark patch in the area where the cells have died as a result of the lack of blood flow to that area. There is really nothing that traditional medicine can do for this patient as far as being able to restore the functionality of the heart muscle. There are no drugs available that will help heal or replace the dead cells.
If we continue with the stem cell treatment where we now have 100MM additional stem cells circulating through the body from the IV, the mail point where all the stem cells will have to eventually pass is through the heart. The heart, that started producing the cytokine proteins at the time of the attack, will receive the greatest concentration of stem cells. The blank adult stem cells will attach themselves to the heart muscle and will now regenerate into additional heart cells. Eventually after a period of 6 months or more the stem cells will have regenerated the heart muscle cells and after another x-ray the heart will not have any dark spots on it.
Visit our website and under the NEWS button you will see a story about a similar patient being treated at Stonybrook University Medical Centre in NY. There under a Stem Cell Clinical Trial a 74-year-old heart attack patient was treated only with a transplantation of 100MM adult stem cells into his circulatory system.
Q: My husband is considering stem cell treatment for COPD. Based on what I've read, it is important for him to be tested for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency prior to receiving stem cell treatment. If he tests positive for it, then his stem cell treatment would be different. Is that correct?
A: We do not have enough information about COPD to propose any kind of treatment at this time.
Q: "Other medical conditions are evaluated for treatment on a Per Case Basis." You made this post on this forum. If someone has a condition that you have never treated, how is the evaluation different from those conditions that you treat regularly? In other words, what do you base your decision on as far as to treat or not to treat?
A: The Clinics in our network have independently developed their own successful stem cell treatment protocols for different classifications of medical conditions. The treatment protocols are similar in how the transplants are done for ?related? conditions. They use the same stem cell implantation process to get the cells into the brain and into the circulatory system to treat MS, MD, Parkinson?s and stroke. To treat heart patients, diabetes Type 1 and liver cirrhosis by an infusion of 100MM stem cells into the circulatory system. Other procedures of the 5-day treatment are done on a condition specific basis such as chelation, manitol, chemo, etc.
Stem Cells for Hope has a Medical Advisory Board that includes MD?s, PhD?s, scientists and researchers, all of whom are involved in the stem cell transplantation field, and who are responsible for evaluating all the Medical Evaluation Forms that we get from potential patients. They review the medical information form and make a determination if we can help this patient with some process of stem cell transplantation that we have available at one of our clinic facilities and where they will get the best of care for their condition.
The Medical Advisory Board also determines the cost of each patient?s unique treatment program based on time needed for the treatment, the number of medical professionals required to be in attendance for the treatment and the number of procedures to be performed during the treatment. We try to keep our treatment costs down to make it affordable to more patients around the world.
Q: In general, if a patient has seen little or no improvement in their condition after 6 months from the date of their therapy, isn't it likely that there won't be any?
A: If the stem cell transplantation procedure is done correctly our patients see improvements within weeks of the treatment. The stem cells start their regeneration process immediately upon being transplanted. If a patient does not see improvements within a few weeks there is something wrong and they will not see any improvement going forward. They either did not get enough stem cells or the adult stem cells were not viable due to the age of the patient (80 years old is our cutoff for using adult stem cells) or they did not get the cells transplanted into the proper area of the body. Subcutaneous injections and injections of stem cells into the abdomen will not work alone. There must be an IV or a spinal tap to get the stem cells to the affected areas.
Q: Why do some people seem to not respond to stem cell treatment?
A: The age of the patient is important. We no longer treat any patients over 80 years old with adult stem cells. The viability of these cells is now very low.
Many patients come to us when they are already in the end stages of the disease. There is a point of no return. We have yet to develop a complete regeneration of human organs while still within the body, but the potential is there.
The patient did not receive the correct amount of stem cells. Typically treatment facilities that charge less for the stem cell transplant treatment do not use a lot of stem cells. Patients that pay $15K or $20K typically get anywhere from 1.8MM stem cells to 10MM stem cells. They will see an improvement for a week or two and will revert back to their original state immediately.
The patient did not have the stem cells transplanted properly into the area of the body that needs the regeneration. Subcutaneous injections of stem cells into the arm or abdomen do not work by themselves.
Q: Do you advocate a certain type of diet after treatment?
A: Absolutely! A common thread between the doctors in our clinical facilities is a very holistic approach to treating our patients. They do focus on a specific condition for treatment but also treat the entire person to help fine-tune a patient?s physiology in bringing them back to a more healthy body.
At the end of the treatment week the doctors will sit down with each patient and go through post treatment recommendations with them, that includes diet, exercise, physical and occupational therapy, supplements and any other considerations to help the patient get the most out of the stem cell transplant in their body.
Q: What is your company's success rate for treating diabetes?
A: In treating diabetes type 1 we typically see patients that do 2x per day to be able to come off the insulin and patients that are doing 4x to 6x per day to be able to cut back on the insulin intake by 60%. The treatment is still in the early stages and we do not have many long-term statistics, but the treatment concept is sound.
Q: Does it require more than one treatment normally?
A: We typically track a patient for anywhere from 9 months to a year post treatment. During this period of time we are evaluating the patient?s progress and will consult on any additional stem cell treatments based on their progress. Second treatments are available after another evaluation process from our Medical Advisors.
Q: What kind of stem cells are used?
A: The stem cells that are used at our clinics are either adult stem cells or cord blood stem cells for all treatments.
Q: Have you or are you conducting any clinical trials for any of your treatments? If not, do you plan to? This seems like a good way to prove to doubters that stem cell treatments do work.
A: As you can image dealing with any company outside the United States, unless they are a Fortune 500 company, their documentation and reporting process leaves a lot to be desired. We have instituted policies and procedures for these clinics so that we can better document the treatment protocols and the post treatment follow up with doctors here in the US.
Stem Cells for Hope has joined the ICMS and will be using the resources of this organization to help follow up with the progress of our patients in more detail and to kick the ISSCR for spewing nonsense.
As our company grows we will be structuring clinical trials at our various treatment facilities to document the way the FDA wants to see this data.
To tell you the truth it is a really big hassle that we have created here in this country to jump through hoops for the regulators here, that take a huge amount of money and years of time, while many countries in the rest of the world have allowed this technology to grow and expand to the point where we now have legitimate treatment programs in our clinics.
Q: Please describe your treatment for Parkinson's disease. Do all of your locations treat this disease? How long would someone need to stay at the hospital (or clinic) for the initial treatment? I am assuming that more than one treatment would be needed for any improvements to be made for an advanced case, so how long in between treatments is suggested?
A: The stem cell transplantation treatment for Parkinson?s is part of our neuro degenerative adult stem cell procedure in Mexico.
We induce adult stem cell production in the patient?s bone marrow. We provide HGH, enzymes, proteins, vitamins, manitol, chelation and micro dose chemo to reset the immune system.
We do a spinal tap to transplant the stem cells into the spinal canal, which then goes to the brain and starts to regenerate the dopamine producing nerve cells.
We transplant the cells into the circulatory system to help regenerate the bodies? nerve cells and add muscle cells that have atrophied since the inception of the disease.
Q: Do the doctors that Stem Cells for Hope refer patients to speak English fluently? If a patient has problems or questions, how does your company address the problem? It seems like it might be difficult to get in touch with a doctor in another country quickly.
A: Thank god for technology!
We all have cell phones, email access and Blackberry?s. We are all connected across all time zones from Mexico to Eastern Europe and are at the beck and call of our patients to ensure their well-being. The hotel manager, the treating physicians, the transportation service are all just a phone call away for us. We are a very close-knit company that really cares that we can help people with the technology that we have been presented with.
All our treating physicians speak from fluent to passible J English. In Mexico the doctors are all fluent. In the Ukraine the doctors are fluent and translators are available to help with the technical communications. At the Lucerna Hotel in Mexico the management and staff speak English and are there to accommodate our guests.
About Stem Cells for Hope
Thank you for the opportunity to be involved with a wonderful organization such as Stem Cell Pioneers. On behalf of myself, our CEO Walter Kravchenko and our Medical Director, Dr. Alexander Lupenko we all hope that we have helped provide you with some real information about stem cell transplantation that all of you can use.
Best Regards,
Peter K. Sidorenko, co-Founder, Stem Cells for Hope.
info@stemcellsforhope.com
(631) 929-3900
Thank you all for the opportunity to participate in Stem Cell Pioneers ?Ask the Doctor? chat.
I would like to make three statements up front so that everyone can better relate to the questions and our answers in this forum.
There are three very important considerations to remember about a successful stem cell transplantation treatment program.
First we need to harvest or culture grow enough stem cells (either adult or cord blood stem cells) to be able to treat a full grown adult. Many stem cell treatment protocols in use today only harvest 1.5MM to 10MM stem cells. It may seem like a lot, but in the transplant world it is not. We have treated several patients that have been to other treatment facilities who have provided us with their medical documentation from these facilities. The most prevalent is in Germany where they use 1.45MM adult stem cells harvested from the hip in their treatment of MS and Parkinson?s. Patients typically see an improvement for a week or two and then they are back to the exact same condition. The reason for this is not enough stem cells are used in the procedure. Stem Cells for Hope?s treatment clinics harvest between 70MM to 100MM stem cells to be used in our treatment protocols.
Note: Embryonic and iPS stem cell are not used in any of our treatment protocols.
The next most important part of a successful stem cell treatment is to be able to get these large number of additional stem cells to the areas of the body that need the regeneration properties of the stem cells to help repair the damage caused by neuro degeneration or injury.
Remember. every cell in the human body is programmed to die. That is what controls the longevity of our life spans. In people with degenerative medical conditions or serious injuries the body itself speeds up this process.
Please keep these three facts in mind as we go through the questions and answers presented here.
Q: Is there any research being done for the treatment of fibromyalgia with stem cells? This stuff is bad news for those who have it.
A: Sorry friends, currently we at (SCFH) do not have any stem cell based treatment for Fibromyalgia within our network of Clinics and Hospitals. Stem Cells do help with inflammation in the body therefore helping with the pain management as well but not enough to make any significant positive change in patients. We are looking at possible future treatment protocols for these types of nerve and joint problematic conditions.
Q: I wonder if you could explain the journey of a Mesenchymal stem cell from the injection site (typically IV) when used in stem cell therapy. What happens after injection?
Also, if the stem cells find a site needing repair how does they go about doing this and how long do you believe it would take to complete its healing?
A: In order to answer these questions I would like to present to you two very important definitions that will help explain the process.
First, what are Mesenchymal Stem Cells?
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are adult stem cells traditionally found in the bone marrow. However, mesenchymal stem cells can also be isolated from other tissues including cord blood and peripheral blood. Perhaps one of the important considerations for human applications is that mesenchymal stem cells can be derived from a small bone marrow sample from a given patient, expanded in culture for approximately 15 days, and given back to the patient.
Stem Cells for Hope uses certain chemicals added to an IV to promote the bone marrow to produce additional Adult Stem Cells into the bone marrow blood. After 3 days of this process we then tap into the tibia (bone between knee and the ankle) and extract the bone marrow blood that is now extremely rich in the patient?s own Adult Stem Cells. Using this unique process we are able to harvest between 70MM to 100MM stem cells which are used in the transplant process during the treatment.
Next, what are Cytokines? (Greek cyto-, cell; and -kinos, movement)
Cytokines are any of a number of small proteins that are secreted by specific cells of the immune system and glial cells, which carry signals locally between cells, and thus have an effect on other cells. They are a category of signaling molecules that are used extensively in cellular communication.
Damaged or injured organs and tissue in the body secrete Cytokines into the circulatory system to indicate that they have a problem. Stem Cells have Cytokine receptors that will attract them to the damage or non- functioning areas.
On to the question?.
Once the large amounts of stem cells are introduced into the circulatory system via an IV, they will circulate throughout the body and touch the various organs and tissues within our bodies. The stem cells will attach themselves to the heart, the liver, the pancreas, the skin (through the blood supply), nerve and muscle cells and help regenerate these cells that are lost as a result of normal aging or due to accelerated degeneration caused by an adverse medical condition.
Let us take for example, a patient who has a heart attack and has now lost 1/3 of the function of their heart. Looking at an x-ray of the chest you will see the heart muscle with a dark patch in the area where the cells have died as a result of the lack of blood flow to that area. There is really nothing that traditional medicine can do for this patient as far as being able to restore the functionality of the heart muscle. There are no drugs available that will help heal or replace the dead cells.
If we continue with the stem cell treatment where we now have 100MM additional stem cells circulating through the body from the IV, the mail point where all the stem cells will have to eventually pass is through the heart. The heart, that started producing the cytokine proteins at the time of the attack, will receive the greatest concentration of stem cells. The blank adult stem cells will attach themselves to the heart muscle and will now regenerate into additional heart cells. Eventually after a period of 6 months or more the stem cells will have regenerated the heart muscle cells and after another x-ray the heart will not have any dark spots on it.
Visit our website and under the NEWS button you will see a story about a similar patient being treated at Stonybrook University Medical Centre in NY. There under a Stem Cell Clinical Trial a 74-year-old heart attack patient was treated only with a transplantation of 100MM adult stem cells into his circulatory system.
Q: My husband is considering stem cell treatment for COPD. Based on what I've read, it is important for him to be tested for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency prior to receiving stem cell treatment. If he tests positive for it, then his stem cell treatment would be different. Is that correct?
A: We do not have enough information about COPD to propose any kind of treatment at this time.
Q: "Other medical conditions are evaluated for treatment on a Per Case Basis." You made this post on this forum. If someone has a condition that you have never treated, how is the evaluation different from those conditions that you treat regularly? In other words, what do you base your decision on as far as to treat or not to treat?
A: The Clinics in our network have independently developed their own successful stem cell treatment protocols for different classifications of medical conditions. The treatment protocols are similar in how the transplants are done for ?related? conditions. They use the same stem cell implantation process to get the cells into the brain and into the circulatory system to treat MS, MD, Parkinson?s and stroke. To treat heart patients, diabetes Type 1 and liver cirrhosis by an infusion of 100MM stem cells into the circulatory system. Other procedures of the 5-day treatment are done on a condition specific basis such as chelation, manitol, chemo, etc.
Stem Cells for Hope has a Medical Advisory Board that includes MD?s, PhD?s, scientists and researchers, all of whom are involved in the stem cell transplantation field, and who are responsible for evaluating all the Medical Evaluation Forms that we get from potential patients. They review the medical information form and make a determination if we can help this patient with some process of stem cell transplantation that we have available at one of our clinic facilities and where they will get the best of care for their condition.
The Medical Advisory Board also determines the cost of each patient?s unique treatment program based on time needed for the treatment, the number of medical professionals required to be in attendance for the treatment and the number of procedures to be performed during the treatment. We try to keep our treatment costs down to make it affordable to more patients around the world.
Q: In general, if a patient has seen little or no improvement in their condition after 6 months from the date of their therapy, isn't it likely that there won't be any?
A: If the stem cell transplantation procedure is done correctly our patients see improvements within weeks of the treatment. The stem cells start their regeneration process immediately upon being transplanted. If a patient does not see improvements within a few weeks there is something wrong and they will not see any improvement going forward. They either did not get enough stem cells or the adult stem cells were not viable due to the age of the patient (80 years old is our cutoff for using adult stem cells) or they did not get the cells transplanted into the proper area of the body. Subcutaneous injections and injections of stem cells into the abdomen will not work alone. There must be an IV or a spinal tap to get the stem cells to the affected areas.
Q: Why do some people seem to not respond to stem cell treatment?
A: The age of the patient is important. We no longer treat any patients over 80 years old with adult stem cells. The viability of these cells is now very low.
Many patients come to us when they are already in the end stages of the disease. There is a point of no return. We have yet to develop a complete regeneration of human organs while still within the body, but the potential is there.
The patient did not receive the correct amount of stem cells. Typically treatment facilities that charge less for the stem cell transplant treatment do not use a lot of stem cells. Patients that pay $15K or $20K typically get anywhere from 1.8MM stem cells to 10MM stem cells. They will see an improvement for a week or two and will revert back to their original state immediately.
The patient did not have the stem cells transplanted properly into the area of the body that needs the regeneration. Subcutaneous injections of stem cells into the arm or abdomen do not work by themselves.
Q: Do you advocate a certain type of diet after treatment?
A: Absolutely! A common thread between the doctors in our clinical facilities is a very holistic approach to treating our patients. They do focus on a specific condition for treatment but also treat the entire person to help fine-tune a patient?s physiology in bringing them back to a more healthy body.
At the end of the treatment week the doctors will sit down with each patient and go through post treatment recommendations with them, that includes diet, exercise, physical and occupational therapy, supplements and any other considerations to help the patient get the most out of the stem cell transplant in their body.
Q: What is your company's success rate for treating diabetes?
A: In treating diabetes type 1 we typically see patients that do 2x per day to be able to come off the insulin and patients that are doing 4x to 6x per day to be able to cut back on the insulin intake by 60%. The treatment is still in the early stages and we do not have many long-term statistics, but the treatment concept is sound.
Q: Does it require more than one treatment normally?
A: We typically track a patient for anywhere from 9 months to a year post treatment. During this period of time we are evaluating the patient?s progress and will consult on any additional stem cell treatments based on their progress. Second treatments are available after another evaluation process from our Medical Advisors.
Q: What kind of stem cells are used?
A: The stem cells that are used at our clinics are either adult stem cells or cord blood stem cells for all treatments.
Q: Have you or are you conducting any clinical trials for any of your treatments? If not, do you plan to? This seems like a good way to prove to doubters that stem cell treatments do work.
A: As you can image dealing with any company outside the United States, unless they are a Fortune 500 company, their documentation and reporting process leaves a lot to be desired. We have instituted policies and procedures for these clinics so that we can better document the treatment protocols and the post treatment follow up with doctors here in the US.
Stem Cells for Hope has joined the ICMS and will be using the resources of this organization to help follow up with the progress of our patients in more detail and to kick the ISSCR for spewing nonsense.
As our company grows we will be structuring clinical trials at our various treatment facilities to document the way the FDA wants to see this data.
To tell you the truth it is a really big hassle that we have created here in this country to jump through hoops for the regulators here, that take a huge amount of money and years of time, while many countries in the rest of the world have allowed this technology to grow and expand to the point where we now have legitimate treatment programs in our clinics.
Q: Please describe your treatment for Parkinson's disease. Do all of your locations treat this disease? How long would someone need to stay at the hospital (or clinic) for the initial treatment? I am assuming that more than one treatment would be needed for any improvements to be made for an advanced case, so how long in between treatments is suggested?
A: The stem cell transplantation treatment for Parkinson?s is part of our neuro degenerative adult stem cell procedure in Mexico.
We induce adult stem cell production in the patient?s bone marrow. We provide HGH, enzymes, proteins, vitamins, manitol, chelation and micro dose chemo to reset the immune system.
We do a spinal tap to transplant the stem cells into the spinal canal, which then goes to the brain and starts to regenerate the dopamine producing nerve cells.
We transplant the cells into the circulatory system to help regenerate the bodies? nerve cells and add muscle cells that have atrophied since the inception of the disease.
Q: Do the doctors that Stem Cells for Hope refer patients to speak English fluently? If a patient has problems or questions, how does your company address the problem? It seems like it might be difficult to get in touch with a doctor in another country quickly.
A: Thank god for technology!
We all have cell phones, email access and Blackberry?s. We are all connected across all time zones from Mexico to Eastern Europe and are at the beck and call of our patients to ensure their well-being. The hotel manager, the treating physicians, the transportation service are all just a phone call away for us. We are a very close-knit company that really cares that we can help people with the technology that we have been presented with.
All our treating physicians speak from fluent to passible J English. In Mexico the doctors are all fluent. In the Ukraine the doctors are fluent and translators are available to help with the technical communications. At the Lucerna Hotel in Mexico the management and staff speak English and are there to accommodate our guests.
About Stem Cells for Hope
Thank you for the opportunity to be involved with a wonderful organization such as Stem Cell Pioneers. On behalf of myself, our CEO Walter Kravchenko and our Medical Director, Dr. Alexander Lupenko we all hope that we have helped provide you with some real information about stem cell transplantation that all of you can use.
Best Regards,
Peter K. Sidorenko, co-Founder, Stem Cells for Hope.
info@stemcellsforhope.com
(631) 929-3900
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