Ask the Doctor ? Hosted by Dr James Braly
Stem Cell Center of North America (SCCNA) is an integrative stem cell treatment center located in Tijuana, Mexico, with corporate offices in Las Vegas, Nevada.
SCCNA provides a unique combination of therapies and services for patients, including:
We believe that each individual patient should be approached individually with a blend of mutually supportive therapies. We believe that stem cell therapy, although indispensable, undeniably exciting and hopeful, alone may not be enough. In order to achieve this blending of stem cell and CAM therapies, SCCNA has put together a team of licensed physicians, stem cell biologist/ hematologist & lab personnel, educators, researchers, nurses, nurse assistants, patient facilitators and other support staff.
For more information, please visit our website www.stemcellcenterna.com.
Q: How long is it suggested for botox to be out of the body before stem cell therapy and how long after should one wait to get a botox injection?
A: Botox treatment should proceed or follow stem cell therapy by at least 3 weeks.
Q: If someone does not have celiac disease, is there any benefit to eating gluten free when possible?
A: Absolutely, yes. A gluten-free diet - the same strict diet required of celiac disease patients - is often highly beneficial in non-celiac, gluten sensitive people.
For every one American with celiac disease there are at least ten Americans who do not have celiac disease - and may never develop celiac disease - but suffer from "non-celiac gluten sensitivity" and gluten-sensitivity related illnesses; these may include painful canker sores, ataxias (neurological problems with coordination and movement because the nervous system that controls movement and balance is affected), epileptic seizures not responsive to medication, chronic inflammation of the airways in non-smokers (chronic bronchitis), deep tissue swelling in the mouth, airway and face (angioedema), and closing off of airways (bronchospasm). When tested, these people often show elevated IgG or IgA antibodies in their blood to gluten, but test negative for celiac disease.
Q: If one has a treatment with adipose derived stem cells, is there any danger of a fat embolism?
A: No. A fat embolus is an accumulation of fat that migrates from one part of the body and causes blockage in a blood vessel in another part of the body - commonly in the lungs. When adipose (fat tissue-derived) stem cells are removed from the fat tissue during the purification process before treatment, the remaining fat tissue is discarded. It is stem cells derived from fat tissue, and not the fat tissue itself, that are infused or injected into the body during stem cell therapy. Hence, no fat embolism is possible.
Q: Do you believe that certain dietary supplements (fucoidan, bovine colostrum, Vitamin C as some examples) might be helpful post-stem cell treatment?
A: Yes, but not the supplements you list. Here are supplements & other nutraceuticals we are now exploring with post-stem cells patients:
Vitamin D3: with all multiple sclerosis patients we advocate oral Vitamin D3 (+ 15-20 minutes of morning sunlight daily, if possible), enough Vitamin D to achieve and maintain blood levels above 100 units (a recent study indicated that MS patients who maintain blood levels above 100 units do better over the long run than those with lower levels). To achieve this blood level, one may have to take between 2,000 and 10,000 IU of Vitamin D3 daily -- and, of course, you will need to have your blood tested every 3-6 months to monitor the level.
Turmeric (with 95% curcuminoids): For all patients with chronic inflammation (COPD, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, ALS, MS, diabetes and heart patients). Turmeric is a very powerful detoxifier, antioxidant, liver-healing, anti-arthritic, anti-colon & skin cancer agent, and neurogenesis promoter (increases the size and function of nerves in the hippocampus where memory, learning and mood functions are located). 1,000mg twice daily with meals is recommended.
Folic acid, vitamin B12, Vitamin B6 and trimethylglycine (TMG): In order to achieve and maintain a blood level of homocysteine at around 6 units (most Americans range from 10 to 16 units). High homocysteine blood levels are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimers, Parkinsons, multiple sclerosis, depression, cancer, liver disease and over 100 other medical conditions (For more details, see my book The H Factor Solution - available from www.amazon.com)
Activated Vitamin B12 (methyl cobalamin, methyl B12). Many stem cells patient are insufficiently nourished with vitamin B12. When insufficient in the activated form of B12 called methyl B12 or methyl cobalamin, spinal cord injured and multiple sclerosis patients do not do as well with stem cell therapy and other therapies as those who are well nourished. So, to begin with, we recommend a simple vitamin B12 blood test. If your blood test shows a low normal level (lowest 25% of normal range) or a deficient level, we recommend oral methyl B12, 2,000 micrograms daily (In our stem cell center, we prescribe injectible methyl B12 - ordered from a licensed compounding pharmacist and shipped to the patient's home - for 14 consecutive days of self-administered injections).
There are just too many other supplements of interest to include here, but some of our favorites include: eggplant extract (reported to mobilize and recruit your own stem cells into circulation), rosemary (this spice contains a remarkable antioxidant, carnosic, that easily penetrates the blood brain barrier and functions in the brain only when you need it), zinc (may help heal a "leaky" blood brain barrier, thought to play a key role in worsening multiple sclerosis, Alzhemiers and Parkinsons), and high-dose intravenous vitamin C acetyl-L cysteine, and glutathione.
Q: I have heard that it is not recommended to do HBOT too soon prior to stem cell treatment because the stem cells hone in on the injured places in the body. Since oxygen helps wake up the dormant neurons there is less of a chance they will migrate there. One should wait for at least 2 months post as well. Is this correct? My child has CP.
A: Yes, this is correct. At SCCNA we discourage hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) within three months of stem cell therapy, either before or after).
Many of you are aware of the 2006 study by the U. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine reporting that one single 2 hour session of hyperbaric oxyogen therapy (HBOT) doubled the population of one's own bloodborn stem cells. Over a course of twenty such treatments, the stem cell number increased by an extraordinary 800 percent! This "mobilization of stem cells," along with HBOT's ability to promote formation of new blood vessels, helps explain why HBOT in conjunction with stem cell therapy is oftne more beneficial in cerebral palsy patients - also those with traumatic brain injury, stroke and autism - than either therapy alone. However, as alluded to above, the two therapies seem to work best if separated in time (one of the more sensible reasons given is that stem cells infused during therapy "home in" on areas lacking a sufficient oxygen supply. By oxygenating these areas with HBOT while simultaneously administrating stem cells, our concern is that transplanted stem cells might not migrate in large enough numbers to the areas needing treatment.
Q: Is a slow drip IV preferable to a fast injection of stem cells? If so, is there any scientific evidence of this such as published papers?
A: When administering stem cells intravenously to adults, we prefer doing it slowly, taking up to one hour to complete. In children 3 years and older, we administer stem cells more quickly. We do not give stem cells intravenously to children under 3 years of age, giving only subcutaneous injections).
Although it makes "good clinical sense" to infuse stem cells slowly, a quick search of the international scientific literature came up empty - I found no published scientific evidence in support of this approach.
Q: What do you foresee in the next 2 years for any breakthroughs for the treatment of COPD?
A: One area that I have been following with great interest is the anti-inflammatory role of omega-3 fatty acids (essential fats from oily fish, fish oil supplements, and walnuts, e.g.) in reducing the ever present airway inflammation of COPD.
In a 15-month study out of Japan, involving 64 COPD patients, researchers found that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids and lower in omega-6 fatty acids (e.g., fats from vegetable & seed oils, dairy and red meats) improved the exercise capacity of COPD sufferers while significantly reducing airway inflammation and shortness of breath.
Please note: Key to successfully using essential fats therapeutically is to monitor the balance of fatty acids in your blood by means of periodic blood tests, with the goal of achieving and maintaining an optimal ratio of essential fatty acids. International experts recommend an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio - determined by these blood tests - somewhere between 2 to 1 and 5 to 1; that is, for every two to four grams of omega-6 fats in your diet, you should be consuming at least 1 gram of omega-3 fats (The national average in America is a very pro-inflammatory ratio - a ratio very bad for COPD patients - ranging from 10 to 1 all the way up to 35 to 1).
Caveat: You can overdose on fish oil, resulting in lowered immune function, bleeding gums, skin tags, thickened heel calluses, reduction of mental acuity and even tumor formation. Also, reduction of omega-6 fatty acids in the American diet may be at least as important as increasing omega-3fats. This is why monitoring essential fatty acid balance with blood tests is so important). For more information on testing for fatty acids, see http://www.metametrix.com/test-menu/profiles/fatty-acids/fatty-acids-erythrocytes.
For this reason we believe that all individuals with chronic inflammatory conditions seeking stem cell therapy should be treated with essential fatty acids and monitored periodically with blood tests.
Dr. Braly was unable to provide answers to the following questions.
Q: Some Asperger's children suffer from bowel problems and are intolerant to a lot of food. What type of stem cells will help these children and how many treatments might be needed?
Q: Do you think that umbilical cord stem cells are better for neurological symptoms? I know there are some risks when you don't use your own, so umbilical cord stem cells from someone else is scary to me. Is adipose derived therapy a possibility for neurologically damaged patients? What is your opinion of the best way to treat the brain (brain hemorrhage is causing me many problems). What about infusion methods? Catheter, lumbar puncture? I heard IV doesn't produce the same results when dealing with the brain.
Q: Can you tell me any possible successes that may occur by doing stem cell therapy for a brain injury due to stroke? I realize nothing might happen, but what could happen? Is there anything that could make a person worse off by having the therapy? How likely are these dangers?
Q: Can you tell me anything about X-Cell Center and Ticeba in Germany and why one would be better than the other or is neither any good?
Stem Cell Center of North America (SCCNA) is an integrative stem cell treatment center located in Tijuana, Mexico, with corporate offices in Las Vegas, Nevada.
SCCNA provides a unique combination of therapies and services for patients, including:
- High therapeutic levels of human umbilical cord blood & mesenchymal placenta stem cells (40 million to 90 million stem cells per patient) derived from healthy mothers who have just given birth to healthy full-term babies.
- Multiple routes of stem cell administration in same patient, all on same day.
- Complementary & alternative medicine (CAM) and physical therapy prescriptions and monitoring at home
- Science-based innovations, including routine in-office celiac disease screening for stem cell patients with auto-immune diseases (for more information on celiac disease, see www.stemcellcenterna.com or read Dr. Braly's & Ron Hogan's best selling book Dangerous Grains (Penguin-Putnam, 2003), activated vitamin B12 injections for patients with spinal cord injuries & chronic brain diseases, microscopic neurosurgery for spinal cord injured patients, and Circle of Willis arterial catherization (see www.stemcellcenterna.com)
- Free educational services
- spinal cord injury
- cerebral palsy
- traumatic brain injury
- stroke
- heart failure
- Parkinson's disease
- Multiple Sclerosis (relapsing, remitting MS, secondary progressive MS & primary progressive MS)
- COPD, including Bronchiectasis
- kidney disease, kidney failure
- joint disease and joint injuries
We believe that each individual patient should be approached individually with a blend of mutually supportive therapies. We believe that stem cell therapy, although indispensable, undeniably exciting and hopeful, alone may not be enough. In order to achieve this blending of stem cell and CAM therapies, SCCNA has put together a team of licensed physicians, stem cell biologist/ hematologist & lab personnel, educators, researchers, nurses, nurse assistants, patient facilitators and other support staff.
For more information, please visit our website www.stemcellcenterna.com.
Q: How long is it suggested for botox to be out of the body before stem cell therapy and how long after should one wait to get a botox injection?
A: Botox treatment should proceed or follow stem cell therapy by at least 3 weeks.
Q: If someone does not have celiac disease, is there any benefit to eating gluten free when possible?
A: Absolutely, yes. A gluten-free diet - the same strict diet required of celiac disease patients - is often highly beneficial in non-celiac, gluten sensitive people.
For every one American with celiac disease there are at least ten Americans who do not have celiac disease - and may never develop celiac disease - but suffer from "non-celiac gluten sensitivity" and gluten-sensitivity related illnesses; these may include painful canker sores, ataxias (neurological problems with coordination and movement because the nervous system that controls movement and balance is affected), epileptic seizures not responsive to medication, chronic inflammation of the airways in non-smokers (chronic bronchitis), deep tissue swelling in the mouth, airway and face (angioedema), and closing off of airways (bronchospasm). When tested, these people often show elevated IgG or IgA antibodies in their blood to gluten, but test negative for celiac disease.
NOTE: for the uninitiated, gluten is a common protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, barley, oats, kamut, spelt and triticale. Celiac disease, a gluten-sensitivity disease, is the most common genetically acquired auto-immune disease in the world, affecting one in every one hundred American adults, causing or aggravating over 200 medical conditions (including some conditions commonly treated with stem cells - e.g., multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, insulin-dependent diabetes - and perhaps bronchiectasis, Asperger's syndrome, chronic noninfectious kidney disease and Lou Gehrig's disease [ALS]).
Q: If one has a treatment with adipose derived stem cells, is there any danger of a fat embolism?
A: No. A fat embolus is an accumulation of fat that migrates from one part of the body and causes blockage in a blood vessel in another part of the body - commonly in the lungs. When adipose (fat tissue-derived) stem cells are removed from the fat tissue during the purification process before treatment, the remaining fat tissue is discarded. It is stem cells derived from fat tissue, and not the fat tissue itself, that are infused or injected into the body during stem cell therapy. Hence, no fat embolism is possible.
Q: Do you believe that certain dietary supplements (fucoidan, bovine colostrum, Vitamin C as some examples) might be helpful post-stem cell treatment?
A: Yes, but not the supplements you list. Here are supplements & other nutraceuticals we are now exploring with post-stem cells patients:
Vitamin D3: with all multiple sclerosis patients we advocate oral Vitamin D3 (+ 15-20 minutes of morning sunlight daily, if possible), enough Vitamin D to achieve and maintain blood levels above 100 units (a recent study indicated that MS patients who maintain blood levels above 100 units do better over the long run than those with lower levels). To achieve this blood level, one may have to take between 2,000 and 10,000 IU of Vitamin D3 daily -- and, of course, you will need to have your blood tested every 3-6 months to monitor the level.
Turmeric (with 95% curcuminoids): For all patients with chronic inflammation (COPD, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimers, Parkinsons, ALS, MS, diabetes and heart patients). Turmeric is a very powerful detoxifier, antioxidant, liver-healing, anti-arthritic, anti-colon & skin cancer agent, and neurogenesis promoter (increases the size and function of nerves in the hippocampus where memory, learning and mood functions are located). 1,000mg twice daily with meals is recommended.
Folic acid, vitamin B12, Vitamin B6 and trimethylglycine (TMG): In order to achieve and maintain a blood level of homocysteine at around 6 units (most Americans range from 10 to 16 units). High homocysteine blood levels are associated with an increased risk of Alzheimers, Parkinsons, multiple sclerosis, depression, cancer, liver disease and over 100 other medical conditions (For more details, see my book The H Factor Solution - available from www.amazon.com)
Activated Vitamin B12 (methyl cobalamin, methyl B12). Many stem cells patient are insufficiently nourished with vitamin B12. When insufficient in the activated form of B12 called methyl B12 or methyl cobalamin, spinal cord injured and multiple sclerosis patients do not do as well with stem cell therapy and other therapies as those who are well nourished. So, to begin with, we recommend a simple vitamin B12 blood test. If your blood test shows a low normal level (lowest 25% of normal range) or a deficient level, we recommend oral methyl B12, 2,000 micrograms daily (In our stem cell center, we prescribe injectible methyl B12 - ordered from a licensed compounding pharmacist and shipped to the patient's home - for 14 consecutive days of self-administered injections).
There are just too many other supplements of interest to include here, but some of our favorites include: eggplant extract (reported to mobilize and recruit your own stem cells into circulation), rosemary (this spice contains a remarkable antioxidant, carnosic, that easily penetrates the blood brain barrier and functions in the brain only when you need it), zinc (may help heal a "leaky" blood brain barrier, thought to play a key role in worsening multiple sclerosis, Alzhemiers and Parkinsons), and high-dose intravenous vitamin C acetyl-L cysteine, and glutathione.
Q: I have heard that it is not recommended to do HBOT too soon prior to stem cell treatment because the stem cells hone in on the injured places in the body. Since oxygen helps wake up the dormant neurons there is less of a chance they will migrate there. One should wait for at least 2 months post as well. Is this correct? My child has CP.
A: Yes, this is correct. At SCCNA we discourage hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) within three months of stem cell therapy, either before or after).
Many of you are aware of the 2006 study by the U. of Pennsylvania School of Medicine reporting that one single 2 hour session of hyperbaric oxyogen therapy (HBOT) doubled the population of one's own bloodborn stem cells. Over a course of twenty such treatments, the stem cell number increased by an extraordinary 800 percent! This "mobilization of stem cells," along with HBOT's ability to promote formation of new blood vessels, helps explain why HBOT in conjunction with stem cell therapy is oftne more beneficial in cerebral palsy patients - also those with traumatic brain injury, stroke and autism - than either therapy alone. However, as alluded to above, the two therapies seem to work best if separated in time (one of the more sensible reasons given is that stem cells infused during therapy "home in" on areas lacking a sufficient oxygen supply. By oxygenating these areas with HBOT while simultaneously administrating stem cells, our concern is that transplanted stem cells might not migrate in large enough numbers to the areas needing treatment.
Q: Is a slow drip IV preferable to a fast injection of stem cells? If so, is there any scientific evidence of this such as published papers?
A: When administering stem cells intravenously to adults, we prefer doing it slowly, taking up to one hour to complete. In children 3 years and older, we administer stem cells more quickly. We do not give stem cells intravenously to children under 3 years of age, giving only subcutaneous injections).
Although it makes "good clinical sense" to infuse stem cells slowly, a quick search of the international scientific literature came up empty - I found no published scientific evidence in support of this approach.
Q: What do you foresee in the next 2 years for any breakthroughs for the treatment of COPD?
A: One area that I have been following with great interest is the anti-inflammatory role of omega-3 fatty acids (essential fats from oily fish, fish oil supplements, and walnuts, e.g.) in reducing the ever present airway inflammation of COPD.
In a 15-month study out of Japan, involving 64 COPD patients, researchers found that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids and lower in omega-6 fatty acids (e.g., fats from vegetable & seed oils, dairy and red meats) improved the exercise capacity of COPD sufferers while significantly reducing airway inflammation and shortness of breath.
Please note: Key to successfully using essential fats therapeutically is to monitor the balance of fatty acids in your blood by means of periodic blood tests, with the goal of achieving and maintaining an optimal ratio of essential fatty acids. International experts recommend an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio - determined by these blood tests - somewhere between 2 to 1 and 5 to 1; that is, for every two to four grams of omega-6 fats in your diet, you should be consuming at least 1 gram of omega-3 fats (The national average in America is a very pro-inflammatory ratio - a ratio very bad for COPD patients - ranging from 10 to 1 all the way up to 35 to 1).
Caveat: You can overdose on fish oil, resulting in lowered immune function, bleeding gums, skin tags, thickened heel calluses, reduction of mental acuity and even tumor formation. Also, reduction of omega-6 fatty acids in the American diet may be at least as important as increasing omega-3fats. This is why monitoring essential fatty acid balance with blood tests is so important). For more information on testing for fatty acids, see http://www.metametrix.com/test-menu/profiles/fatty-acids/fatty-acids-erythrocytes.
For this reason we believe that all individuals with chronic inflammatory conditions seeking stem cell therapy should be treated with essential fatty acids and monitored periodically with blood tests.
Dr. Braly was unable to provide answers to the following questions.
Q: Some Asperger's children suffer from bowel problems and are intolerant to a lot of food. What type of stem cells will help these children and how many treatments might be needed?
Q: Do you think that umbilical cord stem cells are better for neurological symptoms? I know there are some risks when you don't use your own, so umbilical cord stem cells from someone else is scary to me. Is adipose derived therapy a possibility for neurologically damaged patients? What is your opinion of the best way to treat the brain (brain hemorrhage is causing me many problems). What about infusion methods? Catheter, lumbar puncture? I heard IV doesn't produce the same results when dealing with the brain.
Q: Can you tell me any possible successes that may occur by doing stem cell therapy for a brain injury due to stroke? I realize nothing might happen, but what could happen? Is there anything that could make a person worse off by having the therapy? How likely are these dangers?
Q: Can you tell me anything about X-Cell Center and Ticeba in Germany and why one would be better than the other or is neither any good?
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