Tuesday

Another Stem Cell Source: Your Own Stem Cells

There is yet another source for finding stem cells and that is within your own body.
According to The Stem Cell Theory of Renewal , your own stem cells are always being generated within your own body, within the bone marrow. When the areas of the body are need of renewal they send out a signal and then your own stem cells are released and travel through the blood stream to the areas or tissues of the body they are in need. Through the body’s own intelligence it knows which organs or tissues of the body are in need of regeneration or renewal and releases your own stem cells to go out and do the work of renewing those areas in your body.

So, based on this theory, why aren’t our bodies always made new?

It seems the ability of your own stem cells to be released by the bone marrow and the quality of the stem cells released by the bone marrow both appear to decrease with age.

Question: Could there or is there a way to enhance the quality and release of your own stem cells?



DISCLAIMER - The information on this Blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only. I am not a doctor and I am not attempting to prescribe, treat, prevent or recommend. The information contained on this site is not intended to be a substitute for a health care provider's consultation. The content is based upon the opinions of each respective author. The reader is encouraged to make their own healthcare decisions that can be based upon research and then partnering with their own health care professional. If you are ill please consult a qualified physician or appropriate health care provider of your choice.

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--- Another Stem Cell Source: Your Own Stem Cells ---

Monday

Adult Stem Cell or Embryonic Stem Cell – What is the Difference?

This question is at the center of all the media controversy – embryonic stem cells or adult stem cells– which is best, as both sides of this issue are fighting for government research money to forward their research. Very simply put, this is the basic difference between the two types of stem cells.

Embryonic Stem Cells
These stem cells come from the very early embryo and they are unique in that they have the ability to duplicate themselves outside of the body…such as in a petri dish or test tube. The embryonic stem cells were the first stem cells to be research by scientists and in when it was discovered that they grew very easily and quite rapidly under laboratory conditions a lot of focus was put on them. Scientists were successfully growing any type of cell – heart cells, liver cells, brain cells, bone cells, and more -- from the embryonic stem cell.

Adult Stem Cells
Adult stem cells are only found in the body after birth. Additionally, they do not duplicate themselves well outside of the human body. So, in the beginning of this research, it was thought that the embryonic stem cells were superior to the adult stem cells for this reason. However, in the past few years, it has been discovered that adult stem cells, even though they are not well duplicated in a test tube or petri dish, they do grow just as rapidly and easily as the embryonic stem cells inside the human body. Hence, they have the capabilities of the embryonic stem cells, but only from the environment of the human body itself.

Now that I have this understanding, it seems the biggest question is how and where do we harvest these stem cells? My questions are, how many stem cells can be taken from embryos and how many embryos must be used as well as where do we get the adult stem cells from and what procedure is used to retrieve them?

DISCLAIMER - The information on this Blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only. I am not a doctor and I am not attempting to prescribe, treat, prevent or recommend. The information contained on this site is not intended to be a substitute for a health care provider's consultation. The content is based upon the opinions of each respective author. The reader is encouraged to make their own health care decisions that can be based upon research and then partnering with their own health care professional. If you are ill please consult a qualified physician or appropriate health care provider of your choice.

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--- Adult Stem Cell or Embryonic Stem Cell – What is the Difference? ---

Sunday

Stem Cell Basics: What Exactly is a Stem Cell in Simple Terms?

I have become quite confused at the current media coverage on Stem Cells. So, in my search for information, I "Googled" Stem Cells and I came up with more information than I could use. I really wanted to start from the basics. I wanted to know what exactly a stem cell is before I could go about understanding what all the controversy was about. So here is what I found.
The Basics of What a STEM CELL is:

A stem cell is a cell that has the ability to duplicate itself, again and again, without any encouragement or drug intervention. It does so naturally. It is the way the body was intended to work. A stem cell, can in fact, duplicate itself in a manner that it can become the cells of any organ or body tissue. So, muscles, bones, joints, liver, heart, stomach, hair and so on, can all benefit from newly duplicating stem cells.

With this understanding, I can now see why this type of treatment is so sought after by those who are ill and struggling with disease. If it were me, I would want to be able to utilize the miracle of stem cells as well.

DISCLAIMER - The information on this Blog is provided for educational and informational purposes only. I am not a doctor and I am not attempting to prescribe, treat, prevent or recommend. The information contained on this site is not intended to be a substitutefor a health care provider's consultation. The content is based upon the opinions of each respective author. The reader is encouraged to make their own health care decisions that can be based upon research and then partnering with their own health care professional. If you are ill please consult a qualified physician or appropriate
health care provider of your choice.

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--- Stem Cell Basics: What Exactly is a Stem Cell in Simple Terms? ---