Stem cells and stem cell therapy have received a lot of news
coverage lately, some of it controversial, so we've decided to
discuss stem cells and stem cell therapy in general, along with
several approaches to stem cell therapy. The stem cell therapies
we advocate are both legal and simple, especially with the advent
of a new nutritional product called Stemplex from Simplexity
Health. But first, a little about the stem cell itself...
Embryonic Versus Adult Stem Cells
A stem cell is an undifferentiated cell that can renew itself and
develop into at least three different types of tissue. Embryonic
stem cells are derived from early stage embryos and have the
ability to differentiate into all adult cell types. Embryonic
stem cells behave in a consistent way under a microscope but are
much less predictable when injected into the body. They can offer
some benefits for research but their use is controversial and
they are not useful for actual treatments.
Adult stem cells reside in post-fetal animals. Examples are
linage-committed such as hematopoietic stem cells that become red
or white blood cells, or mesenchymal stem cells that can become
many types of tissue, including bone, tendon, ligament,
cartilage, heart, liver, or nerves. Sources of adult stem cells
include bone marrow, fat, brain tissue, and muscles. Of all the
tissues, fat yields the largest numbers of mesenchymal stem
cells, while bone marrow or umbilical blood yield more stem cells
that will become red or white blood cells.
Types of Stem Cells
There are several different categories of stem cells, including
autologous, allogenic, and xenogenic. Autologous stem cells are
those derived from the same animal. These are best for
transplanting since there is no concern about them being
rejected. Allogenic stem cells are from a donor of the same
species. Since stem cells do not have the standard cell surface
markers that would trigger immune response, these cells can
potentially be used without fear of rejection by the host tissue.
Xenogenic stem cells come from a donor of another species, such
as a pig. Although one would expect these cells to be rejected,
because of their unique characteristics they can survive, in some
cases, when injected into the body of another species.
How Do Stem Cells Work?
The most commonly cited function of stem cells is their ability
to differentiate into different tissues but they also have other
abilities that can be very beneficial. Stem cells
produce over 30 types of growth factors and tissue chemicals. Stem cells help recruit other local and
systemic stem cells to focus on repairing damaged tissue. They
are also active in immune modulation to promote or suppress
T-cell function.
Stem cells are triggered to move into an area by signals from the
tissue based on chemical, neural, and mechanical changes.
Hypoxia, which is lack of oxygen, and inflammation are strong
triggers for stem cells to target an injury, although the stems
cells account for less than half of the new tissue formed. The
rest of the repair is done by other cells recruited and managed
by the initial stem cells. This is why very tiny injections of
stem cells are used. Injecting larger numbers of stem cells into
an injured area can actually interfere with healing, since some
of the injected cells die and must be removed during the healing
process.
Under ideal conditions stem cells would respond to injuries and
healing would occur. Factors that affect stem cell response
include the age of the animal, the fitness of the animal, and the
level of free radicals in the body. Free radicals damage all
cells, including stem cells.
Stem Cell Therapy in Horses
One kind of promising stem cell therapy is based on increasing
the numbers and activity of the our own stem cells using
nutrition. Just as scientists discovered that beta glucan is a
nutrient that stimulates the white blood cells called
macrophages, researchers have now identified nutrients that
stimulate and cause the proliferation of stem cells in vitro. Based on
this research, Simplexity Health has developed a product called
Stemplex (TM) that contains green tea extract, wild blueberry,
the amino acid carnosine, blueberry extract, vitamin D, and
blue-green algae. We have been using this product ourselves and
recommending it to others.
Stem cell therapy has huge potential. Providing nutritional support for the body's own stem
cells is always a good option.
Need a Simple Nutritional Solution?
Learn more about Stemplex from Simplexity Health:
Prosperity Abounds
