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The older we get, the more difficult we find it to remember everything and learn new things. It may be as simple as forgetting the keys on the way out to the car or forgetting the name of the person that you shared your first kiss. Memories enable us to navigate our everyday lives and connect with other people.

Proving everybody wrong: New hope for healing spinal cord injuries through stem cell therapy

The spine is incredibly important to the function of all of the systems in the human body. The spine can be thought of as the central messaging system that is responsible for sending messages from the brain to the rest of the body. If the spine suffers from any type of injury, that messaging system can be disrupted. Damage to the spine can effectively cut off communication from the brain to certain parts of the body.

Nerves are key to the function of the nervous system. Without nerves, the brain would not be able to properly communicate with the rest of the body. The entire nervous system consists of more than 100 billion nerve cells (neurons), which all play a role in the nervous system. Damaging critical nerves in the spinal cord can have drastic effects on a patient’s quality of life. One of the most important nerves in the human body is the sciatic nerve.

Autoimmune diseases and conditions are the result of confusion within the body’s immune system. Typically, the immune system functions properly by defending the body against various foreign agents and pathogens. When a patient contracts an autoimmune disorder, the immune system actually begins to attack tissues and cells throughout the body.

How new advanced stem cell treatments help migraine sufferers avoid medications that may not work or cause side effects.

Back pain is one of the most commonly cited forms of pain that the average person experiences. Nearly 65 million Americans have recently reported a recent episode of back pain, with 16 million adults experiencing a severe level of back pain. The activities that patients can engage in may be limited depending on the level of pain the patient experiences. This can in turn lower the patient’s quality of life. Back pain is the sixth most costly medical condition in the United States.

Inflammation is the cause of many diseases and conditions.About 3 to 5 people die worldwide from chronic inflammatory diseases. Whether that disease is stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, heart disorders, cancer, obesity, or diabetes inflammation is one of the main factors behind that condition. Chronic inflammation is incredibly difficult to treat. The medical community has only created a handful of effective therapies that are able to reduce inflammation levels in patients with chronic inflammation. This problem is not going away anytime soon. Chronic inflammation diseases are on the rise as well. The medical community needs to develop more effective treatment options for patients with all levels of inflammation. Researchers are looking for alternative treatment options in order to lower levels of chronic inflammation. Increasing your natural killer cell count may be beneficial to improving your body’s response to inflammation. Natural killer cell therapies may be the future of treating inflammation. Before we jump into how natural killer cells may be able to help treat inflammation, let’s get a better understanding of inflammation. What Is Inflammation? Inflammation is the body’s natural response to protect itself from harm. That harm could be anything from bacteria entering your body or a splinter that breaks a patient’s skin. Inflammation can be caused by a number of factors. The source of the inflammation may not be completely obvious to patients or their doctors. What Happens In The Body When It Is Inflamed? A number of different immune system pieces and cells are involved when the body has an inflammatory response. The immune system releases inflammatory mediators, such as histamines. These inflammatory mediators can open up the small blood vessels that lead directly to various tissues. The extra blood that flows into the damaged tissue can improve the ability of the body to heal the damaged cells and tissues. Additionally, more immune cells can be carried to the injured area to fight off against any potential pathogens that are entering the exposed area of the body. The increased hormone levels from the inflammation will cause the nerves in the damaged area to be more sensitive. This is because the body wants you to protect that damaged area, which is why a patient will feel pain in the area. The body also swells in the affected area, due to the extra fluid present in the area. The swelling and heightened level of pain in the area generally subsides once the body is able to heal and protect the damaged area. Another example of inflammation is when a patient has a stuffy nose. Your body is attempting to flush the virus out of your system by creating more fluid in the nose. Once the body is rid of the virus, the inflammation level typically decreases in the target area. When the inflammation level does not go down after a period of time, it can cause a number of health issues for patients. Why Is Inflammation Bad? Inflammation Can Be Good Inflammation is great when the body is attempting to fight off a potential infection or heal damaged tissue. When inflammation is acting as it should, it is known as acute inflammation. This type of inflammation only lasts about two to six weeks. Once the inflammation subsides, the body will return to normal function, until the immune system needs to react to an event again. Long-Term Inflammation If inflammation does not subside in the affected area after a period of time, the condition is known as chronic inflammation. Generally, chronic inflammation is defined as inflammation that lasts longer than six weeks. Chronic inflammation can lead to a number of complications, including death. Long-term inflammation is characterized by corrosive extracellular matrix, deficiency of regulatory growth factors, hypoxia, and cellular senescence. In more layman terms, it means that inflammation causes there to be more damage to tissue, less healing capabilities at the site of inflammation, and less oxygen at the site of inflammation. All of these factors lead to the development of several conditions and diseases. Sudden, severe inflammation can also lead to a number of complications. Emergency room patients often deal with sudden and severe inflammation after their first injuries are dealt with. The immune system most likely attempts to create a huge inflammatory reaction in order to attempt to keep the body alive. Sadly, this may actually create the opposite effect. Now that we have a better understanding of inflammation and the role it plays in the body, let’s jump into natural killer cells. It may be helpful to understand how natural killer cells contribute to inflammation and what therapies can be used to decrease the level of inflammation. What Role Do Natural Killer Cells Play In Inflammation Emerging research is showing evidence that natural killer cells may have the ability to contribute to immunological memory. Immunological memory is the ability of the immune system to recognize a foreign invader in the body. When the immune system identifies an antigen that it has previously encountered, it can create a response to fight off the antigen. Part of this response is the creation of inflammation. In the past, researchers believed that only T-cells and B-cells were involved in this part of the immune system. There are different types of memory natural killer cells where they vary in terms of their tissue localization patterns. Researchers have found three types of natural killer cell memories: Hapten Specific, Virus Specific, and Cytokine Induced. Hapten-Specific Natural Killer Cell Memory Haptens are small molecules that create an immune response when they attach to a protein or pharmaceutical drug. One group of memory natural killer cells are generated when the hapten is used to generate an immune response. This should help the body to respond to a threat to the body when detected by the immune system. This type of natural killer cells are only found in the liver. Virus-Specific Natural Killer Cell Memory This type of natural killer cell is created when the body fights off a specific virus. The immune system will generate memory natural killer cells that can react when they detect the virus. Virus-specific memory natural killer cells can be located in different areas of the body. Researchers believe that the type of infection or virus plays a part in where these cells reside. For example, influenza memory natural killer cells are located in the liver and lungs. Cytokine-Induced Natural Killer Cell Memory Cytokine-induced memory natural killer cells can be generated through the presence of certain inflammatory cytokines. A virus or antigen does not need to be present in order for this type to be generated. This type of natural killer cell is found throughout the body and is not located in one specific place. Cytokine-induced memory natural killer cells can elicit an immune response when they detect a cytokine. Researchers are hopeful that a better understanding of memory natural killer cells will lead to the development of better vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases. Natural killer cells could be used to elicit the correct immune response in patients who have never encountered a certain virus. Understanding these memory natural killer cells can give researchers a better understanding of inflammation and what the medical community can do to fight inflammation. Natural Killer Cells & Autoimmune Diseases Natural killer cells have the ability to destroy infected and malignant cells. A unique feature of natural killer cells is that they do not have to wait for the immune system in order to take action. Natural killer cells utilize molecules that are cytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing proteins in order to kill the cell. Natural killer cells also have the ability to create cytokines and chemokines that can help the body fight off a potential infection. This is generally a good reaction, but it can go awry when the natural killer cells release these defense mechanisms when there is no active threat. Natural killer cells and cytokines may end up attacking healthy tissue and cells in the body. This can potentially lead to the development of chronic inflammation. Natural killer cells may be key players in the development of several autoinflammatory diseases. These disorders are generally associated with cytokine storms or disorders where there are a number of highly activated immune cells. Natural killer cells may be causing the long-term activation of the immune system and causing more harm than good in some cases. Some researchers believe that natural killer cells that are malfunctioning are the reason why chronic inflammation and autoimmune disorders occur in patients. This may be the case in some diseases, such as Active Adult-onset Still Disease. The chronic inflammation causes a number of symptoms in patients that have autoimmune disorders. Researchers are actively looking for ways to treat chronic inflammation. The development of natural killer cell therapies may be a way to reduce inflammation. Some Promising Research Researchers looked at myocarditis, which is the inflammation of the heart muscle, and the role that natural killer cells played in the condition. Their lab previously showed that natural killer cells helped to prevent continued heart inflammation by fighting the virus that is causing the inflammation. Further natural killer cell research showed that this was not the only role that natural killer cells played in the development of the condition. A group of mice with myocarditis were given a dose of natural killer cells to understand how they interacted with the condition. The researchers were able to show that natural killer cells have the ability to control the level of inflammation at the inflamed site. Natural killer cells were able to reduce the levels of chemokine expression in the heart tissue, which led to a lower level of inflammation. A number of other interesting studies have investigated whether or not natural killer cells can be used to combat various inflammatory conditions and diseases. Researchers at the University of Georgia’s Regenerative Bioscience Center found that natural killer cells may be able to prevent the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Natural killer cells may have the ability to reduce the level of inflammation in brain tissue, as well as reduce the creation of protein clumps in the brain. Additionally, researchers found that mice with a depleted level of natural killer cells had worse symptoms than mice with higher levels of natural killers cells. Natural killer cells and their ability to reduce inflammation levels and clear protein clumps is important to reduce the level of Parkinson’s disease in a patient. It is clear that natural killer cells are a huge part of chronic inflammation and how patients develop autoimmune diseases and inflammatory conditions. A better understanding of natural killer cells can lead to the development of various therapies. Stem cell therapy could be beneficial to the development of natural killer cell therapies. Stem Cells & Natural Killer Cells Stem cells have long interested researchers for developing potential therapies for a variety of conditions and diseases. The abilities of stem cells make them attractive for a number of reasons. Stem cells have the ability to differentiate into almost any cell in the body, including natural killer cells. If a patient receives stem cells into the target area of inflammation, they could turn into natural killer cells. Additionally, it has been noted through various studies that stem cells have anti-inflammatory effects. Some researchers have theorized that stem cells are able to reduce the immune system’s response. It could be that the stem cells are creating new natural killer cells that are reducing the inflammation level in the patient. A patient that receives a stem cell IV therapeutic treatment may be able to increase the number of healthy, functioning natural killer cells. Increasing the number of natural killer cells that work correctly may be able to improve the symptoms of some patients that experience chronic inflammation. If you have chronic inflammation, increasing your natural killer cell level may help to reduce the amount of inflammation present in your body. Researchers are continuing to develop innovative therapies that can treat a number of chronic conditions. Natural killer cell therapies may be able to one day cure autoimmune diseases.

Walking is a simple pleasure that many of us take for granted. Walking enables us to get around and live our lives. When our ability to walk is impaired, it makes life much more difficult. One condition in particular can make walking and running much more painful: plantar fasciitis. Plantar fasciitis is not a deadly condition, but it can greatly affect a patient’s quality of life. Each year more than 2 million people receive some type of treatment for plantar fasciitis. While a majority of patients typically recover in a matter of weeks or months, there are patients who continue to suffer from the condition. Conventional medical treatments do not work for them and it can leave some patients crippled. The medical community has been investigating alternative treatment methods, such as stem cell therapy. Stem cells have the potential to treat the root cause of the condition and improve a patient’s quality of life. A deeper understanding of the condition may help patients understand exactly how stem cells may potentially treat this condition, so let’s discuss the basics. What Is Plantar Fasciitis? Plantar fasciitis occurs when the plantar fascia is inflamed and causes dull and sharp pains in the feet of patients. The condition is also known as policeman’s foot, as police officers who patrolled on foot would develop the condition. Generally, patients experience the most pain in the morning when first walking as there is not much blood flowing to the affected area. The medical definition for this condition suggests that the reason for the pain is due to inflammation of the plantar fascia. There are many reasons that the plantar fascia can become inflamed, from overexercising to old age. Some research suggests that the plantar fascia actually degrades in some patients, which causes the condition. Women and men between the ages of 40 and 70 are at a higher risk of developing plantar fasciitis. Women are slightly more likely to develop the condition as compared to men. Patients with jobs where they are constantly on their feet, such as servers or construction workers, are more likely to develop the condition. Additionally, patients who are overweight are much more likely to develop the condition. The added weight will increase the amount of force that the plantar fascia has to absorb. Losing weight can help relieve some of the symptoms of the condition. Pregnant women may develop plantar fasciitis during the later stages of their pregnancy. But, why does inflammation or damage to the plantar fascia cause this condition? Let’s get a better understanding of how the plantar fascia works in the foot. What Does The Plantar Fascia Do? The plantar fascia is a thick piece of connective tissue that supports the arch of the foot. The tissue is made from collagen fibers. There are three parts of the plantar fascia: the medial component, the central component, and the lateral component. The central component is by far the largest piece of the plantar fascia. One model suggests that the plantar fascia absorbs about 14% of the total load the foot holds. The plantar fascia is vital for the mechanical function and structural integrity of the foot. When the plantar fascia begins to break down, the rest of the foot will experience pain as the tissue is not absorbing as much force. The foot cannot handle the additional load that the plantar fascia carried. The plantar fascia also plays an important role in gait, or how long our stride is when walking. The plantar fascia acts as a spring when the foot becomes outstretched when a patient is walking. If that spring is not functioning properly or damaged, then patients will have a much shorter stride when walking. Gait is an important indicator of overall health and can help patients stay in shape. The plantar fascia is connected directly to the achilles heel in childhood. As a patient ages, this connection becomes less stable and there may be little to no connection by the time a patient reaches their 70s. This lack of connection can also contribute to plantar fasciitis. Current Treatments For Plantar Fasciitis The medical community has a few treatment options for patients with plantar fasciitis. Most of these treatment methods are focused on managing the condition. Physical Therapy As with many other musculoskeletal disorders, medical doctors will typically recommend physical therapy for patients suffering from this condition. Strengthening the lower parts of the leg can help take some of the force off of the plantar fascia. The strengthened muscles can absorb part of the force that would typically be absorbed by the plantar fascia. Medication Anti-inflammatory drugs are also typically recommended to patients with this condition. The medication can potentially reduce the associated pain and inflammation that is felt by patients. For patients that only have short-term plantar fasciitis, this treatment method typically suffices. If anti-inflammatory drugs do not reduce the patient’s pain level, then corticosteroids can also be used. Corticosteroids use can be effective, but the long-term negative consequences of steroid use usually outweigh the benefits. Corticosteroids can break down the tissue with long term use. Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy Extracorporeal shock wave therapy is a relatively new treatment method for this condition. A patient’s heel would be bombarded with sound waves. This may help to encourage the body to repair the plantar fascia. This therapy is noninvasive and easy, which could make it an attractive option for patients. There is some research that showcased that this type of therapy may actually lead to worse symptoms. Surgery In extreme cases of plantar fasciitis, where patients are experiencing pain for multiple months, a doctor may recommend surgery to relieve symptoms. About 5% of patients with plantar fasciitis will eventually need to undergo surgery. There are a few surgical methods that can be used that largely depend on the patient’s condition and a number of other factors. One surgical method removes the plantar fascia from the heel bone, but this can lead to full loss of function in the foot. Gastrocnemius recession is another surgical option where the calf muscle is lengthened in order to improve the flexibility of the ankle. This can lead to less stress on the plantar fascia. Surgery can lead to a number of side effects, such as chronic pain and nerve damage, so it should be considered a last resort. Time Off For some patients all they need is some time off of their feet. Runners in particular are encouraged to stop running for a few weeks or even months to reduce the strain on their plantar fascia. The body will then have a chance to heal and repair the damage and inflammation in the plantar fascia. This does not work for all patients. Many patients will still experience intense pain even after taking time off. Whatever treatment method patients utilize, there are no effective treatment options that are guaranteed to work for patients with plantar fasciitis. Many patients look for alternative therapies, but they may be unfamiliar with them. The research community is actively looking into stem cell therapy as a potential treatment option for plantar fasciitis. Stem Cell Therapy For Plantar Fasciitis Stem cell therapy has been dismissed by the medical community for decades. That has all changed in the past decade or so as research has shown that stem cells have the ability to treat conditions and diseases that currently have no effective therapies. Patients that are frustrated with conventional medical treatments are looking to utilize stem cell therapy in order to treat plantar fasciitis. Stem cells have the ability to reduce inflammation. Countless studies have showcased that stem cells release antiinflammatory factors that decrease inflammation in the target area. Stem cells reduce the immune system’s response, which may be the reason that the tissue in the plantar fasciitis is inflamed. Stem cells have regenerative properties as they release a number of powerful chemicals that encourage the body to repair and replace damaged cells and tissues. Patients with plantar fasciitis may be able to partially regenerate some of the damaged tissue in the plantar fascia. The newly regenerated plantar fascia will be able to help the rest of the foot absorb the force and patients may be able to walk or run without pain. Stem cell therapy has also been shown to be completely safe in multiple studies. Patients will have little to no side effects when they choose stem cell therapy. All of these factors make stem cell therapy an attractive choice for patients who have had no success with conventional treatment options. Platelet-rich plasma may also be a potential regenerative medicine treatment option for patients with plantar fasciitis. The concentrated plasma has a number of healing factors that may be able to reduce some of the symptoms of plantar fasciitis. Utilizing both stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma could be a powerful series of therapies that could reduce plantar fasciitis symptoms. While the research for stem cell therapy for plantar fasciitis is still relatively scarce, there are some promising individual case studies. BioXcellerator works with patients with different conditions, including plantar fasciitis. BioXcellerator Has Treated Patients With Plantar Fasciitis At the BioXcellerator stem cell clinic in Medellin, Colombia our team has treated patients with plantar fasciitis. The FDA unfortunately does not allow some of the innovative treatments that we use at our facility, which is why we strategically opened our facility in Colombia. We can offer patients the most innovative stem cell treatments at this location. Andrew Dynda went to the BioXcellerator clinic to receive treatment for his shoulder that recently underwent surgery. He was tired of hearing that his only treatment option involved surgery. In addition to receiving therapy on his shoulder, Andrew decided to treat his plantar fasciitis, which had been bothering him for three years. Andrew did not want to pursue more surgery for his condition. Andrew received stem cell therapy for both his shoulder and plantar fasciitis. After receiving his treatment, Andrew showed promising recovery just days into his regenerative medicine journey. He is optimistic that he will continue to improve and that he will continue to have reduced symptoms in the coming years. The BioXcellerator team was able to come up with a customized stem cell treatment plan that worked for his specific case. Our medical team always recommends therapies that should work for a patient. If a patient will not recover by utilizing stem cell therapy, then the medical team is more than happy to recommend the correct therapy. One way that we are working on creating the best possible medical care for our patients is through the use of a new stem cell treatment we call ‘golden cells.’ Golden Cells One issue of trust that the general public has to deal with is the level of consistency and quality when it comes to stem cell therapy. Unfortunately, there are some bad actors in the regenerative medicine field that will gladly take a desperate patient’s money and administer a subpar treatment. The BioXcellerator team looked to quiet patient fears by creating an innovative process that ensures high stem cell quality. This process works by testing stem cells for any potential diseases or poor morphology. We also have a strict set of conditions and guidelines for our stem cells. Stem cells that do not meet this criteria will be rejected. By using this process, we filter out the least potent stem cells and we are left with the highest quality stem cells that we like to call ‘golden cells.’ Our team believes that golden cells will improve our ability to treat patients by giving them the most potent stem cells. These stem cell treatments may have the potential to heal patients with plantar fasciitis. If you are experiencing intense pain from plantar fasciitis and conventional medical options have not worked, discuss alternative treatment options with your doctor. You may be able to find a treatment option that works for your specific case. Stem cell therapy could potentially relieve some of your symptoms by repairing the plantar fascia and/or reducing the inflammation level.