There is a huge and widespread interest in the ALS community in stem cell therapy, both in how it is helping people with ALS today and how it may benefit ALS patients in the future. As with any new scientific procedure, stem cell therapy or surgery is controversial, both in terms of moral issues and in terms of effectiveness.

Stem cells have the ability to divide indefinitely and give rise to multiple specialized cells. For instance, they can develop into muscle, brain, blood, skin, and organ tissues. Embryonic stem cells are undifferentiated and have the ability to form any adult cell.

How Stem Cell Therapy Can Help The Renewal Process

When stem cells are injected intravenously, intramuscularly or subcutaneously, they travel to those parts of the body that have suffered from some type of injury. As they grow in their new environment, they become similar to those cells that they come in contact with. In this way they are able to transform into new blood vessels, neurons, muscle, pancreas, liver, bone marrow, and so on, any tissue or organ that they come into contact with.

Stem Cell Therapy Safety

In addition to the moral and ethical issues of using human embryonic stem cells, there are other problems with using stem cells that have been derived from human embryos. One problem is that certain cells may have developed ABO and HLA antigens on their surfaces, which means that they may induce Graft Versus Host reactions and cause health problems in the patient receiving them.

What this means is that the patient's body may reject the cells, just as it can do with an organ transplant. To avoid this, the patient is given cortisone products to suppress immunity, but this causes an additional problem for ALS patients since cortisone stimulates glutamate production, which is toxic to neural cells and can compromise the effectiveness of the treatment in neurological patients.

Stem Cell Therapy Treatments in China

Many people with ALS are looking for more information about the stem cell therapy that is being provided in China. Dr. Hongyun Huang, a Chinese neurosurgeon who has studied at Rutgers University, began testing certain cells from the olfactory center of the brain on ALS patients.

He extracts the cells from the olfactory bulbs of aborted fetuses and injects them into the patients' brains. He has treated more than 40 ALS patients, and many of these patients reported a rapid improvement of partial function. However, the long-term effects of the treatment is unknown - several patients have reported that any benefit they gained was temporary.

IMPORTANT LINK:

For a comprehensive list of articles relating to stem cell treatments in China, and to learn about individual ALS experiences click here.

The waiting list for Americans wishing to partake of Dr. Huang's treatment in Beijing is currently around one year.

To contact Dr Huang by email, please click this link: hongyun@mailcity.com

IMPORTANT TIP:

Although Dr. Huang's treatment is considered experimental and is not endorsed by the greater scientific community, it seems to have helped some people regain partial function, although the long-term effects of the procedure are still unclear. The fact that some ALS patients have experienced improvements followed by a relapse suggests that the transplanted cells may be subject to the same sources of damage that caused the motor neuron cells to die in the first place.

It would seem that in order for the new cells to survive, they would need to be protected from the sources of toxins or the toxic environment that was causing the "original" cells to die. Otherwise, it is like putting good oil in a damaged engine - the orginal environment needs to be cleaned up for the new cells to survive.

This is where detoxification of the body becomes paramount - it is the first step in any healing process, so that the body can then focus on regeneration. Whether you choose to undertake stem cell therapy or any other therapy for cell regeneration, the body must first be "cleaned up", so as to maximize the success of the treatment.

Useful Tests
The following tests may be extremely useful for people to both tailor your therapeutic supplements program and to chart your progress.
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Detoxification Therapy
There is growing evidence that environmental toxins play a major role
in numerous neurological disorders.
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pH Balance Therapy
A balanced body pH is crucial to any healing program. The cause of disease, according many experts, is over acidification, from diet, stress, toxins, etc.
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Antioxidant Therapy
Most of you have heard of antioxidants and know that they are good for you.  Antioxidants are substances that neutralize free radicals. 
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Herbal Therapy
Herbs that have beneficial properties
to support neurological health.
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Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamins & minerals that can be useful for people with neurological symptoms.
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Viral & Bacterial Support
Scientists have long surmised that
there may be an infectious component to neurological symptoms, and while
this has not been proven, it would be prudent to take natural and safe substances that effectively rid the body of viruses, bacteria and mycoplasma. 
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Supportive Supplements
Here is an additional list of supplements that may also be helpful for people with neurological challenges. 
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ALS Links and Resources
The following organizations may
provide much useful information for people with ALS/MND.
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Causes of ALS
While the actual cause of ALS/MND remains unknown, there are presently several theories being put forward. 
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Early Symptoms of ALS
The onset of ALS/MND is often very subtle – these are the initial symptoms to watch for.
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Genetic Testing for ALS
ALS/MND is hereditary in only 10 percent of families.  The vast majority of ALS cases are sporadic, meaning that although there is likely a genetic predisposition involved, ALS is not directly inherited in a family. 
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Diagnosing ALS
ALS/MND is one of those diseases that is very difficult to diagnose.  There is no one test that will definitively tell you whether you have ALS. 
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ALS and Dental Amalgams
The use of mercury “silver” amalgams in dental fillings has been an accepted practice in the United States for more than one hundred years.  Therefore, most people assume that their “silver” fillings are safe and non-toxic. Not so.
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Dietary Regimen for ALS
This part of the ALS/MND protocol requires following a very specific dietary regime. This may be the most challenging aspect for many people with ALS. 
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Medications for ALS
There are various medications that are being prescribed for people with ALS/MND as their symptoms progress.
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Stem Cell Therapy
There is a huge and widespread interest in the ALS/MND community in stem cell therapy, both in how it is helping people with ALS today and how it may benefit people with ALS in the future. 
Read more