Costa Rica Discontinues Unproven Stem Cell Treatments

We need to get on the ball with those tests so people can get all fixed up. Thats one of the necessary evils of human trials, they take forever. But atleast you wont start growing a foot out of your heart.

They still need to leave options open for people who are terminally ill. If conventional medicine can't eliminate an ailment that's killing someone, that someone has the right to pursue every reasonable avenue of potential treatment, no matter how controversial or shaky the science may be.

The Institute for Cellular Medicine has collaborated with University of California San Diego to publish results of treated multiple sclerosis patients who underwent remarkable recoveries. These appeared in the Journal of Translational Medicine (Riordan et al. J Transl Med. 2009 Apr 24;7:29).

It is unfortunate that the scientific legitimacy of this group was not mentioned, nor the numerous multiple sclerosis patients like Holly Huber from San Diego, or Texas Sergeant Preston Walker, or Businessman Richard Humphries, who openly state on their blogs and on the news that they are walking because of the Institute for Cellular Medicines.

The "closure" of the clinic was a business decision by the company to consolidate operations, it was not because of the Health Minister making some outragous accusations.

The clinic operated in open view of the Health Minister for 4 years and published in leading scientific journals. Search the name "Riordan NH" on pubmed.

I hope this is useful

Christine

Thank you Christine for that information about the real reason behind the closure of the clinic in Costa Rica. I have been reading about Dr. Grekos' stem cell treatment for heart failure in the Dominican Republic, and biased and unfounded crticism is both unproductive and unfair to people who need hope. I have a relative that has a diseased heart, and I am actively seeking alternative treatment for him, since it has become apparent to me (after my own research) that his current treatment regimen cannot cure his ailment. His condition will only get worse, and he will die prematurely without intervention.

While I understand the merits of scientific clinical trials, it is unfortunate that there are no alternatives for US patients when standard treatment prognosis is poor. After all, many FDA approved drugs have well-established deleterious side effects, yet they continue to be marketed. It should be stated loudly so that regulators who should be absent of politics, understand that "no effect" is far more harmful than side effects. The silence is deafening.

Elizabeth,

It's easy to criticize what you don't understand.

I wish you would have "researched" a little further before piling on to an already poorly researched story.

The quote you repeated (below) from Ileana Herrera is silly and uninformed. This woman never asked an actual patient before coming to her conclusion.

"If [stem cell treatment's] efficiency and safety has not been proven, we don't believe it should be used," Ileana Herrera, chief of the health ministry's research council, told Reuters earlier this week. "As a health ministry, we must always protect the human being."

We were there at the ICM clinic in August 2009 with many others who gained substantial, lasting improvements to MS symptoms. My wife was nearly fully bedridden after 16 years of fighting the terrible progression of MS, and given no hope from the US medical community. And the drugs they kept shoving at her had side effects that were often worse than the symptoms they treat. Oh, and the COST...like a second mortgage.

We tried everything "legitimate" medicine had to offer and saw several of the "best" neurologists in the US. Each touted their new cutting edge treatments, drugs and trials.

We've spent tens of thousands over the last 16 years on the latest medications, therapies and treatments. Nothing worked.

At ICM in Costa Rica, they used a combination of umbilical cord stem cells (to repair nerve damage...donated and blood type matched to the patient) and fat-derived stem cells (to reset the immune system...harvested from the patient). No drugs were used. The stem cells were mixed with blood serum drawn from the patient.

My wife began to experience positive results within 48 hours of the first injection. Because there were no drugs, there were no ill side effects. Because it was mostly the patient's own tissue, there are no rejection issues and no anti-rejection drugs required.

After 4 weeks of treatment and daily intensive physical therapy to remind damaged nerves what they should be doing, my wife experienced substantial, lasting physical improvements, 70% reduction in muscle spasms, she could sit up on her own and stand using a walker, bladder and bowel control returned, heavy fatigue was replaced with high energy, heat sensitivity vanished, her vision improved.

She went from being bedridden 18-20 hours per day to rejoining life, regaining independence, driving herself to physical therapy and the gym daily in her hand-control equipped ramp van, shopping, going to movies, attending school functions and LIVING again. 70-80% of the substantial improvements gained after treatment remain a year later.

85% of ICM stem cell patients have reported substantial improvement from this treatment. What FDA approved drug can claim improvement? Not a single one.

It is a CRIME that this treatment is not allowed in the US. It's simply irresponsible and uninformed for Costa to Rica claim there is no proof.

I fully believe that the drug companies are doing all they can to fight treatments that are effective as they stand to lose about $60 billion per year on MS "maintenance" drugs alone. There IS proof that these drugs don't work. The proof is in the hundreds of desperate patients that seek and have found effective treatment in Costa Rica.

The big loser is Costa Rica. We'll be returning for a follow up "booster" , but to Panama this time. ICM has moved it's operations to their second clinic that was established there over a year ago.

No matter who they are, no one can deny that real patients, are getting real results from real umbilical and fat-derived stem cells. This is not a test or a trial. It's real medicine being applied by professional in hospital environments that we found to be cleaner, better organized, and more patient-centered and attentive than the hospitals we frequent in the US.

Real journalists should get their facts straight and get their information from credible sources...like those that have been there to experience it for themselves.