10 Conditions That Can Be Treated with Regenerative Medicine

Regenerative medicine involves using your own body’s tissue to help heal disease and injury. Solstice Health is the first center in Wisconsin and one of the few elite centers in the Midwest to offer adult mesenchymal stem cell injections for various orthopedic conditions and injuries. Before we list some conditions that can be treated by regenerative medicine, it may be helpful to know a little bit more about each treatment we offer.

What Is Platelet-Rich Plasma?

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), or platelet concentrates, have been studied extensively since the 1990s. While similar products previously used in medicine (fibrin glue) are very expensive, PRP provides a cost-effective alternative. Plasma concentrates are a way to help the body finish the healing process and strengthen the weakened tissue. PRP is produced from a person’s own blood. It is a concentration of one type of cell, known as platelets, which circulate through the blood and are critical for blood clotting and release growth factors and mediators to aid in healing. Platelet-rich plasma can then be collected and delivered to an injured area of bone or soft tissue, such as a tendon or ligament. It is used for tendinopathies (tendon problems), in addition to problems with ligaments, muscles, meniscus, cartilage, bone, wound and intervertebral discs.

What Is Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem cell therapy focuses on delivering stem cells to parts of the body that are in need. Stem cells can be harvested from a patient’s own body from Adipose (fat) tissue or bone marrow. The tissue is processed into a stem cell concentrate and injected at the focal point of treatment in the patient’s body. Once the stem cell concentrate has entered the treatment site, the regeneration process begins. Stem cell therapy is completely safe as we are using what your body naturally produces, concentrating the desired critical components and transplanting them into the affected area for effective tissue regeneration and healing. There is no risk of rejection and very minimal overall procedural risk.

10 conditions that can be treated with regenerative medicine.

  1. COPD
  2. Type 1 Diabetes
  3. Erectile Dysfunction
  4. Multiple Sclerosis
  5. Osteoarthritis
  6. Parkinson’s Disease
  7. Rheumatoid Arthritis
  8. Spinal Cord Injuries
  9. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
  10. Sports Injuries

Solstice Health is here to provide you with the latest adult autologous stem cell treatments. If you feel you may benefit from regenerative medicine, call us today to schedule an appointment. 262-347-3253

Stem Cell Therapy: Sorting Out The Myths From The Truths

With stem cell therapy on the rise and new information surfacing regularly, it can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between truth and myth.  Here at Solstice Health, we strive to educate and support our patients and community by providing the highest quality of care and information.  Let us help define some myths and truths of stem cell therapy.  Below you’ll find helpful clarification on some general stem cell therapy topics as well as procedure specific information.

Our body has the power to heal itself.

Truth: This is one of the foundations of regenerative medicine. Stem cells have the ability to divide and develop into many different cell types in the body. Stem cell therapy uses a patient’s own stem cells to help repair damaged tissues and repair injuries

Stem Cell Therapy is legal.

Truth: Yes, stem cell therapy is legal. The FDA only approves medical devices and drugs and does not regulate treatments provided by licensed physicians. Therefore, while the FDA may not be able to approve stem cell therapy, this does not make these practices illegal. All cellular therapies offered in our clinics are administered according to the most current published FDA guidelines.

No risk of rejection or communicable disease transmission.

Truth: Due to using biologics extracted from the patient, there is no risk of rejection. As the cells originate within your own body, there is no risk of spreading disease from or to another person.

Each case is treated with the same Stem Cell Therapy.  

Myth: There are different types of stem cell therapies. Each case should be treated as a standalone case.  The patient’s medical history and maturity of the disease should be considered.  As these factors vary amongst patients, the mode of implantation of stem cells should be specific to each case.

Recovery time is minimal.

Truth: One of the most time-consuming factors of any injury is not always the treatment itself, but actually the recovery time. With stem cell therapy, recovery time is minimal.  It is non-surgical and minimally invasive.

Effects aren’t felt until weeks after the procedure. 

Myth: Everyone is different and the healing process may take several months before results are seen. However, many patients report that they begin to experience results within a week with fuller effects felt within 4-8 weeks.

Does not require general anesthesia.

Truth: Do you get anxious at the thought of being put under? Stem cell therapy may be just what you need as it does not require the use of general anesthesia.  Instead, a local anesthetic is used and there is minimal discomfort.

Contact us today to find out if you qualify for this groundbreaking therapy. We have three convenient locations in Wisconsin: Oconomowoc, WI (262)-533-0322, New Berlin, WI (262)-505-6260, and Mequon, WI (262)-533-0322.

 

 

What Conditions Can Stem Cell Therapy Treat?

Stem cell therapy is a gentle, non-invasive treatment that provides pain relief for individuals suffering from a variety of conditions. It’s a form of regenerative medicine that not many are aware of, but has the potential to replace several conventional methods of pain relief therapy. Here are a few illnesses that respond well to stem cell therapy treatments.

 

Arthritis

Arthritis is inflammation of the joints and can be very painful. Conventional medicine used to treat this condition includes steroids and acetaminophen, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), like Aleve. As opposed to stem cell therapy, these medicines will help to decrease the pain, and reduce stiffness, but will not address the cause of the pain.

 

Tendonitis

Tendonitis is the inflammation of a tendon, often caused by overuse, but can also originate from rheumatic disease or infection. Doctors typically prescribe steroid injections, physical therapy, or recommend surgery to treat the condition. Stem cell therapy aids the body in eliminating inflammation of the tendons by regenerating the cells.

 

Sprains

Tearing or stretching of the ligaments is considered a sprain. This type of injury can result in extreme pain and significantly reduce mobility in the affected area. Minor sprains can be treated at home, but there are some cases where doctors will prescribe a splint or a walking boot. If it occurs more than once in the same area, surgery may be recommended to tighten the ligament. Stem cell therapy, in this case, would work to regenerate the tissue in the ligament.

 

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the degeneration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone. It causes pain and stiffness, particularly in the knee, hip, and joints of the thumb. Traditional treatments include medicines like steroids and narcotics to control the pain, as well as physical therapy. Stem cell therapy is a viable option for people with osteoarthritis, as it aids the body in repairing and restoring the degenerated cartilage.

 

Herniated Disc

A herniated disk refers to an injury to a disc between the separate bones that line up to make your spine. This type of injury primarily occurs in the lower back and is commonly known as a wear and tear condition. Most people experience pain in the legs or arms, numbness, tingling or muscle weakness. Stem cell therapy in this instance regenerates the disc cells.

 

These are just a few of the many conditions to which stem cell therapy can be applied. Unlike other conventional therapies for pain, stem cell treatments are noninvasive and gentler on the body. Most people prefer this medicine because it promotes natural healing and requires little downtime.

 

If you suffer from pain and would like more information about the benefits of regenerative treatments like stem cell therapy, Solstice Health is here to help. Our experienced doctors can help you choose an effective pain relief treatment that’s just right for your condition.

 

Contact us today to find out if you qualify for this groundbreaking therapy. We have three convenient locations in Wisconsin: Oconomowoc, WI (262)-354-3100, New Berlin, WI (262)-505-6260, and Mequon, WI (262)-354-3100

What is Stem Cell Therapy?

Stem cell therapy, which involves the use of stem cells to treat or prevent certain diseases or conditions, is one of a handful of alternative medical treatments gaining in popularity because it allows patients to avoid high-risk, invasive surgical techniques and long recovery times.

What Are Stem Cells?

Stem cells are highly specialized cells that are the foundation of our organs and tissues. Not only do humans grow from an initial, limited pool of stem cells that forms shortly after fertilization (embryonic stem cells), persisting stem cells (adult stem or tissue-specific stem cells) repair injured tissues and replace those cells that die off on a daily basis as a natural part of living. Stem cell treatment holds so many promises due to two rather miraculous properties of these cells: their ability to self-renew and their ability to differentiate.

For some, there are perceived ethical conflicts based on political or religious objections to our use of stem cells to treat disease and illness, but this is often due to a misunderstanding of what cells are typically used in our stem cell therapies. At Solstice Health, we only use autologous (which means “one’s own”) cells from a patient’s own adipose (fat) or bone marrow tissues. These are adult cells, and they have nothing to do with the embryonic cells that cause so much ethical concern.

How Does Stem Cell Therapy Work?

Many patients don’t realize that blood marrow transplants (which are also called hematopoietic stem cell transplants and are one of the earliest forms of stem cell therapy), have been in use for more than 40 years. Bone marrow transplants are a proven therapy for the nearly 20,000 people who are diagnosed each year with a life-threatening blood condition like leukemia or sickle cell anemia.

Although our stem cell therapies do not require donors, the process by which we use patients’ stem cells to treat injury is the same. First, we harvest the necessary adipose or bone marrow cells from a patient. Then, we use minimally invasive procedures to  introduce concentrated amounts of the harvested cells into the area of injury.

In our experience, this targeted infusion of cells promotes additional stem cell activity and recruitment, which promotes healing, growth and regeneration of damaged tissue. This is why stem cell therapy of this sort is often called regenerative stem cell therapy, because it is about literally regenerating new, healthy cells to replace damaged ones.

Is Regenerative Stem Cell Therapy Dangerous?

Although there is some level of risk associated with any medical treatment, because our therapies are minimally invasive and use autologous cells (which minimizes the risk of rejection), risk is significantly reduced for our patients. To ensure the integrity of our processes and the safety of our patients, our protocols are certified by the Institutional Review Board (IRB, which is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

At Solstice Health, we are committed to harnessing the body’s natural ability to heal itself for the betterment of our patients. To learn more about our stem cell therapy treatments, call or visit our office today.