Regenerative medicine in San Jose
Regenerative medicine has the potential to heal or replace tissues and organs damaged by age, disease, or trauma, as well as to normalize congenital defects. Regenerative medicine we offer includes:
- Wharton’s Jelly
- Mesenchymal Stem Cells
- (MSCs) Umbilical cord Stem Cells
- Exosomes
- PRP
Wharton’s jelly
Wharton’s jelly is the main connective tissue found within the umbilical cord – the narrow, tubelike structure that connects a developing fetus with its mother’s placenta. A thick, gelatinous substance made primarily of collagen, its main job is to provide cushioning and protection for the umbilical cord blood vessels by preventing the cord from becoming compressed or bent. Wharton’s jelly also supports the umbilical vessels’ ability to deliver oxygen, blood sugar, and amino acids to a developing fetus. Because Wharton’s jelly is involved in helping the umbilical cord function effectively, it plays a critical role in supporting a healthy pregnancy, and mounting evidence suggests that the substance may also yield benefits long after birth has taken place.
Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs)
Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation is emerging as an ideal tool to restore the wounded central nervous system.
Umbilical Cord Stem Cells
Cord blood is the blood that remains in the placenta and umbilical cord after the birth of your baby. Cord blood is rich in stem cells, which can be used to treat many different cancers, immune deficiencies and genetic disorders.
Exosomes
Exosomes are messenger particles that release naturally from a cell. These particles are responsible for cell-to-cell communication. Exosomes carry genetic information and proteins to cells throughout your body, creating paths for communication between cells.
PRP
Platelet-rich plasma, also known as autologous conditioned plasma, is a concentrate of platelet-rich plasma protein derived from whole blood, centrifuged to remove red blood cells.
Understanding How Regenerative Medicine Works
Believe it or not, your body repairs itself continuously, but especially when you’re hurt. Think of when you get a cut — it bleeds for a little bit, but after a few minutes, your body stops the bleeding, and a scab forms. Similarly, when a lizard loses its tail, it grows back (regenerates) a new one.
Regenerative medicine is a term used for several different treatments that use your body’s natural ability to repair itself. This type of treatment promotes new cell formation in areas of degeneration or injury to heal tissues and bone.
Stem Cell Therapy
Stem cell therapy is a form of regenerative medicine that utilizes the body’s natural healing mechanism to treat various conditions.
Stem cells are being used in regenerative medicine to renew and repair diseased or damaged tissues and have shown promising results in treatments of various orthopedic, cardiovascular, neuromuscular, and autoimmune conditions. Stem cells are present in all of us acting like a repair system for the body. However, with increased age sometimes the necessary amounts of stem cells are not present at the injured area. The goal of stem cell therapy is to amplify the natural repair system of the patient’s body by increasing the numbers of stem cells at injury sites.
PRP Therapy
While stem cell therapy uses specialized cells to help you heal, PRP therapy uses your own body’s platelets to repair tissue damage. Platelets are the key component to your blood clotting; but they also have specialized proteins that give them healing properties as well.
Platelets contain growth factors, which are specialized proteins that trigger a healing response in your body when you suffer an injury or have damage in your joints. The idea behind a PRP injection is to ramp up your body’s healing response in the damaged area to speed up your recovery.
The platelets used in this therapy are extracted from your own blood using a centrifuge. The platelets and plasma are then injected into the problem area to promote healing. Some of the conditions that this type of therapy helps include:
- Tendonitis
- Arthritis
- Muscle injuries
- Joint injuries
- Hair restoration
- Sexual wellness
PRP therapy is also used after surgery to help increase healing at the operative site. This is true for many different types of orthopedic surgery, as the growth factors in the platelets help to speed up healing in that area.
PRP vs Stem Cell Therapy — What’s the difference?
Both stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma therapy are considered regenerative medicine. The aim of both treatments is to help your body accelerate its own healing properties to address the real issue behind your pain.
However, while these treatments both have the same goal, they also work very differently to get to that goal.
Exosomes: What Are They?
Stem cells also help you heal by releasing substances called Exosomes. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that contain biochemicals that stimulate a wide range of healing activities. Exosomes are an exciting frontier in regenerative medicine. Future applications of exosomes include IV exosome therapy for a host of autoimmune conditions and chronic infections such as chronic EBV.
Exosomes may stimulate tissue regeneration, boost your immune cells, transport DNA or RNA, or activate the release of growth factors, to name just a few of their possible roles. Exosomes can also be extracted and injected alone or together with stem cells and/or PRP.
Benefits of Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative medicine encompasses treatments that harness the body’s natural healing abilities. Treatments focus on regrowing, repairing, and replacing damaged cells, tissue, and organs. It has a wide range of applications, from sports injuries to chronic diseases.
The goal of regenerative medicine is to enhance the body’s self-healing abilities. When this is improved, you can manage your symptoms and address the root cause of the disease. The most common regenerative treatments are stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections.
Here are the many benefits of regenerative medicine in healing and therapy:
You may be able to avoid Surgery
Both stem cells and PRP therapy may help you avoid surgery and reduce pain. For instance, both forms of regenerative medicine can be used for torn rotator cuffs, which can be very painful and generally require surgery to fix. Instead, you may be able to take advantage of a minimally invasive treatment option to help your body heal with its own cells.
Recovery time is Minimal
Most patients can return to their normal activities following stem cell or PRP therapy, both of which are outpatient procedures. The most common side effects are minor bruising or discomfort at the site of the injection, which should go away within a few days. Unlike surgery or other procedures, regenerative medicine allows you to get back to your routine as quickly as possible.
Healing happens Faster
Regenerative medicine is known for helping patients heal faster than treatment with conventional methods. Stem cells and platelet-rich plasma work quickly to repair injured joints and tissue, enhancing the body’s own ability to heal after an injury. Although it may take a few weeks to notice a difference, between minimal recovery time and complementary therapies such as physical therapy, you may begin to see a dramatic difference as time goes on!
There’s no need for Medication or general Anesthesia
Your physician will use ultrasound technology to ensure the injection is done at precisely the right area. While some numbing medication will be injected at the site prior to or with your treatment to ensure you experience minimal discomfort, there’s no need for pain medication or general anesthesia with regenerative medicine. If you’re already taking pain medication, you and your doctor will discuss a plan to continue your treatment until you potentially see results from PRP or stem cell therapy.
It’s low risk since Human Cells are Used
Regenerative medicine procedures are generally considered low risk as your own cells are used to heal your injuries. In stem cell therapy, cells are usually taken from either body fat or bone marrow. For PRP therapy, platelets are simply separated from the blood and mixed with your own plasma after your blood is drawn.