Sometimes Stem Cell Treatment Is the Least Risky Option

Doctors in the U.S. take an oath to do no harm. It is a generally understood part of that oath to recommend the least risky form of treatment in every case. So what would you say if we told you that stem cell treatment is sometimes the least risky option? It’s true, according to Salt Lake City regenerative medicine supplier Apex Biologix. Apex deals in PRP and stem cell kits, centrifuges, etc.

If you learn anything from this article, let it be the fact that there are a lot of other medical procedures more risky than stem cell injections. Stem cell therapy is by no means perfect or mature. But when used properly and under the FDA’s current rules, stem cell therapy is comparably safe.

For the Love of Golf

Jack Nicklaus is one of the most famous pro golfers in history. He is also an excellent example of someone who benefited tremendously from stem cell injections. Nicklaus was featured in an excellent CNN piece published back in April (2018), a piece that talk about his treatment for ongoing back problems.

Nicklaus rose to the top off his game despite back pain that began long before he went pro. For most of his adult life, Nicklaus has suffered back pain that he rates at eight or nine (out of ten) on most days. Now enjoying his golden years, Nicklaus still plays when he can. And he says he owes it to stem cell injections.

Just a few days prior to teeing off at the 2016 Jake golf tournament in Florida, Nicklaus was in Germany getting a stem cell treatment. The procedure was very similar to what would be done for osteoarthritis here in the U.S.

His doctor took some fat tissue from Nicklaus’ midsection. The fat tissue was treated with an enzyme to separate out the stem cells, then the resulting stem cells were injected into various locations in Nicklaus’ back. Nicklaus says that over time his back pain improved dramatically. Two years later he boarded a plane to see his doctor again – this time to have his sore shoulder treated.

Safer Than Surgery

Nicklaus met Dr. Eckhard Alt at a birthday party in 2015. He told the doctor of the surgery he had undergone years earlier. The surgery had helped a little, but not nearly enough to relieve his pain. Alt invited him to consider a stem cell treatment.

Alt knew that there was no other option for Nicklaus that didn’t present serious risks. Anti-inflammatories and cortisone injections would only relieve the pain temporarily, and their side effects could have been detrimental to the golfer’s health. Surgery to stiffen up his back carried with it the potential for injury. At the very least, Nicklaus would lose the flexibility needed to play golf. Dr. Alt determined that stem cell therapy was the least risky and most promising option.

A couple of years later, Nicklaus is sold on stem cell therapy. He admits to not having the medical knowledge to truly understand the implications of his treatment, but he firmly believes that stem cell therapy is going to revolutionize the field of orthopedics.

Despite all the criticisms of stem cell therapy, sometimes it is the least risky option. And yes, it does work. It’s too bad that we tend to dwell on the sensational stories of doctors who use stem cell therapy improperly. If we focused more on the success stories of people like Dr. At and Jack Nicklaus, we might suddenly find the courage and willingness to take the shackles off stem cell research.