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Since I’m blogging quite often now about some rather ‘far-out’ medicine, perhaps you should know that I am not ‘expert’ at anything (very opinionated – yes; ’expert’ – no.) So you MAY find some of these unconventional approaches practiced in your neighborhood, but you will likely never even hear/read about some of them, except in these pages. Your own doctor (both orthodox or ‘alternate’) has likely not even heard of some of these either, so asking for an ‘expert’ opinion from them, should be mixed with a whole lot of common sense from you.

There is quite a bit written these days about stem-cell treatments, and PL’ers make the distinction between adult stem cells (good) and embryonic stem cells (bad). Researchers theoretically prefer embryonic stem cells because these can become any kind of cell (pluripotent). Adult stem cells are much more restricted in what kind of cells they can become. In practice though, embryonic cells have an uncanny proclivity to become cancerous also. This is such a profound aspect, that many researchers are returning to studies involving only adult stem cells as therapeutic tools.

The whole discussion about stem-cell-therapies, should involve IMO why these cells exist at all and what their ‘regular’ job is. These cells occur much more-often when we are young. If we are learning to play a piano, the structuring of tissue can become very extensive in the transformation of beginner into one of proficiency. The cells involved mean skin cells, many types of ‘touch-sense’ neurons; cells (like bone cells and blood cells); cells for ‘hearing’; cells for ‘reading music; memory cells …on and on. The list on the types of cells needed can be very extensive. It is better to have many stem cells rather than having many fully developed cells (of which only a few are ‘operational’), when we do so many different things. We sure (by design) can’t do it all.

Around age 4 there is a profound reduction in the amount of stem-cells. [Some refer to this as a ‘die-off’.] Think about it. Before this age we developed the ability of speaking our own mother-tongue; we have started to sit-up, crawl, walk, run, jump, roll … even dance a little!; we’ve learned to eat and dress in clothes; maybe, ride a bike or trike. And we have also learned ‘our place’ in ‘our family’. Mom may even have me sleeping in my very own bed.

So stem cells are the way we normally make tangible, often-repeatable functions. [We CAN perform/learn maneuvers later, but these rarely have the fluidity and ease of early-learned functions.] A second job for stem-cells is a mode of replacing/repairing tissue. This can be most profound and deep. But there IS a problem:: these are living cells (not drugs). They MUST be nourished to survive or they will suffer the same end as the cells they replaced.

There is the case where a developing fetus sends stem-cells into his/her mother to repair her ailing liver. [Thereby, secure his/her food supply for the near future.] This mind-numbing biological fact says IMO: pregnancy is not only a time for a woman to ‘give’ and ‘give. During gestation, her offspring remains a totally passive recipient. In fact, the developing child also contributes critically TO HIS/HER mother’s health.

This scenario does not mean that pregnancy fixes-all, but having increased anti-cancer benefits fits right in.

Maybe next week, I will explain some of the theory of cell-therapy ( Germany ), an early precursor to today’s stem-cell therapies. Maybe we should keep some of the ‘old’ therapy’s features to improve our use today of stem cells.