Multiple sclerosis is a terrible affiliation that can leave those suffering in a serious state of deterioration. It not only affects the patients themselves but can ravage the emotions of families as they see their loved ones slowly wasting away to an inevitable outcome. Fortunately, stem cell treatment could potentially offer some respite to this wasting disease and, when paired with other treatments and therapies, might be able to alter the course of a diagnosis. In this article, we will look at what stem cell therapy actually is and how it could offer respite for those suffering from this affliction.
What Is Stem Cell Therapy?
The answer to this particular question is one that doesn’t have an easy answer outside of the usual medical world, but to put it simply, it can be surmised as a treatment that involves the use of stem cells to repair cells that have been damaged for various reasons. They can be used in a range of medical treatments, from multiple sclerosis self-care, which we will cover in a little more detail throughout this post, to cosmetic procedures designed to replace the loss of youth. However, the question that you’ll probably have after reading this is, what actually are stem cells? Essentially, they are cells that have not yet formed into a specific cell but are ready to develop into many different forms of a cell, giving them their aforementioned healing properties. There are several types of stem cells, each with various uses, including:
- Embryonic: This is perhaps the one you have heard the most about, as it tends to be in the news headlines regarding abortion and other political hot potatoes. However, they can also be derived from early-stage embryos and tend to be the most “potent” and able to develop into almost any other type of cell in the body.
- Adult: These are found in the tissues of adults (typically in the bone marrow), and although they are less potent than those of an embryo, they can turn into new cells similar to the ones they were derived from.
- Induced pluripotent: These are taken from adults but have been reprogrammed to behave similarly to embryonic stem cells, giving them a far greater range of uses. They also avoid many of the ethical considerations associated with embryonic ones.
How Stem Cell Therapy Works For MS
Before we go any further, it needs to be stated that this is an emerging approach aimed at halting the slow but insidiously steady progression of MS. Moreover, if you are already at a highly advanced stage of the disease, you may not see any tangible benefits from incorporating stem cells into your treatments, but this is something you need to discuss with a professional to see what might be possible. Nevertheless, the goal of any stem cell treatment is to rest the immune system and promote the repair of damaged tissues, which in the case of MS would be the damaged parts of the nervous system. In this regard, there would be two steps:
Restarting The Immune System
Doctors would use specific stem cells called hematopoietic stem cells to reset the patient’s system. Because MS involves the body’s own immune system attacking the protective covering of the nerve fibers, any treatment would have to begin here.
It would also include the use of chemotherapy to kill off the immune cells causing the damage and replace them with hematopoietic stem cells, most likely collected from the bone marrow. This can be an arduous process unto itself and one that a patient must be prepared for…not only in the case of the discomfort caused but of the chance that it may not succeed. If it works, the next step is to start the repair process.
Repairing The Nervous System
Once the immune system has been reset, the next step is to introduce another stem cell to the body. This involves using mesenchymal stem cells that have shown potential in repairing the damage caused thus far. These stem cells reduce the inflammation that causes MS and could fix the damage by regenerating new cells or possibly assisting other cells in carrying out repairs.
Challenges
Like any complex procedure, stem cell therapy for MS is not without risks. The process itself is highly complex and involves numerous disparate procedures, including using chemotherapy to kill off existing cells (but that also won’t discriminate between cells and will also kill off other healthy cells).
In addition, you will need to find facilities that are able and willing to carry out these procedures since they are still somewhat rare.
Stem cell therapy shows incredible promise for MS treatment. It works by killing off the cells that cause damage and reintroducing various stem cells that should, in theory, fix the mess. If you are interested in researching this further, you really ought to discuss your options with a medical professional and get a few options to be completely sure if you want to go through the process.