Stem cells are able to repair various damaged tissues and cells. A plethora of diseases, such as Azheimer’s, Parkinson’s, leukemia, spinal cord injuries, and diabetes affect millions of people every day, and stem cells have the potential to provide cures and treatments for the presented diseases, they are capable of tremendously impacting the lives of many Americans. Many scientists believe that stem cells may be the new alleviation of human torment since the invention of anitbiotics. (85)
Stem cells are able to repair various damaged tissues and cells. A plethora of diseases, such as Azheimer’s, Parkinson’s, leukemia, spinal cord injuries, and diabetes affect millions of people every day, and stem cells have the potential to provide cures and treatments for the presented diseases, they are capable of tremendously impacting the lives of many Americans. Many scientists believe that stem cells may be the new alleviation of human torment since the invention of anitbiotics. (85)
According to Tell Me About Stem Cells, stem cells have, “[…] the potential to help over 100 million Americans who suffer from these and other disease and injuries.” (CITATION 70).
THE IMPACTS OF STEM CELLS
THE UNIVERSAL CURE
GO NATURAL!
Stem cells have earned their right to the title of the “Universal Cure.” Able to present cure for various diseases, human and animal, they have caused a breakthrough in the recent history of science. By 2009, stem cells have been used to successfully treat paralyzed lab rats, allowing the poor rodents to regain their use of their hind limbs. Claudia Castillo, a mother with lungs infected and decimated by tuberculosis, was able to escape the life of turmoil and horror through the transplant of her own adult stem cells. Taken from her bone marrow, the cells were welcomed by her organism, and were able to repair the damaged lungs. Additional famous examples are the experiments of Britain’s University College London Institute of Ophthalmology. Professor Coffey of the London Institute has lead numerous successful studies concerning the correction of the retinal pigment epithelial, a carpet of cells in the eye which processes light, and whose deterioration leads to the age-related macular degeneration in animals. By transforming embryonic stem cells into retinal pigment epithelial cells, Coffey and his team have been able to efficaciously correct the eyesight of the aging animals. Coffey proved that stem cells have the ability to even warp time, allowing the senior citizens of our societies to restore the capabilities of their youthful years. Unlike medication, stem cells have the potential to provide CURES, not TEMPORARY TREATMENTS, for various diseases that affect trillions of people diurnally.
THE TRANSFORMATION IN MEDICAL CARE
Although modern medicine has greatly altered and evolved in comparison to its earlier form, during the days of the Black Death and cholera, it has still not proposed cures for all dangerous diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease, spinal cord injuries, and diabetes. The recent breakthroughs in the field of medicine and regenerative therapies have been the famous stem cells. The current synthetic drugs used to treat malicious diseases carry several side effects, with the severity of the effects becoming more and more parallel to the severity of the disease itself. Stem cell treatments, however, are natural, stimulating the body to heal unaided, without the interruption of unsafe chemicals, resulting in a more effective treatment and less side-effects to follow. (CITATION 72)
Medical Applications: The Conquistador of Diseases
Stem Cells are destined to provide the cure for a multitude of diseases known as risky and "incurable" today. This table shows only a portion of the examples in which stem cells have proven themselves to be able to provide a successful antidote for the suffering patients. (CITATION 70)
The ability of stem cells to create cells, tissues, and organs opens a new path for “personalized medicine.” Each patient will be provided with specifically tailored cells for his or her medical purposes. “Personalized medicine” involves customizing the prescription for each individual, creating a more precise and powerful system of therapy.Adult stem cells in particular, allow for “personalized medicine” to prosper in its current state. Since many diseases, such as leukemia and neurological disorders, require a more individual approach, stem cells provide a massive relief for the patients. Previously, these tragic diseases were treated with pharmaceutical
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drugs, often made in a “one size fits all” fashion. This form of therapy proved highly inefficient in most cases, since individual approach is preferred in these situations. Adult stem cells, however, provide a more customized tactic. Derived from the bone marrow of the patients, the stem cells are then processed for malfunction or damage, and, if satisfactory, are programmed and tailored to the individual’s necessity. The modified cells are then injected back into the patient, raising “personalized medicine” to a new, elite level.
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