Stem cell therapy is all the rage right now and “sexy” to talk about. Everybody is on the bandwagon. From cosmetics to dog food, manufacturers are claiming that their products contain stem cells. Like so many “breakthrough” medical therapies we have seen in the past, there is much hype and hope. We are always looking for that magic bullet.
Our bodies are amazing and our stem cells play an incredibly important part in our entire regenerative system. We are just in the infancy of truly understanding this process. Because of this fact, quite frankly it is the “wild west” out there among many practitioners using stem cells today. For example, some physicians are using invasive and expensive procedures to harvest stem cells from bone marrow and fat to treat osteoarthritis. Once the stem cells are obtained, some of the physicians are injecting these cells into the arthritic joint while others are administering them thru an IV. There is currently no standard of care and very little data supporting their effectiveness.
But there is hope. At Greco Medical Group our philosophy is to use now what works now to treat arthritis, neck and back pain, and tendon and ligament injuries. Our treatments involve concentrating the messengers that are naturally present in our own blood, injecting those messengers into the problem area, and in return those messengers stimulate the patient’s own stem cells and regenerative cells to begin the healing process. We offer all forms of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) and Cytokine Rich Plasma (CRP). CRP is our proprietary form of PRP, which is purer and more concentrated. Both of these treatments are less invasive and less expensive than harvesting stem cells from bone marrow or fat. Many practitioners may advertise that they do PRP, but not all forms of PRP are the same.
At Greco Medical Group we not only have decades of experience with all forms of PRP, but internal medicine as well. We practice a more holistic approach by treating the WHOLE patient. To maximize our results with each patient, we optimize their baseline medical status including correcting any metabolic and hormonal problems before we start. Our success rate with using CRP is very high, and rarely do we have to resort to using stem cell treatments. If we do think that it is appropriate to consider stem cell treatments, we believe an Amniotic Tissue Implant (ATI) is the best option. ATI comes from the placenta of prescreened women after a full term birth. In the months following an ATI we continue to simulate the stem cells with CRP for it’s maximum effect. The beauty of ATI is that it’s non-invasive, readily available, and covered by many insurance companies.
So the bottom line is, we use the most effective, least invasive, and least expensive modalities like CRP first. We optimize the chances of success by treating the whole person. We only suggest ATI if needed. We believe this is the best strategy for helping you relieve pain, increase mobility, and avoid surgery. It comes down to balancing the hype and the hope of stems cells. Greco Medical Group has the experience and technology to help you heal yourself safely and naturally.
The best way to evaluate a patient is to arrange a personal, in-depth consultation. However, this is impossible for many patients who fly in from other parts of the country or world. For this reason we have developed the remote consultation package, which is an acceptable alternative to the in-person personal consult.
Once your photos and questionnaire are reviewed, we will telephone you to discuss your questions or concerns regarding the procedure. You will also be given a suggested treatment plan and the costs involved. Click here for more complete information on our free on-line hair restoration consultation process.