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HEALING JOINTS
HEALING JOINTS FROM WITHIN
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The Promise of Regenerative Medicine
Someday,medicalsciencewillallow ustoinfusedamagedoragingorganswithnewcells,ortomanufacturemade-to-orderorgansona3-D printer. Theseemergingtechniquesto revitalizeworn-outbodypartsareonthe drawingboardinthefieldofregenerativemedicine. However,fortheinjured collegeathleteorthegrandmotherwith compromisedjointfunction,healingand painreliefcanalreadybefoundinthe formofprolotherapyandothernoninvasiveapproachesthatstimulatethe bodytohealitself. Injectiontherapies usingdextroseorthepatient’sownplateletsorstem cellsarebeingusedtonaturallystimulatethebody toproducecollagenand rejuvenatedtissue,offering hopetothosewithsofttissueinjuries,osteoarthritis, degenerativediscdisease andevenpainsyndromes likefibromyalgia. Arecent by Marlaina Donato reviewintheBritish Medical Bulletin of10high-qualitystudiesofdextrose prolotherapyinadultswithmildto moderateosteoarthritisoftheknee showedpatientsexperiencedsignificantlylesspainandimprovedrangeof motioninboththeshorttermandlong termwithoutadverseeffects. Eighty-two percentofpatientsweresatisfiedwiththe treatment.
Controlled Inflammation
Atypeofregenerativemedicineinnovatedbyosteopathicphysician EarlGedneyinthe1930s, prolotherapyinduceslowgrade,temporaryinflammationwiththeintentionof triggeringconnectivetissue cellscalledfibroblastsinand aroundtheinjectionsite. “If youcutyourarmortwist yourankle,variousimmune cellsrushtotheareatobegin therepairprocess. Thisis averybasiccomparisonof
whatprolotherapydoeswithinjections directedtospecificanatomicalpoints,” saysRossA. Hauser,M.D.,founderof CaringMedicalRegenerativeMedicine Clinics,inFortMyers,Florida,and Chicago. “Prolotherapyisusedtotreatosteoarthritisbecauseithelpscorrectthe underlyingreasonwhyithasoccurred, whichisjointinstability. Thebodyovergrowsboneasalong-termresponsein anefforttostabilizeanunstablejoint,” Hausersays. NaturopathicphysicianBrent Cameron,ofAuroraNaturalMedicine, inGilbert,Arizona,suggestsindividualizedtreatmentplansforbestresults. “Myrecommendationsareverypatientspecific,whichisanimportantpiecein prolotherapy.”Cameronsayshispatients arelikelytostartseeingreliefinthefirst week. “Inmanyinstances,theyexperiencecompletereliefandmobilityaftera seriesoftreatments.” WhileCameronatteststotheefficacyofdextroseprolotherapy,heiscautiouswithrecommendingitforpeople withsystemicinflammatoryconditions. “Someonewithahistoryofjoint-related autoimmuneresponsetendstomount strongerinflammatoryresponses. Other formsofregenerativemedicinecanbe helpfulforrheumatoidarthritis[RA],but notintheinflammation-mediatedway, likeprolotherapyandplatelet-richplasma (PRP) injections.” Oneoption,accordingtothe InstituteofRegenerativeMedicine,in BocaRaton,Florida,mightbeverysmall embryonic-likestemcells(VSELS),an emergingformofregenerativestemcell therapy. Thesehaveshownpromisein dealingwithRAandotherautoimmune diseases. Meanwhile,theMayoClinic CenterforRegenerativeMedicineis rampingupitsresearchintoapproaches thatstimulatethebodytorepairitself, withnumerousongoingclinicaltrials utilizingdifferentinjectiontherapiesfor thetreatmentofosteoarthritis.
The Power of Platelets
PRPinjectionsaresimilartoprolotherapy,usingplateletsfromthepatient’s bodyinsteadofdextrose. “Asbloodflows throughaninjurysite,theinflammatory chemicalstriggertheplateletstorelease growthfactors,whichcausesthetorn fibersofthedamagedstructurestoheal,” saysFortWorthosteopathGeraldHarris, ofTexasProlotherapyandNeuralTherapy. PRPissometimesusedinconjunction withstemcelltherapy,whichistypically appliedincasesinwhichsomething needstobereplaced,tohelpfillingapsin ligamentsortendons,Harrissays. PRPinjectionshaveproventobe effectiveineasingchroniclowback painfromdamagedvertebraldiscs. An overviewofresearchpublishedinthe Journal of Spine Surgeryin2018found ittobesafe,effectiveandfeasible,with promisingpotentialforthetreatmentof musculoskeletaldisorders. Harrissays thatpeoplethatwishtoavoidsurgeryor cortisoneinjectionscanbenefitfromPRP, whichcanalsobeappliedtopicallyto treatnon-healingwoundslikebedsores anddiabeticulcers. Harrissubscribestothepowerof persistence. “Don’tgiveup. Withproper treatmentthereisastronglikelihood thatyoucanliveahappy,healthylifefree fromchronicpain.”
Marlaina Donato is the author of several books and a composer. Connect at AutumnEmbersMusic.com.
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