Some time ago I spoke to the companion of one of my patients who had had a transplant of autologous stem cells in the knees and after only eight weeks was doing very well.
Carlos asked me a great question, but I was not surprised to be asked this question, since I had answered it before many times: Is it possible to make a capsule or pill with stem cells?
My answer was obvious: NO.
Stem cells are small seeds that exist in our body; they are dedicated to repair and regenerate worn or damaged tissue in our body; that is the reason why I call them “building cells.” Unfortunately the cells begin to dwindle as the years pass by, therefore our knees, spine, shoulders or hips start to deteriorate and the body is unable to transport “building cells” to affected parts where they are needed.
How would we be able to put these living cells within a capsule or tablet? This is just absurd.
Tablets or capsules that say they have stem cells do not, because it is something inert, lifeless, or a chemical compound either from nature or artificially created in the laboratory. They do not help increase the amount of stem cells in our body.
Our procedure is complex but very safe. We collect cells from the bone marrow with a special needle that is so advanced that very few places in the U.S., Europe and Latin America know of its existence. This guarantees the viability and high cell count of the monoclonal cells. This is where the major population of the cells is located.
Fat cells are slightly different from bone marrow cells, and are small fatty balloons that are filled with stem cells at their surface. In our institute, StemCell Miami, we are able to separate the stem cells from the fatty balloons mechanically by a process called “micronization,” allowing a high viable count and monoclonal cells derived from fat.
Stem cells are not like our red blood cells, white cells or platelets that can be seen under a microscope, and can be counted or detected. They are “ghosts” or “invisible” cells that we know live in a village or colony, something like the queen in a beehive that we know exists but we do not see her fly or collect pollen. We assume that she is well within the honeycomb and that without her existence the rest of the hive wouldn’t exist.
All this has enabled us to reach this important milestone, which we call 80/80 or 80 percent of patients that are 80 years old have a positive response and are satisfied with the outcome of procedures with stem cell implants. But we’ll talk about this in another article. In conclusion, remember that we cannot lock up stem cells in a pill, tablet or capsule.
For more information or to book a free consultation on how to treat your pains with stem cells please call StemCell Miami at 305-598-7777.
If you want to write to Dr. Castellanos, send him an email at stemdoc305@gmail.com.
Ramón Castellanos, MD
Stem Cell, Regenerative Medicine, Pain
PM&R and Sport medicine Certified
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