“It’s not about the bees, it’s about the honey”
Regenerative medicine is a relatively new form of medicine that doctors are focusing on. This form of medicine works with exosomes to restore the human body as opposed to functional medicine, which simply repairs physical and physiological injuries, deterioration and disease.
A form of regenerative medicine that has been used for decades with a great outcome is “regenerative biologics”. “Regenerative biologics”, including PRP (platelet-rich plasma), and traditional mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), have been widely used to restore orthopedic conditions and provide cutting edge treatment to improve joint restoration, healing, and decrease pain. Research has also ventured into treating metabolic, autoimmune and neuro degenerative diseases such as Diabetes, Ulcerative colitis, Alzheimer’s, MS, Parkinson’s Disease, and Autism.
These biologics, known as Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MCSs), were created over 30 years ago but it has now become clear that the powerful healing and regenerative powers we once thought came from MSCs, actually come from the “brains” of the Stem Cells called Exosomes.
How do Stem Cells and Exosomes work?
We all have millions of our own “Resident Stem Cells” within every tissue of our body. These Stem Cells cause our bodies to heal, restore, fight disease, decrease aging, and stimulate longevity. For example, if you fall down on the pavement and skin your knee, what happens? For the next two days there’s a bleeding wound that quickly forms a scab. In a few days, the bleeding and acute pain stop. A week later, the scab may still look awful but it’s healing and in two weeks, it’s red. By week four, you can’t tell that you had fallen and any signs of the injury have gone away.
What happened? At the point of trauma, the injured tissue sent signals to your body that help was needed. Your body quickly mobilized growth factors to travel to the injury site and start the healing process to restore the body.
What if we could take those four weeks and compress them into a few days, or even a few hours? What if we could cause our own resident stem cells to be energized and stimulated by millions (or in the case of exosomes, billions) of helpers to essentially create a younger, stronger, healthier and more restored version of ourselves? The good news is, we can – using Stem Cells and Exosome with Regenerative Medicine.
Where do Stem Cells come from?
Stem cells come from using our own (autologous) bone marrow and fat or by using someone else’s (allogenic) umbilical cord by-products or Warton’s jelly. Using stem cells to treat conditions is an older, yet still effective method, but it can also come with side effects ranging from rejection to contamination and infection.
We now know that the part of the stem cell that controls, stimulates, and signals our own resident stem cells that reside in every tissue in our bodies are called Exosomes.
Why do we use both Stem Cells and Exosomes at Age Management Center?
At Age Management Center, we use both Exosomes and traditional Stem Cells in our regenerative medicine program. Exosomes are tiny “extracellular vesicles” that do not contain DNA, and are so small they can pass through micro filters that do not allow bacteria, viruses, or foreign proteins to pass through. Exosomes are in fact the “paracrine messengers” that pass from cell to cell that cause the signaling for our stem cells to begin the process of restoration, healing and diminish aging.
Dr. Douglas Spiel, arguably the lead practicing pioneer in this area of exosome medical research, once said, “If these bioactive factors (exosomes) are what will be the honey, then why is so much attention paid to the bees (stem cells)?”
Exosomes are not only found in stem cells but are also found throughout nature. These cells are how other cells communicate with each other though the signaling capabilities of hormones. Immune cells, cancer cells, and aging cells, all have different types of “extracellular vesicles” or Exosomes which contain different messages and affect our bodies in a variety of ways. In fact, even milk has an abundant source of specific milk exosomes!
What else sets Exosomes apart from Stem Cells?
One of the most important attributes of Exosomes are their ability to “travel” to areas of inflammation, injury and disease. The inflammation and tissue damage act like “bio magnets” like the skinned knee, and the exosomes are the tiny ball bearings that are drawn to these areas that are signaling for help and need healing.
Depending on their patient and their specific condition, Dr. Bedecs and our medical team may choose to use a mix of stem cells and exosomes or just solely exosomes. This treatment plan will be determined at your free screening.
If you’re interested in learning more about Stem Cells and Exosomes, contact us today to schedule your free screening. Let our team of Regenerative Medicine experts help you live as well as you can, for as long as you can!
