Why Not Every Regenerative Treatment Is Right for Everyone
Regardless of your medical condition, it is a good idea to take anything you read about regenerative medicine in a realistic light. It is important to remember that everyone is different, and there are a lot of factors involved in determining the right treatment for you.
While it is important to do your research, including comparing notes with other patients, this is not a substitute for talking to your primary doctor. Not every doctor is going to be open to regenerative medicine, and you may want to get a second opinion from one who is. However, just because someone specializes in regenerative medicine doesn’t mean they will agree it is the right course of treatment for you.
Take arthritis, for example. There are actually over 40 different types of arthritis, although there are 3 that are the most common (osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis). Although they are all similar, they do not always need to be treated in the same way. One of the regenerative treatments available is injecting stem cells from the patient’s own body into the affected joint.
Some people have gotten a lot of relief from these stem cell injections. For some patients, stem cell therapy actually stops or reverses the deterioration of the joint. Yet for other people these treatments don’t work at all, and more traditional methods and medications are more effective.
This is because we do not fully understand all of the factors involved in whether or not regenerative medicine will work. Regenerative medicine itself is still in the infant stages, even though there has been decades of research and clinical trials. Unfortunately, we are still just on the cusp of the realm of possibility when it comes to regenerative medicine.
