Like the search for the Holy Grail, a symbolic quest for the meaning of life and eternal youth, discussions in the stem cell medical industry about the most potent stem cells available have created an ongoing buzz around amniotic stem cells.
What are amniotic stem cells, and what’s the intrigue around them?
Amniotic stem cells are a mixture of stem cells that can be obtained from the amniotic fluid of a baby fetus in its sac. There are few cells in the amniotic fluid or as some call it “fetal urine.” Though rich in growth factors and certain other anti-inflammatory agents, their regenerative capacity is limited when compared to mesenchymal stem cells.
However, many commercially available amniotic products are being used as regenerative treatments, specifically in orthopedics. The use of amniotic stem cells to reverse anti-aging has no scientific or medical backing, yet it is being marketed as a “beauty trend” to combat aging.
Furthermore, the question becomes, as a foreign source added to your body, are amniotic products safe and effective?
How does this compare with using your own stem cells to restore and naturally regenerate?
We don’t have definitive answers to these questions yet. The hype around amniotic stem cells can be a dangerous claim. It’s often assumed that as you get older your own cells may not be as strong as needed to effectively repair, although there is no scientific basis to that argument.
Currently, stem cell treatments, especially in orthopedics, can help repair and regenerate, but they do not turn the clock back by many years as some may assume.
Sorry, no “fountain of youth” yet!
Another reason patients may look toward an outside source is that they are apprehensive about the harvesting process. Though again, harvesting your own cells is a very short, minimally invasive procedure and leaves absolutely no footprint or scars.
Some practices may not harvest your own cells for reasons of convenience and lack of familiarity or experience.
For most of us, it’s easier to pull something out of a prepared vial and inject rather than performing a laborious process of preparing your own cells.
These vials of amniotic fluid/cells become like “shelf products” and are used on as-needed basis with no real evidence of their efficacy and very little understanding of the potential risks involved. Right now, there are more questions than answers when it comes to amniotic products. Hopefully in time we will learn more about them.
A more effective and promising, non-surgical treatment is regenerative cell therapy. Regenerative cell therapy or “stem cell therapy” in mainstream terms, utilizes your own regenerative cells to heal and restore your damaged ligaments, cartilage or menisci, whether it’s a knee, shoulder, hip or any painful joint in your body. Give your body a chance to heal itself naturally with your own cells rather than relying on an outside source.
To learn more about regenerative treatments for your knee, shoulder or hip, call 949-734-9696 to request additional information or to learn more schedule an initial 1:1 evaluation.
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Based in Newport Beach, CA, the Goswami Clinic is an innovative sports medicine clinic lead by Dr. Gaurav Goswami who treats sports injury, joint pain, arthritis, declining performance and more.
Known for his non-conventional methods, Dr. Goswami specializes in regenerative sports medicine, providing advanced minimally invasive, non-surgical treatments to athletes of all ages and levels with the goal of returning them to optimal performance.