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When Self Help Fails, Is There an Alternative to Surgery?
Recently, one of my customers sent me this article from Dr. Mercola’s website. It discusses the new use of stem cell and platelet rich plasma therapy for healing joint injuries.
Noting that surgery is the least desirable option, the suggestion of rebuilding tissue with these therapies is certainly worth considering. Whether regular insurance will pay for them though, since they look experimental, is an open question/
Dr. Mercola then goes on to mention several supplements, such as melatonin, Others include:
“Nutrients and combinations of nutrients that boost stem cell regeneration include vitamins C and D, glucosamine and chondroitin, curcumin, resveratrol, bitter melon, and the amino acid l-carnosine. Leiber recommends these to most of his patients. He also recommends taking a high-quality omega-3 supplement such as krill oil in higher amounts.”
The video is definitely worth checking out.
It also includes a video interview between himself and Dr. James Lieber.
However, aside from foods that help generate our own stem cells, or for that matter Fasting, which may also stimulate stem cells growth to remove old damaged cells, you can now undergo a medical procedure, whereby a specially trained physician removes Stem Cells, or Platelet Rich Plasma from your body.
The stem cells grow over a period of time and are injected into the area, such as a knee with little cartilage. Those fresh cells promote the growth of the tissue that you want to grow, in this case, knee cartilage.
Platelet Rich Plasma works in a similar way. It is like getting a shot of extra rich blood which helps to heal an injury. Treatments like these may be better in the long run than shots such as cortisone, which do relieve pain but they don’t actually heal your joint.
Thus, these two treatments are administered by a physician, but are no where near as drastic as surgery, or especially knee replacement surgery.
Before taking the risks associated with surgery, do some research to see if these types of treatment can solve your problem. They are much less expensive, much less invasive than surgery, yet could do just as much good. Ask your doctor and get a second opinion, as many surgeons are not familiar with these new procedures.
What about Self Care Options?
Full Disclosure: I am not a medical professional. I am someone over 70 with three knee injuries, who does a lot of research. Before relying on others, especially for expensive treatment, and invasive treatments, the most extreme being knee replacement, doesn’t it make sense to see what we can do for ourselves? For example, I put together a book that you can get:
The title speaks for itself.Check it out. Many of the posts on this website deal with self care, that is, what you can do for yourself before spending a lot of time and money with professionals. It also talks about low risk forms of professional treatment, especially physical therapy.
You can talk to chiropractors, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners, Naturopaths, so you do have a lot of choices. And one in particular, is this method of stimulating healing within your joint.
Therefore, before going under the knife, stem cell and platelet therapy are medical alternatives you might consider, in my opinion.
Thanks For Reading!
