Stem Cell Malaysia

Stem Cell Therapy in Malaysia

Stem cell therapy can be defined as the use of stem cells to prevent or treat a disease or medical condition. The treatment is usually administered via injections.

Stem cell injections in Malaysia are desired due to premature ageing and degenerative diseases caused by the increasing accumulation of damage contributed by Free Radicals.

Formed naturally in our body as by-products of oxidation, Free Radicals are actually atoms or molecules with one or more unpaired electrons. They bombard the cells in our human bodies at the average rate of 10,000 hits per day.

They become very reactive and highly unstable with a tendency to attack adjacent molecules in an attempt to grasp an extra electron for them to regain stability. Such redundant activities induced by the uncontrolled Free Radicals may destroy the healthy cells in our body leading to diseases, increase the risk of cancer, and reduce our lifespan and its quality.

Over the years, unhealthy diets, wind, pollutions, electromagnetic waves, fumes, harsh UV rays from sunlight, chemical fertilizers, herbicides, drugs, pesticides, insecticides, excessive alcohol, physical, mental and emotional stress, and industrial smog are some elements that could be responsible for the way your skin looks now.

As our skin ages with time, more of its connective materials (collagen & elastin) that bind the epidermis to the dermis and support the dermis layer are lost.

At our thirties, unevenness in skin color or tone and some lines may appear. By the age of forty, deeper permanent surface lines from depletion of the padding under the skin are easily found in most individuals.

Moreover, changes in blood circulation might mean changes in our natural blush and color. Dark spots from sun damage may show up.

When we reach our fifties, we may start to notice deeper lines, sagging and drier skin, as well as dark pigmentation.

With all these ageing indications, it is important that we nourish our ageing cells with new vigour and vitality, for ageless skin and a timeless beauty.

Contact us at Vogue Clinic to schedule a private consultation with our doctor.

1. What is Cellular Therapy?

Promising the most potent, natural anti-aging effect, Cellular Therapy has been in existence for thousands of years. Dating way back to 1552 BC in fact.

Today, with over 80 years of intensive research and over 8 million clinical applications, Cellular Therapy has emerged to be the foremost in modern medical science.

Cellular Therapy in its most rudimentary form describes the process of introducing new cells into a tissue in order to treat aging, chronic or degenerative diseases. Putting it simply, your body contains roughly four trillion cells, which are continually in use throughout your entire life.

From time to time, when these cells get damaged or wear out due to age, they are replaced by new cells. While you are still young, this is an ongoing, brisk process that encourages an energetic and balanced bio-terrain.

However, as you age, this wonderful process of cellular renewal begins to dawdle and get sluggish. Old, malfunctioning cells begin to be replaced less often leading to a slow down in our bodily functions.

Very often, and sadly so, modern lifestyle also contributes much to the slackening of cellular renewal in our body. Poor, unbalanced nutrition, processed sugars, food additives, unhealthy lifestyles, heavy smoking, alcoholism, carcinogenic pollutants, pesticides, stress, etc. can wreak havoc on your delicate cellular structure causing your body to malfunction at its most organic level.

With the inability to replace and/or restore old, malfunctioning cells, you could become vulnerable to premature aging and chronic, degenerative diseases.

Cell therapy aims to awaken dormant cells within the human body, thereby stimulating the growth and function of existing tissue and repairing or regenerating old and malfunctioning cells.

Cellular therapy offers what vitamins, minerals and other conventional or natural treatments cannot. It can provide the exact components necessary for injured or diseased tissue to heal and regenerate.

While most pharmaceutical drugs work by suppressing certain symptoms over a short period of time and only for as long as they are taken, cell therapy stimulates the body’s own healing and revitalising powers and exerts a long term effect.

2. WHAT ARE STEM CELLS

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells of multi-cellular organisms that have the ability to develop into more cells of the same kind or differentiate to become other kind of cells, such as nerve cells, muscle cells, etc.

Stem cells act as a special type of internal repair system in many tissues by dividing accordingly without limit for purposes of replenishing other cells.

3. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF STEM CELLS

Stem cells are categorised based on their potency and ability to self-renew. Potency is the ability to differentiate into new specialized cells.

There are 3 main types of stem cells namely: embryonic stem cells, and adult stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).

Embryonic stem cells:

As the name suggests, embryonic stem cells are obtained from embryos. This type of stem cells requires specific signals for them to differentiate into specific cell types.

They are secluded from the inner cell mass (of blastocysts of pre-implantation stage embryos). The cells have a limitless expansion and pluripotency potential. They play a significant role in regenerative medicine as well as tissue replacement after disease or injury.

However, there are major ethical issues in the usage of embryonic stem cells for treatment purposes, and it is controversial mainly because the cells are produced by destructing an embryo.

Besides, its usage is illegal in many countries, i.e. Germany, Austria, Ireland, Italy and Portugal.

Adult stem cells:

This type of stem cell is found in many types of tissues in the body i.e. the bone marrow, brain, blood, skeletal muscles, liver and skin.

Furthermore, the stem cells are acquired from the intended recipient via an autograft which reduces immune rejection risks.

Adult stem cells are used/have been used successfully for years to treat leukaemia among many related bone and blood cancers via bone marrow transplants.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs):

This type of stem cells are simply somatic cells which have undergone genetic reprogramming to become or act like embryonic stem cells.

The cells are reprogrammed to express genes which are important for maintaining critical embryonic stem cell properties.

Induced pluripotent stem cells are useful in drug development as well as modelling diseases today although additional research is needed.

4. HOW ARE STEM CELLS EXTRACTED

Stem cells are extracted or collected for transplant depending on the source. Stem cells can be collected from the bone marrow, umbilical cord, dental pulp, circulating blood, etc.

Umbilical cord tissue is a popular source of MSCs for regenerative and anti-aging therapy. This is because MSCs from umbilical cord is originated from extraembryonic tissue which holds better stem cells properties in comparison with other sources of MSCs such as fat, due to the age of the donor.

The umbilical cord and donor’s blood are screened for infectious diseases (according to WHO standard) and cultured in sterile environment to avoid contamination.

Every batch of the cultured MSCs are tested for microbial contamination and harmful bacterial toxins before approved for clinical usage.

 

Benefits of Stem Cell Therapy in Malaysia

Stem cells have many benefits over conventional treatment methods. We can mention several positive benefits about stem cells, here we highlight the most notable benefits:

1. Potential to reverse diseases: Stem cells offer a renewable source of new replacement cells for individuals suffering from diseases like Parkinson’s, heart attack as well as genetic defects that cause cell damage or defects. Many diseases that were hard to treat or incurable in the past can now be treated using stem cell therapy.
2. Speeds up healing: Stem cell therapy has been found to reduce the amount of time it takes for injuries to heal.
3. Reduces pain: It’s less painful to treat conditions such as chronic joint pain using stem cells.
4. Increases functionality: Stem cell therapy also increases flexibility and range of motion when used to treat joint pain.
5. Stem cell studies have shown that the treatment reduces muscle compensations as well as the risk of injuries in the future.
6. Stem cell therapy has also been found to prevent hair loss and the formation of scar tissue when used to treat burns and wounds.
7. Stem cell therapy has also reduced over-dependence on conventional medicine.

MEDICAL CONDITIONS TREATED WITH STEM CELLS

There are no limits to the number or types of diseases that can be treated using stem cells since most medical conditions arise from cell damage or defects.

However, since stem cell research is still ongoing, not all medical conditions have been found to be curable using stem cells. Here are a number of the medical conditions that have been proven to be treatable:

1. Orthopedic injuries
2. Musculoskeletal problems
3. Wounds and incisions resulting from surgeries
4. Spinal cord injuries, spinal stenosis, and brain trauma
5. Cardiovascular diseases like stroke, congestive heart failure, and hypertension
6. Visual impairment
7. Hair loss
8. Diabetes among other pancreatic dysfunctions
9. Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis among other neurodegenerative diseases
10. Type I Diabetes
11. Arthritis
12. Skin burns

RISKS OF STEM CELL THERAPY

Stem cell therapy is considered safe and effective. However, it’s worth noting that research is still ongoing. For this reason, treatment should be concentrated on conditions that have already been found to be curable safely with little to no risk.

As a precaution, you must seek treatment from qualified medical practitioners only i.e. a physician who is qualified to offer stem cell treatments such as our medical team. This precaution is important given the existence of many unscrupulous medical practitioners who aren’t qualified to offer stem cell therapies.

HOW DO STEM CELLS ACTUALLY WORK

The most commonly known role of stem cells is their ability to develop into different organs but they also have other properties that can be very important for healing.

Stem cells produce over 30 kinds of growth factors and tissue chemicals that initiate the healing process in the body. Stem cells help assemble other local and systemic mesenchymal stem cells to focus on repairing damaged tissue and organs. They are also active in immune modulation to support or suppress T-cell work in the body.

Stem cells are stimulated to travel into an area by signals from the organ depending on chemical, neural and mechanical properties.

Under ideal conditions mesenchymal stem cells would respond to damages and healing would occur. Factors that affect stem cell response include fitness of the patient, age, and the level of free radicals in the body.

APPLICATIONS OF MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS

Serious disorders such as heart and lung disease, high blood pressure, spinal and neurological injuries, diabetes type 1 and 2, adult macular degeneration of the eye, Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, are just some of the stem cell therapy applications that have already been employed, and in many cases, with dramatic results.

Research has also shown that stem cells can be used to manage aging in individuals and make them appear younger. Mesenchymal stem cells play a vital role in regenerative stem cell therapy of many degenerative and life-threatening conditions. They have a wide range of potential therapeutic applications.