Multiple Sclerosis Stem Cell Treatment Options

By David A. Steenblock, M.S., D.O.

Every case of MS is different yet similar in that the bottom line is impaired neurological functioning. At its heart MS is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks & destroys the insulation (white matter=myelin) around the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. This process may be initiated or propagated by either the measles, Epstein-Barr or Herpes virus, chronic yeast infections of the GI tract, other intestinal bacteria, parasites, fungi, mycoplasma, etc., heavy metal poisoning and/or an inherited genetic predisposition. Most patients have never been examined for these different factors nor effectively treated for those problems that are discovered. Many people who have MS have seen a variety of doctors and have had numerous tests and treatments which have not helped them regain their health. By the time I see them these patients often refuse to have further testing and only want to simply have stem cells. In my experience the majority of these people don't want to believe that the factors cited above could be major players in their MS. For any therapy to be effective especially stem cell-based treatments, clinicians and patients should work together to identify and remove causative factors when at all possible. This in my experience helps maximize the odds of achieving nervous system repair and restoration. As an illustration of what can happen when a patient with MS elects to forego additional testing and instead rushes ahead with stem cells, consider the case of a sixty (60) year old lady with a long history of immune system related problems who had undergone an exhaustive battery of tests with multiple physicians. When I asked to review all her records and to perform tests to discover if she suffered from any of the problems mentioned above, she vehemently refused this and
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furthermore eschewed being examined by me. She insisted on having stem cells straight away since "I know stem cells are the answer for me!" Within two weeks of receiving both stem cell-rich bone marrow (in my Mission Viejo, California clinic) and umbilical cord stem cells (in Mexico) she was worse than ever and at three weeks called to complain. At that point she finally got around to telling me that she suffered from chronic herpes and wondered if this might have complicated things. In fact, stem cell therapy suppresses the immune system which is one of the reasons why a patient with MS is improved but made worse in the presence of herpes and other viruses as the immune suppression spurs their growth! The herpes (or other) viruses then saps all of the sufferers strength AND KILLS the stem cells. The lady in question never realized any benefits whatsoever from her stem cells. And this because she acted on the conviction that she had all the MSrelated diagnostic tests to be had and knew everything there was to know about her condition thanks to the inordinate amount of time she had spent being educated by expert physicians. In another instance a middle-aged female MS patient had four (4) vials of umbilical cord stem cells and called me one week later to complain that she was worse than ever. I asked her about her diet and discovered that she was really trying hard to follow our recommended post stem cell therapy diet which includes nuts and seeds and no red meat. She had decided to really go all out on the diet, became a strict vegan and had increased her consumption of nuts and seeds up to 60% of her dietary intake. This was all I needed to know to determine what her problem was. Like the woman in the case above, this lady had a chronic herpes infection. The herpes virus is stimulated to grow by the amino acid L-arginine which nuts and seeds are chocked full of. So, by increasing her intake of nuts she had fed the bulldog. As a result these newly formed viruses growing in her nerves and brain caused her to experience a worsening of her MS including increased fatigue and weakness. I immediately stopped her intake of nuts and seeds and increased her L-lysine intake to counter the L-arginine she had ingested and within 3 days she had improved greatly. However, she failed to reap all the benefits stem cells typically confer in cases like hers because of the revved-up herpes virus in her CNS (Central Nervous System). A little known fact is that a person can have a chronic Herpes or Epstein-Barr virus without any outward signs
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such as painful skin blisters. The only way to determine if the herpes virus is active and ready to flare is with a blood test for immunoglobulin M specific to it. The tests that should be done within two months prior to receiving stem cells should include these: CDSA + O&P (Comprehensive digestive stool analysis + ova & parasite stool test) IV DMPS heavy metal challenge test (Doctors needing directions should call us) Urine organic acid test (First morning urine sample) Epstein-Barr full panel (5 tests) and Herpes simplex and zoster 1 and 2 IgG, IgM CBC with indices, platelets, comprehensive chemistry panel, uric acid, thyroid panel, fibrinogen, d-dimer, Sedimentation rate, C-Reactive Protein, Antinuclear Antibody If all of these are normal or are being treated effectively then the patient is then ready to be treated with stem cells. Generally, conventional doctors classify MS by various criteria but when using stem cells with MS I believe the best thing to know is whether a person is progressively getting worse or has been stable for a year or more. Stable disease requires a more intense and vigorous treatment than when the disease is worsening. The patient with worsening symptoms has blood-brain-barrier damage that allows stem cells to enter the brain and spine. This means that a simple intravenous treatment with pure mesenchymal stem cells (either) from fat, bone marrow or umbilical cord blood will generally give good improvements if all of the aforementioned factors have been addressed. The stable MS patient may require low dose chemotherapy for a few days before a stem cell treatment to achieve the best results. Many patients with MS refuse to have chemotherapy due to the toxicity and I can appreciate their unwillingness to go through this. In these cases, we have used an angiography-guided catheter to deliver Mannitol to first open the blood-brain-barrier and then follow this with a (catheter) injection of stem cells (In angiography a small tube is threaded via the
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femoral artery up through the aorta to the carotid artery and then to the brain's Circle of Willis where the cells are delivered to the brain). The cost of treating MS including the use of stem cells varies considerably for a variety of reasons. The least expensive but typically quite effective treatment is one vial of umbilical cord stem cells (a mixture of CD34+/AC133+ & mesenchymals) given intravenously which is $8,000.00 USD. This is the simplest and quickest method of administering stem cells requiring no more than two to three hours in the doctor's office (with the actual IV administration typically taking only a few painless minutes). In my experience umbilical cord stem cells have the greatest healing power in that they can penetrate damaged tissues better than the patient's own stem cells. They also have potent immune suppressing power as well as the ability to repair the white and gray matter better than any other type of stem cell. A treatment with stem cell-rich bone marrow is inadvisable unless chemotherapy is first given to the patient to eliminate native lymphocytes. The lymphocytes found in the bone marrow produce antibodies that attack the brain and spinal cord and as such these should not be given back to the patient since these may well worsen MS. However, this problem can be obviated if a patients bone marrow is harvested and the stem cells are isolated, purified and grown in a tissue culture laboratory before being administered by a lumbar puncture injection into the cerebrospinal fluid (This stem cell processing approach has to be done outside the US as processing bone marrow in this way is forbidden by the FDA outside of approved clinical studies). Fat stem cells are generally better to use in MS since the fat does not contain the troublesome lymphocytes that reside in the bone marrow. Once the stem cells are introduced via a lumbar puncture "spinal" they will circulate throughout the spinal cord and brain. Conversely, when stem cells are given intravenously they generally cannot pass into circulating cerebral spinal fluid since the blood-brain-barrier actively keeps stem cells and a great variety of other cells and substances from entering the brain and spine. With this said Mannitol can be given intravenously to open up the blood-brain-barrier and then the stem cells
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can be delivered either by IV or by angiography guided catheter. This will deliver more stem cells to the brain and spine than an IV alone but in general my clinical team and I see better results with the cells being given into the cerebrospinal fluid by lumbar puncture. The actual selection of which stem cells to use and their mode of administration must be decided by a knowledgeable and experienced doctor. Even so, there are certain rules that you should know about stem cell therapy which have a bearing on the cost: (1) The more cells a patient gets the better the results tend to be. (2) Stem cells from umbilical cord blood consistently work better than stem cells from an adult. (3) Different types of stem cells work better than cells from a single source. Typically a combination of umbilical, bone marrow and fat works best. (4) The closer the stem cells are injected to a diseased or damaged organ the greater the odds they will wind up where needed to effect repair and restoration. (5) An infection (such as a cold or the flu) at the time of the treatment or acquired during the first three weeks after a treatment may seriously undermine the effectiveness of the stem cells. For this reason the prevention and treatment of known infections such as herpes is mandatory to help insure a successful outcome. (6) Extreme or prolonged exposure to vibrations such as driving in a car over a rough road for one or more hours is detrimental. Vibrations, sudden sharp jerks and hard falls onto one's head will destroy newly growing blood vessels and should be avoided from about day four (4) to day forty (40) following a treatment. (7) Alcohol, marijuana, heavy metals, gasoline fumes, solvents, pesticides and similar poisons plus beta blockers all have a detrimental effect on stem cells and should be carefully avoided. If you are considering having a stem cell treatment for your MS and have any of the problematic issues mentioned above you have a decision to make: You can elect to just "throw caution to the wind and go for it", in which case you need only call my office to arrange to be treated. If you should decide to do stem
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cells without checking all of the factors Ive discussed you are strongly advised that the results you get may not be what you are hoping for. Naturally, my clinic staff and I will not bear any responsibility for the outcome. If on-the-other-hand you decide to follow my recommendations, my staff and I will be happy to refer you to a suitably qualified physician close to you who will be happy to evaluate and treat you for any problems that are discovered. This doctor will then tell you when (s)he thinks your body is ready to receive stem cells. This physician will be your doctor before and after the stem cell treatment and will be in contact with me prior to and following your treatment. If youd like to proceed please call 800-300-1063 and my friendly office staff will assist you. Recommended supplemental reading: Dr. Steenblock's Free 33 page report "Alternative Therapies for Multiple Sclerosis" www.stemcellmd.org www.stemcelltherapies.org www.strokedoctor.com 2011 by David A. Steenblock, D.O., Inc. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: The use of stem cells or stem cell rich tissues as well as the mobilization of stem cells by any means, e.g., pharmaceutical, mechanical or herbal-nutrient is not FDA approved to prevent, treat, cure or mitigate any disease or medical condition mentioned, cited or described in any document or article in this document. This document and the information featured, showcased or otherwise appearing on it is not to be used as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment of any health condition or problem. Those who peruse this document should not rely on information provided on it for their own health problems. Any questions regarding your own health should be addressed to your physician or other duly licensed healthcare provider. This document & all affiliated websites make no guarantees, warranties or express or implied representations whatsoever with regard to the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, comparative or controversial nature, or usefulness of any information contained or referenced in or on same. This document & all affiliated websites and its owners and operators do not assume any risk whatsoever for your use of same or the information posted herein. Health-related information and opinions change frequently and therefore information contained on this Website may be outdated, incomplete or incorrect. All statements made about products, drugs and such in this document and all affiliated websites has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition, any testimonials appearing in this document or on any affiliated website are based on the experiences of a few people and you are not likely to have similar results. Use of this document or any & all affiliated websites does not create an expressed or implied professional relationship. Page 6 of 6