By David Ebner
The world will never forget the momentous day when four young men from Liverpool, England, walked onto the stage of the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. The Fab Four strolled onstage, squinting in the glare of the lights and smiling at the squealing fans. The grainy, black and white image became the music history icon of the “British Invasion.”
Stem cell research appeared on the world stage with much less fanfare. There were no screaming fans or standing ovations when doctors conducted the first investigative stem cell therapy in the form of a bone marrow transplant in 1956. The painstaking hours scientists spent researching and studying cells in laboratories across the world passed unremarked upon in the pages of Life Magazine. Even in 2012, when John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka won a Nobel Prize for their discovery that “mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent,” enthusiasm was limited mostly to the medical community.
The advent of stem cell research may seem inconsequential in comparison to the rise of the Beatles or Elvis Presley, but its impact on the medical industry is nothing less than revolutionary. Adult stem cells live in the blood, fat and bone marrow. They can be harvested and reintroduced into the body as needed. Stem cells re-specialize into whatever type of cell they are near. For example, when bone marrow stem cells are harvested, isolated and reintroduced into a patient with a progressive lung disease, the new cells have the potential to morph into lung cells, disease-free and ready to promote the healing of lungs. For someone suffering from a debilitating disease, investigative stem cell therapy could mean the difference between struggling for air and singing “Twist and Shout” in the shower.
Physicians at the Lung Institute (lunginstitute.com) have been performing such procedures since 2013, increasing quality of life for over 1,800 patients with a 82 percent success rate as reported by the patients themselves. According to the Lung Institute’s Medical Director, Kevin Huffman, D.O., stem cells are important because they offer a different approach. Instead of treating symptoms simply to make the patient more comfortable, investigative stem cell therapy targets the disease and can promote healing, challenging conventional medicine’s mindset that “there’s nothing more we can do.”
It’s difficult to imagine a medical breakthrough stealing the show from the attest trending celebrity. However, real people have sought these investigative therapies, and are already seeing these advancements make a difference in their lives. They may not be screaming like the crazed Beatles’ fans of the sixties, but the alternative therapy fan base grows every day among people who are breathing easier thanks to companies like the Lung Institute.
Fight lung disease with investigative stem cell therapy.
Investigational stem cell therapy is an outpatient, minimally invasive, research study that may restore lung function and improve quality of life.
Call The Lung Institute at 855-882-1292 or visit lung institute.com/LivingWell
