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Stem Cell therapy for CP

Sinski
Sinski Community member Posts: 16 Listener
edited September 2021 in Cerebral palsy
Has anyone done Stem cell treatment for their child abroad (China/Thailand)? I would love to hear your experiences and where you went. Where would you recommend? I appreciate this is very new and non regulated so no one needs to point that out! FYI my son is 4 and has quadriplegic CP on the moderate to severe scale.

Comments

  • Rocky
    Rocky Community member Posts: 76 Listener
    Stem Cell Therapy is a rapidly advancing medical technique but please be aware of claims made by overseas companies about how successful it can be in helping children and adults with cerebral palsy. Stem Cell treatments are still in fairly early stages and may indicate some promise with certain conditions. In relation to cerebral palsy (a very complex neurological condition), no long term studies or clinical trials have been conducted to demonstrate effectiveness and there is currently no evidence to show it will help with cp. A good source of independent information is a website called EuroStemCell - this will give you information about the latest developments in the world of stem cells.
  • sunnysan29
    sunnysan29 Community member Posts: 1 Listener
    Hi. I have been told about a medical center in Thailand which I have just started following on Facebook so may be we can find further testimonials and talk to people who have probably been there. This is the link http://stemcelltreatmentnow.com/cerebral-palsy/. However, it may be a bit expensive and I have no means to afford it myself. I thought we could rise some funds around the world (I am in Brazil now but have UK residence as I have been living there as well). I would like a little help about how to rise funds so we can try something for our children, please. Thank you all.
  • Nuala Watt
    Nuala Watt Community member Posts: 30 Listener
    I'm sure you have already thought of this, so feel free to ignore me. However I have lived with moderate to severe cp all my life, - I'm 30 - and would be extremely wary of trying to get rid of it in case the treatment made things worse, Unless your son's cp is making it impossible for him to live a happy life my instinct would be better the devil you know. But you are living with the situation, so as I said feel free to ignore. No offence meant.
  • Rocky
    Rocky Community member Posts: 76 Listener
    Hi, sorry to keep on but I can only advise extreme caution when considering stem cell therapy for cerebral palsy. It is true that stem cells have enormous potential to help with a number of conditions in the future but we are still in the very early days of development and testing. I appreciate there are stories of children and adults who say they have had successful stem cell therapy and maybe the pure cells have made some difference to specific effects or damage to the body (not to the cp and brain damage itself) but consideration should be given to the child's natural development (the effects of cp can change as the child grows) and any other therapies/intervention the child is having. As I say stem cells are pure cells that can transform into any other type of cell in the body which means potential is great but there are significant risks. Stem cells can transform into malignant cells for example.
    Whilst current research is indicating that stem cell therapy is showing some positive results in some conditions, the research and clinical trials are still in the early stages and it is likely to be years before there is any sound evidence that it can help with cerebral palsy.
    You mention clinics in China and Thailand who advertise but China is also still at the animal testing stage of using stem cells with neurological conditions.
    Before spending a lot of money on a treatment that is largely unproved clinically and which may not work, I would suggest you speak to your child's paediatrician and/or medical team and take their advice.

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