Joint Preparation
Go with Dr. Altizer, the most experienced stem cell and regenerative therapies medical doctor in the Carolinas
Joint Preparation
This is a hot topic in stem cell research right now, and it’s a technique that Dr. Altizer learned some time ago from some of the top experts in the stem cell field.
It’s a bit complicated but the bottom line is that the inside of an arthritic, chronically-inflamed joint is like the surface of Mars, in so much as it’s very ‘inhospitable.’ It’s got very little oxygen (there are no arteries inside joints). And sloshing around in the joint fluid are high levels of bad enzymes that actually break down cartilage, damage tissue, and cause pain. That’s right….it’s these chemicals floating around that actually cause a lot of the pain from arthritis by stimulating the nerve endings that sense pain.
Realizing all this, some very bright stem cell pioneers have reasoned that if they ‘cleaned out’ the joint first, they could better ‘prepare’ the joint and make a much more agreeable environment for the stem cells to grow.
The top people in the stem cell world are now doing this.
There are several ways to ‘prep’ a joint for stem cells, and at NeoGenix we have two methods that we commonly use.
Method 1: “The Triple Shot”
Our ‘triple shot’ is a proprietary combination of 3 medications that act to ‘calm down’ the inflammation and pain in the joint.
It’s 3 medications all injected from the same syringe…so there is only one small needle stick. After the triple shot, we generally have the patient wait a about week and then they return for the actual stem cell and/or growth factors injection.
During the waiting period, the inflammation inside the joint decreases, leaving a much better environment in which the stem cells and/or growth factors can work. The triple shot is generally covered by most insurance companies.
Method 2: Alpha 2 Macroglobulin (“A2M”)
A2M is a naturally occurring protein that circulates in our blood. Its main function is to capture and destroy cytokines (the bad enzymes, remember?) when their levels get too high.
But because joints don’t have blood circulation the levels of A2M are way too low, allowing the bad enzymes to build up to toxic levels. These cytokine enzymes are what destroy cartilage, and they actually cause joint pain by stimulating pain-sensing nerve endings.
Several years ago, Dr. Gaetano Scuderi, a joint researcher in Florida, discovered that by concentrating and injecting A2M directly into an arthritic joint he was able to stop joint pain and remove the damaging cytokines.
In essence, he was able to temporarily STOP arthritis. (Notice I said temporarily.) This made the inside of the joint a much safer environment into which to inject stem cells. Stem cell experts are now taking advantage of A2M’s ‘joint cleansing’ effects to prepare a joint and make it much more hospitable for stem cells.
This injection is generally done about a week before stem cell and/or growth factor treatment. In some patients A2M injection can completely relieve arthritis pain in a few days! But don’t be fooled! These effects are only temporary and the arthritis will return soon.
It is absolutely essential that A2M injection be followed within a month by stem cell therapy. In this way the inside of the joint is cleansed of toxic enzymes, and then the stem cells work to rebuild the cartilage and other damaged tissues.
Getting A2M alone is NOT adequate therapy. A2M is only used in combination with and to prepare a joint for stem cell treatment.
How do we get A2M? We simply draw your blood and pass it through a special centrifuge and a proprietary filter that concentrates the A2M. It’s YOUR A2M, we’re just putting it where your body can’t….inside your joints.
Closing Comments
Dr. Altizer will discuss your case with you and together you will decide which joint preparation method is best for you.There will be some cases where joint preparation cannot be done, for instance, if a patient comes from out of town and cannot come back for repeat visits.
In that instance, a single stem cell and/or growth factor injection can be done without any joint prep, realizing this may potentially compromise the final result.
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