What is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine refers to the process of delivering specific types of cells or cell products to a region of the body to help stimulate the healing process in a diseased or damaged area of the body.
In our Albuquerque regenerative medicine treatments, certain cells are introduced into the body that have the potential to help the body’s natural healing process. Mesenchymal stem cells are stromal cells or medicinal signaling cells that have the inner ability to mature into different types of cells depending on the stimuli they undergo and to help stimulate healing. Not only can they change into cells that can replace damaged ones, they can help rescue damaged cells,
In the case of an arthritic joint, chondrocytes (cartilage cells), decrease during the aging process and decrease the amount of collagen they produce. This leads to a progressive loss of the articular surface, wear down of the cartilage, and eventual arthritis. Mesenchymal cells have the possibility of differentiating into chondrocytes with the adequate stimuli. Our Albuquerque stem cell therapy detects changes in the local environment (in the joint in this case), and responds to growth factors and cytokines (local signals that help the cells change). Mesenchymal cells release supportive messaging that help return the environment of the joint to a healthier state.
What is the process?
Mesenchymal cells are harvested from a patient’s bone marrow or fat and reinjected into the affected area. Our Albuquerque stem cell therapy is an outpatient procedure and can be done in clinic.
What is PRP?
When blood is drawn from a patient and spun down in a centrifuge the platelet rich plasma separates. The platelet rich plasma used in our Albuquerque PRP treatments has an abundance of growth factors and cytokines that affect inflammation, angiogenesis (blood vessel formation), stem cell migration, and cell proliferation. The process of healing and regeneration of healthy tissue can be stimulated by injecting the PRP into the affected joint or body part.