Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that progressively leads to the deterioration of the central nervous system. The production of abnormal auto antibodies slowly destroys the myelin sheath that protects the nerves in the white matter, interfering with the communication between the brain and the body.
As the disease evolves the destruction of the nerves becomes irreversible with varying grades of axon loss. It effects an estimated 350,000 -500,000 people in the United States.
The range and severity of symptoms are extremely broad and depend on the location and the amount of damage along the nerves. Patients describe numbness, weakness in their limbs, general fatigue, dizziness an unsteady gait, vision problems, speech difficulties, progressive cognitive impairment and memory loss.
At the onset, symptoms may disappear for months before the disease relapses (Remitting Relapsing MS). After time, the remission periods become less frequent, and as nerve damage advances, symptom-free periods are eliminated.
Current treatments have focused on limiting the destructive effects of the autoimmune and inflammatory processes and decreasing the intensity of the symptoms. Unfortunately, and despite the body’s efforts to try to restore remyelination, it is not sufficient to prevent the development of serious neurological disabilities.
Recent laboratory studies demonstrate that some populations of stem cells are able to repair the myelin damages along the nerves, and at the same time reset the immune response to a more normal condition. Stem cell based clinical trials for multiple sclerosis are limited, however the potential benefits of cell therapy for myelin repair seem extremely promising. As a result, the use of treatments for MS patients is likely to increase rapidly in the near future.
Cellulogix offers cell therapy for multiple sclerosis that includes both umbilical cord blood stem cell treatment and/ or stem cell aphaeresis with the use of stem cells collected from your peripheral blood.
Cell therapy is combined with a holistic comprehensive approach. The entire treatment takes five days to complete and includes lifestyle and diet recommendations as well as personalized natural supplement prescriptions for neuron support and light physical therapy exercises.
Post-treatment, patients are asked to submit regular neurological examinations; MRI, PET scan of the brain, and other laboratory tests, so we can monitor their progress.