What Is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative Medicine uses tissue-generating methods to repair the damage caused by diseases, trauma, or wear and tear. The main objective is to address the cause of the pain by assisting the body’s healing mechanism. It helps alleviate chronic pain caused by surgeries while decreasing reliance on pain medications. In addition, the natural repair process in regenerative therapy helps to correctly restore the injury as it allows and supports the body to heal its own tissues.
Types of Treatment
There are different kinds of treatment options using Regenerative Medicine. These remedies may involve using distinct parts of the body with a healing mechanism to treat injured joints and connective tissues. Here are some of them:
- Human Umbilical Cord (HUC)
The human umbilical cord is one of the best sources of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC), which are used to promote natural cell regeneration. HUCs and their byproducts have shown great potential in repairing and replacing injured tissues in the body since the 1970s.
It’s biocompatible and resistant to biological degradation, meaning it will not harm any living tissues when introduced to the body, nor it will have adverse effects in the future. Also, they’re easily and safely collected after a baby’s birth. It’s a non-invasive way of collecting stem cells, unlike extracting MSC from bone marrows.
This is the mucoid connective tissue that encloses the vessels of the umbilical cord. It is made of collagen and proteoglycans, which are elements essential in treating orthopedic injuries. As such, specialists find MSCs from Wharton’s jelly more beneficial than those harvested from other body parts. Also, unlike the collection of bone marrow-derived MSCs, Wharton’s Jelly is a more convenient source. It is less painful to obtain since its isolation is non-invasive.
- Homologous Tissue Allograft
This treatment is recommended for people over 60 years old. It is a process using allograft stem cells donated from other healthy donors to support another body’s healing and tissue repair. It is ideal for older people because autologous stem cells, which are from your body, lose the ability to regenerate tissues as it ages. Donors will be required to undergo thorough screening to ensure that their bodily structure is compatible with the receiver.