By: Jet Villa, InterAksyon.com May 26, 2013 7:15 PM Reuters file photo of stem cell therapy InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5 MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH)'s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public against undergoing stem cell therapy in non-health facilities. The FDA issued the warning after it received complaints that stem cell therapies were being done in hotel rooms. It has also advised the public to consult only with duly-licensed medical practitioners who practice stem cell therapy in DOH-approved health establishments The agency has also warned the public "against receiving stem cell preparations and therapies without prior regulatory applications and approval" from the FDA and the DOH. The following stem cell preparations require government approval, according to the FDA: An advisory from the FDA-DOH states that the agencies do not allow the creation, importation, promotion, marketing and use of human embryos, human embryonic stem cells and their derivatives, aborted human fetal stem cells and their derivatives for human treatment and research, as well as plant parts labeled as stem cells. Patients who receive stem cell preparation without prior FDA-DOH approval run the risk of contracting infectious diseases and severe complications which may … Continue reading →

BRADENTON -- Friends, family and others came to a carnival fundraiser on Manatee Avenue Saturday afternoon to help a 14-year-old Lupus patient raise $30,000 for stem cell treatment. Moriah Goode suffers from the autoimmune disease and fibromyalgia. She spoke at the event to give a heartfelt thanks to all who participated. "Thank you for caring about me and loving me so much enough to help me and try to raise money. You are amazing, all of you," she said. The carnival included music, rides, games and food. It gave Moriah a chance to have fun with her friends, a rare treat due to her illnesses. Moriah's stem cell treatment is not covered by her insurance plan. "I'm terrified because some days my back goes numb and sometimes my whole body goes numb and my hands shake and I have tremors and I can't do anything to control it," she said. As of Saturday afternoon, she raised $5,400 towards her goal. Here is the original post: Teens tries to raise $30,000 for stem cell treatment … Continue reading →

Research into stem cell treatments has shown promising progress Photograph: Getty Images Medics in Germany said they have successfully treated a child with cerebral palsy for the first time. Just weeks after being given an intravenous stem cell treatment from umbilical cord blood, the symptoms of a boy who had been left in a vegetative state after a heart attack improved considerably and within months he could talk and move. The doctors who carried out the treatment said the results of the treatment dispel "long-held doubts" surrounding the effectiveness of stem cell therapy. After going into cardiac arrest in November 2008, the two-year-old boy, known only as LB, was left paralysed with severe brain damage and in a vegetative state. Doctors warned his parents that his chances of survival were minimal. Until now, there has been no treatment for the cause of what is known as infantile cerebral palsy. Dr Arne Jensen of the Campus Clinic Gynaecology in Bochum, who carried out the new treatment, said: "In their desperate situation, the parents searched the literature for alternative therapies. They contacted us and asked about the possibilities of using their son's cord blood, frozen at his birth." Nine weeks after the … Continue reading →