FAQ

Stem Cells LA is a regenerative medicine clinic providing stem cell therapy and related info to potential patients requesting allograft stem cell treatment in the Los Angeles area. We are not a research center.

Many clinics call themselves “research facilities” so that they can publish articles that promote their own practices without the information looking biased. You’ll notice that there is no source for the information provided, meaning the entire article could be speculative.

While we have a patient blog at Stem Cells LA, all of our articles are sourced by a third party (usually an actual scientific research center or another reliable outside source). This allows you to validate the accuracy of all information presented in the article by simply viewing the source link. There is are source links in most articles that discuss the efficacy of stem cell therapy for any condition.

Seminars and webinars can be a great way to learn about a new subject of interest if they are done correctly. Unfortunately, a lot of seminars and webinars are light on the information and heavy on the sales pitch when it comes to stem cell therapy.

The reason for this is that the owners of these clinics want to cut out the effort required to give each patient individual attention and instead have the seminar or webinar do the work for them. The problem is that stem cell therapy always requires individual attention for a patient to determine if it’s a good choice for them.

While we may refer a potential patient to our FAQ page if it sounds like they have questions that may be answered here, we will always answer questions specific to their condition after they have read this FAQ in its entirety.

The most common kind of stem cells used in treatments that actually work are multipotent stem cells. Multipotent stem cells have the ability to differentiate into multiple cell types. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the most common multipotent stem cells used by reputable clinics. They can come from many sources including bone marrow and umbilical cords.

The stem cells are extracted from the umbilical cord blood and made into a solution containing between 10-30 million stem cells.

Stem Cells LA uses stem cells extracted from donor umbilical cords (stem cells are extracted from the cord blood). The stem cell solution is a heterogeneous cell mix, important for healing and regeneration, including:

• MSCs (mesenchymal stem cells)
• HSCs (hematopoietic stem cells)
• HUVECs (human umbilical vein endothelial cells)
• EPCs (endothelial progenitor cells)
• Fibroblasts (biological cells present in all tissue)
• TREGs (Regulatory T Cells, kinds of immune cells)

Stem cell solutions may also contain:

• Exosomes
• Cytokines
• Growth factors such as:
  • FGF-2 (fibroblast growth factor)
  • PDGF (platelet-derived growth factor)
  • TGF-B (tissue growth factor beta)
  • VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor)
  • NGF (nerve growth factor)

Stem cell therapy is not currently covered by insurance. We are not aware of any clinics that accept insurance for this treatment at this time.

Stem cell therapy, like any medical treatment, is never guaranteed to work. Every patient is different and, as such, no outcome is ever guaranteed nor will we ever imply to a patient that a treatment option will “definitely work” under any circumstances.

We will never recommend a procedure unless there is a good chance of success.

Stem cell therapy treatments do not require FDA approval unless they are to treat a systemic condition (drug or treatment impacts two or more systems in the body). Currently, the only stem cell therapies approved by the FDA use cells from bone marrow or cord blood to treat cancers of the blood and bone marrow.

Thanks to many research trials showing the efficacy of stem cell treatment, we believe in the future that stem cell therapy will become more common with more treatment options approved by the FDA.

Most clinics utilize stem cell therapies in treating conditions that have previously shown promise in responding to the therapy. The only exception is if you have been made aware of the likelihood of successful treatment and still choose to accept treatment as a ‘trial patient’.

Currently, most clinics treat patients for the following conditions:

• Hair Loss – Using stem cell-infused PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injections directly to the scalp.
• Neuropathy – Diabetic/peripheral with stem cell therapy.
• Orthopedic Conditions/Arthritis – Orthopedic disease, including arthritis and other conditions, may be eased with stem cell and/or PRP therapy.
• Erectile Dysfunction – ED may be helped with stem cell therapy.
• Autoimmune Disease – Some autoimmune diseases may be eased with stem cell therapy.

For any other conditions, including neurological disease, urologic disease, and for anti-aging, please contact us.

Every person, regardless of health, loses stem cells over the course of their life. At birth, 1 in 10,000 of our body’s cells are stem cells. By age 16-18, only 1 in 100,000 cells are stem cells. By age 50, 1 in 400,000. Between age 70-80, only 1 in 2,000,000 cells are stem cells. These numbers could be even worse when you factor in circumstances such as the current health of the individual.

This means that your ability to use your own stem cells effectively in treating yourself decreases with age. The stem cells you will get from a younger donor will be much more concentrated than those you can get from yourself in virtually all cases. The fact that they come from an outside donor does not impact their effectiveness so long as they are the right kind of stem cells, containing MSCs described earlier, as they have the ability to differentiate into different cell types. For this reason, your body does not ‘reject’ stem cells as we think of a body rejecting an organ transplant if it doesn’t match perfectly.

Transplanted Stem Cells

Transplanted stem cells, such as those from bone marrow, come from your own body and are placed where they are needed to treat a condition. An example would be transplanting stem cells from your bone marrow to your knee to treat an injury there.

Many patients think this is better because it comes from your own body. The reality is that this actually poses many limitations due to the loss of stem cells over the course of your life (see previous question for details) meaning your own stem cell concentrations will be lower than those you could get from an outside donor.

Donor Stem Cells

Donor stem cells come from an outside source. It is important to verify that the stem cells come from an ethical and reliable donor, such as bone marrow or umbilical cord blood, and contain mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs have the ability to differentiate, meaning they can take on the role of many different cell functions. A body does not “reject” stem cells the same way it could reject an organ that comes from an outside donor and does not match due to the nature of stem cells and particularly the ability of MSCs to differentiate.

Reputable clinics utilize only stem cells ethically extracted from umbilical cords donated at birth. Umbilical cord blood stem cells are a heterogeneous mixture of stem cells including MSCs. Injections include infusions of up to 30 million stem cells in one session.

If you have read this FAQ in its entirety and still have questions, please use the contact form at the bottom of this website. This is usually the fastest and easiest way to get in touch with a consultant of Stem Cells LA.

If you are ready to book a complimentary consultation, please CONTACT US.

You may also call us at 310-281-6160. This line also receives texts. Often texting or using the contact form is faster than waiting to be connected with a representative or leaving a message.

We look forward to working with you!