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Stem Cell News
Couple Travels to China to Remedy Inherited Brain
Disorder
By Chris Morris, The Canadian Press, April 3, 2007
Convinced that Chinese doctors have discovered the
secret promise of stem-cell therapy, a couple from New
Brunswick is setting out on a journey of hope to the
Far East.
Other Canadians as well as Americans have traveled
to China for the adult stem cell treatments designed
to help those with crippling diseases. J.C. and Cherie
of Oromocto will now follow the same path.
Causing deterioration in the region of the brain
responsible for muscles and movements, J.C. has a
hereditary brain disorder called Machado Joseph
Disease. For the 39 year old man, there is no known
cure.
Speaking and walking are difficult for J.C., and
with unbalanced steps and slurred speech, some people
think he is drunk when he goes out with their three
children says Cherie.
"At first, it progressed slowly," Cherie
says of the disease, looking fondly at J.C. in their
cozy, rural New Brunswick home.
"But then in the last two years it has been
bad. I think in the next couple of years if we don't
get this treatment, then he could require 24-hour
care. We're grateful this treatment is out there.
We're excited."
In late April, the couple will arrive in Shenzhen,
China, where they will spend a month of their lives.
At the clinic, doctors will inject stem cells into
J.C.’s spine. Intensive physiotherapy and deep
acupuncture will also be part of the treatment
protocol. The mix of “Chinese medicine” will help
direct the stem cells to the areas of the brain that
require restoration.
< p>Chinese hospitals have treated individuals
suffering from a multitude of conditions including,
MS, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, and spinal cord
injuries. Many of the patients have reported
improvement in their condition following treatment.
Cherie is going in not expecting miracles.
"We realize it's not a cure," Cherie
says. "We're just looking for a better quality of
life"
More than $30,000 was raised by friends, neighbors,
and community events to help pay for the cost of the
trip and treatment in China.
J.C.’s doctors were not endorsing the treatment,
and Cherie says they had a difficult time convincing
his doctors that the trip would be worth it. J.C.’s
neurologist said “baloney” when he first heard
that they were considering the treatment, but has
since agreed to monitor J.C.’s progress.
The claims of successful treatment in China using
stem cells has not been accepted with open arms by the
Canadian medical community.
"Instead of going from A to B, a lot of
practitioners in places like China and Russia have
simply jumped from A to Z," says Dr. John Steeves,
professor of neurosurgery at University of B.C..
But when it comes to new treatments, both Cherie
and J.C. feel that Canadian medicine is too slow.
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