There are often negative stories about regenerative medicine in the mainstream media. This is due to some unregulated clinics pushing regenerative medicine therapies that have not been proven to be effective. People who are desperate to find a cure for their ailment will sometimes pay thousands of dollars for a treatment that may not work.
In most cases, the clinics performing unproven regenerative medical procedures are in countries outside of the United States or the United Kingdom — in countries where regenerative medicine clinics are not regulated. People travel to places like Mexico or Thailand to receive procedures that are not allowed in the UK or USA. Traveling for a procedure of this kind is often referred to as stem cell tourism.
Sometimes these unproven stem cell treatments do work, but they often fail, leaving the stem cell tourist out of pocket with nothing to show for it. In some cases, stem cell tourists have had medical complications after the procedure and have even died.
Legitimate regenerative medicine clinics have to promote their services while combatting the negative press about regenerative medicine in the press. Advocates for regenerative medicine suggest this should be done by focussing on the high-quality research performed in the field and the many success stories.
Regenerative medicine has the potential to treat many conditions including heart disease, macular degeneration, burns, skin disorders, organ failure, diabetes, AIDS, and spinal injuries. However, most of these treatments are still in the research phase and will not be available for a number of years. They must be proven to work and be safe to use before they are allowed in the UK and USA.
Advocates for regenerative medicine hope that the incredible medical breakthroughs in the field will be given as much media attention as the dodgy stem cell companies outside of the USA and UK. They suggest that regenerative medicine is the future of medicine and should not be tarnished by a few bag clinics.
Source: Reviving optimism for regenerative medicine
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