No longer just for professional athletes, these are the stem cell and regenerative medicine options DCs need to know about

The health care landscape continues to evolve at a dizzying pace. Insurance deductibles are increasing, and this has placed a financial burden on patients who are required to self-pay for necessary and yet uncovered services.

The opioid crisis has left physicians with limited clinical options to treat chronic pain and dysfunction. At the same time, pressure has been placed on health care providers to provide affordable alternatives to invasive procedures that provide limited clinical options with high failure rates. This confluence of supply and demand has resulted in the growth of emerging therapies in the field of stem cell and regenerative medicine. These therapies are bringing hope to patients and new opportunities to health care providers who deliver them.

Regenerative medicine is the process of replacing or regenerating cells and tissues to restore normal function. Initially popularized by professional athletes, these therapies have become mainstream. More than 27 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis today, and in 2030 25% of U.S. adults will be diagnosed with osteoarthritis. The global regenerative medicine market is predicted to reach more than $100 billion by 2022.

These moderately-invasive regenerative procedures are eclipsing traditional highly-invasive procedures, such as hip and knee implantation, which will have a global market of $35 million over the same period.

There are four primary regenerative medicine options:

Irritant therapies include prolotherapy, ozone and prolozone. Theyincludeadding multipleirritatingsubstances along with numbing agents into degenerated or injured joints, and areas of pain.

These therapies cause inflammation to kick-start regeneration by stimulating the body to send in macrophages, which are cells that ingest and destroy theirritantsolution and trigger the healing response. Irritant therapies are an excellenttreatmentfor all forms of musculoskeletal and joint pain includingchronic neck and back pain, and rotator cuff injuries.

The effect of irritant therapies is analogous to jump-starting the battery in a tractor to get the engine to turn over.

Protease inhibition therapy eliminates the factors causing cartilage degradation, tissue breakdown, inflammation and pain. It cleans and protects joints. It is most commonly used for patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and degenerative disc disease (DDD).

It includes therapies such as alpha-2-macroglobulin (A2M) and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein (IRAP). A2M and IRAP are proteins found naturally in our blood. They act as protease inhibitors by binding to and inactivating damaging proteases in the body. Proteases are catabolic enzymes that break larger molecules into smaller units. Proteases trapped in the joints catabolize cartilage and break it down, causing arthritis. A2M is a large protein made in the liver. It blocks activity for all known molecules that cause cartilage breakdown. It works like a Venus flytrap by having a bait-and-trap mechanism on two sides.

Once the proteases are bound on both sides, the molecule initiates a suicide cascade and dies, allowing it to be flushed out of the area by the body.

The binding effect of protease inhibition therapy is analogous to de-weeding a garden and tilling the soil before planting.

A fibronectin-aggrecan complex test (FACT) may be used to determine the presence of FAC, which is a biomarker or indicator of cartilage breakdown caused by proteases. FAC is a unique molecular complex that is specific for painful inflammation of the spine and cartilage.

A small sample of fluid is taken from the joint or disc and sent to a lab for testing. The test looks for the presence of FAC in the fluid sample and determines where you are: FAC+ or FAC-. FAC+ patients are identified as ideal candidates for A2M injections and have a 90% rate of responding to the A2M therapy.

Stem cell therapy is focused on concentrating the workhorses of regeneration and restoration of tissues: stem cells. This results in greater cell signaling and cell recruitment than other regenerative therapies. Stem cells are known as mesenchymal signaling cells. They are considered pluripotent, which means they are undifferentiated and can replicate into various cell and tissue types.

Stem cells are found in bone marrow, the soft spongy tissue found at the center of large bones. Introducing stem cells into an injured area initiates the healing response, repairing damaged tissue by growing new, healthy tissue. The most common stem cell therapies include bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMA), nanofat and stromal vascular fraction.

Injecting stem cells into an injured area is analogous to planting seeds in a garden.

Growth factor therapies are focused on cell signaling and cell recruitment. Blood is made up of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets that are suspended in plasma. Platelets are most widely known for their ability to clot blood. Platelets are also highly rich in growth factors that are proteins that stimulate healing. When an injury occurs, platelets become activated, migrate to the site of injury and release growth factors.

Growth factor therapies are the most popular provider choice for the low-cost regeneration of tissues and include platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and platelet-rich fibrin matrix (PRFM). The therapy includes drawing the patients blood followed by centrifugation to concentrate the platelets and exclude other unwanted blood products.

Another type of growth factor therapy is amniotic fluid growth factor (GF) injection therapy. Amniotic fluid surrounds the fetus during pregnancy and provides protection and nourishment. Human amniotic fluid is sourced from consenting mothers during full-term C-sections. It contains over 200 growth factors, cytokines and proteins. The therapeutic use of amniotic fluid is regulated by the FDA. It must be tested for disease and may not include any viable cells. Amniotic fluid GF therapy has both anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties and includes naturally-occurring hyaluronic acid for lubrication. It is most commonly used to promote the repair and reconstruction of soft tissues including cartilage and tendons.

Exosomes are being heralded as the next frontier of growth factor therapies. While they are not cells, exosomes play a vital role in the communication and rejuvenation of all the cells in the body. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles, or small bubbles, released from cells, especially from stem cells. These culture-expanded cell secretions are derived from human placental tissue. They allow for cell-to-cell communication, transporting molecules that are important regulators of intracellular information. Exosomes act as a food source for stem cells and prolong their activity. Exosomes are anti-inflammatory and include more than 300 growth factors, cytokines and proteins.

Patients with Lyme disease, burns, chronic inflammation, autoimmune disease and other chronic degenerative diseases may benefit from including exosomes in their treatment regimen. The application of growth factor therapies is analogous to applying fertilizer to a garden to help the crop grow and flourish.

Moving stem cell and regenerative medicine forward in the treatment algorithm may eliminate the need for other ineffective or potentially harmful therapies. These therapies provide new hope for patients whose only alternatives have been long-term medication, steroid injections, and costly and time-consuming surgery and rehab.

Stem cell and regenerative medicine therapies may only be provided by licensed medical professionals following all appropriate rules and regulations. An understanding of these emerging therapies and the benefits they may provide is essential as the collaboration between doctors of medicine and chiropractic increases and we join forces to combat chronic pain, dysfunction and disease.

MARK SANNA, DC, ACRB LEVEL II, FICC, is a member of the Chiropractic Summit and a board member of the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress. He is the president and CEO of BreakthroughCoaching, and can be reached at mybreakthrough.com or800-723-8423.

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