24 Sunday Territorian. Sunday, July 7, 2013. www.sundayterritorian.com.au
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Stem cells have come
a long way. Once an
ethical minefi eld, public
acceptance for the use of stem
cells in medical treatments has
risen considerably, and this
community support has opened
the door for private clinics to start
offering stem cell treatments for
many types of illnesses.
Clinics in China, Ecuador, India,
Mexico, Germany and the USA
are offering treatment and “cures”
for everything from diabetes
to autism. But what do these
so-called treatments involve?
Clinics typically use stem
cells from a variety of sources
– from umbilical cord blood, the
patient’s own body and even cells
harvested from animals. These are
then injected into the patient using
a needle or via a more invasive
procedure, like a spinal tap.
Research is underway to
explore the use of stem cells to
treat a wide variety of ailments,
but much of this work is still in the
early stages. While the use of stem
cells to treat some blood disorders
and immune conditions is widely
accepted, experts say it’s too
soon to safely use them for other
purposes outside of clinical trials.
UNPREDICTABLE RESULTS
Stem cells appear to have great
promise, but unregulated and
costly practices at private clinics
have produced wildly different
results. There are horror stories:
a woman in Los Angeles grew
bone fragments under her skin
after receiving a “stem cell facelift”
from her plastic surgeon, and a
young British paraplegic died in an
Ecuadorian clinic after receiving
unproven stem cell treatment.
Then there are the glowing
online testimonials from former
patients who claim to have an
improved quality of life.
But apart from the extreme
examples there are many who
have received treatments that
have done nothing but relieve
them of their savings.
Recent cases include
a wheelchair-bound Australian
woman who spent $30,000
travelling to China for stem
cell treatment to cure her of
multiple sclerosis and a Sydney
dancer who spent a similar
amount of money on a trip to
the US to cure kidney disease.
Both returned home with no
improvement in their health,
and saddled with debt.
WHERE’S THE PROOF?
Associate Professor Megan
Munsie, of Stem Cells Australia,
a collaboration between several
of the nation’s leading universities
and research institutes,
conservatively estimates that
hundreds of Australians are
THE ALARMING RISE OF STEM CELL TOURISM
A WOMAN IN LOS ANGELES GREW
BONE FRAGMENTS UNDER HER SKIN
AFTER RECEIVING A “STEM CELL
FACELIFT” FROM HER SURGEON
More and more Australians are travelling to overseas stem cell clinics for treatment, but at what cost to their back pocket – and their health? By Jo Stewart
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