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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