An expose by Scott Pelly for CBS \’60 Minutes\’ program aired on January 8, 2012. The segment focused on stem cell (SC) fraud and targeted a Dr. Dan Ecklund, the founder and director of Stem Cell Labs of Ecuador, a facility that offered cures for a long list of 70 incurable diseases. This episode followed on the heels of a prior expose done two years ago that also honed in on the lucrative but seamy area of SC cures.

At that time, 60 Minutes did a story on two men, non-physicians- who proposed to treat two men suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig\’s disease) at a cost of $125,000. As a result of the 60 Minutes investigation, the two men were indicted. \”The indictment alleges they made $1.5 million with SC fraud. If convicted they could face 20 years in prison.\”

CBS was able to procure \”20 million\” umbilical cord blood SC for $5,000 from a shopping cart on the Stem Cell Labs website and had them sent to the Duke University Stem Cell Research Unit headed by Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg for analysis. Dr. Kurtzberg is co-director of this multimillion dollar laboratory which works with SCs harvested from umbilical cord blood. Dr. Kurtzberg told Pelley there is no evidence yet that SCs can treat cerebral palsy. The Duke lab analyzed the cells from Ecuador and found they were all dead… essentially useless…

\”And more details regarding Dr. Ecklund. Alabama revoked his medical license in 2005. The State Medical Commission said Dr. Ecklund admitted that he:

– Prescribed controlled substances to a patient with whom he was having sex

– Prescribed controlled substances to a patient who he knew was a drug addict

– And had sexual experiences with young female children\”

60 minutes also tracked down the lab which looked like a dump.

Dr. Ecklund was supposed to meet with an 11 year old boy and his parents.

The eleven year old suffered from cerebral palsy and was blind as well as quadriplegic. Dr Ecklund claimed the boy would achieve 75 per cent improvement in his symptoms and he proposed four treatments costing a total of $20,000. The umbilical cord blood SCs would be injected into the boy\’s spinal fluid.

The interview ended with Dr. Ecklund leaving the room after further questioning by Pelley.

The danger when people are desperate for any treatment, are grasping for any straws, is that they will be susceptible to the blandishments of con men and snake oil salesmen. Current research shows that stem cells are not effective for CP, ALS, and a host of other diseases.

That isn\’t to say that umbilical cord blood derived SCs don\’t have their uses. They are very effective in restoring normal blood functioning in patients with hematologic malignancies and are also valuable for restoring normal blood mechanics in patients following extensive chemotherapy.

There is also mounting evidence that induced pluripotential SCs can shorten the time span needed for drug development.

Recent research has shown the power of SCs to heal damaged myocardial tissue in patients who have had extensive heart damage.

And finally, the use of mesechymal SCs, derived from bone marrow and fat, appear to be capable of healing cartilage, not only in animal models, but in human studies as well. (Wei N, et al. Guided mesenchymal layering technique for treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. J Applied Res. 2011; 11: 44-48).

So… despite the despicable behavior of some individuals, the promise of SC therapy for certain diseases should not be tarnished.

Nathan Wei, MD FACP FACR is a board-certified rheumatologist and nationally known arthritis authority and expert. For more info: Arthritis Treatment and Arthritis Treatment Center

Nathan Wei, MD FACP FACR is a board-certified rheumatologist and nationally known arthritis authority and expert. For more info: http://www.arthritis-treatment-and-relief.com/arthritis-treatment.html Arthritis Treatment and Arthritis Treatment Center

Author Bio: Nathan Wei, MD FACP FACR is a board-certified rheumatologist and nationally known arthritis authority and expert. For more info: Arthritis Treatment and Arthritis Treatment Center

Category: Advice
Keywords: stem cells, arthritis treatment, expose, autologous stem cells, arthritis