Cuba now into stem cell transplants

A hospital in Cuba has treated a fully paraplegic patient with stem cells. Three months later he is walking with assistance.
This story adds to others coming out of China and India where stem cell therapies are being used on CNS diseases with success.
Paraplegia means a wheelchair existence for many thousands of people. While it is still early days in applying innovative adult stem cell therapies, the results are most encouraging. One doctor unwisely suggested that we do not know how long any return of feeling or even mobility will last. If I was a paraplegic I would take a month or a year. What will the doubting Thomases say when these patients maintain their benefits? Imagine the savings on healthcare that could accrue from being able to give these people back what they had lost. It is an interesting coment that countries other than the so-called technologically advanced first world nations are leading the field. Most of us need to examine our prejudices about countries like Thailand, India, China and now Cuba - their facilities and skills more than match those found in the west. I will gladly put you in touch with patients treated in Thailand for heart failure, cardiomyopathy and ishemic heart disease who will tell you the truth.