Stem Cells Deliver Top Christmas Present for ALS Sufferer
A newly retired Norwegian woman, Mrs Inger Marie Larsen, was looking forward to taking it easy in her new home in Sweden, enjoying life and indulging in her passion for travel. It was not to be.
Around October 2007 she noticed her voice was becoming hoarse, she experienced back pains and over a six month period lost some 20kg. After a battery of inconclusive tests her doctor appeared to her to have given up and after all she could still speak! By June 2008 she had a new doctor, further tests in Norway and finally a diagnosis of ALS. By then she was getting worse daily and troubled by spasticity in her hands. By July she was unable to speak at all. Told that there was no treatment in the whole world that could help her she froze, thanked the doctor and walked out.
From her hospital room in Bangkok where she had spent 28 days intensive therapy - including multiple injections of stem cells, physical and occupational therapy, lung and oral therapy and acupuncture – Mrs Larsen was all smiles.
Her journey to Bangkok started with serendipity – her daughter Kristine had a work colleague whose mother had the same condition and this colleague had done a lot of research into ALS and the latest in treatment for it. Despite their shock, fear and depression the snowball started to roll. They were running out of time as Inger continued to lose weight, had swallowing difficulties and needed to be fed by gastric tube. Kristine acted and got in touch with the company in Bangkok that her colleague had found. The decision was rapidly made in spite of them being given no guarantees that the patient would improve.
The day before her return home Mrs Larsen was delighted with her stay in Bangkok. Her oxygen capacity had leapt from 60 to 99 percent, she could breathe easier, her muscles felt stronger and she was now taking 400 ml of her liquid diet four times daily, versus only 250ml previously. Overall, she just felt much better. Asked if she would recommend stem cell therapy to others with ALS she smiled, gave the thumbs up and wrote, “Without hesitation”.
It takes more than a little courage to try what is still an experimental therapy, even though thousands of patients have been safely treated with adult stem cells to date for a wide variety of diseases. Some 75 percent experience some or significant relief and can return to a far better quality of life than they would have dreamed possible.
It is a small miracle for Mrs Larsen, delivered at the very best time of the year for miracles.
(For further information contact www.StemCells21.com)
What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. The disease belongs to a group of disorders known as motor neuron diseases, which are characterized by the gradual degeneration and death of motor neurons.
Motor neurons are nerve cells located in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord that serve as controlling units and vital communication links between the nervous system and the voluntary muscles of the body. Messages from motor neurons in the brain (called upper motor neurons) are transmitted to motor neurons in the spinal cord (called lower motor neurons) and from them to particular muscles. In ALS, both the upper motor neurons and the lower motor neurons degenerate or die, ceasing to send messages to muscles. Unable to function, the muscles gradually weaken, waste away (atrophy), and twitch (fasciculations) . Eventually, the ability of the brain to start and control voluntary movement is lost.
ALS causes weakness with a wide range of disabilities. Eventually, all muscles under voluntary control are affected, and patients lose their strength and the ability to move their arms, legs, and body. When muscles in the diaphragm and chest wall fail, patients lose the ability to breathe without ventilatory support. Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure, usually within 3 to 5 years from the onset of symptoms. However, about 10 percent of ALS patients survive for 10 or more years.
Although the disease usually does not impair a person's mind or intelligence, several recent studies suggest that some ALS patients may have alterations in cognitive functions such as depression and problems with decision-making and memory.
ALS does not affect a person's ability to see, smell, taste, hear, or recognize touch. Patients usually maintain control of eye muscles and bladder and bowel functions, although in the late stages of the disease most patients will need help getting to and from the bathroom.
Who gets ALS?
As many as 20,000 Americans have ALS, and an estimated 5,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with the disease each year. ALS is one of the most common neuromuscular diseases worldwide, and people of all races and ethnic backgrounds are affected. ALS most commonly strikes people between 40 and 60 years of age, but younger and older people also can develop the disease. Men are affected more often than women.
Around October 2007 she noticed her voice was becoming hoarse, she experienced back pains and over a six month period lost some 20kg. After a battery of inconclusive tests her doctor appeared to her to have given up and after all she could still speak! By June 2008 she had a new doctor, further tests in Norway and finally a diagnosis of ALS. By then she was getting worse daily and troubled by spasticity in her hands. By July she was unable to speak at all. Told that there was no treatment in the whole world that could help her she froze, thanked the doctor and walked out.
From her hospital room in Bangkok where she had spent 28 days intensive therapy - including multiple injections of stem cells, physical and occupational therapy, lung and oral therapy and acupuncture – Mrs Larsen was all smiles.
Her journey to Bangkok started with serendipity – her daughter Kristine had a work colleague whose mother had the same condition and this colleague had done a lot of research into ALS and the latest in treatment for it. Despite their shock, fear and depression the snowball started to roll. They were running out of time as Inger continued to lose weight, had swallowing difficulties and needed to be fed by gastric tube. Kristine acted and got in touch with the company in Bangkok that her colleague had found. The decision was rapidly made in spite of them being given no guarantees that the patient would improve.
The day before her return home Mrs Larsen was delighted with her stay in Bangkok. Her oxygen capacity had leapt from 60 to 99 percent, she could breathe easier, her muscles felt stronger and she was now taking 400 ml of her liquid diet four times daily, versus only 250ml previously. Overall, she just felt much better. Asked if she would recommend stem cell therapy to others with ALS she smiled, gave the thumbs up and wrote, “Without hesitation”.
It takes more than a little courage to try what is still an experimental therapy, even though thousands of patients have been safely treated with adult stem cells to date for a wide variety of diseases. Some 75 percent experience some or significant relief and can return to a far better quality of life than they would have dreamed possible.
It is a small miracle for Mrs Larsen, delivered at the very best time of the year for miracles.
(For further information contact www.StemCells21.com)
What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. The disease belongs to a group of disorders known as motor neuron diseases, which are characterized by the gradual degeneration and death of motor neurons.
Motor neurons are nerve cells located in the brain, brainstem, and spinal cord that serve as controlling units and vital communication links between the nervous system and the voluntary muscles of the body. Messages from motor neurons in the brain (called upper motor neurons) are transmitted to motor neurons in the spinal cord (called lower motor neurons) and from them to particular muscles. In ALS, both the upper motor neurons and the lower motor neurons degenerate or die, ceasing to send messages to muscles. Unable to function, the muscles gradually weaken, waste away (atrophy), and twitch (fasciculations) . Eventually, the ability of the brain to start and control voluntary movement is lost.
ALS causes weakness with a wide range of disabilities. Eventually, all muscles under voluntary control are affected, and patients lose their strength and the ability to move their arms, legs, and body. When muscles in the diaphragm and chest wall fail, patients lose the ability to breathe without ventilatory support. Most people with ALS die from respiratory failure, usually within 3 to 5 years from the onset of symptoms. However, about 10 percent of ALS patients survive for 10 or more years.
Although the disease usually does not impair a person's mind or intelligence, several recent studies suggest that some ALS patients may have alterations in cognitive functions such as depression and problems with decision-making and memory.
ALS does not affect a person's ability to see, smell, taste, hear, or recognize touch. Patients usually maintain control of eye muscles and bladder and bowel functions, although in the late stages of the disease most patients will need help getting to and from the bathroom.
Who gets ALS?
As many as 20,000 Americans have ALS, and an estimated 5,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with the disease each year. ALS is one of the most common neuromuscular diseases worldwide, and people of all races and ethnic backgrounds are affected. ALS most commonly strikes people between 40 and 60 years of age, but younger and older people also can develop the disease. Men are affected more often than women.
posted by Haelan | 6:37 PM
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