Received an fresh view on this controversial topic. Thought I would post it.
Without a doubt, this situation is definitely a time when the right and the wrong come face to face…I personally have given this option that modern medicine offers serious consideration in light of my long term illness which may one day become completely obsolete if stem cell therapy becomes a proven and approved cure for diabetes
…when you consider the thousands of babies per year that are voluntarily aborted it would seem that if something good can come from something bad, then surely the scale would be tipped toward the side of right.
…when you consider the thousands of babies per year that are voluntarily aborted it would seem that if something good can come from something bad, then surely the scale would be tipped toward the side of right.
What do you think? Michael
The is a only a ruse to make abortion (the destruction of innocent lives) more palatable. Please read the following article: What the Media Won\’t Tell You About Stem Cell Research @ http://www.citizenlink.org/FOSI/bioethics/A000002145.cfm (I didn\’t attach all the article and the footnotes because it is too long for the blog- please go to the link) by Dawn VargoNew studies threaten to undermine everything you\’ve been told about embryonic stem cell research. The following is a must read for anyone interested in the whole story on stem cell research.The debate over stem cell research is raging across the nation and echoing through chambers of Congress and state legislatures. Most people have heard just enough to offer an opinion to friends and neighbors; yet, the information they receive is incomplete and often inaccurate.Every new study on embryonic stem cells produces an onslaught of optimistic articles confidently proclaiming that with just a little more time and a lot more public money embryonic stem cells will provide cures for dozens of diseases and hope for millions of sick patients. Meanwhile, stories highlighting adult stem cell successes seem less optimistic and much less prominent. Casual observers might reasonably conclude that embryonic stem cells hold the most promise while adult stem cells are of secondary interest. They would be wrong.Embryonic stem cells are often touted as the most promising research option because they are a "blank slate" capable of differentiating (changing and specializing) into all the cells of the body. Less well known is that adult stem cells have the same ability to change into every kind of cell, tissue, and organ in the body. Yes, you read that correctly: one of the main reasons embryonic stem cells are flaunted as the gold standard in research is their ability to change into every cell type. Yet, adult stem cells have the same capacity.In other words, adult stem cells can do everything embryonic stem cells can do:1. Adult stem cells are flexible: Like embryonic ones, they can change into every cell type of the body. Researchers often refer to this ability to specialize into every cell type as pluripotency.2. Adult stem cells\’ flexibility show new potential to treat disease: Studies demonstrate that in addition to diseases already being treated with adult stem cells, the recently discovered and often ignored flexibility of adult stem cells offer additional possibilities to cure disease.Contrary to the exclusive claims of embryonic stem cell proponents, the following compilation of research demonstrates the flexibility of adult stem cells to transform into a wide range of specialized cells – just like embryonic ones….Flexible Stem CellsThe following summaries document the ability of adult stem cells to develop into cells outside of their original cell family.1……• Researchers in Miami once again found that bone marrow stem cells can change into all cells of the body.13……The recognition that adult stem cells possess the flexibility to change into all types of body cells has led to a variety of models to treat disease – treatments that are currently unattainable with embryonic stem cells.Adult Stem Cell TreatmentsNot only can adult stem cells change and specialize into all cell types, they also out-perform embryonic stem cells when it comes to treating disease. Research with adult stem cells is steadily producing positive results that demonstrate the ability to treat disease. The proven track record of adult stem cells provides a striking contrast to their embryonic counterparts which have never treated a single patient. For examples of adult stem cell treatments currently being used in human patients, see Adult Stem Cells: It\’s Not Pie-In-the-SkyBone Marrow Stem Cells to treat:Diabetes• Bone marrow stem cells transplanted into the pancreas can morph into insulin-producing beta islet cells. Insulin levels increased. This discovery may help treat people with Type 1 Diabetes by eliminating the need for daily injections of insulin.32• The discovery that bone marrow stem cells can change into insulin secreting cells is an important step toward curing diabetes.33Heart Damage• Bone marrow stem cells can help repair damaged heart muscle by helping the heart develop new, functional tissue.34• Bone marrow stem cells placed in damaged hearts (after a heart attack) improved the hearts\’ pumping ability by 80%.35• Bone marrow stem cells can help regenerate damaged heart tissue.36• Stem cells from bone marrow restored heart function and repaired damaged heart muscle by 50-75%.37• Bone marrow stem cells were used to treat heart disease with no abnormal cell growth.38• The process of human clinical trials is underway for patients with heart disease to be injected with bone marrow-derived stem cells during heart bypass surgery.39Liver Damage• Stress on the body can trigger adult stem cells to change into specialized cells that migrate to the damaged area and help repair the injury. For example, a damaged liver can send signals to bone marrow stem cells which respond by creating liver cells for the damaged liver.40Strokes and other neurodegenerative diseases• MAPCs can change into neuron-like cells in mice that have experienced strokes.41Brain Stem Cells to treat:Degenerative Conditions• Functioning neurons produced from adult brain stem cells provide potential to treat patients with Parkinson\’s disease, epilepsy, and Huntington\’s disease.42Cord Blood Stem Cells to treat:Cerebral Palsy• Injections of cord blood stem cells into 9-year-old twins with cerebral palsy increased their ability to speak, decreased their leg cramps and allowed them to sit up unassisted.43Hepatitis and Heart Damage• Patients suffering from hepatitis and heart injury can be treated with umbilical cord blood stem cell transplants.44Hurler\’s Syndrome• A young boy with Hurler\’s Syndrome was successfully treated with cord blood cells (as well as enzyme-replacement therapy).45Liver Regeneration• Cord blood stem cells have the capability to treat liver diseases.46• Umbilical cord blood stem cells from humans can change into liver cells in rats with damaged livers. 47• Human cord blood stem cells can improve liver renewal by transforming into liver cells that can aid in regeneration.48Fat Stem Cells to treat:Heart Damage• Stem cells from fat, called adipose-derived stem cells, were able to repair and minimize heart damage.49Intestinal Stem Cells to treat:Diabetes• Adult stem cells from the intestine were converted into insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreases of diabetic mice.50Mesenchymal Stem Cells to treat:Acute Renal Failure• Mesenchymal stem cells (a specific type of adult stem cells) injected into kidneys demonstrated an almost immediate improvement in kidney function and cell renewal.51Cornea damage• Human mesenchymal stem cells were used to reconstruct damaged corneas.52Lung Injuries• Stem cells derived from bone marrow were found to be important for lung repair and protection against lung injury.53Neurodegenerative Diseases• Stem cells derived from bone marrow developed into neural cells that hold promise to treat patients with Parkinson\’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and spinal cord injuries 54Mouth Stem Cells to treat:Blindness• 8 out of 9 patients that had mouth stem cells placed in their eyes (cornea) recovered their sight.55Muscle Stem Cells to treat:Heart Disease• Muscle stem cells from thigh muscles were used to successfully treat four men with end-stage heart failure.56Incontinence• Human muscle stem cells have been used to cure urinary incontinence in animal models; human trials are now in progress.57Neural Stem Cells to treat:Multiple Sclerosis• Adult neural stem cells were unexpectedly found to treat an MS-like disease by suppressing the immune attacks that damage the brain and spinal cord tissues.58Spleen Stem Cells to treat:Diabetes• The spleen is a substantial source of stem cells and stem cell extracted from the spleen can change into insulin-producing pancreatic islet cells. This could yield a cure for Type 1 Diabetes.59These findings cast substantial doubt on claims that embryonic stem cells are the best investment for our time, money and resources. In fact, these studies shift the burden to embryonic stem cell researchers to prove that their research is important to finding treatments and cures for disease. Scientific research and current medical therapies unquestionably reveal that adult stem cells are most promising research option.These summaries significantly simplify the findings in the original studies. Like any overview of a complex topic, oversimplifications are inevitable. This document attempts to provide the most accurate information in easily understandable terms.