It's a nightmare story: Three women pay tens of thousands of dollars to a South Florida clinic for unproven "stem cell therapy," only to end up blind. At least one thought she was part of a clinical trial—undergoing an experimental treatment, certainly, but presumably with adequate safeguards. Instead, the women found themselves in a much murkier situation, receiving dubious treatment at a clinic that was almost entirely unregulated. The results, in this case, speak for themselves, and critics warn that there's a large and growing problem with patients being promised revolutionary "stem cell therapy," only to find they've wasted their money—or worse."It's a big problem because these stories about stem cells are emerging everywhere, and the phrase 'stem cell' now is sort of becoming a proxy for 'cutting edge' and 'breakthrough miracle.' It's become a marketing tool to sell unproven therapies," says Tim Caulfield, research chair in health law and policy at the University of Alberta and a frequent critic of medical hype.As Caulfield tells it, stem cell research has genuine potential—stem cells are often touted as both "master cells" and "blank slates," capable of developing into any cell within the body. They promise regeneration, rejuvenation, and replacement of the most basic organic structures; rolling back your cells sounds like a scientific gloss on the fountain of youth, and that's a powerful, if simplistic, message.Continue reading on Tonic.
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