Breakthrough

EVER since former President Joseph Estrada openly admitted that he had undergone fresh stem cell therapy in Germany early this year, it seems like a lot of people, particularly those in show business are abuzz about it and are themselves going for it.

Lolit Solis has had hers recently, although she has no known illness. Good thing she found a generous sponsor for her treatment. The feisty Annabelle Rama is scheduled to have hers in September, hopefully to address her high blood pressure (it sure is so obvious), high blood sugar, as well as her supposed scoliosis. Madonna, Halle Berry and other Hollywood stars are said to have undergone the same therapy as well, which is said to give patients rejuvenation, longevity of life, disease prevention and life-saving purposes.

And the list of famous people undergoing fresh stem cell therapy gets longer.

So what is this treatment that a lot of people, especially the moneyed, are talking about?

Checking out the website of one of the clinics giving the treatment in Weinstrabe, Germany, it says that fresh stem cell therapy is “natural, safe and scientifically proven.” It further adds that it is also a “purely biological, safe and scientifically acknowledged therapy by which specially selected fresh or live cells or cells extracts of donor animals, usually sheep, are injected into the human body for treatment of various ailments or rejuvenation purpose.” It also claims to treat health problems and medical concerns that include autoimmune diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, cancer and other degenerative diseases.

The clinic’s testimonials are even more encouraging and promising with one patient, who claimed to be paralyzed from waist down prior to the treatment, and was “brought to life.” This patient labels it as having “magical results.” Whether one has a simple problem of a deteriorating vision, endless falling hair, unceasing arm pains, or high blood pressure, to a more complex problem like paralysis, the treatment seems to be a major, major breakthrough.

I know I am getting kind of showbiz with this article, citing personalities who, like the former president, are also very candid about subjecting themselves to the therapy, which has become increasingly popular in the Philippines. So popular it has become that a leading hospital has introduced it recently, with another hospital following suit. The establishment of such kind of treatment in the hospital has yet to be proven effective.

But it does seem very promising. I am not so familiar with medical terms and I do not intend to dwell into that. But far as I can remember, I have not read any adverse effects of fresh stem cell therapy on patients. In fact, the known pioneer for this procedure claims this in its website -- Today after hundreds of thousands of Fresh Cell injections, more than 2,000 scientific publications and innumerable laboratory experiments, it is undeniable that Fresh Cell Therapy regenerates, revitalizes and often cures, even when orthodox medicine has failed.

I am not quite sure if this ethically right, however, as the procedure requires harvesting fresh organs, glandular and bone marrow cells of specially bred black mountain sheep.

And yet, I could not help but write about this treatment after reading Boy Abunda’s column, where he details how he made his mother undergo the therapy. Abunda’s mother has been reported to be, at times, suffering from dementia brought about by old age. When I hear stuff about children getting the best care for their mothers, I am constantly reminded of how my siblings and I would have also done the same for our mother.

If I only have the resources to put my mother through the same therapy, I definitely would. But the cost for undergoing the treatment is exorbitant, to say the least. A treatment in Germany is estimated to cost a patient between P800,000 to P1 million, inclusive of the plane fare. The same procedure in the country, reports say, costs almost P1.5 million. I guess it justifies the breakthrough it has phenomenally imprinted in the field of medicine.

For now, though, I would have to work doubly hard to reach that amount and pray even harder in wishing that I hit the lotto, which would be easier than literally breaking my back doing countless bazaars, aside from my monthly pay.

But I would definitely set my sights on getting that therapy for my mother and with God’s help, I know nothing is impossible.