Autoimmune diseases are the result of your immune system attacking other areas of your body. When your body begins to attack and damage its own tissues, your body’s ability to fight invaders (bacteria, viruses, germs) decreases making it vulnerable to infections.
There are various treatments for some forms of autoimmune diseases, while some diseases still lack a viable treatment. However, one method that has been gaining increasing attention and interest in scientific research is stem cell therapy.
Why Does the Immune System Attack the Body?
There is not one immediate cause to an immune system misfire. While doctors don’t know the cause, there are some autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis that run in families. While some cases are due to genetics, others are more common in specific ethnic groups. For instance, lupus affects more Hispanic and African-American people than Caucasians.
There is also reason to believe that environmental factors can be involved like infections or exposure to solvents or chemicals. While there are many theories, and there is not one main cause to autoimmune disorders, there are ways to treat them.
Treatments for Autoimmune Diseases
If you suffer from an autoimmune disorder you need to begin a treatment that will help your condition as soon as you can. These conditions can include:
Autoimmune diseases can be treated a few different ways. Ultimately, it all comes down to your disorder.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or naproxen are often used to control an autoimmune disease and reduce inflammation. Treatments can also relieve pain, fatigue, swelling, among other symptoms. Doctors will also recommend eating a well-balanced diet paired with regular exercise for best results.
What About Stem Cell Therapy?
One treatment that has shown success in patients is stem cell therapy, whichdoes not require a surgical procedure, is completely safe, and is effective. It is known as regenerative human umbilical cord-derived stem cell therapy and has become a successful method in helping chronic pain and treating the original cause.
You may have already heard about stem cells in the news or perhaps a close friend has told you about them. If you’re wondering what they are and how they can be used to treat the disease you have come to the right place. There is such a large interest in stem cells because of the effects doctors and researchers hope to find in relation to treating autoimmune disorders.
How Researchers Are Finding Hope with Stem Cell Therapy
Researchers are using stem cells to further understand how these diseases are occurring and to generate healthy cells that replace the diseased ones in a patient’s body. This is known as regenerative medicine, and it is a treatment that has repaired damaged tissue in people.
With the help of stem cell therapy, your body will receive pain relief and an improved quality of life.
How it works is, the stem cells are injected into the body, which activates healing mechanisms that regenerate. By doing so, these cells facilitate the repair of the damaged cells that are causing the autoimmune disorder.
Stem cells have been shown to reap many benefits, among them being:
- Reduce inflammation;
- Repair and regenerate damaged tissue;
- Modulate the immune system.
Who Can Benefit from Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerate medicine may be right for you if you suffer from any spinal cord injuries, type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, strokes, heart disease, cancer, burns, and osteoarthritis. Like we mentioned earlier it all depends on your autoimmune disorder. These specialized cells are implanted into a person to repair the damage inside.
The Future of Stem Cell Therapy and Autoimmune Disease Treatment
There continues to be ongoing research regarding stem cells. However, researchers have noticed that when adult bone marrow cells are guided to become heart-like cells, they can repair heart tissue within people. This is an amazing advancement and continues to be researched for further results and advancements.
Stem cells have already been used to treat diseases. Doctors performtransplants to replace damaged cells and encourage thepatient’s immune system fight back. Depending on your disorder, this treatment may be right for you.