Stem cell treatments offer relief to arthritic animals

Times Union, Albany, N.Y.
01-26-10
Jan. 26–Carol Ball already had seen one of her dogs suffer from crippling arthritis.
Charlie, her 11-year-old springer spaniel, lived with the pain for years until she ultimately decided to have him euthanized in February 2006 to spare him additional torment.
At the time, there wasn’t another option.
But in 2008, when her black-and-white springer spaniel, Joey, showed touches of arthritis even after the ligaments in two of his knees were replaced, her veterinarian could offer another course of treatment: stem-cell therapy.
In the therapy, stem cells, which produce chemicals that reduce inflammation and pain, are extracted from the animal’s own fatty tissue. The cells are then injected directly back into the arthritic joints, where they can develop or change into other cells necessary for repair.
Pets that receive the treatment typically find relief within a month or two, says Keith Clement, the veterinarian at Burnt Hills Veterinary Hospital who cared for Joey, but results have been observed as early as within three days of treatment.
Before the stem-cell therapy, Joey used to lag behind during walks. Since the treatments, Ball says 4-year-old Joey simply doesn’t wear out and keeps busy roughhousing with her other dogs.
“He has had absolutely no problems,” she says. “He’s a very active dog. We do a lot of off-leash running and hiking together. His life is wonderful.”
Although some countries use the same stem-cell therapies on humans to treat conditions such as arthritis, it has not received Food and Drug Administration approval for human use in the U.S.
Clement was the first veterinarian in the Capital Region to be certified in the treatment regiment by Vet-Stem, a San Diego-based company that started the process in 2004 and does the work of extracting the stem cells from the fat that’s surgically removed by veterinarians. Clement first used the therapy in April 2008, and since then about 10 Capital Region practices have begun offering the service, including Shaker Veterinary Hospital in Colonie, Upstate Veterinary Specialties in Latham, Nassau Veterinary Hospital and Animal Hospital of Niskayuna. (To see the full list, visit http://www.vet-stem.com and type in your ZIP code.)
Since April 2008, Clement has treated 45 to 50 dogs and one cat. All but five of the pets were treated for arthritis, he says, the most common application for the stem-cell procedure. Vet-Stem also approves experimental use of the treatments for issues such as liver disease and kidney disease.
About 85 percent of patients respond to treatment, Clement says, and it’s unknown why it’s ineffective in some animals.
The therapy has no side effects, Clement says. The only risks are those faced anytime an animal receives anesthesia, which is required for Clement to surgically remove the samples of fat from the patient’s abdominal area before sending them to Vet-Stem.
Clement says typical treatment for arthritis would be to put the pet on a regimen of supplements such as glucosamine; nonsteroidal medicines, which can cause stomach irritation; and in some cases surgery such as hip replacement, which can cost $5,000 per hip.
On average, stem-cell therapy costs $2,700 to $3,000 for the treatment of three to four joints, Clement says. Because fatty tissue contains so many stem cells, patients often have more than are needed for the treatment and the remaining cells can be cryopreserved and stored for future use. Ball pays an annual storage fee of $150 after the first year, she says.
Arthritis is a degenerative condition, and stem cells don’t actually make bad joints healthy again, so eventually, pets will need “booster treatments” as their arthritis worsens.
How long the treatments will last varies, Clement says, but he’d expect most pets wouldn’t need additional treatments for 18 months to three years.
For many pet owners, the treatment is worth the investment, Clement says. His own golden retriever, Buster, who suffers from severe hip dysplasia, had the treatment when he was 7 months old to slow and curb arthritic changes.
“If you have to put a dog to sleep because of chronic joint pain, it’s horrible. To be able to offer something that will extend their life and their quality of life … is a good thing,” he says.
To Good Health Dale Giessman, DC
Delta Spine Care Brentwood, Ca 94513

Take Your Vitamin D to Prevent Cancer

Take Your Vitamin D to Prevent Cancer
Especially during the fall and winter months when sunlight exposure is limited.
Vitamin D is produced in your body when sunlight directly hits your skin. Over the past 10 years experts have been telling us to stay out of the sun. Now it appears that low Vitamin D levels are epidemic and many of you are risking a whole array of illnesses as a result. Sunscreens also reduce the bodies ability to produce vitamin D by about 90%. My recommendation is short periods (30 minutes at a time) with as much skin exposed to the sun each day, avoiding the burn is the best way to prevent skin damage.
Thirty years of research has shown that low vitamin D is linked to “both skeletal and nonskeletal conditions, including several types of cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, upper respiratory tract infections, all-cause mortality, and many others.” Several studies, both observational and randomized controlled trials, “have demonstrated that adequate levels of vitamin D can decrease the risk and improve survival rates for several types of cancers including breast, rectum, ovary, prostate, stomach, bladder, esophagus, kidney, lung, pancreas, uterus, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and multiple myeloma.”
A simple blood test can determine your need for vitamin D but there is now ample evidence to suggest that 2000 IU/d of vitamin D3 is a healthy maintainence dose while up to 10,000 IU/d may be required to bring your levels back to a healthy range. I have vitamin D drops for my kids at 1000 IU per drop so they just put a couple drops in their morning juice and it's done.
Dr. Dale Giessman DC
OUR BRENTWOOD OFFICE
350 John Muir Parkway, Suite 265
Brentwood, CA 94513
925.513.8883

Improved Behavior in Children with Colic After Chiropractic Care

Something that is not common knowledge is that children who suffer from colic at an early age in many cases will have certain behavioral problems as they grow older that include temper tantrums and night waking. A recent study published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) looked to see if chiropractic care, rendered early in life for children with colic, had any effect on the additional problems later in these children’s lives.

This study looked at two groups of children, all of whom had suffered with colic as infants. One group received chiropractic care specifically related to their colic while the second group did not receive any chiropractic care. The authors of this study noted that there have been several previous studies showing the positive effect of chiropractic on children with colic. The focus of this study was not the effect of chiropractic care on colic, but rather to see if the chiropractic care rendered to these children early in life when they had colic, continued to have a positive effect in preventing some of the additional problems that show up in most children who previously suffered from colic.

In this study, clinic records from a chiropractic clinic and from a child care center in similar regions of England were compared for the care of infants who had suffered from colic. A survey of parents was done of 117 post-colicky toddlers who had received chiropractic, and compared to a group of 111 toddlers who did not receive any chiropractic.

The results showed that toddlers who received chiropractic care for colic as an infant were twice as likely to not experience the additional problems commonly seen years after colic. In their conclusion the authors said, “Untreated post-colicky infants demonstrated negative behavioral patterns at 2 to 3 years of age. In this study, parents of infants treated with chiropractic care for excessive crying did not report as many difficult behavioral and sleep patterns of their toddlers. These findings suggest that chiropractic care for infants with colic may have an effect on long-term sequelae (problems associated with colic).

Remember to set up your Emerson Ecologics account through our office and save 20% on nutritional products from the best nutritional product companies in the world.http://www.deltaspinecare.com

Dale Giessman, DC
350 John Muir Pkwy., Suite 265
Brentwood, CA 94513
925-513-8883

Special Glasses May Help Free Call With Doctor

(NaturalNews) A research study conducted by G D’Annunzio University in Italy evaluated the benefits of a popular form of pine bark extract in helping diabetics. Published in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, findings revealed that people with diabetes can avoid developing retinopathy and maintain proper micro-circulation by supplementing with pine bark.

A total of 46 diabetic patients were involved in the randomized, controlled study. Twenty-four of them were treated with pine bark extract once a day for three months while the remaining 22 were given a placebo. All thepatients had diabetes for at least four years and all were beginning to develop retinopathy. Seventy-five percent of patients in the pine bark group experienced improvement in their vision while none in the placebo group did.

Dr. Robert Steigerwalt, one of the lead researchers of the study, confirmed that not only does pine bark extract halt the progression of diabetic retinopathy, it can cause it to regress by sealing the leaky blood vessels in the eye that lead to thedisease. Such results were witnessed in as little as two months. He also noted that diabetics in the early stages of the disease can prevent such complications from ever occurring by supplementing with pine bark extract.

Pycnogenol, the branded formula of the antioxidant plant extract derived from the French maritime pine tree, has proven itself time and time again to be a powerful protective nutrient, particularly for diabetics. When administered during the early stages of diabetes, many studies have shown that pine bark is effective at preventing and treating the diabetic retinal diseases.

Remember to set up your Emerson Ecologics account through our office and save 20% on nutritional products from the best nutritional product companies in the world. http://www.deltaspinecare.com
–
Dale Giessman, DC
350 John Muir Pkwy., Suite 265
Brentwood, CA 94513
925-513-8883

Recently Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes? NIH Funded Treatment Studies Here!

(NaturalNews) A research study conducted by G D’Annunzio University in Italy evaluated the benefits of a popular form of pine bark extract in helping diabetics. Published in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, findings revealed that people with diabetes can avoid developing retinopathy and maintain proper micro-circulation by supplementing with pine bark.

A total of 46 diabetic patients were involved in the randomized, controlled study. Twenty-four of them were treated with pine bark extract once a day for three months while the remaining 22 were given a placebo. All thepatients had diabetes for at least four years and all were beginning to develop retinopathy. Seventy-five percent of patients in the pine bark group experienced improvement in their vision while none in the placebo group did.

Dr. Robert Steigerwalt, one of the lead researchers of the study, confirmed that not only does pine bark extract halt the progression of diabetic retinopathy, it can cause it to regress by sealing the leaky blood vessels in the eye that lead to thedisease. Such results were witnessed in as little as two months. He also noted that diabetics in the early stages of the disease can prevent such complications from ever occurring by supplementing with pine bark extract.

Pycnogenol, the branded formula of the antioxidant plant extract derived from the French maritime pine tree, has proven itself time and time again to be a powerful protective nutrient, particularly for diabetics. When administered during the early stages of diabetes, many studies have shown that pine bark is effective at preventing and treating the diabetic retinal diseases.

Remember to set up your Emerson Ecologics account through our office and save 20% on nutritional products from the best nutritional product companies in the world.

–
Dale Giessman, DC
350 John Muir Pkwy., Suite 265
Brentwood, CA 94513
925-513-8883

Americans Spending More for Non-medical Healthcare

Several news stories recently reported on the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine study released on July 30, 2009 titled, “Costs of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) and Frequency of Visits to CAM Practitioners: United States, 2007″. Although it was included in this study, many no longer consider chiropractic as an “Alternative Medicine” since the profession has become more accepted as a main stream form of healthcare.

The study focuses on the amount of out-of-pocket money spent by consumers on the non-medical forms of care they refer to as “CAM” for the year 2007. The study reports that in 2007 Americans spent $33.9 billion of their own money out of pocket on visits to CAM practitioners and purchases of CAM products. The largest portion of that amount, $22 billion, was spent on CAM products classes and materials. Another $11.9 billion was spent on practitioner visits which include all chiropractic care.

The study points out that in 2007, 38.1 million adults made an estimated 354.2 million visits to CAM practitioners. Of this number almost half were chiropractors accounting for about $3.9 billion out of pocket expenses. As a comparison the study noted that Americans spent $49.6 billion out of pocket for medical doctor visits.

The study results also noted that chiropractic was one of the most affordable types of CAM care as they stated, “Some of the highest per-person, out-of pocket costs are associated with visits to practitioners of naturopathy and chelation therapy, while one of the lowest per-person, out-of-pocket costs is associated with visits to practitioners of chiropractic or osteopathic manipulation therapy.”

In the total scheme of healthcare CAM is not a large portion of the expenses but is a large part of the number of people receiving care. The study notes that all of the CAM expenditures combined only amounts to 1.5% of the total health-care expenditures in the United States. However, as many people are willing to pay for these services CAM does total 11.2% of all out-of-pocket health-care expenditures in the US.
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Dale Giessman, DC
350 John Muir Pkwy., Suite 265
Brentwood, CA 94513
925-513-8883
http://www.deltaspinecare.com/doctors_brentwood.html

Back pain is the #2 problem

Back pain is the #2 problem that brings people into the doctor’s office. Many spinal conditions cause back pain, but muscles sprains and strains can cause it.

Facts and Tips about Back Pain

At some point in their lives, 80% of Americans will experience back pain.
You can injure your back by coughing or sneezing.
If you have a sprained or strained back-—not a serious injury—use ice to help reduce swelling, muscle spasms, and pain for the first 24 to 48 hours after you injure your back.
If you have a sprained or strained back-not a serious injury-use ice first. After 48 hours, switch to heat to warm and relax sore tissues.
Good posture is one of the best ways to avoid straining your spine.
Exercising on a regular basis helps you maintain a healthy spine.
Each year, back pain costs Americans about $100 billion in medical bills, disability, and lost productivity.
For Back Problem Relief Visit Doctor Dale Giessman

AT Delta Spine Care

Our goal is to get rid of you neck, back, or joint pain as quickly as possible. Our job is to lessen or eliminate the degree of pain you’re in so that you can go back to doing all the things you’re used to doing every day. Like an athlete needs to be back in their sport quickly so we believe everyone deserves the same approach. If you are new to our website, please feel free to discover and learn about chiropractic wellness.

Call (925) 513-8883 for a free consultation.

http://www.deltaspinecare.com/doctors_brentwood.html