Be wary of “stem cell” scams

It is currently a fad in Malaysia to consume “oral stem cell enhancers” or substances which claim to “boost” your stem cells.

Be wary as these are yet another means to make the unsuspecting part with their money for useless “supplements”. At least in the Philippines the authorities have taken some action: FDA warns vs stem cells taken orally

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Sunday warned the public against buying unregistered stem cell supplements being peddled online.
In an advisory, the FDA cited in particular a product called Bio Stem Plus, saying that it was neither an FDA-approved stem cell preparation nor an approved food or dietary product.
According to acting FDA Director General Dr. Kenneth Go, the agency had been monitoring Bio Stem Plus supplements being sold and advertised “with deceitful health and therapeutic claims” through sulit.com.ph, an online buy-and-sell website catering to the Philippine market.
Go said the product was being promoted supposedly as a “natural stem cell nutrition” that increases adult stem cell circulation, repairs damaged tissues, decreases the effects of aging, aids in “up to 70 known human conditions” and cures high blood, vertigo and back pain.
“The public is hereby warned against buying and using unregistered Bio Stem Plus… There are no scientific and clinical studies that would support or back up its health and therapeutic claims,” said Go.

What about purported “stem cell enhancers”. Well, this website about sums it up

The claims are 1. that StemEnhance releases stem cells from bone marrow, and therefore, 2. that because stem cells have a beneficial effect on the body, that StemEnhance therefore has a beneficial effect.
This is simply sheer nonsense. Firstly, there is absolutely no sufficient proof that StemEnhance releases stem cells in any significant levels, or if it does, whether these stem cells make any significant difference in the body.
In plain language, there is insufficient evidence to confirm that StemEnhance has ANY effect on the body. These are facts and not suppositions. Any claims are purely hypothetical.

The above are the phoney “stem cell supplements” which aren’t really stem cells at all and are sold (usually by MLMers) with amazing claims but devoid of any clinical data to back them up, typical of other health supplement scams. You’ll have the usual testimonials of people who “feel better”, “look younger” etc. Unfortunately these subjective improvements are likely a placebo effect or delusions.

As for the other “real” stem cell therapies, unfortunately many of them are still experimental and should be carried out in the context of clinical trials yet they are being prematurely “marketed” as therapies for a wide range of disorders. The concern is not only of the efficacy of these treatments but also the unknown long term complications of such mesenchymal stem cell therapies.

See this article Scammers offering phoney stem cell therapies to ‘treat’ incurable diseases. Seek professional advice before landing yourself in the clutches of people who claim to be able to treat stroke, Parkinson’s, Down’s syndrome etc. with “stem cell therapy”. Ask if this is a clinical trial and ask for published data on what the practitioner is doing.

Here’s a link with reliable information about what Stem cell therapy is really about, and with sensible advice as well as fairly simple explanation about what Stem Cell treatment really involves:
Top Ten Things to Know About Stem Cell Treatments

Related MMR links:
Stem Cell therapy – Myths and Facts