At Grossman Roth Yaffa Cohen, we understand the hype, promised curiosity, and perceived hope that comes with using stem cells as a treatment. However, in our line of work, we’ve seen desperate patients fall victim to this unproven form of therapy. We want you to know the facts.
What Exactly Is Stem Cell Therapy and How Does It Work?
These cell therapies allegedly use stem cells, or cells grown from stem cells, to replace, rejuvenate or even heal damaged tissue. It is basically your body’s ability to heal itself.
However, despite recent scientific breakthroughs in stem cell research and therapy, these treatment applications remain unproven and unregulated. They are not considered standard of care options nor have they been proven to be effective.
Who Is a Candidate for Stem Cell Therapy?
Healthcare professionals and many others that are not healthcare professionals typically market the use of stem cells through clinical trials and say it could work for anyone. Through our experience, many patients who seek this type of treatment have been diagnosed with an incurable disease, such as macular degeneration, paralysis, or cancer. These patients are desperate for any hope and the possibility to be cured. Many of these people are being preyed upon and taken advantage of because they are seen as easy targets.
What Are the Risks Involved?
It is important to note that stem cell therapy is not an approved form of therapy or medicine. Despite this fact, clinics continue to offer stem cell therapies as clinical trials that are being listed on the National Institutes of Health NIH website. Many people believe these clinical trials are safe, have been vetted, and are interested in the patient’s well-being. In reality, many are profit-driven.
In addition to pushing this agenda, clinics will often claim the worst possible outcome for stem cell therapy is that the treatments won’t work and there are no damaging effects. But that is not the case. In fact, patients can suffer permanent injuries. These damages are happening daily and need to be brought to light.
What Is Our Experience?
We have had multiple cases against stem cell clinics, some of which are presently underway. One of our current cases against a Sunrise stem cell clinic is on behalf of a client that was suffering from macular degeneration.
In 2015, our client, Jeanine Mallard, visited the clinic and underwent a procedure to treat her macular degeneration, a progressive eye disease. The clinic told Mallard that the therapy, which she paid $7,000 for, had improved the sight of previous patients. However, shortly after receiving the treatment, Mallard’s illness progressed rapidly, and she suffered multiple retinal detachments and ultimate blindness. She now faces surgery to remove her eye altogether.
For more information on Mallard’s case, please see Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone’s special report that ran on ABC, NBC and Fox, and Investigative Reporter Carey Codd’s segment for CBS. We also have another client, Doris Tyler, that received a similar procedure out of a Georgia clinic and suffered the same repercussions. You can read more about that story in this Washington Post feature.
If you are seriously contemplating stem cell therapy, check out our 7 points to consider before taking the plunge. We want you to make the most informed decision possible, so you don’t fall victim.
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