Does Stem Cell Therapy for COPD Work?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD is a common lung illness that makes it very difficult to breathe. Two of the main types of COPD are chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The symptoms of chronic bronchitis are generally speaking a long-term cough and mucus, whereas emphysema causes damage to the lungs. For the most part, individuals who have COPD usually have an amalgamation of both chronic bronchitis and emphysema. 

In terms of our current understanding of COPD, the main cause of it is smoking. Those individuals who smoke cigarettes for an extended period of time are more likely to suffer from COPD than those who have quit smoking, or who have never smoked. However, there are individuals who get COPD from breathing in certain gases over long periods of time or who have been subjected to secondhand smoke over an extended period.

Considering that COPD involves damage to the tissue in the lung it would only make sense that stem cell therapy for COPD would eventually make its way into the fledgling medical field. However, as of now, there is no conclusive evidence that stem cell therapy for COPD can cure the illness. It can definitely help to alleviate the symptoms or even progression of COPD, but a cure currently lays outside of our limitations.  

Does Medicare Pay for Stem Cell Therapy for COPD?

Unfortunately, if you are wondering does Medicare pay for stem cell therapy for COPD, it does not currently cover these treatments, but with that said there are some types of stem cell therapies that Medicare will cover. There are currently only a few treatments that will be covered by Medicare and they mostly involve cancer treatment. These therapies are:

·       Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas

·       Neuroblastoma

·       Hodgkin’s Disease

·       Leukemia

·       Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome

·       Myelodysplastic Syndrome

The reason why Medicare and for that matter most private insurances won’t cover stem cell therapy for COPD is because the treatment is not currently FDA approved and so, therefore, it is considered to be experimental or in its clinic phase of development. This does not mean that stem cell therapy for COPD is not effective but rather that the treatment has not been studied long enough to get FDA approval, and currently the technology is not available to claim that a cure has been found for COPD.

Can Stem Cells Repair Damaged Lungs?

One of the most interesting things about stem cells is their ability to regenerate cells in the human body. The breakthrough of discovering how to manipulate stem cells and “program” them to be certain types of cells has changed the face of medicine and will continue to shape the way that we look at the treatment of certain illnesses for a long time to come. When it comes to treating COPD there is definitely a lot of promise when it comes to stem cell therapy, and it has been shown that using stem cells in COPD therapy can repair damaged lungs. 

Currently, most of the scientific studies that have been done on this matter have been performed on animals and stem cell therapy has been shown to reduce inflammation in animals who have COPD or other similar illnesses. Over the course of 8 weeks of stem cell therapy, one study found that there was a significant decrease in the amount of lung inflammation and so, therefore, the stem cells had helped to repair the lungs. Similar results have been found in humans but as of yet those at the forefront of these types of studies are shying away from the term cure, as they feel that this would give unrealistic expectations for what current medical practices can produce.

Where Can You Get Stem Cell Therapy for COPD?

The first thing that you need to be aware of before you look for a clinic that is offering stem cell therapy for COPD is that if the clinic tells you that they are offering a cure for your COPD then you might want to look elsewhere for your treatment. The reason being is that there is currently no cure, in regards to stem cell therapy, for COPD. If the clinic that you are talking to is attempting to sell you on a cure then they are overstating what is currently possible. There are certain cases, in fact, 82% of those studied, where the individual with COPD has shown significant improvements, but a cure is not currently available. 

With that said if you are wondering where can you get stem cell therapy for COPD then you will be pleased to know that many states in the U.S. currently have stem cell clinics where you can get COPD treatment. Some of the states where you can currently get COPD treatment are Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, and Florida. These five states are currently the states where it is easiest to find COPD stem cell therapy, but this does not mean that these are the only states where you can COPD treatment. If you are interested in getting COPD stem cell therapy then you should reach out to us today so that we can better direct you to a stem cell therapy provider near you who is offering COPD treatment. Since your insurance will more than likely not cover this type of treatment it is important to understand the costs involved before you agree to anything, so be sure to talk to your doctor before undergoing any type of treatment.

Need More Information on Stem Cell Therapy for COPD?

If you are looking to further educate yourself on the benefits of stem cell therapy for COPD, then call Stem Cell Authority toll-free today. Since there is so much information and misinformation out there in regard to stem cells it is important to get all of the facts before you make a decision to undergo treatment of any kind. At Stem Cell Authority we can help you do just that, as well as keep you up to date on all of the latest breakthroughs in Stem Cell technologies. So, if you need our assistance in any way please don’t hesitate to call today.