Dr. Mark Berman of the Cell Surgical Network in Beverly Hills, Calif., injects a patient with a solution he says is rich in adult stem cells, on Dec. 5, 2014. (Raquel Maria Dillon, The Associated Press file)
Re: “’Wild West’ of stem sell clinics grows amid lack of regulation,” May 18 news story.
How sad that The Post chose a front-page article offering a limited perspective, and little encouragement for the legitimate use of stem-cell therapy.
I am participating in a clinical trial to test the use of stem-cell therapy as an alternative to knee-replacement surgery. I don’t know if it will work, but I feel itap worth the try for me and the hundreds of thousands of us facing only the alternatives of pain or surgery. The process should be regulated and the consumer needs to beware of quackery, but we also need medical research to test the opportunities.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 719,000 knee-replacement surgeries in 2010. Such a surgery costs $50,000-plus. Compare that to a low-risk outpatient procedure at a quarter of the cost. Our health care system needs to be finding, testing, regulating and paying for successful innovations.
I am doing my small part. The Post might consider celebrating the legitimate and promising opportunities in this field and not merely damning the “ Beverly Hills” approach.
Maureen Hanrahan, Denver
This letter was published in the May 26 edition.
