Stem Cells treat the entire patient and not just the addiction.
Substance Abuse Disorder (SAD) is a disease effecting not just the brain or an annoying habit. Drug addiction is increasingly viewed as the endpoint of a series of transitions from initial voluntary use because of its often hedonic effect through loss of control over behavior with and reinforcing so that it becomes habitual and ultimately compulsive. It is a debilitating disease effecting every organ and system in the body with clear visible hallmarks making the patient appear haggard, emaciated, overly aged and sick-looking
1. Brain: SAD is a disease that enslaves our brain by producing chemical changes in it. e.g. Opioids may flood the brain with Dopamine. Dopamine is the "reward" chemical and produces euphoria, sense of pleasure or calm - a desirable end result. These chemical changes or end result drives patients to consume more quantities of drugs at more frequent intervals to produce that specific "high" over and over again. In SAD the brain resets itself after a time requiring higher and ever increasing levels of Dopamine for the patient to feel "normal". Eventually the over worked brain cells are so fatigued that they die with resultant loss of brain tissue. Lack of desired effect then produces added behavior changes of irritability, aggressiveness etc.
2. Heart: SAD progressively damages the heart muscles so the heart weakens and cannot contract well. The heart progressively enlarges and blood pools in the heart further weakening its contractions. Damaged muscle cannot conduct electrical impulses needed for the heart to contract efficiently so arrhythmias occur with potential for instant death. A vicious cycle of heart failure sets in. Blood carrying essential nutrients such as oxygen to various organs and bringing back the waste products from organs for elimination cannot occur. Added organ damage ensues. Poor heart function is visible to naked eye as swelling and discoloration of legs with possible ulcers and open wounds.
3. Liver: Liver metabolizes nutrients by producing bile for digestion in order to provide nourishment to our body. The liver also breaks down chemicals, drugs and other toxins into harmless byproducts for easy elimination from our body. A very large amount of blood must pass through the liver for these functions to occur. The damaged heart prevents blood from easily passing through the liver producing a back-log of bile, nutrients, chemicals, toxins etc. These stay longer in the liver damaging it. Damaged liver first swells and enlarges, then gets increasingly scarred and finally shrinks. The incoming blood is then diverted away from the liver to the spleen which also enlarges.
4. Kidneys: Kidneys eliminate waste chemicals, drugs and toxins from our body. A very large amount of blood flows through the kidneys for this to occur. Poor blood flow to the kidneys results when damaged heart cannot pump blood resulting in accumulation of toxic waste in the kidney damaging them. The kidneys eventually scar and shrink. The toxins are again not eliminated from the body, adding to overall damage.
5. Blood Vessels Failure of the heart to pump effectively causes extra blood to remain in blood vessels enlarging them to cause varices and aneurysms. The nutrients and waste also gets deposited in blood vessel walls producing atherosclerotic vascular disease narrowing them. This in turn causes heart attack, stroke, gangrene etc. The dilated blood vessels are more porous and ooze the extra fluid to produce swelling of legs externally or ascites in the abdomen. Added fluid around the lungs and around the heart can also occur to compound the overall damage.
6. Muscle and BonesMalnutrition from poor eating means less nutrition for the body in face of decreased delivery of nutrients to organs from heart, liver and kidney failure as described above. Also there are extra toxins, chemicals and drugs circulating adding to the damage. Muscle atrophy/ destruction and bone destruction sets in and the patient loses weight and height to look emaciated, unhealthy - a shadow of former self.
7. Skin
The skin suffers from both malnutrition and deposition of extra toxins, chemicals and drugs remaining in the blood. This causes irritation and excessive itching to cause discoloration, open sores, ulcers etc.
8. Nerves:
The nerves are damaged due to lack of nutrients such as oxygen vitamins etc. resulting in "neuropathy" perceived in SAD as "insects crawling under the skin" given the term "Psychoses".
9. Psychological Impairment
Psychoses, antisocial behavior, sexual the above listed organ damage ensues.
RECOVERY
from SAD: Recovery from any chronic disease is very hard and most times the damaged tissue never completely recovers as permanent damage/death has resulted. Relapses are thus very common in fight against SAD
TREATMENT
of SAD: For any treatment to be effective, it must include treating the damaged brain with regeneration of lost tissues required for brain "reset". Also other damaged organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys, muscles, bones etc. must also heal.
Stem Cells offer a
novel approach to treating SAD instead of the typical "replacing one drug for another" approach. Stem Cells have the capability of
1. differentiating and regenerating the lost, damaged and dead tissues
2. stimulating resident stem cells in organs to differentiate and reproduce lost tissues.
3. producing other less understood changes resulting in fewer cravings and withdrawals.
Thus patient’s stop instantly without needing replacement with other drugs (in Dr. Khan's experience).
4. reset the brain to normal pre-SAD levels.
RECOVERY
Stem Cells administered intravenously are guided by chemicals released from damaged tissues to reach the brain and other damaged organs and tissues. Once at target they multiply and differentiate to repair the damage. Stem Cells also stimulate resident stem cells recruiting them to repair the damage as well. The brain is helped in the reset process and other organs are rejuvenated with repair of damage. They are restored to their pre-SAD physical state and level of function.