‘Stem-Cell Tourism’ Called
Risky Biz
By McClatchy-Tribune, BostonHerald.com
U.S. researchers worry about a rise in “stem-cell tourism” as
foreign clinics promote treatments for diseases such as multiple
sclerosis and Alzheimer’s.
They contend that doctors from Ukraine to Mexico are pitching risky
procedures on the Internet to vulnerable patients, with no science
to back up their claims.
Quadriplegic Jessica Grimm, 27, of Arlington, Texas, traveled to
Costa Rica last month for a controversial stem-cell treatment that’s
unavailable in the United States.
“I was actually able to take a few steps on my own before I left,
which I’ve never done,” she said. “My mom was crying.”
Doctors told her it could take months to see results. And it’s
possible that the real credit for her footsteps should go not to the
cell injections, but to the strenuous physical therapy she did in
Costa Rica.
“I don’t know if it was the physical therapy or the stem cells. But
it definitely showed me I need to get back into physical therapy,”
Grimm said. “If I can build more muscle, there’s no telling.”
Proven stem-cell treatments exist for only a handful of conditions,
mainly affecting the blood and immune system. But advocates believe
that the cells can be used to repair damaged or diseased tissue in
many parts of the body.
Laurie Zoloth, who directs the Center for Bioethics, Science and
Society at Northwestern University, said without controlled trials,
stem-cell clinics have no evidence that their treatments work.
“They’re not doing science. They’re selling a product and making
claims. But they have no way to test it, no way to make it safe,”
Zoloth said.
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