Dr Greene explains to Mahlia Lone why umbilical cord stem cell therapy is so revolutionary as a regenerative medical treatment that’s now available in Pakistan.

Please note that Good Times Magazine doesn’t support any one medical treatment over another; this content is merely informational. We recommend consulting your physician before embarking on any medical procedure

Who doesn’t want to avoid and minimise chronic illnesses? So, when I found out that Dr David Lawrence Greene, Founder and CEO of R³ Stem Cell, based in California, was bringing his groundbreaking FDA-approved treatments to Pakistan at affordable prices, I wanted to help get the word out to as many as possible.

“The root cause of no less than seventy diseases can be mitigated by stem cell therapy, whereas traditional medicine only manages the symptoms of most of these diseases, while offering no permanent cure,” Dr Greene said during his recent visit to Lahore. Stem cell therapy options are available for musculoskeletal degeneration of joints and cartilage, neurological diseases like Bell’s Palsy, Alzheimer’s and Multiple Sclerosis, cardiac problems such as peripheral arterial disease, diabetes, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and even erectile dysfunction, amongst many other serious illnesses.

However, it should be noted at this early time in stem cell research, it’s used as a supporting treatment on top of traditional medicine. Moreover, it should not be confused with embryonic stem cells, derived from aborted foetuses, which is an ethically questionable practice, illegal and is proven to cause tumours in patients.

Dr Greene explained the procedure, “Donated umbilical cords after caesarean sections, which’re otherwise medical waste, are collected at the Umbilical Cord Bank in California, a state of the art facility, where the cells are first tested for communicable diseases. From some of these stem cells, exosomes are derived that’re 4 times smaller in size and used for aesthetic improvements in face and hair, as they can pass through tiny needles. Stem cells can repair and regenerate damaged tissue anywhere in the body and can be administered in a variety of ways depending on the illness. For example, they can be injected into the spine to combat neurological diseases, at joints for arthritic issues, intravenously for organ disease, like liver or renal failure, and even intramuscularly with the number of cells needed depending on the severity of the issue and the weight of the patient. The average minimum effective number is 50 million stem cells at a time. The treatment has to be followed up as degeneration of the human body is a part of ageing.”

“A positive side effect of the treatment is that apart from the issue we aim to deal with, other functions of the body and organs improve as well. For example, patients have reported that after receiving stem cell treatment, any macular degeneration of their eyes they may have also shows improvement.”

“We’ve conducted 16,000 procedures worldwide with no adverse reactions. Stem cell therapy is a safe and effective treatment that makes your body function better,” Dr Greene said emphatically. “Our patient satisfaction rate after 1 year from treatment is 85 per cent.”

“We’re extremely selective with whom we work, and in Pakistan we chose to partner with a first class team of doctors at the London Aesthetics and Rejuvenation Centre with branches in Lahore, Islamabad and Faisalabad (the Karachi branch to become operational in the summer),” he added, satisfied with the level of care at the Pakistani centre. “Additionally, we have an export license in the U.S. and registered with the Pakistani government as well.”

“Most of the existing treatment options offered in the country are based on using a patient’s own adipose fat to derive PRP (platelet rich plasma). What we’re offering is the much more advanced umbilical cord stem cell treatment. This is not just beneficial for older patients by injecting young stem cells into them, but even for children with developmental issues, like Autism. After a course of 50 to 100 million stem cells administered three times a year, autistic children have shown remarkable improvement,” pointed out Dr Greene.

“Being an expatriate doctor in research and development, I wanted to make a significant contribution towards medical treatment for the Pakistani public,” said Dr Tauqeer Ahmed, International Director of London Aesthetics and Rejuvenation Centre.

“Specifically for women,” Dr Shaila Anwar, Lahore’s only Aesthetic Gynaecologist, who also consults at the Centre, said “non-invasive treatments, such as lasers and stem cell therapy, can be used most effectively for female issues, like weak bladder control and to alleviate menopausal dryness by increasing blood supply and boosting collagen and elastin. Earlier, more invasive surgeries were required to deal with severe incontinence issues women suffered from after normal deliveries and the passage of time. Furthermore, stem cells can even be injected into the ovaries to help conception.”

“While at this time, we don’t offer stem cell treatment for cancer, umbilical cord stem cells offer anti-inflammatory properties that work as prevention against forming cancers in the future,” said Dr Greene. “We even offer effective treatment for lungs post Covid-19, by easily administering stem cells to the patient through a nebuliser.”