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FUTUREADVISOR.com is a free investment advisor

FutureAdvisor is an investment advisor that takes academically researched portfolio management principles and applies them to your situation. Our recommendation algorithms are based on these principles and academic works.

1. Index Investing: more effective than picking stocks

FutureAdvisor’s algorithmic portfolio recommendations favor low-fee index funds. Not only do low-fee index funds perform better in the long run [1], academic research shows that they’re also more tax efficient. This is because the frantic buying and selling that human fund managers do in a futile effort to time the market generate tax liability, which is then passed on to you the investor. One study found that over 20 years 92% of all mutual funds underperformed index funds after fees and taxes [2].

Bogle

2. Personalized Diversification: capture returns, lower risk

FutureAdvisor recommends a specific portfolio for your age, risk tolerance, and investment time horizon using industry-standard benchmarks such as Morningstar’s Lifetime Allocation Indexes [3] and work by David Swensen, head of the Yale University Endowment [4]. As the famous Callan Periodic Table of Investment Returns shows [5], in some years stocks beat bonds, in other years it’s emerging markets, or real estate, or some other asset class. Broad diversification helps capture these long-term returns of the market and reduces risk.

Bernstein

3. Keep Fees Low: you get what you don’t pay for

FutureAdvisor makes your portfolio fees transparent and helps you pick lower fee options that will likely perform better as well. Investment fees significantly drag down your portfolio growth because the money you pay in fees never get a chance to grow and this compounds over time to be a significant loss. According to Morningstar, the best way to choose a fund that will do the best in the future is to look for low fees [6]. In short, any fees you pay now directly lower your wealth [7].

Swensen

4. Rebalancing: 10 minutes a year will increase returns

FutureAdvisor reminds you to re-balance your portfolio to produce higher, more stable returns by locking in gains and managing risk. Research has shown that quarterly re-balancing can produce smoother returns. For example, from 1992 to 2002 a rebalanced portfolio yielded 0.4% more return each year [8]. Re-balancing controls your portfolio’s risk exposure rather than letting it drift with the market. Invariably, non-rebalanced portfolios suffer greater losses during market downturns [9].

Rosenbloom

5. Value and Small Cap: for even greater long term return

FutureAdvisor takes your portfolio beyond the basics for even greater expected return by helping you lean your portfolio towards Small Cap and Value funds, both in the United States and internationally. Seminal research by economists Eugene Fama and Kenneth French, now referred to as the Three-Factor model, showed that over the long run this leaning outperforms more traditional capitalization-weighted indices such as the S&P500 in the United States, and held true for 19 out of 20 international countries [10].

Horan

About Performance: Past success is no indication of future results

Active fund managers will often display their returns over the last X years and pick a window of time that makes them look good. The big myth here is that just because a fund did well last year, it’ll do well next year too. In academic research on finance, plenty have been written to disprove this myth, and if you’re interested a good place to start is Burton Malkiel’s seminal paper “Returns from Investing in Equity Mutual Funds 1971-1991”[11]

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References & Citations

Don’t just take our word for it, look through the research here.

  1. John Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group: see his article in the Wall Street Journal and his speech at Columbia University for a fundamental discussion of index investing, the investment philosophy behind FutureAdvisor.
  2. Robert Arnott, Visiting Professor of Finance at UCLA: see his research showing that 92% of mutual funds underperformed index funds when taxes are taken into account. “Arnott, Robert. Berkin, Andrew L. Ye, Jia. The Management and Mismanagement of Taxable Assets.” Investment Management Reflections No. 2″ (PDF). 2000.
  3. Ibbotson SBBI 2010 Classic Yearbook, “Market Returns for Stocks, Bonds, Bills, and Inflation 1926-2009”. This work on Lifecycle Asset Allocation is itself based on prior literature from, among others, Chen, Ibbotson, Milevsky, and Zhu [2006, 2007] as well as Bodie, Merton, and Samuelson [1992] and Viceira [2002].
  4. David Swensen, Chief Investment Officer, Yale Endowment: see his seminal book Unconventional Success: A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment (2005) ISBN 0-7432-2838-3, Free Press
  5. http://www.callan.com/research/periodic/
  6. http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/11/fund-expenses-more-important-than-five-star-status/
  7. This phrase is often attributed to John Bogle, the founder of Vanguard. For more, seehttp://www.vanguard.com/bogle_site/sp20050202.htm
  8. See Table 6.4 “Rebalancing Smoothes the Market Cycles”. Swensen; page 196
  9. As bubbles form (whether it’s the dot-com bubble or the housing bubble) those assets outperform other assets for a little while. During this period of outperformance, an unrebalanced portfolio becomes skewed towards this asset class. As such, when the correction occurs more of your portfolio than you had anticipated is exposed to that downturn.
  10. See “Value vs. Growth: The International Evidence” at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2358 For more, see Kenneth French’s website of data and working papers athttp://mba.tuck.dartmouth.edu/pages/faculty/ken.french/data_library.html
  11. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6119

Using culinary descriptions to describe biochemical wisdom

Cafe au lait, port wine and anchovy sauce all help doctors diagnose disease.

These culinary descriptions pepper most medical textbooks, helping physicians identify often unusual ailments – from harmless birthmarks to sight-threatening conditions.

Dr Ritu Lakhtakia, from Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, described these titbits of knowledge in the journal Medical Humanities.

She says they were an integral part of her medical degree, making hard scientific facts less dry and huge chunks of biochemical wisdom more palatable.

Cafe au lait

Cafe au lait spots Cafe au lait spots look like a dash of coffee and milk, according to medical text books

Food imagery has been used in medicine for many years. Here is an easy one to start with.

Cafe au lait spots – flat patches of milk-coffee coloured skin are a tell-tale sign of diseases such as neurofibromatosis in which usually non-cancerous masses grow along nerves.

More solitary spots can be seen in people without disease too.

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Cherries

Blood vessels at the back of the eyeWhen a vessel occludes at the back of the eye a cherry red spot can be seen at the centre

And visions of fruit can give doctors clues to diseases that are much harder to see.

A cherry red spot at the back of the eye suggests the main vessel supplying blood to the eye has been blocked – an emergency situation, which needs immediate medical attention.

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Splashes of port

Port wine stains are harmless marks seen on the facePort wine stains are commonly seen on the face

And harmless birthmarks that look like a splash of a favourite tipple are described in medical text as port wine stains.

The relatively common marks are caused by areas of small, abnormal blood vessels and can vary in hue from deep red to purple.

About one in 3,000 babies is born with one and laser treatment can help them fade.

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Growing grapes

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria can resemble grapes Bacteria can sometimes grow in clusters that resemble grapes

Grapes crop up in various guises, not just in their alcoholic form.

Some bacteria, such as staphylococcus aureus, that are often present harmlessly on our skin, can resemble bunches of grapes as they grow.

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Seeds

An x-ray showing miliary TBX-rays can show how TB can spread throughout the chest like tiny seeds

The chest X-ray above shows miliary tuberculosis – a form of TB where the disease has spread around the body in a manner that is said to look like a scattering of millet seeds.

Some people with tuberculosis can develop masses of bacteria in their lungs. And if you were to inspect them more closely they are said to resemble and have the consistency of soft cheese – medical students learn of them as caseating (cheese-like) granulomas.

Dr Lakhtakia says: “For me it changed forever the delights of the cheese counter at the delicatessen.”

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Pickled livers

She mentions perhaps even less palatable phrases including anchovy sauce – a term used to illustrate the dark pus seen in certain liver abscesses.

But more popular treats have not escaped this medical treatment. Chocolate cysts can help diagnose a condition called endometriosis, when tissue behaving like the lining of the womb is found outside the uterus.

It can cause the ovaries to fill with a dark fluid akin to chocolate.

Yet perhaps most ubiquitous of all is the common beer-belly – used by doctors and patients alike to describe a stomach that has had a few too many.

Drinking too much alcohol can contribute to obesityDrinking too much alcohol can contribute to obesity

Dr Lakhtakia now uses food to teach her students – often walking round with samples of nutmeg and turmeric to help illustrate some of the more colourful workings of the inner body.

She says turmeric can match the urine of patients with severe jaundice, while nutmeg helps illustrate the appearance of congested livers.

They need fairly strong stomachs, she says.

Lack of exercise, poor diet and education are risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease

One in three cases of Alzheimer’s disease worldwide is preventable, according to research from the University of Cambridge.

The main risk factors for the disease are a lack of exercise, smoking, depression and poor education, it says.

Previous research from 2011 put the estimate at one in two cases, but this new study takes into account overlapping risk factors.

Alzheimer’s Research UK said age was still the biggest risk factor.

Writing in The Lancet Neurology, the Cambridge team analysed population-based data to work out the main seven risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease.

These are:

  • Diabetes
  • Mid-life hypertension
  • Mid-life obesity
  • Physical inactivity
  • Depression
  • Smoking
  • Low educational attainment

They worked out that a third of Alzheimer’s cases could be linked to lifestyle factors that could be modified, such as lack of exercise and smoking.

The researchers then looked at how reducing these factors could affect the number of future Alzheimer’s cases.

“Start Quote

Simply tackling physical inactivity, for example, will reduce levels of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, and prevent some people from developing dementia”

Prof Carol BrayneUniversity of Cambridge

They found that by reducing each risk factor by 10%, nearly nine million cases of the disease could be prevented by 2050.

In the UK, a 10% reduction in risk factors would reduce cases by 8.8%, or 200,000, by 2050, they calculated.

Current estimates suggest that more than 106 million people worldwide will be living with Alzheimer’s by 2050 – more than three times the number affected in 2010.

Healthier old age

Prof Carol Brayne, from the Institute of Public Health at the University of Cambridge, said: “Although there is no single way to treat dementia, we may be able to take steps to reduce our risk of developing dementia at older ages.

“We know what many of these factors are, and that they are often linked.

“Simply tackling physical inactivity, for example, will reduce levels of obesity, hypertension and diabetes, and prevent some people from developing dementia.

“As well as being healthier in old age in general, it’s a win-win situation.”

Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, said there was still much to discover about the disease.

“While age is the biggest risk factor for most cases of Alzheimer’s, there are a number of lifestyle and general health factors that could increase or decrease a person’s chances of developing the disease.

“However, we still do not fully understand the mechanisms behind how these factors are related to the onset of Alzheimer’s.”

Investment

Dr Ridley said there were more than 820,000 people in the UK living with dementia, and an ageing population would lead to spiralling numbers being affected.

“As there is still no certain way to prevent Alzheimer’s, research must continue to build the strongest evidence around health and environmental factors to help individuals reduce their risk.”

He added: “This new study also highlights that many cases are not due to modifiable risk factors which underlines the need to drive investment into new treatment research.”

Of the seven risk factors, the largest proportion of cases of Alzheimer’s in the US, UK and the rest of Europe can be attributed to physical inactivity.

The study says about a third of the adult population in these countries are physically inactive.

Physical inactivity is also linked to increased risks of other health problems, such as cancers and cardiovascular diseases.

A UK medical charity has called for more work into diet and dementia risk.

The best current advice is to eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, not smoke, take regular exercise and keep blood pressure and cholesterol in check, said Alzheimer’s Research UK.

“Start Quote

There is a clear need for conclusive evidence about the effect of diet on our risk of Alzheimer’s, which can only come from large-scale, long-term studies”

Dr Simon RidleyAlzheimer’s Research UK

The research looked at nutrients in blood, rather than relying on questionnaires to assess a person’s diet.

US experts analysed blood samples from 104 healthy people with an average age of 87 who had few known risk factors for Alzheimer’s.

They found those who had more vitamin B, C, D and E in their blood performed better in tests of memory and thinking skills. People with high levels of omega 3 fatty acids – found mainly in fish – also had high scores. The poorest scores were found in people who had more trans fats in their blood.

Trans fats are common in processed foods, including cakes, biscuits and fried foods.

The researchers, from Oregon Health and Science University, Portland; Portland VA Medical Center; and Oregon State University, Corvallis, then carried out brain scans on 42 of the participants.

They found individuals with high levels of vitamins and omega 3 in their blood were more likely to have a large brain volume; while those with high levels of trans fat had a smaller total brain volume.

Study author Gene Bowman of Oregon Health and Science University said: “These results need to be confirmed, but obviously it is very exciting to think that people could potentially stop their brains from shrinking and keep them sharp by adjusting their diet.”

‘Strong potential’

Co-author Maret Traber of the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University said: “The vitamins and nutrients you get from eating a wide range of fruits, vegetables and fish can be measured in blood biomarkers.

Making your retirement plan what you wish for

A retirement plan for health care pros and docs

  • Tax free
  • Zero market risk
  • Health benefits for terminal and chronic illness added at no cost
  • In 50 US states
  • Using 5 indexing strategies of wealth accumulation
  • Call Connie Dello Buono 408-854-1883 motherhealth@gmail.com after you read the above ppt presentation materials. This pension plan is for all working and self-employed adults in the USA from age 25 to 65 yrs of age. Who has only been getting 1% return from their CDs and negative returns from other investments, no pension, wants an exempt assets for health insurance reasons and for better returns.

business card connie

 

 

Happy Birthday to my firstborn Dominic, now 20

Happy Birthday my son Dominic
As my firstborn, you were showered with joy and love
I adore you, when you were a baby as you smile like a Buddha
And it seems that the world revolves around you and I
My cares are gone as I hold you in my arms
You cried the whole night, when I slept without you
On the first night your baby sister was born at home
And you worry more when we tried to find your missing sis
In the crowded mall, as I told you to be the other care taker of your sis
And I love that you love your sister as I told you always.
So lighted up is your face, each time you see me
Waiting for your mom to be nurtured and nourished
I stayed home for 3 years
when you and your sister Esther were young
For we could not find a deserving baby sitter
Your dad and I took turn in ensuring your care 24/7
Yes, it maybe taxing and you say expensive
It is not so expensive, as you were born at home with midwives
And seldom got sick and was breastfed.
Yes, I love the way you deal with problems and issues in life
You are so grown and a better person than me in some ways
You care for your friends and give advice to them
I am glad and proud you became a generous and caring adult
Not spoiled for you love thrift stores and classy clothes at same time
Wish you outgrow computer games but if that is what relaxes you
I cannot control you, your freedom will make you creative and powerful
Be open to opportunities and learn things around you
Have courage in driving, you are cautious than most
I trust you always, but I still have to hear from you daily
Although we seldom see and talk anymore, I know you love me
As I love you always and forever.
As a working student, working as computer technician and going to
De Anza college, wish you can finish college soon
But you told me, that you wanted to help me by being a working student
And that you promise me not to marry until you are close to 40
And that you promise not to give me grandchildren yet.
I love that you dance Tango with me
And call me mother though I want mom
And that you now love to eat garlic
And still would let me massage you when you are sick
I remembered giving you massage each bath during the first years of your life
You are my first homebirth and first in every experience as a mother
It is worth it, you are now a full adult with wisdom far greater than your age
Thank God, although you only promised to go with me to Catholic church once a year
I know you are spiritual
And soulful in the way you select your friends,cared for your sister and love your parents
You are not rebellious, but in some way you showed it in the way you dress so hip and cool
so elegant like the rennaisance and classic man
You bought your GF a gift that cost you half of your month’s pay
No bachelor in the bayarea would do
But you are you, Dominic
For I choose that name to help you create your own destiny , you only can choose
And so as you live your life, share and love more
For in giving you will find fullfilment
And hopefully, you become an enterpreneur for you can create more things
And be a greater influence in the world.
In your own ways, I love you always and forever.
Mom
Connie Dello Buono
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Stem cell injections for osteoarthritis

Stem cell injections for osteoarthritis

Bone defects are one of the most serious problems patients and doctors are facing and leading stimulus for new research centering on the need for new tissue regeneration therapies. Studies on mesenchymal stem cells are changing the way we treat bone diseases. Stem cells have been used for the treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta, hypophosphatasia, osteonecrosis of the femoral head, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.1

Mesenchymal stem cells in joint disease and repair

In new research, doctors note that Mesenchymal stem cells are known to have a potential for articular cartilage regeneration, however this favorable research is centered on surgical implant of the stem cells. Now doctors have found that for the treatment of generalized cartilage loss in osteoarthritis, an alternative delivery strategy would be more appropriate and that is injection therapy.2

For those of us effected by osteoarthritis we know the impact it can have on quality of life. The research surrounding an effective treatment for osteoarthritis has yet to find an approved pharmacological intervention, biologic therapy or procedure that prevents the progressive destruction of the osteoarthritis joint. Stem cell injections for osteoarthritis (your own stem cells) can help maintenance healthy tissues by acting as repair cells or to reduce inflammation. The injection of Mesenchymal stem cells has produced promising outcomes in preclinical models of joint disease.3

Researching stem cell injections for osteoarthritis

In dealing with knee osteoarthritis, research notes that conventional treatments for osteoarthritis have demonstrated only modest clinical benefits and without cartilage repair. However, what research is also confirming is that stem cell therapies have shown encouraging results. They have confirmed feasibility and safety and strong indications of clinical efficacy were identified. Patients exhibited rapid and progressive improvement. . . “Stem Cell therapy may be a valid alternative treatment for chronic knee osteoarthritis. The intervention is simple, does not require hospitalization or surgery, provides pain relief, and significantly improves cartilage quality.” 4

Advancements in Treating Chronic Joint Pain with Stem Cells

If you suffer from crippling, degenerative joint disease – stem cell therapy may be the breakthrough treatment you are looking for.

The Magaziner Center for Wellness has longed been a recognized leader in utilizing advanced, non-surgical options for degenerative joint disease, arthritis, tendonitis, and for quick, strong repair of sports’ related injuries. This now includes Stem Cell Therapy for patients coming to our Cherry Hill, New Jersey regenerative orthopaedic center.

What is Stem Cell Therapy?

As practiced at the Magaziner Center for Wellness, Stem cells are derived from the patient. Mesenchymal stem cells are found in the bone marrow, fat, and possibly in other tissues and are responsible for rebuilding and regenerating the body.

These stem cells help the body renew and heal itself. Mesenchymal stem cells are also able to differentiate into ligaments, tendons, and cartilage, and maintain a special role in the non-surgical treatment of osteoarthritis, treatment of chronic pain, and sports injuries.

What is so promising is that that stem cells may have the potential to prevent a knee, hip, shoulder or ankle replacement or fusion, repair a torn rotator cuff or labrum, and heal a meniscus tear of the knee. Our body possesses the power of repair in the stem cell, but it often will need to be concentrated in an area of injury or chronic degeneration to be truly effective.

Symptoms associated with the following conditions possibly treated by Stem cell injections for osteoarthritis:

* Rotator cuff tendonitis

* Biceps tendonitis

* Osteochondral defects

* Osteochondritis dessicans

* Labral tears of the hip and shoulder

* Chronic epicondylitis (tennis and golfer’s elbow)

* Non-healing fractures

* Osteoarthritis

* Ligament injuries

* Degenerative disc disease

* Sciatica

* Chronic neck and back pain

* Headaches

* Post concussion syndrome

* TMJ

* Chronic groin and hamstring strains

* avascular necrosis of the hip

Stem cell therapy is performed by extracting stem cells from the body, purifying them, and then injecting them back into the damaged area. The stem cells cannot work alone, and they require help from growth and support factors found in other tissues and blood.

We follow strict FDA guidelines in the use of stem cells, and at no time do we manipulate, expand, or grow stem cells in culture. We believe the best stem cell therapies are derived from the patient in high concentration, and placed back into the area of treatment. Manipulation and replication of stem cells in culture may inactivate these cells and may also lead to the development a of mutation that could lead to cancer. The use of the patient’s own adult stem cells, as is performed at the Magaziner Center, avoids this problem.

The area of injury or arthritis is treated with both stem cells and platelet rich plasma (PRP). If stem cells are the seeds in the lawn, PRP is the fertilizer that helps the lawn grow. PRP, a combination of growth factors and platelets naturally found in the body, provides cell signals and nourishment to help the stem cells flourish and develop into new joints, ligaments, tendons, and other body parts. PRP not only triggers stem cell development, but can also help stem cells regenerate on their own inside the body, and can also attract circulating stem cells to the area of injury. We have used PRP alone in the treatment of many injuries and pain problems.

Most cases of stem cell and PRP treatments are successful, and avoid the pain, disability, down time, and risk associated with major surgery. There is minimal recovery from a stem cell or PRP treatment, usually mediated by soreness in the area that was treated, and there is also a risk of bruising. There have been no reports of serious adverse effects in the scientific literature when adult mesenchymal stem cells are used in these procedures. Afterwards, the patient is encouraged to use the joint normally, and follow up treatments of PRP are given in monthly intervals to continue to allow the stem cells to do their work. Since stem cell treatment is very safe, it can be repeated in the joint if necessary to obtain optimal results. Also, having treatment with stem cells would not make a person ineligible for surgery.

Our treatment plan of joint injuries and chronic pain is also unique when compared to other practices. We have specialized, since 1999, in the non-surgical treatment of joint injuries, using techniques such as prolotherapy to regenerate joint tissue. As of 2010, we had performed over 45,000 of these procedures. This experience allows us to take a dual approach to joint injury with the use of stem cells and PRP to treat within the joint, and the use of prolotherapy to strengthen and regenerate the supporting structure of the joint. A holistic view of orthopaedics is also followed in several ways, as we look not only at the injured joint, but at where the problem originates, whether that is with a tilt in the pelvis, abnormal gait (walking cycle), spinal misalignment or, for example, with acquired weakness in the foot leading to excessive pronation and a drop in the arch.

Furthermore, the whole person is treated at the Magaziner Center, where a full discussion of diet, exercise, lifestyle, and supplementation is reviewed. We employ medical weight management programs if necessary to help take pressure off the joint. We believe a comprehensive and cohesive approach to joint injury will yield the greatest results and help to prevent surgery. We have had the opportunity to treat anyone from professional athletes to patients who have suffered for decades with chronic pain, and invite you to schedule a consultation with us to see how we can help you.

1. Desiderio V, Tirino V, Papaccio G, Paino F. Bone defects: Molecular and cellular therapeutic targets. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2014 Apr 2;51C:75-78. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2014.03.025. [Epub ahead of print]

2. Jo CH, Lee YG, Shin WH, Kim H, Chai JW, Jeong EC, Kim JE, Shim H, Shin JS, Shin IS, Ra JC, Oh S, Yoon KS. Intra-articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: A proof-of-concept clinical trial. Stem Cells. 2014 Jan 21. doi: 10.1002/stem.1634. [Epub ahead of print]

3. Barry F, Murphy M. Mesenchymal stem cells in joint disease and repair. Nat Rev Rheumatol. 2013 Jul 23. doi: 10.1038/nrrheum.2013.109. [Epub ahead of print]

4. Orozco L, Munar A, Soler R, et al. Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis With Autologous Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Pilot Study. Transplantation. 2013 Jun 27;95(12):1535-1541.

http://www.drmagaziner.com/stem-cell-injections-for-osteoarthritis/

————

Join us a global stem cell nutrition and skin care distributor at:

clubalthea.jeunesseglobal.com

Connie Dello Buono 408-854-1883 motherhealth@gmail.com

Injection Treatment No Help for Hamstring Injuries by Randy Dotinga

WEDNESDAY, June 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) — An expensive and unusual treatment that relies on components from a patient’s own blood doesn’t appear to speed recovery from hamstring muscle injuries, according to new research.

The treatment is favored by top athletes, but the study found no benefit from platelet-rich plasma injections, at least when administered in a certain way.

A physician who relies on the largely untested therapy says the new research misses the mark. But the study’s lead author stands by the findings, published in the June 26 issue ofThe New England Journal of Medicine.

“We found no benefit of platelet-rich plasma injections compared to placebo injections” in terms of the time athletes needed to return to playing sports and their risk of getting injured again, said study lead author Dr. Gustaaf Reurink, a sports medicine specialist with Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Hamstrings are muscles at the back of the thigh and crucial to flexing the hip and knee, said Dr. Lewis Maharam, a sports medicine specialist in New York City.

If they’re warmed up, the muscles should stretch like warm taffy, Maharam said. But if they’re not, they can become inflexible and be torn during exercise.

Injured people will find that “it hurts to run, and it may hurt to walk,” he said. “It may hurt all the time. It depends on how big the tear is.”

In the past, pro football players with torn hamstrings might need to be kept off the field for eight to 12 weeks to recover through rest and physical therapy, Maharam said. But he said platelet-rich plasma injections have made a big difference.

The goal of the treatment is to attract body-repairing stem cells to the hamstring injury, he said. To do this, a physician sends a patient’s blood to a lab for processing to remove platelets and parts of the immune system known as lymphocytes. These are injected into the patient’s body at the site of the injury and, at least, according to theory, send a cry for help to stem cells that arrive to save the day.

“When it’s done correctly, patients heal in two to three weeks maximum, and they’re back running,” Maharam said.

There are caveats. There’s no research showing that the treatment works on hamstring injuries, and insurance companies won’t cover the treatment because it’s experimental, Maharam said. He declined to pinpoint the potential cost but said the treatment is for wealthy people and pro athletes.

Study lead author Reurink said single injections cost $500 to $1,000. The number of injections needed, he said, is up for debate.

The treatment is also used for chronic tendon injuries, such as tennis elbow; new ligament and muscle injuries; knee arthritis; during some orthopedic surgeries, and even for broken bones, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. However, the orthopedic group said the treatment hasn’t been definitively proven for any condition, and the current evidence for the therapy is limited.

In the new study, researchers gave two injections of either platelet-rich plasma or saline (a placebo) to 80 athletes with hamstring injuries. The researchers tracked them for six months.

The researchers reported that the treatment appeared to have no effect. The median time to start playing sports again was 42 days for athletes in both groups. About 15 percent of athletes in both groups re-injured themselves.

Reurink said the treatment might not work because the plasma doesn’t do enough to boost the healing process.

Maharam questioned the study, saying the researchers didn’t flood the injured hamstrings via the injections or adjust the amount of plasma based on the size of the injury. Reurink responded that the researchers carefully pinpointed the injuries and used the treatment amount recommended by the manufacturer of the system that produced the plasma treatment.

“We do not know whether these results can be generalized to other interventions, such as injections with more fluid,” Reurink said. Still, research hasn’t shown that other approaches actually work, he said.

More information

For more about platelet-rich plasma therapy, visit the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

SOURCES: Gustaaf Reurink, M.D., sports medicine specialist, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Lewis Maharam, M.D., sports medicine specialist, and past president, New York chapter, American College of Sports Medicine, New York City; June 26, 2014, The New England Journal of Medicine

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2014

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Join us to be global distributors of stem cell based nutrition at :

http://www.clubalthea.jeunesseglobal.com

Connie Dello Buono 408-854-1883 motherhealth@gmail.com

New Stem Cell Therapy Procedure Could Have a Major Impact on Sports Injuries by Taylor Bloom

New Stem Cell Therapy Procedure Could Have a Major Impact on Sports Injuries

 
 

(mlbreports.com)

You are never younger than you are right now. While youth is a fleeting and priceless resource for everyone, it is especially valuable to athletes who make a living -and in some cases a brand- on using their bodies to constantly execute elite physical movements.For professional athletes, aging is an inescapable and brutal truth when injuries begin to pile up in the twilight years of a career.

In some cases this can lead to a very anti-climactic and frustrating end to some great playing days (We will miss you, Steve Nash).But it’s not all bad news for athletes who constantly have to deal with physical afflictions. For as long as pro sports have existed advances in medical technology have helped injured athletes return to playing at a quicker rate.

 
 Pitchers playing before 1974 who suffered a common injury from overuse, such as tearing their ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in the elbow, instantly had their careers ended. But when orthopedic surgeon Dr. Frank Jobe came up with a new procedure that reconstructed a pitcher’s UCL by replacing it with a different tendon from somewhere else in the body, sports medical technology scored a huge triumph and Tommy John surgery became part of every baseball fan’s vernacular.
 

While Tommy John Surgery changed a UCL tear from a career death sentence to a twelve to eighteen month rehab assignment, so too have many other procedures and rehab devices helped athletes return quicker from injury.

 

Another prime example of medical tech battling sports injuries is the anti-gravity treadmill that Kobe is using during his rehab from an achilles rupture he suffered last April. This treadmill allows athletes to experience gravitational stress when healing lower body injuries and it is helpful for strengthening Kobe’s surgically repaired achilles and getting him ready to play again at 35, an age only considered old in sports.The latest new medical procedure that can have an impact on the sports world could be stem cell therapy.

 

In Los Angeles, Dr. Rajagopalan (Dr. Raj),an orthopedic surgeon specializing in sports and fitness procedures, is performing a unique stem cell harvesting procedure somewhat similar to the treatment Kobe and other athletes have gone to Germany for to have their blood be drawn, spun in a centrifuge and reinjected into the knee, with the goal of reducing inflammation.

 This procedure can help with many different types of sports injuries that impact the musculoskeletal system such as, muscle sprains and strains, tendon inflammation, fractured bones, arthrities and degenerative disc disease. Dr. Raj explains exactly how this new stem cell therapy procedure works:
Stem cell therapy is being used around the world to regenerate or re-grow tissue in one’s body that could not regenerate itself without having harvested and injected from one’s own cells.

For example, many people suffer with torn cartilage called meniscus in the knee. It was thought in the recent past that the only modality of treatment was to cut the tissue out arthroscopically or to temporarily numb the area with cortisone injections. Now we have the ability to regenerate the tissue back to its original state before the damage occurred, and avoid surgery with immediate pain relief.

The key for athletes here is the avoidance of surgery and long recovery times being replaced by immediate relief. The ability to still repair an injury while avoiding the scalpel is invaluable for players and the franchises and fan bases that support them. And not only does it save time for athletes, in some cases it can save them a lot of money.

Take Andrew Bynum for example; when he was drafted 10th overall by the Lakers in 2005 he became the youngest player (18 years and 6 days) ever in NBA history game to play a game. He was gifted with great size and a soft touch around the rim but not with reliable knees. Last year he was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers but ended up not playing a single game due to chronic knee issues. After a lengthy rehab he signed a contract in the offseason with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The contract is for $24.6 million over two years, but only $6 million of this is guaranteed. Bynum will have to show he can play and keep his knees healthy in order to earn the entire amount.

Bynum is a member of a long list of athletes who began their careers with all the physical gifts necessary to become a great player but were unable to consistently produce for a team due to chronic injuries. These nagging injuries are exactly where Dr. Raj’s new stem cell therapy procedure has so much potential in the sports world. In some cases it can help with persistent injuries and in Andrew Bynum’s case it can potentially make him around $18 million.

Dr. Raj continues to explain the exact process of this procedure and how it is very quick and relatively painless:

The process of getting stem cell therapy starts with harvesting your own stem cells (autologous cells) from your bone marrow. This process only takes about 5 minutes and most patients report only feeling a little pressure during the aspiration. Then your bone marrow gets spun in a centrifuge for 15 minutes allowing the undifferentiated mesenchymal stem cells to separate from the platelets and blood. Our highly trained orthopedic surgeon then will inject your own stem cells into the joint or damaged tissue.

These mesenchymal stem cells have the ability to turn into cartilage, ligament, tendon, bone, nerve tissue, blood vessels, or muscle tissue. These cells find the area of damage, lock onto the DNA and read the code that tells them what to reproduce into. Because your body is preprogrammed with a genetic code the stem cells know exactly what to turn into and can only grow the same tissue you would have had before the damage. For example, you will not be able to grow more cartilage than your genetic code gave you during the peak years of your life.

Dr. Raj is not the only orthopedic surgeon performing this procedure in the U.S. “At this point many doctors over different specialities have been trained in this procedure but it important to remember that a board certified orthopedic surgeon can properly determine if stem cell therapy is the best option or surgery. Regular medical doctors may not be able to give a proper diagnosis.”

Many sports fans who hear about this procedure that uses an athlete’s own cells to treat their injuries immediately think of the treatments Kobe has been famously flying to Germany to receive. But there are clear distinctions between the treatment Kobe has been getting to help his right knee (a knee which has logged the 12th most minutes in NBA history) and this stem cell therapy procedure. “Kobe has been receiving regenerative treatments including PRP (platelet-rich plasma). Our treatment has more healing properties than PRP because we get the stem cells from bone marrow instead of blood. PRP has to be done many times and stem cell injections from bone marrow are a one time treatment.”

With all of the positive healing potential that this procedure has it may be surprising to some that it has been slow to catch on here in the U.S. But for Dr. Raj there is a clear reason for this: “Due to the lack of government funding from the Bush administration we did not have the same research happening in our universities as other countries. President Obama granted government funding in Dec. of 2010 and we are now advancing quicker than most countries. You will see stem cell therapy become main stream over the next few years.”

While Dr. Raj has privately performed this procedure on many athletes, it is mainly used to help treat the injuries and aches and pains of the average weekend warrior who is not in elite physical shape. So this story came across our sports tech radar when it was announced that Dr. Ernie Vandeweghe would undergo this procedure himself.

This is significant because Dr. Vandeweghe has quite the sports and medical background. He was drafted in 1949 by the Knicks and went on to play 6 years in the NBA while concurrently going to medical school at Columbia. He was the Lakers’ first physician when the team moved to Los Angeles in 1960 and according to ESPN LA’s Arash Markazi, “If it hadn’t been for Dr. Vandeweghe, Chick Hearn wouldn’t have been the Lakers’ play-by-play announcer, the Forum probably would have been located somewhere in the San Fernando Valley and the Lakers might never have become Hollywood’s team.”

In addition to his playing career with the Knicks and a physician job with the Lakers Dr. Ernie Vandeweghe, 84, is also a former orthopedic surgeon at the UCLA Medical School. It would be difficult to find anyone else who has a career and a life that represents the intersection of sports and medicine more than Dr. Vandeweghe. Dr. Raj considers this a huge vote of confidence for stem cell therapy:

Dr. Vandeweghe is a role model in the sports world and an educated physician, so having him undergo the procedure shows he is a credible advocate for stem cell therapy. It is safe, effective, and can work for even a man Ernie’s age.

Few professions in the world place such monetary and cultural value on physical performance as being a pro athlete.  And in a must-have-now, texting, tweeting, and snapchatting world, sports events are extremely valuable because they are DVR-proof.  Thus, television contracts, ticket prices and player salaries have all increased in recent history.

With these increases and the proximity that the rise of social media has created between players and fans comes added pressure on athletes, coaches and teams to be successful. Advances in sports medicine, such as Dr. Raj’s stem cell procedure, can help athletes respond to this pressure by keeping them healthy (in a legal and natural way).

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Photobiomodulation and stem cells

 Researchers use light to coax stem cells to repair teeth

NONINVASIVE LASER THERAPY COULD RADICALLY SHIFT DENTAL TREATMENT AND LEAD TO A HOST OF BROADER CLINICAL APPLICATIONS IN REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

 
By Kristen Kusek, Wyss Institute

Cambridge/Boston, Mass. – May 28, 2014 – A Harvard-led team is the first to demonstrate the ability to use low-power light to trigger stem cells inside the body to regenerate tissue, an advance they reported in Science Translational Medicine.  The research, led by David J. Mooney, Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), lays the foundation for a host of clinical applications in restorative dentistry and regenerative medicine more broadly, such as wound healing, bone regeneration, and more.

The team used a low-power laser to trigger human dental stem cells to form dentin, the hard tissue that is similar to bone and makes up the bulk of teeth. What’s more, they outlined the precise molecular mechanism involved, and demonstrated its prowess using multiple laboratory and animal models. 

A number of biologically active molecules, such as regulatory proteins called growth factors, can trigger stem cells to differentiate into different cell types. Current regeneration efforts require scientists to isolate stem cells from the body, manipulate them in a laboratory, and return them to the body—efforts that face a host of regulatory and technical hurdles to their clinical translation. But Mooney’s approach is different and, he hopes, easier to get into the hands of practicing clinicians.

“Our treatment modality does not introduce anything new to the body, and lasers are routinely used in medicine and dentistry, so the barriers to clinical translation are low,” said Mooney, who is also a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. “It would be a substantial advance in the field if we can regenerate teeth rather than replace them.” 

The team first turned to lead author and dentist Praveen Arany, Ph.D. ’11, who is now an Assistant Clinical Investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). At the time of the research, he was a Harvard graduate student and then postdoctoral fellow affiliated with SEAS and the Wyss Institute.

Arany took rodents to the laboratory version of a dentist’s office to drill holes in their molars, treat the tooth pulp that contains adult dental stem cells with low-dose laser treatments, applied temporary caps, and kept the animals comfortable and healthy.  After about 12 weeks, high-resolution x-ray imaging and microscopy confirmed that the laser treatments triggered the enhanced dentin formation.  

“It was definitely my first time doing rodent dentistry,” said Arany, who faced several technical challenges in performing oral surgery on such a small scale. The dentin was strikingly similar in composition to normal dentin, but did have slightly different morphological organization. Moreover, the typical reparative dentin bridge seen in human teeth was not as readily apparent in the minute rodent teeth, owing to the technical challenges with the procedure.

“This is one of those rare cases where it would be easier to do this work on a human,” Mooney said.

Next the team performed a series of culture-based experiments to unveil the precise molecular mechanism responsible for the regenerative effects of the laser treatment. It turns out that a ubiquitous regulatory cell protein called transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGF-β1) played a pivotal role in triggering the dental stem cells to grow into dentin. TGF-β1 exists in latent form until activated by any number of molecules.

Here is the chemical domino effect the team confirmed: In a dose-dependent manner, the laser first induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are chemically active molecules containing oxygen that play an important role in cellular function. The ROS activated the latent TGF-β1complex which, in turn, differentiated the stem cells into dentin.  

Nailing down the mechanism was key because it places on firm scientific footing the decades-old pile of anecdotes about low-level light therapy (LLLT), also known as Photobiomodulation (PBM).

Since the dawn of medical laser use in the late 1960s, doctors have been accumulating anecdotal evidence that low-level light therapy can stimulate all kind of biological processes including rejuvenating skin and stimulating hair growth, among others. But interestingly enough, the same laser can be also be used to ablate skin and remove hair—depending on the way the clinician uses the laser. The clinical effects of low-power lasers have been subtle and largely inconsistent. The new work marks the first time that scientists have gotten to the nub of how low-level laser treatments work on a molecular level, and lays the foundation for controlled treatment protocols. 

“The scientific community is actively exploring a host of approaches to using stem cells for tissue regeneration efforts,” said Wyss Institute Founding Director Don Ingber, “and Dave and his team have added an innovative, noninvasive and remarkably simple but powerful tool to the toolbox.” 

Next Arany aims to take this work to human clinical trials. He is currently working with his colleagues at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), which is one of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to outline the requisite safety and efficacy parameters. “We are also excited about expanding these observations to other regenerative applications with other types of stem cells,” he said.

This work was a collaboration between the Wyss Institute, Harvard SEAS, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Leder Human Biology and Translational Medicine, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and NIH, Wellman Center for Photomedicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School’s Department of Dermatology, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Science and Technology, Boston Children’s Hospital, and New York University School of Medicine.  It was funded by the Wyss Institute, Harvard Presidential Scholarship, Harvard Catalyst, Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center, NIDCR and NIH.

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