What Is Aging?
Aging is a natural process when the number of cells dying each day starts to outweigh the number of new cells is being created to replace the former. New cells are formed from mother cells which in turn are formed by stem cells. Stem cells dwindle with age and therefore the effects of aging are really the effects of reduced stem cells. Thus, adult stem cells have the ability to regenerate the tissue from which they are derived over the lifespan of an individual. When we age at the cellular level, particularly stem cells, we are changing our approach to the aging process in general. Stem cell therapy holds great promise as a key agent in reversing aging damage and restoring some degree of youthful health.
What Is Wellness?
Wellness refers to the state of the body and mind which are in harmony and balance with it and each other. In wellness, the body and mind will thrive, exude positiveness and creativity, and are ready to accept challenges. Through stem cell therapy, some changes that can be observed include characteristics such as increased mental acuity, better sexual response, improved skin tone, and restoration of natural hair color.
What Are Stem Cells?
Stem cells help to create new cells in existing healthy tissues and may help repair tissues in areas that are injured or damaged. They are the basis for the specific cell types that make up each organ in the body. Stem cells are distinguished from other cells by a few important characteristics; they have the ability to self-renew; the ability to divide for a long period of time; and, under certain conditions, it can be induced to differentiate into specialized cells with distinct functions. The ability of cells to differentiate into a variety of other cells is termed multipotency.
Types of Stem Cells
In general, there are two types of stem cells, Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) and Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs).
1. Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs)
The stem cells that form blood and immune cells are known as HSCs. As its name suggests, HSCs are stem cells that have the ability to turn into all the blood cell types such as red blood cells and white blood cells. Due to this, HSCs are more suitable for use in treating blood-related disorders such as Thalassemia Major, certain types of leukaemia and other inherited blood diseases. Processes that are used to obtain HSCs from the human body are bone marrow aspiration, apheresis, and cord blood collection at birth.
2. Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSCs)
MSCs are human stem cells that have so far demonstrated the greatest ability to turn into other tissue types including the nerves, the heart muscle, blood vessels, cartilage, bone, collagen-producing cells, fat tissue, insulin-producing cells, kidney cells, liver cells and skin. In addition, the MSCs are immunoprivileged which means that they will not be killed by the host’s immune defence cells and neither will they cause a reaction. MSCs do not just restore stem cells but also salvage and revive any weak stem cells in the host.
