Regenerative Medicine
Regenerative Medicine harnesses the power of the human body to regenerate tissue, accelerate healing, reactivate hair follicles, heal wounds, and alleviate pain.
What is Regenerative Medicine?
Regenerative medicine is a form of tissue engineering and molecular biology which deals with the "process of replacing, engineering or regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish "normal function". When injured or invaded by disease, our bodies have the innate response to heal and defend. Harnessing and enhancing the body's own regenerative powers is a medical practice at the frontier of present-day advancements whose properties may seem miraculous to those who benefit from them. The miracle, however, is the result of scientific exploration that has begun to unlock and utilize the body's extraordinary ability to heal a nd restore itself.
Many patients have turned to regenerative medicine for a treatment option that may help them recover from sports injuries, alleviate chronic pain and even combat aging.
How Does Regenerative Medicine Work?
Cells are the building blocks of tissue, and tissues are the basic unit of function in the body. Generally, groups of cells make and secrete their support structures, called the extracellular matrix. This matrix, or scaffold, does more than just support the cells; it also acts as a relay station for various signaling molecules. Thus, cells receive messages from many sources that become available from the environment.
Each signal can start a chain of responses that determine what happens to the cell. Through medical technology, we can now understand how individual cells respond to signals, interact with their environment and organize themselves into a healing process.
What can Regenerative Medicine be Used For?
Pain Management
With the epidemic of opioid abuse so prevalent, clinicians are looking for other methods to treat pain and injuries through injection therapy, and patients, in turn, are looking for non-invasive options to avoid any type of surgical procedure. With the advancement of medical technology, regenerative medicine is now a popular and successful alternative to treat the management of pain.
Sports Injuries
Regenerative medicine therapies offer a new and efficient treatment option that can augment the body's natural healing process and rebuild damaged tissue. When treating articular cartilage injuries, for example, regenerative medicine therapies can both overcome the limited ability of the cartilage to self-repair by providing either new cells or growth factors needed to repair the existing cells. Studies indicate that such techniques can improve the efficacy and consistency of treatment and reduce the potential for future injuries in the same location. Professional and recreational athletes now have a safe and efficient alternative to surgery that not only resolves pain but also thoroughly heals difficult injuries.
Anti-Aging
Regenerative medicine is gaining popularity in the fight against aging. Anti-aging procedures are becoming the fastest-growing treatment in cosmetics. Treatments being utilized include platelet-rich plasma, also known as the Vampire Face Lift, bone marrow aspirate, amnion liquid, and umbilical cord tissues and blood, all being marketed as "stem cell therapy".
To hear more about our regenerative therapy, feel free to contact us at one of our locations. You can call the Smithtown center at (631) 724-1991 or call the West Islip center at (631) 661-1400.
Read more about Regenerative Medicine | Regenerative Medicine: A patient's Guide
