The Medical Awareness Institute (MAI), a 501-C-3 Public
Benefit Corporation based in San Diego, is dedicated to serving the
educational, medical and health information needs of multi-cultural
communities through a virtual network of professional service providers and
organizations providing educational programs and pioneering new solutions
for general wellbeing.
Stem cells are biological cells found in all multicellular organisms, that
can divide (through mitosis) and differentiate into diverse specialized cell
types and can self-renew to produce more stem cells. In mammals, there are
two broad types of stem cells: embryonic stem cells, which are isolated from
the inner cell mass of blastocysts, and adult stem cells, which are found in
various tissues. In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as
a repair system for the body, replenishing adult tissues. In a developing
embryo, stem cells can differentiate into all the specialized cells (these
are called pluripotent cells), but also maintain the normal turnover of
regenerative organs, such as blood, skin, or intestinal tissues.
Stem cells can now be artificially grown and transformed into specialized
cell types with characteristics consistent with cells of various tissues
such as muscles or nerves through cell culture. Highly plastic adult stem
cells are routinely used in medical therapies. Stem cells can be taken from
a variety of sources, including umbilical cord blood and bone marrow.
Embryonic cell lines and autologous embryonic stem cells generated through
therapeutic cloning have also been proposed as promising candidates for
future therapies.[1] Research into stem cells grew out of findings by Ernest
A. McCulloch and James E. Till at the University of Toronto in the
1960s.[2][3]
There are three sources of autologous adult stem cells: 1) Bone marrow,
which requires extraction by harvesting, that is, drilling into bone
(typically the femur or illiac crest), 2) Adipose tissue (lipid cells),
which requires extraction by liposuction, and 3) Blood, which requires
extraction through pheresis, wherein blood is drawn from the donor, (similar
to a blood donation) passed through a machine that extracts the stem cells
and returns other portions of the blood to the donor.
Of all stem cell types, autologous harvesting involves the least risk. By
definition, autologous cells are obtained from one's own body, just as one
may bank his or her own blood for elective surgical procedures.
Dr. Jensen has worked in clinical research for 10 years using umbilical
cells. He has had at this point many anecdotal successes with patients
calling to relate their results.
There is a thesaurus of unexpected benefits that patients noticed relating
to improvements that they had not mentioned or even noticed when they
presented for treatment. These patients were not coached or led to expect
certain types of relief from their disease and certainly not subjected to
the power of suggestion on problems they did not realize they even had. At
one times several open real time blogs were set up for the posting of
patient comments and hundreds of miraculous accountings were posted
unsolicited. Dr. Jensen is an international doctor who continues research
and work around the world outside of his home country of USA. Most recently
he has worked in an animal charity to help injured wounded horses and house
pets with umbilical stem cells.
