For people who are suffering from painful arthritis of the knee, an autologous bone marrow stem cell procedure is the only treatment that addresses the cause of the problem and has the potential to reverse some of the damage instead of just masking the pain.
This is why I consider a stem cell treatment to be the best option for treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee. The treatment is: safe, effective, does not change the anatomy of the joint, can be repeated with no adverse effects, does not require surgery or anesthesia, and there is minimal downtime after the procedure. If you contrast this with other treatments, such as medication, lubricating agents, and surgery, there is no comparison.
Medications and lubricating agents just mask the pain and do not address the cause of the pain. Medications also have significant side effects. Surgery can create more trauma and forever changes the normal anatomy of the joint. There is also significant downtime after surgery.
We offer this modern, safe and effective treatment to our patients with osteoarthritis of the knee and osteoarthritis of other joints, such as the hip joint.
Below you will find an easy to read transcript of Dr. Warren Bleiweiss’ podcast interview. You can listen to the podcast or simply read the easy to follow transcript below. Enjoy!
Podcast Interview:
RC: Hello everyone, this is Liz Harvey coming to you from our studios in New York City where we are dedicated to bringing you top quality advice from many of the leading expert professionals across the U.S.
In today’s episode, we are speaking with Dr. Warren J. Bleiweiss about the exciting field of regenerative medicine. He is a graduate of New York University School of Medicine, and is board-certified in both Anesthesiology and Pain Management. His long list of accomplishments includes leadership experience as a hospital anesthesiology department director, the inventor of a patented medical device, and the founder of one of the first multi-disciplinary pain management centers in New Jersey. He is a strong believer of the body’s innate ability to heal itself. He believes his job as a physician is to find a way to activate that healing mechanism by using non-surgical treatment protocols without utilizing drugs.
Dr. Bleiweiss has been practicing regenerative medicine protocols such as ozone, stem cell, and PRP. He pioneered the oxygen ozone disc injection therapy to treat herniated discs in the United States and North America, which is a powerful regenerative treatment. This medical ozone injection procedure has enabled the vast majority of his patients to recover from herniated disc conditions without surgery or medication.
Dr. Bleiweiss is a member of the American Academy of Stem Cell Physicians. He has been successfully treating patients for over 30 years. Dr. Bleiweiss specializes in minimally invasive alternative treatments that heal patients with surgery or potentially harmful medications. His treatment protocols are specifically designed to activate the body’s innate ability to recover and regenerate. His practice has been producing excellent results by utilizing these alternative methods.
We previously discussed oxygen ozone treatments with Dr. Bleiweiss, and today we are focusing on another aspect of regenerative medicine, stem cell treatments for osteoarthritis of the knee.
Hello, Dr. Bleiweiss. How are you today?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: I’m good, thank you.
RC: Well, thanks so much for joining me.
So, people listening to this podcast are most likely searching for help with osteoarthritis. They may not know much about stem cell treatments, so can you start us off with a brief summary of what a stem cell treatment is and why it is considered a regenerative medicine treatment?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: Yes, I’d love to. Up until very recently, we did not have the technology to do these types of stem cell treatments. Now we do and it’s very fortunate because it’s a real game changer in modern medicine. Stem cells are the most important cells in the body. Without stem cells, we couldn’t survive. When necessary, they’re capable of repairing and transforming into any other cell in the body.
Just to give an example of what stem cells are capable of and how they could transform the innate intrinsic intelligence of the cell in general and of the body in general, I want you to think about what happens after an egg is fertilized. And how that one single cell, it’s just one cell at that point, changes into, eventually becoming an entire human body with nerve cells and blood vessels and every organ that we have and hair and skin, et cetera, et cetera. That all happens through the innate intelligence of these cells and the ability of these stem cells, which they are when we’re first conceived, to be able to change into any other cell in the body.
The good thing is that we have throughout life a supply of these stem cells in areas like the bone marrow and around blood vessels, and they retain the ability to change into other cells and to help repair and nourish damaged cells. The bad news is that as we age the amount of cells will dwindle. Let’s say comparing to when we’re first born to when we’re 30 years old, we have about 50% of the stem cells supply that we had when we were born left, and when we’re 60 years old, that goes down to about 5%. I remember when I was a child, if I had an injury, I cut myself, I scrape myself or twisted my knee, it would heal very quickly. Now that I’m older, it takes a lot longer to heal, and after studying this topic for many years, I know that in large part that’s due to the fact that I have less stem cells at my age.
Now, the good news is that the stem cell treatments that we have are able to take the body’s stem cells and concentrate them in an area where we actually need the extra help, for example, osteoarthritis of the knee. The cartilage has become degenerative over time either from repeated use or injuries or other medical conditions, and we could take the stem cells that we have and inject them into the knee joint and help that knee joint repair. There are many types of stem cell treatments I use. What we call autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells, those are stem cells from our own body that are taken from the bone marrow and injected into the structure that needs to be repaired.
For someone with osteoarthritis of the knee, what is involved in the stem cell treatment process?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: It’s a same-day outpatient procedure. It’s done under local anesthesia. A small amount of stem cells are harvested under precise guidance from a site that we know has a very high concentration of stem cells. We use the bone marrow, which is harvested from the sacroiliac area. It’s done under local anesthesia, as I said, and then they’re injected into a very specific location in the knee joint. After the procedure, the patient goes home and they can work the next day unless they have a job that requires strenuous physical activity. But I would like to point out that this is not a cookie-cutter procedure. What I just gave you is a very generalized description of the process, but this procedure is very specialized and personalized towards a particular individual’s need and their unique condition and their unique requirements.
The first step in the treatment that I feel is one of the most important steps is the initial consultation at which time I perform a very detailed history and examination, and I go over all of the options with the patient and decide which treatment is the best treatment for that patient. And then there’s the procedure, which I described and then there’s the follow-up treatment, which is an ongoing treatment follow-up, and it’s just as important as the procedure and just as important as the initial consultation because the stem cells, like any other living tissue, need to be nurtured. I mean, they’re being taken from one environment where they thrive and being put in another environment.
So, you could think of it like a tree that’s being transplanted. You order a new tree for your property like an evergreen tree, and the gardener brings it over and plants it. Well, that’s not the end of the story. I mean, you have to water it. You have to fertilize it. Otherwise, it’s not going to thrive and it may not survive. So, the follow-up visits are extremely important, and at that time, I personally will evaluate the situation and determine if any additional agents that help nourish the stem cells have to be administered.
Can stem cell regenerative medicine treatments help other types of joint problems such as a torn ligament or cartilage?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: Yes, definitely. Bone marrow-derived stem cell treatments have a great potential to help heal torn cartilages, such as menisci, and ligaments such as an ACL tear. The process is basically the same as what I described. However, the specific structures that are targeted are different, but I again want to stress that these treatments are tailored to each individual. They’re not cookie-cutter procedures that are done the same on everybody, so that’s why I personally perform a detailed initial evaluation and design a very specific treatment protocol that includes specific procedures and follow-up care.
RC: Well, thank you, Dr. Bleiweiss. We know you’re busy, so I want to thank you for your time and your help today.
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: Oh, you’re welcome.
RC: And for our listeners across the country, if you are interested in speaking with the doctor, please visit www.AlternativeDiscTherapy.com or call 973-403-3334 to schedule an appointment.
On behalf of our team, we want to thank you for listening, and we look forward to bringing you more top-quality content from our country’s leading experts.
Topic: Stem Cell Treatments for Degenerative Disc Disease of the Spine
Below you will find an easy to read transcript of Dr. Warren Bleiweiss’ podcast interview. You can listen to the podcast or simply read the easy to follow transcript below. Enjoy!
Podcast Interview:
RC: Hello everyone, this is Liz Harvey coming to you from our studios in New York City where we are dedicated to bringing you top quality advice from many of the leading expert professionals across the U.S.
In today’s episode, we are speaking with Dr. Warren J. Bleiweiss about the exciting field of regenerative medicine. He is a graduate of New York University School of Medicine, and is board-certified in both anesthesiology, and pain management. His long list of accomplishments includes leadership experience as a hospital anesthesiology department director, the inventor of a patented medical device, and the founder of one of the first multi-disciplinary pain management centers in New Jersey.
He is a strong believer of the body’s innate ability to heal itself. He believes his job as a physician is to find a way to activate that healing mechanism by using non-surgical treatment protocols without utilizing drugs.
Dr. Bleiweiss has been practicing regenerative medicine protocols such as ozone, stem cells, and PRP. He pioneered the oxygen ozone disc injection therapy to treat herniated discs in the United States and North America, which is a powerful regenerative treatment. This medical ozone injection procedure has enabled the vast majority of patients to recover from herniated disc conditions without surgery or medication.
Dr. Bleiweiss is a member of the American Academy of Stem Cell Physicians. He has been successfully treating patients for over 30 years. Dr. Bleiweiss specializes in minimally invasive alternative treatments that heal patients without surgery or potentially harmful medications. His treatment protocols are specifically designed to activate the body’s innate ability to recover and regenerate. His practice has been producing excellent results by utilizing these alternative methods.
We’ve previously discussed oxygen ozone treatments with Dr. Bleiweiss. Today we are going to focus on another aspect of regenerative medicine, stem cell treatments for degenerative disc disease of the spine.
Hello, Dr. Bleiweiss. How are you today?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: I’m good, thank you. How are you?
RC: I’m doing great. Thanks so much for joining me.
People listening to this podcast are most likely searching for help with degenerative disc disease of the spine. They may not know much about stem cell treatments, so could you start us off with a brief summary of what a stem cell treatment is and why it is considered a regenerative medicine treatment?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: Yes, I’d be happy to. Stem cell treatments are a game changer in modern medicine today. Stem cells are the most important cells in the body. Without stem cells, we couldn’t survive. The fortunate thing is our body has a very large supply of these cells. These cells are capable of repairing and transforming into other types of cells in the body.
A liver cell for example can’t become a skin cell and vice versa, but a stem cell could become a skin cell or it can become a liver cell. It could become any other type of cell in the body. The only downside is that as we age, the amount of stem cells that we have, our supply of stem cells, dwindles. It dwindles pretty quickly. By the time we’re 30, we only have half of the amount of stem cells that we had when we were born. By the time we’re 60, that number goes down to about 5%.
This is why we might remember when we’re young and we had an injury, it heals very quickly, but if you’re an older, more mature individual like myself, and you have the same injury, it takes much longer to heal. That has, in a large part, to do with our dwindling supply of stem cells. They also become less active. So, the stem cell treatments are great because we could extract stem cells from a known supply in the body, such as bone marrow, and inject them into a structure, in this case, we’re talking about a degenerative disc, that needs help in repairing and healing.
These are the only treatments that can actually stop the degenerative process and help it heal. Since we can stop degenerative process and help it heal and potentially reverse it, we call it regenerative medicine treatment.
For someone with degenerative disc disease of the spine, what is involved in this stem cell treatment process?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: Well, the most important thing is that it requires precise access into the degenerative disc space and into a source of bone marrow, which is near the sacroiliac joint region in the back. It’s done under fluoroscopy, which enables continuous visualization capability. It’s a same day procedure. It’s done in a surgery center. Mostly it’s done under local. We do sometimes give minimum sedation just to relax patients if they request it. There’s no significant incision. There’s no stitches. There’s no significant down time. Patients could go back to work and their usual activities the next day as long as they don’t have very strenuous physical activity requirements at work.
Can stem cell regenerative medicine treatments help other types of back and neck problems?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: Yes, definitely. There are many structures along the spine that could cause pain. For example, the facet joints, which are the joints on every spinal segment on both sides, and these joints allow us to move, to bend, to twist. Those joints, like any joint in the body can become arthritic. They can also become injured from various accidents, such as sports injuries or car accidents. This is often referred to as arthritis of the spine and it could be painful and debilitating. There are also ligaments along the spine and para-spinal muscles as well as other muscles. These structures could cause severe [inaudible] pain and dysfunction if they’re injured.
Regenerative medicine, such as bone marrow stem cell derived treatments and medical ozone injections have a significant potential to help these conditions and help heal them. I briefly mentioned the medical ozone injections and we discussed that extensively in previous interviews. It’s potentially a super-charged form of oxygen with very good healing potential.
RC: Well thank you, Dr. Bleiweiss. We know you’re busy, so I want to thank you for your time and your help today.
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: Oh, you’re welcome.
RC: And for our listeners across the country, if you are interested in speaking with the doctor, please visit www.AlternativeDiscTherapy.com or call 973-403-3334 to schedule an appointment.
On behalf of our team, we want to thank you for listening and we look forward to bringing you more top-quality content from our country’s leading experts.
The goal of regenerative medicine procedures in general is to restore structure and function of damaged tissues and organs, and that is a very important point that distinguishes regenerative medicine procedures from conventional medicine procedures. For example, we are not trying to just stop pain or to improve a joint through lubricating it or administering an anti-inflammatory medication. The goal of the regenerative treatment is to restore the normal structure and function of the damaged tissue.
I previously discussed what are commonly referred to as stem cell treatments, which is a cellular regenerative medicine treatment, and now I am going to talk about non-cellular regenerative medicine treatments. The difference is that non-cellular treatments do not contain cells. Some of these treatments are cellular products such as proteins, but they are not cells. That’s the difference between the two types of treatments, but the mechanism of actions and the treatment goals are very similar. More specifically, the goal is the same and the action is similar.
It is very important for a doctor to be well-versed in both non-cellular and cellular treatments in order to be able to determine which specific treatment is more likely to help a specific patient for a specific condition. This is why we call what we do personalized precision medicine. I could use one of a number of non-cellular or cellular treatments to address a very similar condition in different patients. One might ask, why are you using a different treatment for the same condition? The reason is that everybody is different. Everybody responds differently to the same treatment, and every person’s condition is unique. Take high blood pressure as an example. We all know that there are many blood pressure medications on the market. If every medication works the same on every person, we would only need one blood pressure medication. So, part of my job is to determine what treatment is most likely to help a specific patient for his or her specific condition.
Let’s start with oxygen ozone injection therapy which is a non-cellular regenerative treatment. Oxygen ozone injection therapy is an extremely powerful regenerative medicine treatment. It helps cells increase in number, which is called proliferation, by favorably influencing the redox system, which controls the cell cycle. It also has multiple other properties such as increasing oxygen delivery to tissues and reducing inflammation in the body. I have had a lot of successes using this injection therapy treating patients with disc herniations, joint pain, sports injuries and muscle spasm because of these unique properties. Oxygen ozone can also be used to stimulate hair follicles to reproduce more hair and thicker hair by the same mechanisms that I described above.
A2M is another powerful non-cellular regenerative medicine treatment. A2M is a protein that is naturally found in our body which can be concentrated and injected into various structures such as joints and discs. A2M will capture and deactivate proteins that destroy cartilage. It is a very important treatment if cartilage is being destroyed in a joint or in a disc since A2M can stop the process. It also has growth factor binding sites, so it has regenerative properties.
PRP, after the platelets are activated, is a powerful non-cellular regenerative medicine treatment. PRP is packed with growth factors and has many regenerative applications. It is, however, important to note that all PRP is not the same. There are many different types of PRP preparation techniques and it is important for a doctor to know what the best type of PRP is to treat your specific condition.
These are some of the many treatments with non-cellular regenerative medicine. Since I wrote a previous blog discussing cellular regenerative medicine treatments, I won’t go into it again. The most important point, as I discussed above, is for a doctor to be well versed in all types of regenerative medicine treatments in order to be able to determine which of these non-cellular or cellular treatments are most appropriate for a specific patient in order to give the patient the best chance of healing.
Below you will find an easy to read transcript of Dr. Warren Bleiweiss’ podcast interview. You can listen to the podcast or simply read the easy to follow transcript below. Enjoy!
In this podcast, Dr. Bleiweiss further discusses regenerative medicine, with a focus on non-cellular treatments.
Click the link above to listen to Dr. Warren Bleiweiss’ new podcast interview. You can also read a full transcript below. Enjoy!
Podcast Interview:
RC: Hello everyone, this is Liz Harvey coming to you from our studios in New York City where we are dedicated to bringing you top quality advice from many of the leading expert professionals across the U.S.
In today’s episode, we are speaking with Dr. Warren J. Bleiweiss about the exciting field of regenerative medicine. He is a graduate of New York University School of Medicine and is Board Certified in both Anesthesiology and Pain Management. His long list of accomplishments includes leadership experience as a hospital anesthesiology department director, the inventor of a patented medical device, and the founder of one of the first multi-disciplinary pain management centers in New Jersey.
Dr. Bleiweiss also pioneered the treatment of oxygen ozone disc injection therapy in the United States, which is a powerful regenerative treatment. He has also been successfully treating patients for over 30 years. Dr. Bleiweiss specializes in minimally invasive alternative treatments that heal patients without surgery or potentially harmful medications. His treatment protocols are specifically designed to activate the body’s innate ability to recover and regenerate. His practice has been producing excellent results by utilizing these alternative methods.
We previously discussed oxygen ozone treatments with Dr. Bleiweiss. Today we are focusing on other aspects of regenerative medicine, and we are discussing non-cellular treatments in regenerative medicine.
Hello, Dr. Bleiweiss. How are you today?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: I’m great, thank you.
RC: Thanks again for joining me.
Since you keep up with and stay on top of the new developments in the field of regenerative medicine, I would like to ask you about non-cellular treatments in regenerative medicine. Could you please give us a brief overview?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: Yes, I’d be very happy to. I want to start by briefly mentioning that I discussed cellular regenerative treatments, which are commonly known as stem cell treatments, in a previous interview. If anybody is interested in learning a little bit more about those treatments, I’d encourage them to listen to that interview.
By contrast, non-cellular regenerative medicine treatments are biological agents, but they do not contain cells. The goal of regenerative medicine with stem cells and non-cellular treatments is the same. The goal is the same. It’s to restore structure and function of damaged tissues and organs. The agents are different because the non-cellular treatments do not contain cells, but they are biologic agents. These biologic agents activate the body’s own repair system, which again, will help regenerate damaged tissue and restore structure and function. There are many, many, many types of non-cellular regenerative medicine treatments. I’m going to limit this discussion to four types of non-cellular treatments.
The first is exosomes, which I find an extremely, extremely fascinating topic. I could talk about exosomes for hours, but I’m not going to do it today. Exosomes are tiny vacuoles. They’re excreted by cells, so they’re cellular excretion products. They’re not cells themselves because they don’t reproduce, but they’re cellular excretion vesicles. They contain, among other things, messenger RNA, microRNA, proteins. I can’t get into a whole discussion now about what actually is a messenger RNA versus a microRNA, but there’s plenty of information on the internet regarding these things. They could be used in every aspect of regenerative medicine. They have amazing regenerative and modulating properties.
Another potent regenerative medicine non-cellular treatment is oxygen ozone injection therapy. Oxygen ozone injection therapy, it has multiple actions, but one of the things that it does is it works through what’s known as the redox system. The redox system controls the cell cycle. The cell cycle has to do with when a cell decides to divide and create a new cell. In the proper doses, oxygen ozone injection treatments can induce cells to reproduce, to divide, to increase their number. It also vastly improves oxygen delivery to tissue.
Another treatment is A2M. A2M stands for alpha-2-macroglobulin. Alpha-2-macroglobulin is a very large molecule that is produced by the liver and circulates in our blood. It actually captures and deactivates enzymes that destroy cartilage, and joints, and discs. You might wonder why if it’s in our blood, why is that a treatment. The reason is that once a disc is destroyed or is in the process of being destroyed, and once a joint is in the process of being destroyed, the blood supply is compromised. The A2M from our body cannot get into these structures in the proper doses to actually switch off these destructive enzymes. By isolating the A2M and concentrating it, and introducing it into a disc or a joint, it’s a very powerful regenerative medicine tool.
The last one I want to mention is PRP. PRP has been around for a very long time. It contains many growth factors. It is a regenerative treatment. PRP is very complicated though because there are many different types of PRP. A lot of clinicians do not quite understand that the preparation of the PRP is very important. Now, I’m not knocking clinicians. I’m sure there are a lot of very fine clinicians who fully understand this topic, but there are also a lot of places that you come in and everybody gets the same PRP. It’s like a one size fits all. All PRP is not the same. I want to stress that. Depending on the machinery that’s used to spin down the platelets, the fraction that is withdrawn from the aliquot that is spun down, and how it’s administered, there’s many factors that determine whether it’s a regenerative type of PRP, or whether it’s a pro-inflammatory type or PRP, or whether it has a combination of both. It is a powerful tool, but it has to be fully understood and it has to be used properly.
These are just some of them. Like I said, there are so many treatments. It’s a fascinating field. I just gave you a brief overview of some of the most common types of non-cellular regenerative treatments.
What conditions can be treated with non-cellular applications of regenerative medicine?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: Again, there are many, many conditions that could be treated. I’m going to mention four conditions that I treat with these non-cellular regenerative medicine treatments, and that they’re very effective in treating. I want to come back to the difference between cellular and non-cellular after I mention these four treatments and discuss how we make a decision on what product to use.
These treatments are very effective for osteoarthritis of joints, which we all develop through normal aging and wear and tear. It could be of the shoulder, the hips, the knees. All of us to varying degrees develop these conditions. Sometimes it’s severe, sometimes it’s not severe. Sometimes it’s more prevalent in a hip or a knee in one individual, and sometimes in another joint in another individual. These treatments are very effective in helping restore structure and function to these damaged joints. Hair loss is also something that is treated with non-cellular regenerative medicine. It’s very effective in inducing follicles that are still active to increase the number of hairs and increase the thickness of the hair. It’s very good at treating aging of the skin. I’ve mentioned this before with cellular treatments, it’s not going to get rid of all your wrinkles. I’m not suggesting you have wrinkles. I’ve never met you. I’m just saying if somebody does have wrinkles, it’s not going to get rid of all the wrinkles, but it will rejuvenate the skin.
I just want to take a step back. It’s not altering the normal skin. You could get rid of wrinkles by injecting substances into the wrinkle like Restylane, I believe it’s called. I don’t do those treatments. You go to a dermatologist, they inject a substance into the wrinkle, or you could have Botox. There are other treatments. These things alter the anatomy. It’s not working with your own body’s healing system. Yes, you could puff up a wrinkle so you can’t see it, but what I’m talking about is working with your body’s innate ability to heal the damage that has occurred to our skin over time through various things, for example, sunlight, ultraviolet light from the sun. No matter how much suntan lotion we slather on ourselves, we do over time get exposure to ultraviolet light, and we do get damage from that.
Also, declining mental function. At the risk of repeating myself multiple times, I do want to, again, say that I’m not suggesting that you could take someone with severe dementia and give them these treatments and they’re going to be like new, but they are extremely effective. Many clinicians have reported effectiveness in improving cerebral function, dementia, or Alzheimer’s, particularly in the early stages.
The other thing I wanted to mention, and I talked about this in the beginning, is that I have discussed treatment of these issues with stem cells. Now I’m discussing it with non-cellular treatments. Someone listening to me might think, “Well, why are you saying stem cells could treat this and also non-cellular things could treat it? It’s very confusing.” The answer is it’s not confusing, it’s scientific. There is a reason why various treatments work better for different people and different conditions.
For example, let’s talk about knee pain and joint problems. Not every joint problem is the same. There are a lot of different joint problems that cause knee pain, and not every individual is the same. My job, one of the most important things in my job is to assess each individual personally and to determine which treatment is the best treatment for their condition. I will determine whether somebody, for example, might need stem cells to treat their knee joint, or they might need ozone to treat their knee joint, or exosomes. These are decisions that I make based on the individual person, what their medical condition is, their state of health, what their specific joint condition is, and other factors that I determine. That’s why we call this personalized precision medicine.
The other thing that I’ve mentioned in the past but I’ll mention it again is it’s very important for a physician to be fluent in performing all of these procedures and to understand the different types of treatments that are available because only then can you determine what is the best treatment for an individual. If I’m going in for a treatment for arthritis in my knee, for example, and stem cells could help and ozone could help, they both could help, I want to know which one has a better chance of helping. If one has a 60% chance of helping and one has an 80% chance of helping, for my specific condition, I have to reiterate that. This is not one treatment fits all. This is for my specific condition. I want the one that is going to have an 80% chance of helping me, and that’s what I do.
How do you evaluate a patient to determine if they are a candidate for one of these procedures?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: This segues very nicely into what I was just discussing. It’s the most important part of the treatment, and that’s the initial evaluation. I’ve said this in previous interviews. I evaluate every patient myself. I perform a history. I look at the labs. I look at the imaging. I sometimes order additional labs if I feel they’re necessary. I do a physical examination. That’s really the only way to evaluate a patient to determine if they’re a candidate for one of these procedures.
Could you walk us through what a typical patient would experience when they have a non-cellular regenerative medicine procedure?
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: Yes, I’d be happy to. As we discussed with the cellular treatments in a previous interview, it’s essential to assure that a patient is in optimal health before the treatment so they’ll have the best chance of effective healing. That is a very, very important aspect of this treatment. With non-cellular treatments, preparing the patient is different than with cellular treatments. I’m not going to get too involved in the cellular treatments, which are stem cell treatments as we discussed, because I discussed it in detail. Those cells are living cells.
The way the patient is prepared is typically different than the non-cellular treatments. For example, when I discussed the stem cell treatments, I indicated that it is not appropriate to do the evaluation and the treatment on the same day and just send the patient home. There is a specific protocol to get the body ready for the stem cells and to nurse the patient along through the treatment process and the post-treatment process.
With non-cellular treatments, because they’re not living cells, certain treatments, not all, can be administered the day of the initial consult. For example, treating hair loss with ozone, that could be done the first day I see a patient typically. There might be other issues that I’m not going to get into, all of the little minute details. Typically, if a patient comes in for treatment with ozone injections for hair loss, that could be done on the same day. I will make that decision. Again, the most important part of deciding what treatment to do and how the patient is prepared for the treatment is the initial evaluation, which includes a careful history, a physical examination, and review of the testing. Again, as I discussed earlier, I’m the one who does that evaluation, and I’m the one who makes the decision. Then I discuss it with the patient. The procedures that are done are outpatient procedures that are in the office. The only time it’s done at a surgery center, again, as an outpatient procedure is if it involves a disc injection because those injections have to be performed with fluoroscopic guidance, which requires special equipment.
RC: Thank you so much, Dr. Bleiweiss. We know you’re busy, so I want to thank you for your time and your help today.
Dr. Warren Bleiweiss: You’re welcome.
RC: For our listeners across the country, if you are interested in speaking with the doctor, please visit www.alternativedisctherapy.com, or call 973-403-3334 to schedule an appointment.
On behalf of our team, we want to thank you for listening, and we look forward to bringing you more top-quality content from our country’s leading experts.
How does regenerative medicine work? I am often asked this question by my patients. The body has an innate capacity to heal by replacing dying or injured cells and rejuvenating itself. We have this capacity at any age. The goal of regenerative medicine is to restore structure and function of a damaged tissue or an organ by using the body’s innate ability to heal. This is different from most modern medical treatment modalities which only manage conditions without any potential to actually heal. For example, if you have osteoarthritis and you take ibuprofen to reduce the pain and inflammation or you receive an injection into a joint with a compound such as a steroid or a lubricating agent.
Stem cell and other regenerative medicine treatments are a complex subject, because there are many different types of treatments and the number of conditions that can be treated is vast. I would like to discuss just a few treatments that we perform as a starter and discuss more in future blogs.
Let’s start with osteoarthritis of the knee, hip or shoulder joints. As we age, we are all going to develop varying degrees of osteoarthritis of the joints. It is part of the aging process due to the normal wear and tear that our joints undergo as we go through life. Some people have it more in the hips, some people have it more in the knees and some people have it more in the hands. It is a very common malady of humans. Regenerative medicine stem cell treatments, such as autologous bone marrow derived stem cells, are aimed at helping to restore structure and function, not just reducing inflammation or blocking pain receptors in the brain. That means that the joint is going to work better and it is not going to be as painful. These are safe and effective minimally invasive outpatient procedures that harness the healing power of your own body’s stem cells.
Degenerative disc disease is a condition that effects most people as we age. It can also be present in relatively young individuals due to a variety of causes such as trauma “back injuries”, poor body mechanics and repetitive heavy lifting. Back pain is the second most common reason why people visit a doctor in the United States. If left untreated, disc degeneration can lead to “arthritis of the spine” and spinal stenosis, both of which are painful, debilitating and difficult to treat conditions. Surgery for the treatment of disc degeneration and spinal stenosis usually involves spinal fusion, which has a high failure rate over time, has a significant risk and is not guaranteed to improve the condition. This is why we are very fortunate to have the option of autologous bone marrow derived stem cell treatments for degenerative disc disease. It is a safe outpatient procedure that does not involve surgery or significant post procedure down time. The procedure involves taking a small sample of your own bone marrow under local anesthesia and injecting it into a degenerative disc. This is a breakthrough of modern medicine that offers us a way to treat disc degeneration before it progresses to a chronic debilitating condition.
Hair loss, is another very common issue, particularly in men. It may not be a health issue, but it is something that bothers a lot of people. Regenerative medicine treatments can help hair follicles that are still alive to produce thicker hair and more hair. If the follicle is dead and totally gone, nothing is going to regrow a follicle. But, if the follicle is still there, even if one little tiny thin hair is coming out, regenerative medicine treatments, such as ozone, PRP or peptide scalp injections, can help that follicle produce thicker hair and more hairs per follicle. This is an office outpatient procedure that does not require surgery or the ongoing application of any external products.
I would like to end by discussing common neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia and peripheral neuropathy. Both of these conditions can be improved by regenerative medicine treatments when other mainstream medical treatments have not resulted in improvement. Let’s take dementia today for example. One very common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s disease. Many doctors throughout the world have had excellent success in treating this condition with a regenerative medicine treatment known as neuroregenesis. It is a safe office outpatient procedure which is performed under local anesthesia and does not involve any injection into the brain. Though not a cure for the disease, noticeable and measurable positive outcomes usually occur. This treatment can address significant deterioration of brain dysfunction as well as earlier stages of forgetfulness and age related declining brain function. It has also been used by many physicians to help improve some of the deficits that are present after a stroke. The treatment has been able to bring many people who are severely limited back into a more normal life and a more normal interaction with their families.
The important thing to remember is that the goal of stem cell treatments is to restore structure and function of damaged tissues and organs. It works in part by the body’s innate ability to heal and rejuvenate. It is a very powerful and useful medical breakthrough.
Tight muscles of the neck, back, buttocks and legs that won’t go away with conventional treatment
Hair Loss
Thinning Hair
Hair Loss
Stress Induced Sudden Hair Loss
Drug Induced Hair Loss
Hair Loss From Hormone Disturbances
Peripheral Neuropathy
Small nerve fiber injuries from diabetes
Small nerve injuries from alcoholism
Tingling and pain
Arthritis and Joint Pain
Osteoarthritis
Joint cartilage damage
Shoulder, wrist, hip, knee and ankle pain
“Bone on bone”
Cartilage, ligament and tendon tears
Muscle Pain and Chronic Tension
Myofascial pain
Persistent muscle tension
Pulled muscle that won’t heal
Tight muscles of the neck, back, buttocks or extremities that won’t go away
Jonathan C.
Medical oxygen ozone injection treatment changed my life! I left the wheelchair behind and am able to exercise because of this miraculous treatment!
My story is about how medical ozone injection treatment enabled me to leave my wheelchair behind and live a normal life again. Not only I don’t need the wheelchair, but also, I can exercise! This is a huge step forward for. The oxygen ozone treatment truly changed my life!
I was bed bound for 8 months due to a severe head trauma. After that, I was in a wheelchair with debilitating tendinitis in both feet which resulted in numbness and tinkling in both my ankles and lower legs. I was not able to walk.
I wanted to be out of the wheelchair and I wanted my life back. I researched online and found Dr. Bleiweiss. I went to see Dr. Bleiweiss and subsequently received an oxygen ozone treatment which made my wheelchair unnecessary in a short period of time. I’m now able to exercise regularly to gain back muscle mass. I have a normal life!
Without Dr. Bleiweiss’ medical ozone injection treatment, I would have still been in that wheelchair. I want to share this experience with others because I want others to know they have help available and they don’t have to live with such debilitating numbness. Ozone injection therapy will help!
