As many of you who follow my blog know, I am big into the fat grafting right now. I have researched and researched it, I went to Florida and got to see and touch it myself, and I have started to do it in my practice.
Fat is a magical substance. We are the tip of the iceberg in understanding it.
Fat is full of stem cells.
Stem cells seem to be magical too. Many think they can help repair our bodies. Who wouldn’t want to repair our old worn out middle aged body parts? I can only imagine how damaged a poor NFL quarterback is after years of getting hit by men the size of a truck.
People have claimed stem cells can do about anything. My ASPS society has a position paper stating “stem cells are promising” but there is little hard scientific research to back many of the claims.
I have seen fat grafting improve things. I have seen the overlying skin get softer, scars fade. I have talked to women who after breast cancer had neuropathy of their breast skin or into their arm which reversed after they had fat grafting to the breast and armpit area. So the fat somehow is nurturing these hurt areas back to health. Most think it is the stem cells in the fat which does this.
I don’t know what Peyton Manning’s goal was with the stem cells. Was it to help with nerve pain? Was it to try to heal the bone? To avoid a surgery? Was it like putting fairy dust in the wound and you hope it does something good?
As I have said in my many prior blogs, stem cells are great. They have some issues we already know about. They have benefits we already know about. I think my society has it right- Stem cells are promising. Let’s keep researching to figure out how to use them.
I am sure the sport world will update us on Peyton and if the stem cells are working…He sure brought a lot of attention to stem cells.