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Excellent response ray,Take care.
Haroon
Diagnosed 03
Age now 62
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-----Original Message-----
From:	      rayilynlee <[log in to unmask]>

Date:	      Sat, 27 Jun 2009 19:43:41 
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Unproven stem cell treatment


Dr.. Kong

It sounds to me like you are doing a good job of informing patients and I 
like your idea of getting something in the local paper about it.

People in the US have gone to China for PD stem cell treatment and it is 
pretty much an individual decision.  The government doesn't do anything, 
except if certain proposed laws had been passed, patients could have been 
jailed and fined if they got embryronic stem cell treatments somewhere else 
and came back to the US.

Jim Finn had fetal pig cell brain implants (a treatment most of us would 
decline)  in the US and it seems to have worked well for him.  I think 
people will still try things even if they know it is unproven and they can 
afford  it.   PD is an awful disease and I felt that DBS might kill me but I 
didn't care.  No treatment today guarantees a good outcome.

I think the best we can do is to inform people so they can make educated 
choices and it seems you are doing that.

Ray

Rayilyn Brown
Director AZNPF
Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation
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--------------------------------------------------
From: "chew nee kong" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2009 2:37 AM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Unproven stem cell treatment

> Dear Ray and everyone
>
> Thanks for all the wonderful information that you have provided through 
> your parkinson's network.
>
> I'd like to share my experience with you and appreciate if you can give 
> your comments. Two weeks ago, I discovered that one of my Parkinson's 
> patients had undergone a "stem cell treatment" at Kuala Lumpur. This 
> patient's daughter heard about the "stem cell centre" from her friends. 
> The patient spent RM53000 (which is a huge sum of money) for a course of 
> "stem cell" injections (administered into the shoulder muscles).
>
> I explained to the patient that currently stem cell treatment for 
> Parkinson's has not been shown to be consistently beneficial for 
> parkinson's patients. I also mentioned to her the guideline which was 
> issued by the International Society of Stem Cell Research in 2008, which 
> aimed to educate the public on the possibility of unproven stem cell 
> treatment.
>
> Recently, another stem cell company approached me and claimed that they 
> had successful stem cell treatment for parkinson's - direct injection of 
> stem cells into the brain.
>
> In my country, people are so gullible and accept "treatments" which may be 
> unproven, without consulting the relevant specialists? Does this happen in 
> the US? What has the US government done to prevent this problem?
>
> I am considering bringing up this issue in the local newspaper to alert 
> the general public about such unproven treatment. Otherwise, more 
> parkinson's patients will be victimized.
>
> I'd appreciate your advice.
>
> Dr Chew Nee Kong, Kuala Lumpur.
>
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