REPAIR, REGENERATION, REJUVENATION
MY EXPERIENCE for OPTIMAL RESULTS
using
*WOUND HEALING*
Joseph E Bosiljevac, Jr, MD, PhD, FACS
Background
I received a medical degree in 1975. My conventional training then consisted of a rotating internship and six years of surgical training. I became board-certified and had a solo cardiovascular surgery practice for 29 years near Kansas City. I became frustrated during my surgical career because patients were sent to me for surgery and they were on 20 different medicines. I saw positive results from chiropractic and other alternative treatments. This did not make sense from my conventional medical education.
Balance
At that point I obtained a doctorate in Natural Medicine and practiced this along with cardiovascular surgery for several years. The concept that the patient is a human machine and the entire organism needs to be addressed as part of the healing process is essential. This is all about wound healing.
At the age of 58 I received an offer to open an age management practice in New York City. I am single. All my kids are grown. This started a new adventure in my life. I closed the surgical practice in Kansas and have lived in Manhattan for 13 years.
Widespread experience
- I trained before hospitalists (physicians working hourly shifts taking care of hospital patients) so I was responsible for the workup of the patient, to learn to perform the surgical procedure, and total postoperative care of the patient.
- As part of my background and training, I have operated or assisted with surgery on almost every body part. I have broad experience in conventional medicine and add “the other side of the fence“ with natural medicine.
- I rounded on my postoperative patients twice daily. There was no wound care team so I did daily dressing changes on all my patients.
- I have performed a dozen medical missions to Third World countries. Learning about healthcare in these areas and what these patients have used for health benefit has significantly improved my thought process and practice.
Age management
With this age management practice I quickly found that many patients have body parts that wear out. The main principle to promote healing is developing optimal chemical and hormone balance. My experience with stem cells started with joint and soft tissue injections and includes treating retired NFL and NBA players as well as military patients.
I have 13 year experience following and performing stem cell treatments. This started with extracting fat or bone marrow as the stem cell source, PRP (platelet rich plasma), and placental stem cell products. The last five years I have primarily used umbilical cord stem cells in my therapies. Part of the experience gained over the last 13 years is recognizing many times that after age 35 I do not want to use your own stem cells because of toxins and environmental exposure. This is even more so if the patient has a chronic, degenerative condition. With the military experience I obtained experience with traumatic brain injury, liver problems, lung problems, and other systemic conditions.
Stem Cell treatment
I am currently certified internationally to perform stem cell therapies.
My practice is different and more diverse than most stem cell clinics. Overall I have treated more than 1000 cases of various sorts with stem cell therapy, mostly joint and soft tissue injections. Over 200 of all cases were with systemic treatment with IV administration.
I do not have a recipe. I use principles of wound healing learned as a surgeon. The patient is thoroughly evaluated using the human machine concept. Chemical and hormone balance is promoted to improve healing and regeneration. The condition to be treated is evaluated to determine how the stem cells will be administered--either a local injection or IV administration. An overall treatment program is developed using adjunctive services to promote healing and recovery. Reversing an autoimmune process is frequently a part of the program. I certainly consider stem cell treatment for severe disability and compassionate care.
Adjuvant therapies
One of the aspects to look at with stem cell treatment is wound healing. What can be done as an adjuvant treatment to promote and stimulate stem cell growth? These will be covered in detail in subsequent articles. One of the first aspects is establishing chemical and hormone balance as part of the age management and healing process.
- Light therapy, oxygen, and certain biologic substances such as NAD (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) are essential adjuvants of the healing process. I rarely see these components provided in U.S. practice. The use of these modalities require certification and training not provided in medical education in this country. NAD infusions are not available in most offices including hospitals.
- Light therapy uses a wavelength of light that stimulates nitric oxide production and healing activity.
- NAD infusions are essential in relieving neurologic symptoms in patients that have a chronic neurodegenerative condition such as multiple sclerosis, ALS, Parkinsons, and Alzheimers.
- Stem cells may be given by intravenous injection in some cases. We are trying to establish a long term improvement, particularly in cases of autoimmune conditions.
- Exosomes can be administered conjointly or in follow-up and serve as growth factors to stimulate stem cell activity.
- Small proteins or peptides with specific biologic activity can be given as part of the course of wound healing (subsequent chapter).
- Mannitol can be used to promote introduction of the stem cells given intravenously so they enter the cranial cavity.
General Principles
As a physician, the first principle with stem cell treatment is: DO NO HARM.
To begin, I do not prefer your stem cells if you are over the age of 35 or younger if there is an autoimmune or chronic degenerative condition. They have been exposed to the environment as many years as you are old. I looked for active healing cells.
Umbilical cord stem cells are immune privileged. There are no tissue reactions or cancer risk when infused.
So the primary risk of stem cell treatment is a needlestick into a joint or an intravenous infusion.
Most stem cell treatments can be done in one session but a few chronic and severe cases may consist of several appointments over 4-6 months as part of the overall process. Subsequent treatment may not consist of further stem cell infusion but definitely uses adjuvant processes (light therapy, peptides, etc) to improve overall wound healing.
Stem cell therapies are medically accepted but currently exist outside of the insurance industry. In my experience, many times results are much better than with conventional treatment. This is about quality of life. Helping patients with compassionate care is a true characteristic of a professional.
Let me give you a brief example.
An 83-year-old woman with MS came to my office bent over a walker. She had been falling frequently but had not broken any bones. She was having painful neuropathy in the legs requiring eight pain pills a day. The first aspect of her treatment was to put her on testosterone cream and physiotherapy to improve lower extremity muscle strength. After six weeks she was able to walk with a cane only. At that point we administered intravenous NAD, resulting in marked improvement in her neurologic symptoms, particularly the pain in her legs. She was then given intravenous stem cells. She came to my office one month later. She had started driving her car and was walking around just using a cane. When I asked her about the pain pills she said she had not taken them for over a week since the pain disappeared.
I have a small private practice in NYC and am not involved with any institution or insurance program. I have had experience with stem cell treatments for 13 years. The majority of the treatments were for joint and soft tissue problems. Systemic conditions approached include MS, strokes, emphysema, and cirrhosis. The results with emphysema and MS are good. Wound healing principles and adjunctive measures that promote healing and recovery are essential for optimal treatment program. Keep this in mind when evaluating stem cell therapies for you or the family. The key is rebooting cells to function more optimally (later chapter).