HEALTH and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is reportedly considering reducing regulations on stem cell therapy, which experts fear would lead to “potential flourishing of questionable stem cell clinics that could harm patients.” In 2023, the stem cell “business” was a $14.15 billion industry.
At this time, March 2025, the only medically proven justification and genuine indication for stem cell therapy is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), also known as bone marrow transplantation (BMT), for treating blood cancers and certain blood disorders… and for NOTHING ELSE! BMT has saved more than a million of children and adults with blood disorders worldwide.
The false claims that stem cell therapy is effective for rejuvenation, for heart and other organ tissue regrowth, for repair of arthritis-damaged joints, to improve male sexual prowess, etc., are all false! They are all a scam! Autologous stem cell therapy has about a 5 percent mortality rate within the first year.
Currently, stem cell therapy is still being studied for all those conditions above and others. There are encouraging preliminary reports so far, but the final word, the verdict, to make stem cell therapy the standard care for all other conditions besides blood disorders is still out there.
There are no science-based clinical studies to support all those other claims except for treatment for blood dyscracias, where HSCT is very effective. The abuse of stem cell therapy is dangerous, a malpractice, illegal, and immoral. It is totally against the Oath of Hippocrates we took as physicians: Primum non nocere (first do no harm).
Unfortunately and shamefully, many of the scammers are physicians! These are obviously money-hungry “unprofessionals,” who ought to be investigated and held legally accountable and liable for malpractice. Deaths have been reported as a complication of stem cell therapy.
Cognitive decline
New studies have identified various potential risk factors that cause cognitive decline, which sometimes signals the eventual onset of dementia. One of these factors is brain inflammation.
Many clinical studies have shown a link between Alzheimer’s and herpes viruses, especially one that causes cold sores.
Other studies have shown the following to lower the risk for dementia: vaccines, antibiotics, over-the-counter (non-steroidal) anti-inflammatories, like aspirin and ibuprofen. All of these reduce/prevent brain inflammation.
A plausible trigger for inflammation that affect the brain is viral infections of any type, a major reason why the CDC recommends timely vaccinations for viral infections we all face every year (and for COVID-19).
Besides Alzheimer’s, other neurodegenerative diseases, like Parkinson’s Multiple Sclerosis, could have been triggered by brain inflammation from viral infections, obvious or subclinical.
As a general precaution, it is best to avoid any type of inflammation, even skin sores, dental carries, gingivitis, etc. A healthy lifestyle (obviously including personal hygiene) is essential in disease prevention.
Macular degeneration
For people ages 50 and older, AMD (Age-related Macular Degeneration) is the leading cause of vision loss, whose incidence increases as people get older. By the time we reach 80, more than 40 percent of us have some form of AMD.
AMD blurs or even wipes out central vision when cells break down in the macula, the central part of the retina (tissue in the back of the eye that turns light into signals the brain reads as images).
The dry version of AMD accounts for about 90 percent of cases, affecting about 20 million adult Americans and hundreds of millions worldwide. Sadly, there is nothing we can do about it, especially when it gets to a later stage.
However, new clinical evidence (among 1,200 subjects in two large clinical studies) suggests the AREDS2 pill supplement might be a ray of hope. This tablet slows down the progression of the thinning of the retina at the center of the macula and also modulates vision loss, according to an article in the January 2025 issue of Ophthalmology.
Hotel – Sleep QPR?
Which country provides the best sleep quality/price ratio (QPR) among its top hotels?
A 2025 study conducted by OneBed compared 7 randomly selected 4- and 5-star hotels in 45 countries, and measured how much sleep quality travelers can expect relative to the cost of their stay to calculate the QPR. Here are the ratings and ranking:
- “Egypt is the top destination where hotels have the best value for sleep quality, offering the most affordable stays at $93 per night.
- “With the highest number of luxury hotels among 45 countries – 17,684 in total – China ranks second second among countries where hotel sleep quality meets the best value.
- “New Zealand is the third country offering the best value for sleep quality, with 58% of customer reviews indicating good sleep quality in luxury hotels there, followed by Romania, Indonesia, Thailand, Poland (#7), Columbia #9 and Qatar #10.”
- The Philippines is number 8 for best sleep quality rating at $145.96 a night, 58.7 percent value per dollar compared to Egypt’s 99.4. Arguably, many hotels in the Philippines whose rate is between $60 to $90 could rank the Philippines as Number 1 for QPR, placing Egypt one lower.
The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people to live a healthier lifestyle, to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation, or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable to or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, health advocate, medical missionary, newspaper columnist, and chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. He is a recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1995, presented by then Indiana Governor, U.S. senator, and later a presidential candidate, Evan Bayh. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry S. Truman, President George HW Bush, pugilist Muhammad Ali, David Letterman, Astronaut Gus Grissom, distinguished educators, scientists, etc. (Wikipedia). Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Email: [email protected].
