• Home
• Music
• Entertainment
• Design
• Books
• Technology
• Help/Environment
• Wellness
• Life Banter

My husband and I have had stem cell discussions recently and it hasn't gotten heated or been because of some controversy we've heard about in the news. It has been based on the fact that I am pregnant and we are being asked about donating the umbilical cord or having it saved for our own purposes should we ever need it. In fact at one of the first visits we had with the gynecologist she asked us to begin thinking about it because of the benefits of saving your babies cord blood stem cells.

Stem cell research does not have to be a terrifying topic, I wish it didn't have to start out that way. Knowing you can safely preserve stem cells from a newborn's umbilical cord should be reassuring.

One of the tricky parts in making this decision is the cost factor. Preserving the cord for yourself is extremely expensive. There are ways to donate the cord for anyone to be able to use should they need it isn't as expensive.

This is why organizations like Cryo-Cell have come into existence, because they understand both the benefits of research which comes with having stem cells and they understand the financial aspects of saving the cells.

U-Cord, Cryo-Cell's stem cell cord blood preservation service. Gift cards for this service are the ideal gift for family and friends who are expecting a baby in the near future and want to preserve vital stem cells that are collected from their baby's cord blood. Stems cells found in cord blood are known to treat over 75 diseases including leukemia, anemia, lymphoma, diabetes and cerebral palsy. A Cryo-Cell holiday gift certificate is the ideal gift to be given by co-workers, grandparents, aunts and uncles to welcome the arrival of a newborn.

For most families, banking their baby's cord blood offers peace of mind that should there be a need, their family's stem cells are readily available. I bet you never thought you could help give the gift of peace of mind. =o)
This is a sponsored post.

Labels: stem cells

ES cells are pluripotent. This means they are able to differentiate into all derivatives of the three primary germ layers: ectoderm, endoderm, and mesoderm.

"Scientists have discovered a new type of mouse embryonic stem cell that is the closest counterpart yet to human embryonic stem (ES) cells, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today. The cells are expected to serve as an improved model for human ES cells in studies of regeneration, disease pathology and basic stem cell biology."

On August 23, 2006, the online edition of Nature scientific journal published a letter by Dr. Robert Lanza stating that his team had found a way to extract embryonic stem cells without destroying the actual embryo.

Perhaps now, June 28, 2007, doctors will be able to make use of the stem cells from mice to do their research. I don't like the thought of cruelty towards animals, but if it gets more people open to this research since a human embryo won't be used...well. I can understand concerns, but I am one of the people that stem cell research could help. I have Multiple Sclerosis and there is so little none about this disease.

Stem cells may be able to repair or replace damaged tissue, thereby reversing disease and injury. According to the scientists studying these diseases, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, autoimmune disease, burn victims, blood diseases, leukemia, and spinal injuries could all benefit from stem cell research.

Labels: stem cells