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Center for Traditional Medicine, P.C. Newsletter | Spring 2008
In This Issue
Enews Extra
Since I began treating patients with prolotherapy in 1999, I have had the opportunity to integrate the latest prolotherapy techniques and innovations into my practice. One of these innovations is the use of Platelet Rich Plasma matrix grafts, or PRP for short.
Please let me tell you about this exciting innovation:
What is Platelet rich plasma? PRP is processed from the patient’s own blood in an in-office procedure that concentrates the bioactive tissue growth factors found in platelets. These growth factors are known to stimulate the healing cascade in musculoskeletal injuries.
Here’s how it works: All injuries result in tissue damage. The body’s natural response to injury is an organized process of regeneration and remodeling of damaged cells, ultimately returning the injured tissues to their normal state. Collectively this process is known as the healing cascade. This healing cascade is primarily controlled by bioactive tissue growth factors found in platelets. With PRP prolotherapy, these growth factors are concentrated and injected directly into the site of injury.
Why use your own platelets? Platelets are tiny cells that are critical to healing. They are the body’s primary source of bioactive tissue growth factors, including CTGF (Connective Tissue Growth Factor) PGDF (Platelet Derived Growth Factor), TGF-β (Transforming Growth Factor-beta), EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor), IGF (Insulin Growth Factor), bFGF (basic Fibroblast Growth Factor), and VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. Together, these compounds control and regulate our natural healing cascade in response to injury and degenerative changes. By concentrating these growth factors and injecting them at the site of injury, a robust healing response can be achieved.
PRP provides a fibrin matrix graft. Fibrin matrix provides the scaffolding for new collagen to form along damaged ligaments and tendons. With a fibrin matrix graft, even severely damaged tissues can re-organize and heal.
PRP concentrates Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). MSCs are multi-potent stem cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types during tissue repair processes. Cell types that MSCs have been shown to differentiate into include collagen secreting cells, bone forming osteoblasts and cartilage forming chondrocytes. Together these cells have the potential of rejuvenating tissues damaged by injury, degenerative changes, and osteoarthritis.
What does it do? The PRP process concentrates fibrin, mesenchymal stem cells, and platelets so that each cubic millimeter of solution contains 1.5 to 2 million platelets, resulting in up to a five-fold increase in platelets and bioactive growth factors. Because it is so concentrated, PRP acts as a potent tissue growth stimulant, amplifying the natural process of tissue repair and healing. Studies show that PRP induces the production of new collagen by the fibroblasts, bone and cartilage cells at the site of the injection, rebuilding the joint cartilage and strengthening injured ligaments and tendons. This new collagen is naturally incorporated directly into your existing cartilage and ligaments, making them thicker, stronger and more elastic.
Is PRP Safe? Autologous (patient derived) PRP has been used for over 30 years as an aid in recovery following certain surgical, orthopedic and dental procedures. Over 6600 research articles have been published on the and safety of PRP.
What kinds of injuries can PRP be used in? Medical researchers are reporting remarkable results using aPRP in the treatment of common injuries, including tendinosis, the regeneration of cartilage in osteoarthritis of the thumbs, knees and hips, and in non-surgical repair of rotator cuff tears. Published studies show restoration and smoothing of of roughened cartilage, improved range of motion, and resolution of pain in osteoarthritis of hips, knees and shoulders. Many other conditions respond to prolotherapy with PRP, including injuries to the back, neck, jaw, elbows, shoulders, hands, hips, knees, ankles and feet. Want to read learn more about regenerative injection therapy and PRP prolotherapy? Visit our website, www.MyCTM.org or www.prolodoctor.com, and click on Platelet Rich Plasma.
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Dr. Lori Horan
Bonnie was having too many side effects from her blood pressure medication. Her ankles were swelling, and she often felt dizzy and tired. She sought my help in lowering her blood pressure. With regular acupuncture, her blood pressure dropped without having to tolerate the side effects of drugs. She is not alone. Researchers found that patients with hypertension achieved significant short-term reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure following acupuncture treatments, according to a randomized, double-blind study, published in Circulation June 2007.
160 hypertensive patients had three treatments per week for six weeks of either active acupuncture or sham acupuncture. Needling points were chosen according to a typical prescription for the condition, while sham needling was done on locations not relevant for lowering blood pressure. At the end of the study, there was a significant difference in post-treatment blood pressures in both systolic and diastolic pressures in the active acupuncture group. The mean
24-hour ambulatory systolic and
diastolic blood pressures decreased after treatment by 5.4 mm Hg.
It is important to note that these results were short-term. When researchers measured blood pressures again at both three- and six-month follow ups, they found mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures had returned to pretreatment levels in the active treatment group. This outcome suggests that reductions in blood pressure are based on receiving regular acupuncture treatments.
This study shows that acupuncture offers an alternative antihypertensive therapeutic option to patients with mild or moderate hypertension who want to avoid drug therapy or use acupuncture as an additional option with other therapies. If you have high blood pressure and would like to explore acupuncture treatments or additional naturopathic treatments for your condition, call CTM for an appointment.
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Noel Peterson, ND
Of all the lifestyle factors affecting longevity, exercise continues to lead the pack. In fact, researchers with the Veterans Affairs recently completed a study of 15,860 men, and found that after 7 ½ years, those who were “highly fit” had an all-cause 50% reduction in mortality, and “very highly fit” men had a 70% reduced all-cause mortality when compared to men of “low fitness”. That’s right, a 50%-70% reduction in the risk of dying from any cause! “Our findings show that the risk of death is cut in half with an exercise capacity that can easily be achieved by a brisk walk of about 30 minutes per session 5-6 days per week”, said chief researcher Dr. Peter Kokkinos.
Younger genes? Does regular exercise actually lower the age of our genes? Genetic researcher Lynn F. Cherkas, Ph.D., of King’s College London, has found that regular exercise results in longer telomeres on our chromosomes, and these longer telomeres are associated with the ability of our genes to repair th