Regenerative Medicine

As we age, our bodies have a harder time maintaining healthy tissues and function. We may experience a longer healing time, increased inflammation, a declining chemical environment, and cell aging causing healthy tissues to become dysfunctional. Regenerative medicine therapies are utilized to promote the body’s ability to repair, reconstruct, replace, or supplement the patient’s cells or tissues. The cells promote the neutralization of inflammation and may accelerate healing. With the potential to regenerate injured cartilage tissue, tendons, bone, muscle, ligaments and vertebral disc cartilage, the cell therapies facilitate the stimulation of your body’s own natural healing processes.

The purpose of regenerative medicine is to support the restoration of healthy cells, promoting the repair response of diseased, dysfunctional, or injured tissue.

• Promising alternative to surgery, promoting your bodies’ natural ability to heal itself.
• Promote repair in different kinds of cells.
• Drug-free way to treat pain. Cortisone offers temporary relief but may cause long-term side effects while regenerative medicine may actually restore degenerated tissue, resulting in lasting pain relief.

Yes, regenerative medicine is safe. The risks of stem cell therapy are minimal and often misunderstood. 

• There is a minute risk for infection at the injection site.
• These cells have a short life-span and need to survive long enough to biologically seek out the damaged area to make an impact. This cannot be guaranteed and may require repeated treatments which still may fail to improve your condition.
• Research is ongoing. While a great deal is known about stem cells and their byproducts, the precise mechanism by which these cells or their byproducts work is not fully understood. Outstanding results are reported for many but not all patients. 
• When utilizing allogeneic cells, your body’s own immune system may become activated, causing an allergic reaction which can be as mild as a rash treated with some cortisone, but rarely can be serious and require hospitalization. Typically these reactions are immediate, but can be delayed.
• A yet unknown syndrome or reaction, including death, as a result of allogeneic stem cell transplantation cannot be ruled out as a possible consequential result of this procedure.

A patient’s specific procedure will be decided upon during a one-on-one consultation. Below is a brief general guideline of what to expect.

• One on one consultation with Dr. Robert Bulger, ABMS certified in Pain Management.
• Review of appropriate history and imaging studies.
• Dr. Bulger will also review your imaging study with a musculoskeletal specialist.
• If indicated, we will schedule your therapy at the Carrell Clinic in Dallas, TX. 
• Dr. Bulger may prescribe a medication to put you at ease during the injection. Due to this potential use of a medication, we request that you receive a ride to and from the Carrell Clinic facility.
• Your Stem cell injection will be administered under guided ultrasound with numbing cream applied to the injection site for your comfort.  
• After the injection, we will follow up with you to gain your feedback regarding your experience and progress towards healing.

Regenerative medicine is gaining momentum as a revolutionary treatment for conditions including but not limited to degenerative disease, sports injuries, arthritis, and everyday wear and tear. There is still more to be learned to harness the amazing potential that these therapies can provide, but there is no denying the successful outcomes seen in many thousands of patients  to date. 

We take an honest look at a promising future for regenerative medicine. Dr. Bulger has done his due diligence in researching the science behind regenerative medicine, reviewing what is currently being offered and how these products are being marketed. We do not make any outlandish claims regarding the benefits, and we do everything we can to help set your body up for the procedure to be safe and successful.

There is evidence that stem cells are much more successful in an optimal environment. To set the stage for an optimal environment within your body, we focus on a healthy dietary program prior to your injection, and we monitor your prescriptions, along with dietary suggestions for the months following the procedure. Everything we do is with great thought and gives the patient the best chance for success, promoting the stem cells’ ability to heal.

• Currently, the only FDA compliant regenerative medicine therapies include:
  • BMC: Cells retrieved from your own bone marrow.

• • PRP: Platelet rich plasma from your own blood. 
• We are working with Signature Biologics to participate in clinical  research under an IND (Investigational New Drug Application), filed with the FDA. 
  • Signature Cord Prime™ Receives Investigational New Drug (IND) Approval from FDA for Phase 1 Study in Patients with Symptomatic Osteoarthritis of the Knee. (prnewswire.com)