Is it possible to use stem cells to creat new nerves to cure nerve related disability?
There is a wide spectrum of nerve associated disability. Creation of new nerve is not a guarantee success in curing such disabilities. Having said that, it is possible to coax pluripotent stem cells to differentiate into various types of nerve cells with potential therapeutic application. In Singapore, there are several laboratories are focusing on using stem cells to create functional nerve cells.Related links:Prof Lawrence Stanton's Lab: http://www.a-star.edu.sg/gis/our...Dr Zeng Li's Lab: https://www.nni.com.sg/research/...Dr Ng Shi Yan's Lab: http://imcb.a-star.edu.sg/php/ij...You can learn more about such technology from the selected citations on their profile page.
How long does it take for damaged nerves to repair themselves?
Good question. Which nerves? I have only personal experience; it took many years for me to get full feeling iafter a bad thumb-wrist area laceration, although I had 90% use of thumb and grip, shortly after surgical repair around 1950. Those were “peripheral” nerves, and I had thought they only repaired the tendons.“…The Nervous system injuries affect over 90,000 people every year. It is estimated that spinal cord injuries alone affect 10,000 each year……The nervous system is divided into two parts: the central nervous system, which consists of the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system, which consists of cranial and spinal nerves along with their associated ganglia.While the peripheral nervous system has an intrinsic ability for repair and regeneration, the central nervous system is, for the most part, incapable of self-repair and regeneration. There is currently no treatment for recovering human nerve function after injury to the central nervous system. In addition, multiple attempts at nerve re-growth across the PNS-CNS transition have not been successful.There is simply not enough knowledge about regeneration in the central nervous system. In addition, although the peripheral nervous system has the capability for regeneration, much research still needs to be done to optimize the environment for maximum regrowth potential. Neuroregeneration is important clinically, as it is part of the pathogenesis of many diseases, including multiple sclerosis…” More here, but difficult to understand: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ne...Very recent studies of stem cells suggests that brain and spinal neurons can regenerate, and there is reason to be hopeful. I watch this area, especially.
Is stem-cell capsules and Great Salt Lake water really helpful to cure Paralysis?
I am very sorry to tell you this, but your neighbor is likely misleading you -- probably not intentionally. There are many "snake oil" salesmen out there, and this is definitely one of their finer products. Here's why: Paralysis after a stroke is generally due to some level of cell death in the brain. Specific parts of the brain control specific parts of the body, so if the part controlling your right arm dies, you lose control of your right arm. Unlike many other parts of the body, brain tissue is incapable of regeneration, so this damage is not repairable. No treatment can reverse this damage. To be clear, no treatment can repair this damage. This is perhaps one of the only absolutes in medicine; the brain cannot regenerate to any significant extent. Once the brain cells are dead, they are gone. Even if there is some general health benefit to these supplements (there may be and I encourage you do to your research with reputable sources), it is an impossibility for these treatments to repair the brain damage.Don't lose hope because there really is a lot of good, real medicine out there that can help your dad. What I would recommend is looking into some type of therapy. There is a lot of great medical research out there suggesting that physical therapy can train other parts of your brain to compensate for the loss of one functional area. Furthermore, there are numerous medical studies using treatments to assist this brain retraining process. I strongly urge you to look to these legitimate treatments that could really help your dad, and ignore the snake oil salesmen. All they will do is take your money and give you false hope.
Why can't paralyzed people be cured?
Well, your brain connects to your muscles by neurons (the type of cells in your nervous system), and a number of neurons connect to each other before getting to the muscles. Those neurons get to the muscle through your spinal cord. Their connection is very complex, and when you cut a neuron, depending on the extent of the trauma, they cannot regenerate. They are very complex, and doctors still haven’t figured out a way to regenerate them. Do some people recover from strokes or spinal cord injuries? Yes, most of the times only partially, that happens because neurons can regenerate to a certain extent, but if the lesion is too big, a scar is created on the place where a connection was before. Without a connection your brain can’t communicate with your muscles. One day, maybe we will find a way of regenerating those connections, but right now we depend on the body recovering by itself.