Waiting to go and buy a new, cheap, power mower and then get dropped off at the Y. I have been trying to use my long weekend ‘wisely’.
Translated: I will be more tired when I start the work week than when I ended the last one.
Getting things done, though. Including blog pages?.
So, how are ya? Do you remember that debacle in Florida several months back? Three blind in Florida due to a bogus and botched stem cell procedure.
The FDA sort of moves in glacial time but it does move. In May the FDA filed for permanent injunctions against that stem cell ‘clinic’, US Stem Cell Clinic, and one other one, California Stem Cell Treatment Center.
US Stem Cell – I always get a little wary when anyone ‘wraps himself in the flag’ as it were. Truth, justice and the American way? – has said they will vigorously defend themselves and cited “the rights of a patient and physician to decide whether or not to use a patient’s own cells for a therapeutic purpose without government interference”.
While that sounds lofty and very ‘American way-ish’ I wonder about a few little things like informed consent and the Hippocratic Oath. How many of us can truly say we understand stem cells well enough to be ‘informed’? The farther away medicine gets from mustard plasters and chicken soup, the harder it is for the average guy on the street to be able to give informed consent. Basically, when the medicos start talking, it comes down to having faith in the guy who is talking at you. What if your trust is misplaced?
Bringing us to the Hippocratic Oath. “First do no harm.” Believe it or not, those words are not in the oath, but close enough. Then there are a few statements about honoring those who have come before (as well as others working in the field I assume) and being part of a society. Not to mention not being ashamed to say one does not know. Hmmmmm….
Were these people open to peer review? Were they working for the good of society and advancing knowledge like a standard clinical trial or were they working for themselves…at $5,000 a procedure?
If you don’t play by the rules, the ref takes you out of the game. Simple.
And while the FDA is nitpicky – and who would NOT want all of the lice eggs out of her hair?!?! – they are not heartless. This does not apply to us because AMD is not a fatal disease, but the FDA approves the great majority of compassionate use requests it receives from the terminally ill. In other words if you have a fatal disease and you believe an experimental drug or procedure will help to save you, ask and you will receive.
How often does that happen? According to Fox News (March 13, 2018) the FDA approves 99% of requests.
So once again, please be cautious. Yes, you have a right to make foolish choices, but please don’t. Don’t let someone get you all fired up about the government trampling on your rights with your treatments. I am not a fan of big government but someone has to vet this stuff and I have not heard of any better process than the clinical trials process. Have you?
But that is just my opinion..
[Lin/Linda: here’s a new report that came out after Sue wrote this page: Woman says experimental stem cell procedure for eye disease was “too good to be true”]
Written May 28th, 2018