Stem Cell Therapy Argumentative Essay

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Recommended: Controversy of stem cell research

Dr. Timothy Henry presents stem cell therapy as a reality, but as a complex one. In the video, Dr. Henry expresses his belief of how the overall potential of stem cell therapy has been overshadowed by the political coverage it has received. The controversy surrounding stem cell therapy has distracted people from the true medical value of stem cell research. It has also been overhyped, and misconceptions about the effects of stem cell therapy are something doctors must navigate through when talking to their patients about stem cell therapy. He also emphasizes that with more studies and clinical trials our understanding of stem cells and their potential risks and benefits can be understood even further. Stem cell are unspecialized cells that are naturally occuring within the body. They are self-renewing cells that operate as our body’s repair mechanism. They can differentiate into over two hundred different specialized cells that are evident …show more content…

Three of those strategies were based on the body’s own stem cells, or their autologous stem cells. First, doctors can increase the number of stem cells given, give cells with specific functions, and increase the number of “good” cells from bone marrow by extracting cells, manipulating them, and then implanting them back into the patient. He then said that if doctors were to take stem cells from young and healthy donors, there could be a possible future of having “stem cells sitting on shelves waiting for people to come in and use them”. Then he focused on the heart. The heart has the least amount of stem cells, and is rendered the worst ability to regenerate. With cardiac-derived cells, Dr. Henry sees a future for healthier hearts. He proposes that cells extracted from the heart can be grown in a laboratory setting, and then put back into the heart for the reduction of scar tissue for better circulation for blood flow and overall heart

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