This month's newsletter from Dr. Whittaker features stem cells for PD. I've called the clinic and the gist of what I was told is this:

They use a twilight anesthesia, cut a small incision near your navel, take out some fat, harvest stem cells from it, "treat" them, and then put them back in your body via an IV in your arm. The procedure takes about three hours, you have to be cleared for it (EKG, etc.), and it costs $6300.00.

As part of this treatment they recommend you do a series of hyperbaric oxygen treatments: four before the stem cell surgery and two after (although you can do more). These cost an additional $215.00 each, I believe it was, and you can do no more than two a day.

They have been offering HO at the Whittaker clinic for many years for other things (wound care is one), and I can't help but wonder if the success they see with the stem cell work they have been doing for almost two years now is really more attributable to the HO they request patients do in conjunction with it. Their results with the stem cells are mixed, so we are waiting and watching.

But back to the hyperbaric oxygen (HO). I've read that it helps some people with PD a lot, but others, not so much. My reading seems to indicate that you need at least 10-15 treatments to get to an improved plateau, and then you need maintenance treatments every so often thereafter. It is very individual, like everything, so one guy may need 25 treatments to start feeling better, but someone else may only need 5....if it even helps the particular person.

Has anyone had any experience with hyperbaric oxygen? A ton of sports teams have these chambers to help their athletes heal from injuries, and there are a lot of facilities that offer HO for wound care as well. We'd love to hear if anyone has tried this, and with what result(s).

Hi there Lurking,

Yes I received autologous adipose stem cell treatment on July 9, 2014 from StemGenex. They planned to take the tissue from my abdomen, but changed to actually take it from my outer thigh. In addition to the procedure you mentioned above, they injected 1 or 2 syringes (don't remember) of the activated stem cells into my nose and a few into where I had aches and troubles (knee and back). They are more costly, but I think worth it because the nasal injection makes much sense with brain diseases.

I wasn't aware of the suggestion to do HBOT until after I got home. But I started diving several weeks ago and was so impressed my husband and I bought a mHBOT chamber. I've heard it may take 80 dives and diving on an ongoing basis means I might as well buy a small one. I was on a parasite cleansing regime before I got stem cells, and I just finished it yesterday. A nutritionist told me about it and it helped heal leaky gut, something much suspected as a cause of pd. I also am on a ketogenic diet called Wahls Paleo Plus. Besides the other recovery tools I use, I see these 4 as critical to my healing.

As I may have written, I had a video taken in the AM prior to meds in June and one in August. I am twice as fast as I was. I was using a walker in June; now I don't need need that or a cane. I very much endorse the stem cell and the HBOT, but it all works in conjunction.

Hi Owlish -
If you don't mind me asking - How many cells did you receive?
Are you still taking meds?
I did a stem cell infusion with Celltex, I've written about it here before. I think it helped... I would love to go back and do more. I haven't done the HBOT, although it's on my "to-do" list. I have been using a Rife machine, which I think may be helping too.
I'm so happy to hear that you are feeling better.

Hi Ana

Thank you! I'm really not sure how many cells I got. I am so bad with numbers. I asked the doctor how many I received and he said either 5,000,000 or 5,000,000,000. Sorry. To me that was less important than creating an environment that is conducive to their growth. The same amount of meds but the off times have been better and shorter. My goal is to reduce meds, then eliminate them, hahaha. Riding a bike again is another goal.
How do you like the Rife machine and what does it do?
How was your experience with Celltex and when was it?
Recovery is something we can do!