Spinal cord injuries are traumatic to people and do not just affect their physical body, but their mind and spirit. Using stem cells to help improve some of the physical functioning that the human body has after the initial spinal cord injury will also help improve their mental and emotional wellbeing. The discipline of psychology will look at the mental progress that patients make when undergoing stem cell therapy. By improving the mental health of a person who has undergone a spinal cord injury it will also have a cascade of effects because a person’s mental health impacts many different things in their body. This will allow me to relate the topic back using other disciplines outside of psychology, but disciplines that psychology can affect.
(THIS WAS AN INFORMATIVE SPEECH I DID FOR MY COM220 CLASS ON THE STAGES OF SPINAL CORD INJURY RESEARCH. IT ACTED AS AN INTRODUCTION TO MY PERSUASIVE SPEECH ON THE BENEFITS OF STEM CELL RESEARCH)
In the article “Stem Cell Therapy for Spinal Cord Injury” Neil H Riordan discusses that adult stem cells can treat spinal cord injuries. The spinal cord is a tube like structure that runs from the base of the skull to the end of the spine. If this is injured, it may cause loss of muscle movement, muscle control, sensation and body system control.This is usually caused by motor vehicle accidents, bad falls or sporting accident that fracture and crush the vertebrae. People can cope with their disabilities by going through physical therapy; however, spinal cord injury can be treated with allogeneic human umbilical cord tissue-derived stem cells and autologous bone marrow-derived stem cells. Treatment such as this can be done by injecting a total
A frightening 2.5 million people live with the burden of a spinal cord injury. Each year, more than 130,000 new injuries are reported (Oyinbo, 2011). A spinal cord injury is one of the most debilitating injuries, and puts a lifelong burden on not only the patient, but the caregiver as well. Years ago, a spinal cord injury translated to a lifetime of wheelchair confinement, endless comorbidities, and lost hope of ever regaining normal function. Treatment was limited, and patients suffered because of it. But research has come along way, and the future of spinal cord injuries looks more promising than ever.
According to the World Health Organisation, around the world, between 250,000 and 500,000 people suffer from spinal cord injuries. People living with these spinal cord injuries are said to be 40% more likely to die prematurely than those who do not suffer from these particular injuries. One possible treatment that can be applied is the use of embryonic stem cells to help treat patients with spinal cord injuries. Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs), as their name suggest, are derived from the inner cell mass from an early stage, pre-implantation embryo, known as a blastocyst, from eggs which have been fertilized via in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Once consent has been given by the host, these pluripotent stem cells are then cultured and donated for research purposes. The Human Embryonic Stem Cells, (hESCs) serve a multitude of purposes, ranging from growing synthetic organisms, treating degenerative disease and also repairing damaged tissue. The omnipotence of hESCs allows them to have the potential to successfully treat spinal cord injuries by stimulation spinal cord neuronal regeneration. This method could be applied to save many patients lives as well as provide social and economic benefits. Consequently, however, the use of hESCs provides a highly controversial debate. Whilst this method may alleviate financial burdens of living with spinal cord injuries, the use of hESCs also arises many ethical issues concerning their use. Also, alternative solutions such
Spinal cord injuries are devastating events for the patients and their environment. The higher the injury on the spinal cord, the more dysfunction can occur. The patients with a T-4 paraplegia will have the full function of the arms and hands and varying strength of the upper chest, mid back, and abdominal muscles (Shepherd Center [SC], 2016). The injuries usually affect the trunk and legs (paraplegia). The sympathetic nervous system may be compromised, possibility of autonomic dysreflexia. They are functionally independent, as they can perform following activities independently;
Spinal Muscular Atrophy, also known as SMA, is the number one genetic disease killer of children under two years old. About one in every 6,000 babies are born with SMA and one in 40 people carry the gene that causes SMA. Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a genetic disease that affects the part of the nervous system that controls the muscle movement. Most of the nerve cells that control the muscles are located in the spinal cords. SMA is when there is a loss of nerve cells and protein in the spinal cord which is called motor neutrons. Motor neutron protein is necessary for muscles to function properly. This diseases weakens the muscles that affects an individual’s physical movement. Only few individuals with SMA are able to walk. This disease
Spinal cord injuries can have a devastating effect on not only your lifestyle but also your financial situations. If you have received the spinal cord injuries due to the negligence of someone else, then you are entitled to file for compensation with the help of a skilled and knowledgeable Injury Lawyer Richmond Hill.
Scientists have tested and researched many possible cures for spinal cord injuries but in 2005 stem cell treatment was discovered and this was the turning point in spinal cord
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a disabling condition that makes the individual dependent on others for performing their living and professional activities (2,3). Typically, a wide range of such services are provided by a caregiver or family members and relatives of the injured person (1,3). The World Health Organization (WHO) defines caregiver as “A person who provides support and assistance, formal or informal, with various activities to persons with disabilities or long-term conditions, or persons who are elderly. This person may provide emotional or financial support, as well as hands-on help with different tasks. Care giving may also be done from long distance”.1
Spinal muscular atrophy is a genetic disease that affects a part of the nervous system that controls voluntary muscle movement. Spinal muscular atrophy involves the loss of nerve cells called motor neurons in the spinal cord, which may also be known as motor neuron disease. The motor neurons receive “signals” from the brain to the spinal cord, and then they in turn send signals to our muscles. When these signals do not transmit properly, this is what causes spinal muscular atrophy. It is the number one genetic cause for newborn deaths. There are four types of spinal muscular atrophy, based on age the patient is, and the highest physical milestone achieved by the patient. Type 1 also known as Werdnig Hoffman disease, Type 2 also known
Spinal cord injury (SCI)- Damage to any part of the spinal cord or nerves at the end of the spinal canal. Often causes permanent changes in strength, sensation and other body function below the site of the injury.
I wrote my paper on sex and disability, primarily with spinal cord injury, also known as SCI. Each spinal cord injury is different and any damage to the spinal cord is a very complex injury and most devastating of all traumatic events. Damage to the spinal cord can occur from either a traumatic injury or from disease to the vertebral column. A person’s injury is described by its level and type, which may result in a loss of some or all of an individual’s sensation and movement. The higher the spinal cord injury is on the vertebral column, or the closer it is to the brain, thus the more affect it has on the body’s movement and what they can feel. More movement, feeling and voluntary control over the body’s system are present with a lower level of injury. People who become
The spinal cord is a major channel in the body where motor and sensory information travels from the brain to the body. It has white matter that surrounds a central gray matter. The gray matter is where most of the neuronal cells are located. Injury to the spinal cord will affect the conduction of information across any part of the spinal cord where the damage is located (Maynard et al., 1997). This will often result in permanent disability of a certain muscle or region of the body (Meletis et al., 2008) and a loss of tissue where the damage is located (Peng et al., 2009). As of now, there is no treatment for spinal cord injury expect for steroids. All steroids can do is provide protect of the spinal cord from
Spinal cord injuries not only have a physical effect on the affected person, but they have psychological effects, too. The World Health Organization states that “about 20 to 30% of people with spinal cord injury show clinical significant signs of depression, which in turn has a negative impact on improvements in functioning and overall health” (2015). Many people living with SCIs could be excluded from full participation in society as a
It reveals the power of stem cells and the miraculous work they can do on a person. Although stem cell therapy works on only about 20% of that certain population of disabled men and women, it is a very large leap towards advancing medicine for all affected clients. Financially, stem cell research under the wing of spinal cord paralysis or any other sort of physical impairments can be problematic in the way that billions of dollars in resources and funding for experiments while not even treating or completely curing the entire community could be very controversial against stem cell research. Socially and globally however, it would bring much more equality to the table, where the disabled community would be able to lead normal social lives without any sort of harassment or discrimination. It is imperative that scientific research on the topic of stem cells can be funded and spread in order to benefit all of the different branches of illnesses, diseases, and disabilities, in the search for new treatments and