What are regenerative therapies and what are their benefits?

This new medical speciality has different applications in many therapeutic areas.

Regenerative medicine is a medical speciality that studies the functioning of the body’s own regenerative processes to replicate them with the aim of treating and curing various diseases and pathologies. In this way, as well as speeding up recovery times, it avoids the possible side effects that traditional treatments can cause. As Dr. Óscar Mayorga, head of the Regenerative Medicine Unit at SHA Wellness Clinic, explains, “tissues, plasma, cells, or proteins from the patient himself are used to regenerate tissues, parts of an organ and even complete organs, such as the pancreas. But other bioidentical substances, such as hyaluronic acid, can also be used”.

SHA was one of the pioneers in Spain to incorporate a regenerative therapies unit into its medical area, a relatively new interdisciplinary speciality that has applications in multiple treatment areas, from chronic, degenerative, metabolic, autoimmune, osteomuscular or nervous system diseases to aesthetic medicine, anti-ageing or to treat erectile dysfunction. “Regenerative medicine is a very transversal field and is used to treat diseases and pathologies as diverse as arthritis, osteoarthritis, sports trauma, muscle injuries, meniscus disorders, tendinopathies, sclerosis, lupus, diabetes, spinal cord injuries or facial and hair rejuvenation. In addition, laboratories are currently working on tissue engineering, which consists of creating complete tissues and organs,” adds Óscar. And there are very promising studies and research related to the great diseases of the 21st century, such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and cancer.

“The two most common therapies are platelet-rich plasma and stem cells. The former is obtained from blood and contains growth factors, while the latter are extracted from fat or bone marrow, always from the patient himself. In fact, one of the most popular treatments at present is platelet-rich plasma enriched with cytokines, which are immune system-mediated proteins that have an anti-inflammatory effect and are very effective in inflammatory lesions, such as arthritis or osteoarthritis,” concludes the doctor.