Using The Planetree Model To Deliver Patient-Centered Healthcare

As BioRegenerative Sciences, Inc. begins to open a stem cell based healthcare clinic in Southern California, the basis for our technology is BRS’ S²RM Technology utilizing the molecules that multiple stem cell types release to induce healing.

Equally important to delivering the latest technology to the patient, are the services and processes that deliver the technology to the patient in a patient-centered, holistic, and healing atmosphere. To this end, progressive hospitals, beginning with University of California San Francisco’s Presbyterian Hospital, and now including many hospitals throughout the USA and Europe, have used a model system originally conceptualized by Angelica Thieriot. The inspiration for Angelica Thieriot arose during her battle with a rare viral infection. She sat staring at the cold, fluorescent lit blank walls of her hospital room. Overworked nurses hurried in and out without regard to Angelica as an individual, leaving her to sit alone for hours feeling lonely and afraid. She was disheartened to find that this lack of personalized care diminished the benefits of the hospital’s high-tech environment, leading to less than optimal healing.

Angelica’s experiences led her to envision a different type of hospital where patients could receive care in a warm, healing environment that would also provide them with access to the information needed to become active participants in their own care and wellbeing. Personalized, participatory healthcare, she hoped, would become the norm.

Planetree was founded in 1978 by Angelica using the name from the roots of modern Western medicine, which is the tree that Hippocrates sat under as he taught some of the earliest medical students in ancient Greece.

As stated by the Planetree non-profit organization, “The Planetree model of care is a patient-centered, holistic approach to healthcare, promoting mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and physical healing. It empowers patients and families through the exchange of information and encourages healing partnerships with caregivers. It seeks to maximize positive healthcare outcomes by integrating optimal medical therapies and incorporating art and nature into the healing environment.

Planetree continues to innovate, broadening our collective understanding of the concept of healing, and continuing our network’s expansion so that a growing number of patients and caregivers can experience the dignity, compassion, and humanity that are hallmarks of the Planetree philosophy.”

We at BRS embrace these ideals of Planetree as we move forward with our Spa-like stem cell based hospital in Southern California.

Argireline Is Not Botox In A Bottle

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Botulinum toxin is a protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, and is known to be extremely neurotoxic, and causes flaccid muscular paralysis seen in botulism. Physicians use this as a commercial product called Botox or Dysport to paralyze muscles. Botox was developed by Dr. Allan Scott, an ophthalmologist in San Francisco, and Edward Schantz for the treatment of the two eye conditions strabismus and blepharospasm in the 1960s. My colleague, Dr. Greg Maguire, used Botulinum toxin in his research at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA during the 1980s and 1990s and has told me how powerful this toxin is.....able to quickly induce paralysis at the neuromuscular junction. In 2002, the FDA announced regulatory approval of botulinum toxin type A (Botox Cosmetic) to temporarily improve the appearance of moderate-to-severe frown lines between the eyebrows (glabellar lines). When used for cosmetic surgery the Botox procedure is efficacious and safe and has only minor side effects.

The hexapeptide C{46}H{56}N{12}O{6}, (CAS 616204-22-9) termed Argireline, was produced by the Barcelona-based research laboratory Lipotec based on the Botulinum toxin molecule. Argireline is a shortened version of the Botulinum toxin molecule, designed to mimic the effect of Botulinum toxin in paralyzing muscles. There have been no double-blind studies of Argireline to prove an anti-wrinkle effect, and only one published study by the manufacturers. Anedotal reports are mixed, with some suggesting that a generalized sagging of the skin results from topical usage. Such a sagging effect is plausible given that the Argireline is applied topically without precise application to particular nerves as is performed in Botox injections. That is, if the Argirline really works, then the toxin is being applied all over the face, instead of precisely at specific nerves as is the case when surgeons inject botox. Such a generalized application of the toxin to the face may very well lead to sagging of the face.

My opinion is to use products that create beautiful skin by enhancing the health of the skin and avoid products, such as Argireline, that are toxins. Healthy skin, therefore beautiful skin, can be achieved by nourishing the skin from the inside and the outside. Such a program will include a good diet and proper hydration, and by applying topical products that are known to be safe and efficacious, such as anti-oxidants and naturally occurring factors found in healthy skin. New anti-oxidant, moisturizing, and stem cell-based topical products are appearing on the market that show great promise. The products that I have found most effective are from the biotech company in San Diego, CA called BioRegenerative Sciences, and include Vital Serum, Eye Serum, and Moisturizing Night Cream.

The Best Anti-Aging Skin Products Make Skin Healthy

The most effective way to make your skin look good, is to make the skin healthy. While procedures such as a face lift, or products such as Botox, can reduce the appearance of wrinkles and decrease sagging, the skin may still appear old, damaged, dry, and lack luster.

So even if one is using these procedures or products, the need still exists to make the skin healthy to bring back that youthful, glowing luster of young, healthy skin. Why does young skin look so good, and heal so easily? The answer is that young skin contain many stem cells, and different types of stem cells to make the skin healthy. Adult stem cells induce their positive effects in the skin by releasing "healing molecules" into the skin's layers to orchestrate a healing response. A new company, called BioRegenerative Sciences, for whom I am a consultant, uses the molecules from different types of stem cells in the skin, and formulates the molecules into cosmeceutical products in order to reverse the effects of aging.

In this way, BRS' products, Vital Serum, Eye Serum, and Moisturizing Night Cream serve to make the skin healthy, which naturally makes the skin look young and beautiful.

The World's Most Effective Anti-Aging Skin Care Products

I've been using BioRegenerative Science's new line of skin care products for several months and the results are fantastic. Not only can I see a very big difference in my appearance, but friends are asking what I have done to make myself look so much younger. Using Vital Serum, Eye Serum, and Moisturizing Night Cream from BRS has dramatically enhanced not only the appearance of my skin, but underlying this much improved appearance is more healthy skin. I can feel the difference, and I can see it.

Not only do these products contain BRS' S2RM Technology derived from combinations of adult stem cells, but the Moisturizing Night Cream also contains a new "super moisturizing" agent that both moisturizes the skin, but also provides a natural, non-irritating means to exfoliate the outer layer of dead skin, called the stratum corneum. Other products usually contain acids, such as glycolic acid, to produce the exfoliation. But using these acids actually irritates the skin and over time this continual irritation will lead to increased aging of the skin.

The great thing about these BRS products is that they all make the skin healthy, and as a result the skin looks better.

Regrowing Hair In Female Baldness (Alopecia)

Partial baldness is not uncommon in women. Aging, environmental factors, and illness along with a genetic predisposition can cause female alopecia. Recently, scientific evidence has given us a much deeper understanding  of the mechanisms involved in hair loss, and how to prevent hair loss and actually regrow hair.

Basically, the hair follicle is rimmed with a number of types of stem cells. These stem cells in the follicle are responsible for growing hair and for making the hair's pigmentation. With aging, illness, and through environmental factors, these stem cells can reduce in number and effectiveness, resulting in graying and the loss of hair.

Last month, BioRegenerative Sciences, Inc. of San Diego, CA, with whom I am a consultant, released a new topical spray for regrowing hair and pigmentation in women's alopecia. The good news....this product really works! Women regrow hair in about 6-8 weeks following the beginning of treatment. Treatment is simple, you simply spray the product, called Hair Stemulating Complex (HSC), onto the affected area of your scalp. On average, women who have used the product see significant hair growth and pigmentation in 7 weeks.

How does HSC work? The HSC product works by reconditioning the hair follicle. HSC uses the molecules from stem cells taken from hair follicles, and formulates these stem cell molecules into the topical spray. Thus, when you spray the HSC onto your scalp, the molecules from stem cells are absorbed into the follicle and mimic the natural hair and pigment regenerating mechanisms naturally working in the hair follicle. My colleague, Dr. Rita Friedman, and I have both used the product with very positive results.

Treating Dry Vagina Syndrome and Vaginal Irritation

Yesterday BioRegenerative Sciences, Inc., a stem cell therapeutics corporation headquartered in San Diego, CA, USA, announced the release of Feminese Comfort Creme, a topically applied cream for relieving the pain and irritation associated with vaginal dryness. BioRegenerative Sciences' clinical studies of Feminese Comfort Creme demonstrated that the pain and irritation associated with dry vagina syndrome was reduced or eliminated in a matter of days following topical application. 

Feminese Comfort Creme works to restore the biochemical properties of the vaginal surface to a healthy state and increases vaginal secretions so that the tissue is no longer inflamed and irritated. Another words, Feminese Comfort Creme is an easily applied topical cream that replaces in the vaginal surface what was present in the normal, healthy tissue. Feminese  uses a technology, known as S2RM TechnologyTM where stem cell released molecules from multiple stem cell types are used to formulate the cream. In this way, molecules lost in the dry and irritated vaginal tissue are replaced using the Feminese cream.  This is an easy to use and very effective product that I highly recommend.

Probiotics Supplementation For A Balanced Microbiome And Immune Health

The microbiome is the collection of all microbes, their genetic elements (genome), and their environmental interactions and phenotypic expression in a defined environment, such as the human gut for example. Thus, the microbiome usually includes microbiota and their complete genetic elements. The importance of the microbiome can be put into perspective by understanding that we have over 10 times more microbes than human cells in our bodies. The term "microbiome" was coined by Professor Joshua Lederberg, a Nobel Laureate for his work on bacteria. In Dr. Lederberg’s opinion, the microorganisms should be included as part of the human genome, because of their critical influence on human physiology.

The flora of the human colon are an important microbiome and provide the mechanism for a strong immune system, good health, and the ability to properly metabolize many ingredients, including drugs, and longevity. As an example, one manner in which the immune system fights pathogens is with inflammation. Too much inflammation can be damaging, therefore the immune system has immune cells that produce inflammation-reducing signals. Drs. Sarkis Mazmanian and June L. Round at Caltech reported that mice reared without a microbiome, thus the healthy probiotics of the colon, can’t produce an inflammation-reducing molecule called IL-10. Therefore probiotics are the living beneficial bacteria, the beneficial portion of all the living microbes in our body, called the microbiome, that protect and enhance the function of our gastrointestinal tract and our immune system. 

The bacteria residing in our colon are commonly grouped into two categories based on the effect they produce in humans; referred to as “friendly” or “unfriendly” bacteria. The “unfriendly” bacteria produce toxins that contribute to long-term illness, chronic fatique, and degeneration of the body. “Friendly” bacteria that are also known as probiotics benefit the balance of the intestinal, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria, promote good digestion, boost immune function, and increase resistance to infection. People with flourishing intestinal colonies of beneficial bacteria are better equipped to fight the growth of disease-causing bacteria, such as E. Coli, a bacterium so virulent that death can sometimes occur when infected with this strain.

 
Estimates suggests that there are several trillion friendly bacteria comprising over 400 species in the human gastrointestinal tract. Although Lactobacillus acidophilus, common in yogurt, is the most well known of these bacteria, others also play a crucial role in keeping us healthy, such as Lactobacillus salivarius/casei/rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium bifidum/longum/lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus. In a healthy colon the friendly bacteria outnumber the unfriendly, or pathogenic bacteria. Studies suggest that our colon maintains its health with 15% unfriendly bacteria, if the body contains at least 85% probiotic friendly bacteria, such as the Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria strains. However, in most people this percentage is reversed with damaging effects.

Many causes induce the unfavorable balance of the microbiome. Two commonly ingested damaging substances to the delicate intestinal flora balance are chlorine and sodium fluoride, present in most treated city water, and thus in most commercial beverages including soft drinks and drinks that are reconstituted with water.  Antibiotics, all too common in our diets, which are the opposite of probiotics, through their action to destroy bacteria, both the good and the bad bacteria upset the microbiome. Coffee, unhealthy eating habits, and stress can also disrupt the colon’s microbiome. Studies have also shown that as the good bacteria are destroyed, the potentially harmful bacteria increase rapidly, and that the translocation of the harmful bacteria from the intestinal tract and into the lymph nodes surrounding the intestinal tract occurs rapidly. From these lymph nodes, the bacteria then spread to cause new infections throughout the body.

The intestinal microbiome can be properly balanced with friendly bacteria by using probiotic supplements. These supplements are most effective if they’re designed to withstand the extreme acidity of the stomach. Further, the survival of friendly bacteria in the small and large intestines requires dietary fiber.  This is critical to our immune system. The gut is a huge immune organ where there are more immune cells then in the rest of the body. While eating yogurt is helpful, for most people this will not be enough to ensure replenishment of beneficial bacteria. Furthermore, commercially available fermented foods are, unfortunately, unreliable as sources of Lactobacilli because the lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide which Lactobacilli naturally produce may kill the good bacteria themselves if their concentration becomes excessive.

The most reliable way to supplement your diet with Lactobacilli is to make your own yogurt or sauerkraut, and to buy nutritional supplements that have been tested by an independent outside laboratory and list the concentration of viable bacteria found in culture. Lactobacilli are killed by heat, moisture, and sunlight. The making of tablets generates heat that lowers the number of viable organisms. Lactobacilli should be freeze-dried, in powder or capsules, in opaque moisture-proof containers. 

Friendly bacteria are living creatures that need nourishment to live and to multiply. When they receive nourishment, such as fiber, via the foods or supplements we take, they are able to maintain a stable population and can continue to maintain their beneficial properties. Another favorite food of friendly bacteria is FOS (fructooligosaccharides). Probiotic supplements that provide this food for the beneficial gut bacteria may, therefore, be more potent than just regular supplements. FOS is also found in fruits and vegetables such as bananas, nions, chicory root, garlic, asparagus, barley, wheat, jícama, tomatoes,  leeks, and  the Jerusalem artichoke.

Because the stomach is a highly acidic environment that destroys all bacteria, including probiotics, if the friendly bacteria from our supplements are destroyed before they reach the intestines, where they are most needed, we will not enjoy their full benefits. This problem is obviated using probiotic capsules that are enteric-coated. Capsules that are enteric coated have protective layer to ensure that the probiotic bacteria will survive passage through the stomach and arrive alive to the colon.