Comments on: Let’s talk about stem cells http://www.midlifemusings.com/2008/07/11/lets-talk-about-stem-cells/ Reflections on life from 40-something Fri, 03 Feb 2012 03:44:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: cass http://www.midlifemusings.com/2008/07/11/lets-talk-about-stem-cells/comment-page-1/#comment-404338 cass Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:23:35 +0000 http://www.midlifemusings.com/?p=1158#comment-404338 I normally don't approve comments with keywords as names, but yours is extensive and well thought out, so I am making an exception. I am not going to argue point by point with you, but I will tell you that I have recently watched a family member die from a disease that stem cells "should" have been able to cure. It didn't change my mind, and it wouldn't have changed hers. Another thing we seem to forget is that life isn't intended to last forever. Alzheimer's is indeed the long goodbye, but it's victims are hardly cut off in their prime. I normally don’t approve comments with keywords as names, but yours is extensive and well thought out, so I am making an exception.

I am not going to argue point by point with you, but I will tell you that I have recently watched a family member die from a disease that stem cells “should” have been able to cure. It didn’t change my mind, and it wouldn’t have changed hers.

Another thing we seem to forget is that life isn’t intended to last forever. Alzheimer’s is indeed the long goodbye, but it’s victims are hardly cut off in their prime.

]]> By: SomeAudioGuy http://www.midlifemusings.com/2008/07/11/lets-talk-about-stem-cells/comment-page-1/#comment-403751 SomeAudioGuy Wed, 16 Jul 2008 04:14:02 +0000 http://www.midlifemusings.com/?p=1158#comment-403751 Well, your wiki link doesn't actually support what you're writing about. While there have been incredible advances in adult stem cell research, we still haven't found a way to revert a specific cell back to it's more embryonic plasticity or flexibility. I would hope more advances can be made, but we might not have a full understanding of the cell structure until more research is done on embryonic stem cells. Checking out C'elle, it doesn't seem they've really made up that ground work yet either. Just that there are several types of adult stem cell, which have a degree of mutability. It really seems you'd really be better off keeping the umbilical cord fluids though. The reason adult stem cells might be delivering more results, is because we aren't allowed to perform embryonic research at the same level. I totally understand why Nancy Reagan chose to support embryonic stem cell research. She was first witness to a horrible disease killing off one of the greatest Presidents America has ever known. He was also her husband and the father of her children. Having something like that happen to your family, I think it would be impossible not to sit down and take stock, re-examine your life. I seriously doubt RR would fault her for it. I get a little frustrated as it doesn't really need to be an abortion debate. Every DAY couples go to fertility clinics and have eggs harvested and fertilized. Many opt not to have all of the eggs implanted, and quite often, after the couple is done having kids, those fertilized eggs essentially get flushed down the toilet. To me this is more like wasting an opportunity for being an organ donor. There are groups dedicated to finding "homes" for those fertilized eggs, but many still get tossed. What use is that? We could already be curing these diseases (and many more, auto immune, type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer, Parkinson). We could already be learning how to regress adult cells into a more embryonic state. Once we do that we WONT NEED embryonic cells. Instead, we're caught up in a useless debate, while the practicality of the situation is, the very material we need is literally being thrown away. I guess I just don't agree with "at conception", unless it happens in the mother's body. You need life to create life. Put a sperm in an egg, and you have the potential for life, but take that mix out of the fridge, and it'll never be anything on it's own. Just like any other cell, remove it from the host and it withers. Without the oven you'll NEVER make the bun, you'll only get nasty gooey dough melting all over your kitchen counter. Well, your wiki link doesn’t actually support what you’re writing about. While there have been incredible advances in adult stem cell research, we still haven’t found a way to revert a specific cell back to it’s more embryonic plasticity or flexibility. I would hope more advances can be made, but we might not have a full understanding of the cell structure until more research is done on embryonic stem cells. Checking out C’elle, it doesn’t seem they’ve really made up that ground work yet either. Just that there are several types of adult stem cell, which have a degree of mutability. It really seems you’d really be better off keeping the umbilical cord fluids though.

The reason adult stem cells might be delivering more results, is because we aren’t allowed to perform embryonic research at the same level.

I totally understand why Nancy Reagan chose to support embryonic stem cell research. She was first witness to a horrible disease killing off one of the greatest Presidents America has ever known. He was also her husband and the father of her children. Having something like that happen to your family, I think it would be impossible not to sit down and take stock, re-examine your life. I seriously doubt RR would fault her for it.

I get a little frustrated as it doesn’t really need to be an abortion debate. Every DAY couples go to fertility clinics and have eggs harvested and fertilized. Many opt not to have all of the eggs implanted, and quite often, after the couple is done having kids, those fertilized eggs essentially get flushed down the toilet. To me this is more like wasting an opportunity for being an organ donor. There are groups dedicated to finding “homes” for those fertilized eggs, but many still get tossed.

What use is that? We could already be curing these diseases (and many more, auto immune, type 1 diabetes, Alzheimer, Parkinson). We could already be learning how to regress adult cells into a more embryonic state. Once we do that we WONT NEED embryonic cells. Instead, we’re caught up in a useless debate, while the practicality of the situation is, the very material we need is literally being thrown away.

I guess I just don’t agree with “at conception”, unless it happens in the mother’s body. You need life to create life. Put a sperm in an egg, and you have the potential for life, but take that mix out of the fridge, and it’ll never be anything on it’s own. Just like any other cell, remove it from the host and it withers.
Without the oven you’ll NEVER make the bun, you’ll only get nasty gooey dough melting all over your kitchen counter.

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