http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_STEM_CELLS_CLINICS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-05-18-03-07-13
The liquid is dark red, a mixture of fat and blood, and Dr. Mark Berman pumps it out of the patient's backside. He treats it with a chemical, runs it through a processor - and injects it into the woman's aching knees and elbows.
The "soup," he says, is rich in shape-shifting stem cells - magic bullets that, according to some doctors, can be used to treat everything from Parkinson's disease to asthma to this patient's chronic osteoarthritis.
"I don't even know what's in the soup," says Berman. "Most of the time, if stem cells are in the soup, then the patient's got a good chance of getting better."
It's quackery, critics say. But it's also a mushrooming business - and almost wholly unregulated...
Berman, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, is co-founder of the largest chain, the Cell Surgical Network. Like most doctors in the field, he has no formal background in stem cell research. His company offers stem cell procedures for more than 30 diseases and conditions, including Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis, lupus and erectile dysfunction.
There are clinics that market "anti-aging" treatments; others specialize in "stem-cell facelifts" and other cosmetic procedures. The cost is high, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000.
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