I know this is a controversial topic, but I truly believe it must be covered. So many promising medical treatments seem to lie in the use of stem cells. Often, people immediately think that embryonic stem cell therapy is the only way to harvest these cells.  That isn't the case. In fact, my Mom went through stem cell therapy when she was fighting breast cancer. This was over 10 years ago, when stem cell research was pretty new. She went through a procedure called Auto Pharesis, where she harvested her own stem cells, which were then cleansed and filtered back into her body. It looked a lot like she was hooked to a hemo dialysis machine. This treatment bought her several months of life. Again, it was new at that time, so she was basically a guinea pig.

I've always wondered about other types of stem cells that can be harvested. I recently came across this press release from CNNMoney. 

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women's Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST


OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind — especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body — in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

"C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way," said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. "We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings."

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.

I find this very fascinating, and am looking forward to reading more abou this opportunity to harvest one's own cells.