While there's a great deal of controversy over research on and use of embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells have been used in medicine for decades, ever since the first bone marrow transplant. Now, stem cell therapy is being used  to treat a host of debilitating conditions—including Type 2 diabetes. If you're a Type 2 diabetic, learn more about the dangers and how adult stem cell therapy may be able to help you treat your condition.

Type 2 Diabetes Is A Cumulative Problem For Your Body.

The majority of the estimated 29 million or more people in the U.S. with diabetes suffer from Type 2, which prevents your body from producing the amount of insulin it needs in order to transfer sugar out of your bloodstream and into your cells for energy. As a result, you face ongoing problems that can put cumulative stress (and damage) on your heart, kidneys, liver, nerves, and eyes. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels can even lead to chronic nerve pain and trouble healing ordinary cuts that can end up causing gangrene and require amputation. It can deprive you of your vision and even kill you.

Traditional Treatments Focus On Minimizing The Damage

Once someone is diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the endless rounds of medication and testing begin. In order to control your blood sugar levels and try to minimize the damage it does to your entire body, you have to keep track of your blood sugar through daily blood tests, monitor everything you eat and how you feel, and take medications that are designed to help either flush out some of the extra sugar or replace the insulin your body needs. Treatment is focused on disease management and minimizing the symptoms of damage, not on a cure.

Stem Cell Therapy Focuses On Reversal Of The Disease.

Stem cell therapy, on the other hand, works by actually repairing damaged blood vessels and pancreatic tissue. The stem cells are able to bind to damaged cells in your pancreas and mature into new, undamaged cells. They also stimulate some of your body's natural mechanisms that can also help replace other damaged cells in your pancreas—with the overall effect being that your pancreas may begin producing the right level of insulin again.

Stem cells can also replace the damaged cells inside the walls of your veins, through much the same process. They find damaged or dying cells and replace them. This helps stimulate blood flow and can reduce the amount of chronic pain you may feel from nerve damage as well.

In studies, the best results for Type 2 diabetics has been through a combined approach of stem cell therapy and medication. In particular, metformin, a drug commonly used to slow down the rate of glucose production within a diabetic's body, and sitagliptin, which stimulates insulin production, have shown promise.

For more information on how you could benefit from adult stem cell therapy, talk to your physician today.