Mexico is the United States’ neighbor to the south and the two countries have a generally positive relationship. While that relationship can certainly be strained at times, Mexico and the US have spent decades trying to work together for the betterment of their continent and their citizens. Mexico is a very large country with well over 100 million patients and many large cities with robust and bustling economies to support the patients.
With this many patients within her borders, it should be no surprise that Mexico has many stem cell clinics. These clinics work to provide the patients with stem cell therapy because regenerative medicine has proven itself to be an incredibly effective way of treating all kinds of sickness, ailments, and injuries. While the United States also has stem cell clinics, the market is expanding worldwide and in order for a patient to receive the best stem cell care possible, they now not only have to consider where in their city or state might give them the best care, but where in their country or even the world.
Traveling around the globe for medical care is not a new phenomenon as medical tourists have always left their homes in order to receive better care elsewhere. With the stem cell field in the US often being stifled and not as robust as it could be, patients have been looking to other countries to receive their stem cell care and one such country is Mexico.
Why Stem Cells?
Stem cell therapy has quickly become a very popular and sought after type of medical care. This is due to the fact that it is regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine helps stimulate the body’s own healing processes and while there are other kinds of regenerative care that exists, stem cell therapy is by far the most powerful. It has been shown to be able to treat a wide variety of medical needs, especially treating ailments pertaining to the musculoskeletal system.
Part of the popularity that stem cell therapy has begun to gain comes from the many celebrity endorsements it has gotten from pro athletes. This is due to the fact that regenerative medicine is a much better alternative for both pro athletes as well as patients who live athletic lifestyles. It is able to circumvent the long and painful surgeries that would otherwise be needed to care for their injuries. Even for non athletes, this is a great surgical alternative for operations that tend to have very long recovery times such as the neck, spine, or knees.
Stem cell therapy can greatly shorten the time frame needed to treat these injuries or medical conditions and can reduce rehabilitation times down from years to months. Stem cells are also incredibly capable of fighting illnesses and helping to keep patients’s immune systems strong. Because of the immune boost that stem cell therapy can offer, many clinics have IV drips available for patients who are looking to utilize stem cells in order to boost their immune system. This immune system boost can be especially useful, and in some cases life saving, for patients who are immunocompromised.
And even for those who are not immunocompromised, stem cells can still help completely rebuild their immune system in a manner that is stronger and protects them better than it did before. On top of the immune system boost offered, stem cells can also help patients to directly fight off illness, especially respiratory ones. What makes stem cells so capable of fighting respiratory illnesses and many illnesses in general is their high capacity to reduce inflammation. This can allow for the reduction of pain as well as helping the body to fight off the illness.
One such example of a respiratory illness that stem cell therapy has been shown to be able to help combat is pneumonia. In cases for which stem cells have been introduced to the patient, it has been shown to be able to allow survival at a higher rate than those who do not receive stem cell therapy. Stem cells are also greatly capable of helping patients who are fighting neurological disorders. These include diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, both of which are diseases that stem cell therapy has been shown to be able to help improve patients’ ability to fight their diseases and maintain their normal lives. Although there is still a lot of research that needs to be done in order to ensure the efficacy of these treatments and how to best apply them, it is shown that they are greatly able to help.
Lastly, stem cell therapy offers a completely different bonus than all of their other medical uses and that is the cosmetic uses of stem cells. Stem cell therapy has not only found itself being used as an alternative to surgeries for injuries, it has also become a popular alternative for surgeries for aesthetics as well. Stem cells can help a patient greatly improve their skin, hair, or any other cosmetic needs that they may have. Thanks to stem cell therapy, the cosmetic industry has a brand new way to help patients achieve the aesthetic appearance that they desire and now can do so in a way that is less painful and necessitates less recovery. Stem cells are able to help patients who are in pain, sick, or need cosmetic work and this widespread utility is an important facet of their growing popularity.
Is It Legal in Mexico?
Yes, it is legal to get stem cell therapy in Mexico and there are numerous clinics across the country that are able to provide patients with a means of getting the regenerative care they need. Although it is legal, there are few government regulations that are in place that actually govern over the clinics in Mexico to ensure the safety of everyone involved and to check the efficacy of the procedures that are being done. That can hold some patients back from seeking stem cell therapy in Mexico.
The Culture in Mexico
Mexico is known for many things as its culture has become quite pervasive in surrounding countries and that is no more clear than the southern United States. Mexican and American cultures have experienced a fusion in many of the border states. Much of this fusion comes from food and music and those are the aspects of Mexican culture that patients are most often most familiar with, but there are many other aspects of Mexican culture that are quite important. One such aspect of their culture is that they have a high quality of medical care that they are able to provide and do so at a very affordable rate to ensure patients are able to get care.
Problems with Stem Cell Therapy in Mexico
While Mexico has a strong medical industry, they face a problem that is not dissimilar to the one faced in the US when it comes to stem cells; Regulation can make or break the stem cell industry. In the United States, Stem cell therapy is so highly regulated that it can be very hard to innovate or grow the industry.
One the other hand, Mexico’s problem of regulation is that it has very little. Mexico does not have widespread federal guidelines for stem cell clinics like they would for any other kind of medical care process. This means that stem cell clinics are free to operate unrestricted and this can lead to dangerous consequences. While the utility of a patient in the US being able to drive to Mexico in order to get medical care may be very alluring, the lack of oversight in that care can undo that allure.
A patient could be risking their health by going to a disreputable clinic and they would not have the same means of protection that they would in the US. A patient would also be risking their money because a disreputable clinic could give them a treatment that doesn’t work and leave a patient out of the money they spent on their care. Lastly, there are parts of Mexico that are controlled by the cartel and choosing a clinic in the wrong area could put a patient’s life in danger.
Can You Go To The US Instead?
The United States is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. It is also one of the largest and most populated. Because of this, it will come as no surprise that there are numerous stem cell clinics around the country that seek to provide patients with a high standard of medical care. Although the clinics seek to do this, the US has a problem with the regulation of stem cells within its borders.
This problem first arose at the advent of stem cell medicine, which was at first seen as a bit of a taboo by more mainstream sources. As this taboo wore away and patients saw how valuable stem cells could be in the medical field, there was another problem that was faced. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies stem cells as a drug. This means that the FDA has the power to regulate stem cells as well as its research and how it is applied in clinics.
This heavy regulation is critiqued by stem cell proponents for many reasons, the first of which being that this regulation stifles the innovation and development of stem cell technologies. Along with this, many patients believe that stem cells should not be considered a drug in the first place. This is due to the fact that while drugs are manufactured by companies and have a risk of reacting with patients’s bodies in exceedingly negative ways if there is a failure, stem cells are not manufactured in this manner and are derived directly from a patient’s body. Many patients believe that the government should not be regulating this as a drug because it is not made like a drug and does not work as one. Drugs could have negative effects on a patient as well as positive ones, but this is incredibly unlikely for a patient to have the same negative reactions to stem cell therapy.
Furthermore, due to this tight regulation, most insurance companies in the United States do not cover stem cell therapy in their plans. This leaves patients to pay for their medical care out of pocket, which can become very expensive and often leads patients to medical tourism because if they have to pay this amount without insurance, then they could just travel elsewhere and receive better care, oftentimes for cheaper.
Where Else Can You Go?
Medical tourism can be a very useful option for patients who seek to get a higher standard of care than they would where they live now. Once a patient chooses to travel to receive their care, it can be a daunting task to find the country that will give you the highest quality care and furthermore it is an added challenge of finding a clinic within a country you may not be familiar with.
BioXcellerator seeks to help avoid these problems. To do so, they have set up a clinic in Colombia. For any prospective medical tourists, this can be a great option for a number of reasons. First, as a BioXcellerator clinic, you know that the standards will be just as high as they would be in the US and that you do not have to fear that a clinic might not be able to keep you safe or provide you with effective care. While this is already enough to assuage the fears that some patients may be feeling about receiving medical care abroad,
Colombia’s regulations allow for the growth and innovation of a safe and highly effective stem cell therapy market which means that you will also get the best care the world has to offer. Colombia allows for clinics to be on the cutting edge of stem cell therapy and allow for the market to grow and for patients to receive a very high standard of care. While there may be many places both at home and abroad where you could receive quality care, it is clear that the best and safest choice would be to go to BioXcellerator in Colombia as it stands head and shoulders above the competition.
