Dear Shelia,
Thank you very much for contacting us regarding the treatment for Devic’s disease.
In this email you will find information about our stem cell treatments and facility in Beijing, as well as attached questionnaire for initial medical evaluation. Once you will send us more information about the patient’s condition we will be happy to provide you with more specific recommendations.
Stem cell treatment does not provide a cure for Devic’s disease, yet it can provide different levels of improvements to patients and may also delay the progression of the disease. It is important to understand that every patient is different and the response of each patient will depend on the stage of the disease, the age of the patient, related health conditions etc.
Tiantan Puhua Hospital Stem cells center is a state-of-the-art facility in the center of Beijing that applies a unique stem cell program to treat degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, MSA, PSP, MS and ALS.
You can find out more information about Tiantan Puhua Hospital in the attached documents and at: www.stemcellspuhua.com
About the Treatment:
We provide a unique program combining several therapies:
Stem Cells Activation and Proliferation Treatment - Patients receive a daily IV of neurotrophic factors and medicines used to stimulate the production of the body's own stem cells.
Rehabilitation: The rehabilitation program is an integral part of stem cell therapy. The treatment includes daily physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions, and a complementary Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment (Professional acupuncture and massage).
Stem Cell Implantation: Neural Stem Cell injections delivered via lumbar puncture into the cerebral spinal fluid.
Other types of stem cells we use and may be recommended per individual case:
Self Bone Marrow is an alternative treatment program that utilizes stem cells sourced from the patient’s own body and is especially recommended for treating autoimmune diseases. Self bone marrow is extracted from the patient’s hip, then cultured in the lab and induced into neural stem cells. Finally, the cultured cells are injected back via the spinal cord fluid in 2-4 injections. Self Bone marrow stem cell implantation has no risk of rejection and is suggested when there is a potential immunological rejection to be expected or when the patient is young enough.
- Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) delivered via IV
Costs and Treatment Period:
Our standard treatment program includes 4 stem cells injections within a period of 5 weeks.
The approximate cost of the program is ¥220,000 Chinese Yuan.
Payment can be made in most foreign currencies according to the rate exchange on the day of payment. (According to current rate payment in USD stands on $32,000 USD)
Patients are required to send relevant medical records to be accepted to the above treatment program.
Depending on the age of the patient, stage of disease and related medical conditions, our medical team may offer a different program to maximize effectiveness and safety of treatment for certain patients. The longer program offers 4 injections over a period of 7 weeks and costs will be higher accordingly.
The payment includes:
§ Daily IV of medicines (‘stem cells activation and proliferation treatment’).
§ Stem cell implantation: 4 injections of stem cells.
§ Daily physiotherapy and occupational therapy sessions.
§ Acupuncture (and other Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments)
§ Accommodation for the patient AND for 1-2 accompanying family member(s).
§ General medical services; Doctor’s visits and examinations, laboratory tests, etc.
Side effects:
Possible side effects include; headache, fever, weakness, and dizziness. Side effects can persist between the first 24 hours and 3 days after the injection. These side effects are temporary, natural, and pose no serious threat to the patient’s health or to the overall success of the procedure. A stronger rejection reaction is rare but possible.
Foreign patient services:
Our international department team helps our foreign patients handle all the communication aspects of getting medical treatment in a foreign country. Staff is ready to help with everything from communicating with the medical team, nurses, and caregivers to daily needs like shopping, going to the bank, or making visa arrangements. We also provide transportation from the airport to the hospital upon arrival and make all necessary arrangements for transportation to the airport upon completion of the treatment.
Patient testimonials:
You are welcome to visit our website to find testimonials and videos of some of our past patients, we suggest you to get some first hand information from some MS patient’s experience whose condition is very similar with Devic’s disease:
The experience of Chen Li Shu, a Chinese patient who was treated for MS 3 years ago at our hospital, can be found at:
Evaluation process and signing up for treatment
If you are considering proceeding with this treatment, we ask that you please fill out the application form attached, and return it by email or fax at your earliest convenience.
We also most likely request that you send any available medical records, including (* important):
1. *Reports from recent neurologist visits, exam results;
2. *MRI/CT images;
3. Any other medical history information that you believe would be relevant for evaluation (All records can be sent by email, CD-ROM, or hard copy and in English only.)
4. *Short videos, 2-3 minutes in length displaying the patient attempting to complete routine daily activities (ex. Talking, walking, climbing stairs, getting out of bed, opening a bottle, etc.) are also very helpful for our doctors when making their final evaluation.
We will then present the case to our doctors for a consultation and get back to you with their answer and suggested course of action.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Vivian Wang
Beijing Tiantan Puhua Hospital
12 Tiantan Nanli St.
Beijing, 100050
China
