Cytokines therapy is a subject that has been talked about on a number of occasions. I could do a blog on cytokines every day of the year and still not run out of material. Cytokine therapy involves the use of signaling molecules which allow the body to repair itself. When our body is not able to repair itself it is in a state of catabolism. Catabolism involves the breakdown of tissue. When we build up or repair tissue we call this anabolism. The delicate balance between these two entities is called homeostasis. The body is always striving to maintain homeostasis. Unfortunately disease processes cause an imbalance in catabolism and anabolism disrupting homeostasis. Cytokines come into play to restore homeostasis.
Cytokines are the molecules of intercellular communication of the body. They are the body’s mobile phone system. Like my good friend Dr. J Serrentino ( a world expert on cytokine therapy) states “cytokines tell the cells where to go and what to do”. Cytokines work by initiating certain pathways. In our case we want to turn on specific pathways of repair.
Cytokines are very specific in their actions. To coin a phrase from Albert Einstein every action has a reaction. The same holds true with cytokines. These cytokines activate certain pathways which can damage or heal. Choosing the right cytokine to activate the right pathway is in the “tricks of the trade”. We now have some idea of what works and what does not. We are still on a learning curve but at least we are on the curve. Which is more than most of my colleagues in PRP and Stem cell therapy can say.
We must remember that all disease processes result from an imbalance of cytokines. Cytokines control essentially every process in the body. What it boils down to if your cytokines are out of balance you are sick and if they are in balance you are healthy. We have developed a number ways that the cytokines can be used. These methods include oral, injection, and transdermal. A combination of treatment modalities seems to work the best.
Many times we have gotten into trouble because our stem cells and platelets lack certain growth factors to get the job done. If we supplement this lack of growth factors with additional cytokines than we are well on our way of restoring homeostasis. When I perform surgery on someone eventually it is the cytokines the accomplish the repair. The repair we do in surgery is a temporary fix. As I have said earlier I doubt the cytokine therapy will replace PRP and Stem Cell injections rather they will enhance it. Look for mainstream medicine to rapidly open their eyes to the benefits of cytokine therapy. After all it is the basis of how the body repairs itself. We all learned about this in medical school when we studied physiology but were not smart enough to see the forest thru the trees at that time. Thanks Dr. P
