They spoke to rooms of mostly older individuals, many who raised their hands when asked if they deal with daily pain. Neither of the presenters said they were licensed medical professionals. One local seminar attended by Contact7 Investigates was held in an event center in Littleton, another in a hotel conference room in Westminster. Several websites linked to SCIA advertise about a dozen seminars held every week across the state where “space is severely limited.” It describes itself not as a research facility but as a consulting company that provides its nationwide network of doctors with marketing materials that are frequently updated to comply with FDA guidelines. Seminars held in hotel conference rooms, restaurantsĬontact7 Investigates attended two seminars put on by clinics affiliated with the Stem Cell Institute of America (SCIA). One such patient is Eduardo Dominguez, who said he spent $6,000 on a hip injection that didn't help him at all. He ended up getting hip replacement surgery performed by Weber.Ĭontact7 Investigates went undercover to watch how the clinics market their treatments to people looking for an end to their pain. Weber estimated he sees one to two patients every week who have paid for injections that did not ultimately help them enough to avoid surgery. ![]() And these seminars are very good at it, these radio ads are very good at it, but you’ve got to know the facts.” “I think when I see patients who get misinformation, you’re selling them a dream. “We're talking about huge amounts of money being paid for something where the enthusiasm is ahead of the science right now,” said Dr. ![]() “I see patients a lot where there’s not even a shred of evidence that a cell has grown in their knee.”Ī group of local orthopedic surgeons and doctors told Contact7 Investigates the stem cell publicity blitz is bringing more and more patients into their operating rooms who have already spent thousands of dollars on injections that did not resolve their pain. “What's driving stem cells, a lot of it, is the patient desire for a miracle," said Dr. The clinics say when those stem cells are injected into knees, hips and other pain-plagued areas, they can regenerate cartilage and resolve pain without a costly and risky surgery.īut those drawn in by marketing materials may not realize the stem cell injections are not approved by the FDA, are typically not covered by insurance and cost patients thousands of dollars out of pocket. ![]() The clinics promise to inject stem cells from amniotic fluids donated by new mothers. Stem cell clinics, often operated inside the offices of chiropractors, are marketing their services as an alternative to surgery. DENVER - Radio, television and newspaper advertisements are inundating the Denver area promising an end to pain through regenerative medicine.
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