Archive for the ‘Cord Blood’ Category
Umbilical Cord Blood Banks: Present and Future
Cord Blood Banks, Present and Future
Cord blood banks freeze the blood from your babies’ umbilical cords for potential future use against diseases developed by your family. Many serious medical conditions can already be successfully treated by this blood source. Moreover, it is confidently predicted that a plethora of further serious medical conditions will be be able to be cured by the use of the genetic material contained within these cord blood sources. It is well worth evaluating the potential benefits of using a cord blood bank if you are concerned about your family’s future health.
Current Uses and Future Potential (including alternative health remedies)
NOW. Bone marrow remains the greatest source for stem cells and circulating blood is also a rich vein to tap. But, neither of these sources is ideal and procedures for bone marrow transplants can be extremely complex, invasive and may entail uncomfortable results for donors. Human embryos provide a possible solution, but are massively controversial and will probably be proved redundant by the use of cord blood genes in any case.
FUTURE. Extensive studies demonstrate that stem cells gleaned from umbilical cord blood have numerous advantages over marrow and circulatory blood derived genes. Bone marrow still heads cord blood for certain current procedures and diseases, but it is generally felt that the pendulum is swinging in favor of cord blood even in these instances.