Stem Cell Therapy for the U.S. Veterans

American’s military veterans are more worthy of the revolutionary benefits of stem cell therapy than any other group of people. Although the U.S department of Veterans Affairs (VA) anticipate that “the field is in its infancy and requires much more research” before offering stem cells as a treatment. For this cause, many fearless practitioners are now stepping up to help the U.S veterans.

Stem Cell Therapy for the U.S Veterans

Dr. Joseph Kanan and his staff at Tullahoma Chiropractic Centers are offering free stem cell therapy for U.S military veterans who are suffering from chronic pain. Kanan in collaboration with Veterans in Pain, performed his first pro bono procedure recently on a veteran named Ryan. Ryan had a severe hip pain. Stem cell injections into Ryan’s hip, which insurance do not cover, would normally have cost $6,500. However, Ryan got them for free. “I think veterans do a lot for our country and there are very few doctors that are performing medical procedures like this,” says Kanan. “We were very glad to be able to do this for him”. According to Kanan, his Tennessee clinic performs the therapy twice a month for veterans. Primarily the results are good so far. A patient was able to avoid a knee replacement. He also reported consistent improvement after one year of procedure.

What is Veterans in Pain?

Veterans in pain (VIP) is a non-profit that links military veterans with civilians physicians. They provide free regeneration medicine treatments for chronic pain. VIP has offered $250,000 worth of services since 2019. VIP founder and president Micaela Bensko is herself a recipient of stem cell therapy. An accident in her driveway left her with severe spine damage that led to arachnoiditis, a chronic inflammation of spinal nerves. Due to which she had to spend years in wheelchair. A friend recommended stem cell therapy, which inspired Bensko to form VIP as a resource for veterans.

Veterans in Pain associate each veteran with a volunteer physician in their area. In case one cannot be located, cost of transportation and accommodations are covered for treatments. Same as they were for Ryan. Furthermore, Veterans linked with VIP visits schools, organizations and corporations to share their story of recovery. The funding is provided by small individual donations, grants and grassroots fundraising.

According to the National Institutes of Health, almost two-third of veterans report having chronic pain and 9% with severe pain. Chronic pain is closely linked with mental conditions like depression, anxiety, poor sleep and substance abuse disorders. Many veterans suffer from more than one condition.

Due to the red tape and lack of pain management professionals at VA, many suffering veterans are left without proper diagnosis and treatment. Thus, causing many veterans to self-medicate. Chronic pain also results in substance abuse, a common trend among veterans. A study shows that almost 30% of military suicides were due to alcohol or drug abuse. So, the dire plight of military veterans suffering from the chronic pain is yet another reason for the FDA to ease its regulation of stem cell therapy.