The pain bothered him the most when he was coaching.
Will Loftus, a retired CFL player with the Edmonton Eskimos and Montreal Alouettes, was only in his early 40s, but could feel his years of playing football shoot up his legs as he stood on the field.
B次元官网网址淚t just felt like my knees were like twigs on the verge of snapping in half,B次元官网网址� Loftus recalled.
He thought there was nothing he could do about the damaged patellar tendons in his knees, until his brother-in-law told him about a new, non-surgical treatment available in the United States.
Amniotic allograft therapy, also called regenerative therapy, uses injections of amniotic membrane into joints to help repair damaged tissue caused by injury, disease or aging.
The amniotic membrane is the innermost layer of the placenta, and contains high numbers of stem cells. It is obtained through a voluntary donation after a C-section delivery.
This type of therapy is not approved in Canada.
Loftus flew to Arizona to have both his knees and his shoulder injected with the solution B次元官网网址� a procedure that took about half an hour B次元官网网址� and was shocked by the results.
B次元官网网址淚 tried the product and it gave me my life back,B次元官网网址� Loftus said. B次元官网网址淚 went from being pretty nervous, pretty scared about the future and how much faster things would deteriorate, to basically being able to live my life again.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 honestly hard to really believe. YouB次元官网网址檙e talking about dealing with an issue for years and years, and all of a sudden, itB次元官网网址檚 now gone within a few weeks.B次元官网网址�
Three years later, Loftus has partnered with a group of Langley businessmen (and friends) to make this treatment more accessible to people living in the Lower Mainland.
Working with Ryan Moreno, owner of Joseph Richard Group, Jared Harman, director of marketing with Joseph Richard Group, and Dana Matheson, owner of C&D Logistics, the group has established a regenerative therapy clinic just across the border in Bellingham, Wash.
After jumping through many legal hoops to make it happen, officially opened on Tuesday, June 26, to offer both Americans and Canadians regenerative therapy using the product Surforce, created by Arizona-based company Surgenex.
The clinic will also provide a variety of complementary services, including orthopedics and physiotherapy, nutritional analysis, naturopathic medicine and acupuncture.
B次元官网网址淭his is something that people from all walks of life B次元官网网址� people who play sports, people in older generations B次元官网网址� need to experience. This is giving people their lives back,B次元官网网址� Matheson said.
B次元官网网址淭his gives people a second chance at life from a physical standpoint B次元官网网址� ItB次元官网网址檚 so incredibly exciting to be able to be on the crest of something that is so revolutionary and to be able to help so many people. ItB次元官网网址檚 not just a business where itB次元官网网址檚 transactions B次元官网网址� youB次元官网网址檙e helping people.B次元官网网址�
B次元官网网址淭he other cool thing, itB次元官网网址檚 in our own backyard,B次元官网网址� added Moreno. B次元官网网址淎ll four of us have worked in businesses in our community that are so important to all of us. That we can offer that kind of treatment to Canadians B次元官网网址� but not only Canadians, to people in our own backyard B次元官网网址� is very cool for us.B次元官网网址�
Typically, Canadians who are seeking this treatment have to fly elsewhere in the United States to have the procedure done.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 some people paying as much as $10,000 for a single treatment, with flights and hotel on top of that,B次元官网网址� said Harman. Waterfront will be offering treatments for around $5,000 US.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 something where you can go do it and be back in your bed the same night,B次元官网网址� added Loftus.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one of those things where itB次元官网网址檚 convenience, and the one thing we all can never take for granted is time. When you donB次元官网网址檛 have to take a three or four day vacation, or take a few days off work, you can just go down, get it done, come back and it changes your life. Save your vacation time for your family.B次元官网网址�
Waterfront is headed by American Dr. Amira Ahdut, but several Canadians have been recruited as well, including orthopedic director Dean Kotopski, Dr. Jonathon Berghamer and Dr. Drew Jamieson.
Jamieson, a naturopathic physician, also grew up in Langley.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 excited because I look at this product as really the future of regenerative medicine,B次元官网网址� Jamieson said. B次元官网网址淚t unlocks a whole new side of potential with respect to healing and regeneration.B次元官网网址�
The group is opening the clinic in the United States in the wake of media reports that several medical offices are offering in Canada.
Under the Food and Drugs Act, Health Canada classifies all stem cell therapies as drugs.
These therapies fall under the guidelines of the B次元官网网址楽afety of Human Cells, Tissues and Organs for Transplantation RegulationsB次元官网网址� or the B次元官网网址楩ood and Drug Regulations,B次元官网网址� depending on the specific type of cells, purpose for their use and manufacturing processes.
B次元官网网址淓ach framework has specific requirements that must be met before products can be marketed in Canada,B次元官网网址� a Health Canada spokesperson told the Times.
B次元官网网址淕enerally, products using stem cells to cure or treat disease remain at the investigational (sic) stage of development. This means that Health Canada has not yet seen sufficient evidence that they are safe and effective. Any distribution of these stem cell-based products would require Health Canada authorization.B次元官网网址�
Surforce, the product used at Waterfront Health and Wellness, has not been approved in Canada, Health Canada confirmed.
B次元官网网址淗ealth Canada supports the regulatory authorization of stem cell therapies by developing clear guidance documents and working closely with investigators to navigate federal safety requirements,B次元官网网址� a Health Canada spokesperson said.
B次元官网网址淲e collaborate with stakeholders, including with the US Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency, to ensure that our regulatory approach provides the appropriate level of oversight for these therapies and remains among the best in the world.B次元官网网址�
Jamieson, however, believes it is B次元官网网址渙nly a matter of timeB次元官网网址� before approval comes.
B次元官网网址淚t has to do with research and funding. The boards who look at these things to decide whether to approve or not approve (them) B次元官网网址� it just doesnB次元官网网址檛 tend to move as quick up here,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淚 think overall weB次元官网网址檙e all more conservative, itB次元官网网址檚 a smaller population. I just think with respect to how things are looked at B次元官网网址� the States are always quicker; quicker to look at things, to approve things. They have more manpower, types of data.
B次元官网网址淚t probably always comes down to safety. They can say B次元官网网址榮afety, safety, safety, safetyB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� the record on this product has been nothing short of awesome. ThereB次元官网网址檚 been almost no adverse reactions to date B次元官网网址� . ThereB次元官网网址檚 been 13,000 of these injections and itB次元官网网址檚 been really well tolerated.B次元官网网址�
miranda@langleytimes.com
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