Stem-cell Therapy: Health and Wellness Tourism in Thailand

Medical Packages to Thailand become Increasingly Popular with Americans

54 year old Stephanie Miller from Madison, USA, had had a bypass surgery and two angioplasties (a procedure where a catheter is inserted into the blocked arteries and stents are placed inside them to keep them open) but her arteries continued to remain blocked.  Her cardiologist predicted a limited life span for her.  As a last ditch effort, Miller decided to opt for health and wellness tourism in Thailand for stem-cell therapy.  “You stay home and die or you go there and try,” she said of her decision to research medical packages to Thailand.

Health and Wellness Tourism in Thailand

Miller is just one of an increasing number of Americans choosing medical packages to Thailand for high quality, affordable treatment.  On the Internet, she discovered TheraVitae, a company specializing in stem-cell therapy in Thailand and opted for health travel to the country.  The procedure involves taking half a pint of blood from the patient, harvesting and multiplying it, and then injecting it into the coronary arteries through a catheter.  This is not as controversial as stem-cell harvesting from embryos, but the effectiveness is not yet proven.  The side-effects however, are guaranteed to be minimal.  TheraVitae physicians claim that 75% of their patients reported enhanced blood flow and 90% were able to exercise six months after the treatment.

Health Travel: World Class Treatment Offshore

Miller spent $35,000 on the treatment and $5,000 on food and travel.  The bill included sightseeing and a river festival, luxurious hotel accommodation, and a large hospital room, with efficient staff.  “They were all so professional,” she said. Miller is hopeful about the results of her health travel and therapy and wants to live to see her grandchildren grow up. “I feel like something is happening inside me,” she said.  “I hope I get ten or twenty more years.”

Source: “David Wahlberg, Wisconsin State Journal, November 26, 2006