A Sartell doctor offers a stem cell treatment instead of surgery, but critics say it’s too soon. The trend has triggered a simmering debate in medicine and at least one federal court over who should decide when a treatment that basically uses a patient’s own cells is ready for prime time.
Dr. Joel Baumgartner readily admits that it may be years before any insurance company pays for this treatment. And that’s a point of pride for the family physician in Sartell, Minn. “I would say yes, I’m a pioneer,” he said.
Baumgartner, 39, is one of a small but growing number of doctors who are offering stem cell therapy for common medical conditions — even though experts say such treatments have yet to be proven safe and effective.
View the original article here: Clinic taps patients’ own stem cells to ease their pain – Minneapolis Star Tribune
