Recent discoveries in stem cell research point to novel concept behind the formation of diseases.  We have all heard about the fact that every year or two years or 5 years or 12 years we have a totally new body.   The truth of the matter is that this turnover time is almost impossible to determine and it varies from organ to organ.  But the principle remains true. Whereas the lining of the intestine renews itself every 5 days or so, the liver renews itself every 2 years, and the lung every 4 years or so… even the brain would renew itself every 20-30 years.

For the purpose of this article, the details of these numbers do not matter much, what is important to understand is that if the body loses cells at such a rate, in order to remain healthy and functional, the body must renew itself at the same rate, which brings the other side of the equation:  it is the role of the stem cells from your bone marrow to travel and do the day-to-day replacement of cells that are lost daily, ensuring the maintenance of optimal health.

Whereas this is a natural process whereby cells constantly die, in counterbalance cells would be constantly renewed by stem cells migrating into tissues. So disease development would not be so much

due to a loss of cells but rather to an imbalance between degeneration and stem cell-based regeneration.  If cells are lost faster than they can renew, disease develops; if cells can renew faster than they are lost, health ensues.  If cells of the pancreas die faster than they can renew, diabetes slowly develops.  If cells of the brain are lost faster than they can renew, Parkinson for example or other brain disease develops.  If stem cells can travel and renew these organs at a rate equal or faster than cell death, health is maintained.

This information is bringing forth a new understanding of the process of disease formation.  Until now, the main approach to health was to take antioxidants or vitamins in order to prevent various diseases, or to use various drugs and therapies to treat diseases after being diagnosed.  The recent developments in stem cell research point to a totally new means of maintaining health that consists in supporting the stem cell-based process of cellular renewal.  For example, by increasing the number of circulating stem cells, more stem cells are available to travel to the liver, pancreas, brain, heart, and other organs, contributing to disease prevention.