Like a rock legend Ozzy Osbourne has turned to stem cell therapy, some experts warn that it is not for everyone.
At the beginning of her latest episode of “Ozzy Speaks” on SiriusXM with Billy Morrison, Osbourne revealed that she recently returned from a follow-up appointment “after I had some stem cells put in.”
The rocker also had prior treatment approximately three months ago, as he stated in the episode.
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“The thing is, you have it and you say, 'I don't feel that good,' but I don't know what it would be like if I didn't have it,” Osbourne said.
In recent years, the musician has struggled with several serious medical issues that have affected his mobility, including Parkinson's diseaseaccording to a report.
Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne has turned to stem cell therapy, but some experts warn it's not for everyone. (Getty Images/iStock)
After starting stem cell treatment in 2020, he wanted to “be part of the world again,” his daughter Kelly Osbourne said in a report at the time.
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“Seeing what has happened and the progress he has made after stem cell treatment is mind-blowing,” he added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Ozzy Osbourne for comment.
Below is an overview of the treatment and what you should know about the risks and benefits.
What are Stem cells?
Mother cells They are found in almost all tissues of the body, according to the Mayo Clinic website.
Some stem cells repair tissues after injury, while others have the potential to become different types of cells, such as brain cells, heart muscle cells or bone cells.
“We routinely use cellular therapies, including stem cells, to treat blood and bone marrow cancers,” said Dr. Mikkael Sekeres, chief of the division of hematology at Sylvester Cancer Center at the university of miamihe told Fox News Digital.
Some stem cells repair tissues after injury, while others have the potential to become different types of cells, such as brain cells, heart muscle cells or bone cells. (iStock)
“The theory is that we can give high doses of chemotherapy to people who have these cancers to kill the cancer, but those therapies may be at such a high dose that we could kill healthy cells in the bone marrow,” he said.
Alternatively, the doctor continued, experts can “rescue” the bone marrow by giving the patient stem cells from a healthy donor.
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Another advantage is that the donor's healthy stem cells will produce a new immune system to attack and eliminate any remaining cancer, Sekeres added.
“Using stem cells in this way has saved tens of thousands of lives,” he said.
'Largely experimental' therapies
Stem cell therapies are only approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat certain blood cancers and the immune system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In 2023, the FDA also approved a cell therapy based on umbilical cord blood to decrease the risk of infection after stem cell transplants.
Ozzy Osbourne is seen in this image for the first time since announcing he was canceling his tour due to medical issues. (MEGA for Fox News Digital)
“Stem cell therapy administered for other reasons is largely experimental and unproven,” Sekeres noted.
Despite its potential benefits, stem cell therapy is not considered a “silver bullet” for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, according to Dr. Michael S. Okun, medical advisor for the Florida-based Parkinson's Foundation.
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“While there have been many advances in stem cell technology, the realization that Parkinson's is a disease that requires more than just dopamine underscores the importance of multidisciplinary treatment,” said Okun, who is also executive director of the Norman Fixel Institute of Diseases. Neurological at Florida Health University in Gainesville, Floridahe told Fox News Digital.
All stem cell products require FDA approval, according to the agency's website.
“People interested in stem cell therapy for Parkinson's should be cautious if they are ever offered a treatment,” Okun said.
Despite its potential benefits, stem cell therapy is not considered a “silver bullet” for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, a doctor has warned. (iStock)
“We recommend requesting a copy of institutional review board approval, which is a document that verifies that researchers have been authorized to conduct research in a human population.”
(A Institutional Review Board guarantees the ethical treatment of research subjects.)
“Since stem cell therapy is still investigational, you should never be charged for participating in a research trial,” Okun noted.
“People interested in Parkinson's stem cell therapy should be cautious if they are ever offered treatment.”
“There is a large market for 'stem cell tourism', where people can be charged large sums of money and, in some cases, irreversible side effects can occur following a transplant.”
Possible adverse side effects
One type of stem cell therapy is a stem cell transplantwhich involves infusing another person's stem cells into the recipient's body.
Sometimes these stem cells come from the bone marrow, known as a bone marrow transplant, according to experts.
In other cases, they are removed from a baby's umbilical cord, known as an umbilical cord blood transplant.
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Some people may experience rejection symptoms if their immune system recognizes the donor stem cells as “foreign” and begins to attack them.
Acute symptoms can include an itchy rash, diarrhoea, malaise, difficulty breathing and yellowing of the eyes, according to the NHS.
All stem cell products require FDA approval, according to the agency's website. (iStock)
Long-term complications may include infertility, various cancerscataracts, bone or muscle weakness, and damage to certain organs, such as the liver, kidneys, lungs or heart, according to the National Cancer Institute website.
Stem cell therapy should not be seen as a “fountain of youth,” Sekeres cautioned.
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Previous research published in JAMA Network Open discovered a multibacterial outbreak among patients who received unapproved products marketed as stem cell therapies, he said.
To verify that a therapy is approved by the FDA, the agency recommends emailing [email protected] for information, according to its website.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the FDA for further comment.
For more health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
