Obama ends restrictions! Christian's view on stem cell research?

[Guest guest]

How Obama's Stem-Cell Order Will Change Research | Newsweek Mar 9, 2009 Scientists cheer as President Obama ends restrictions onresearch. What the move means for your future.www.newsweek.com/id/188454 __ Obama Lifts Federal Funding Ban on Embryonic Stem Cell Obama Reverses Bush Policy on Stem Cell Research. The Ban on Federal Funding Is Lifted ... Obama Ends Funding Ban for Stem Cell Research. President Obamaended ...www.washingtonpost.com/ wp-dyn/ content/ article/ 2009/ 03/ 09/ AR2009030901194.html __________ Question: "What should a Christian's view be on stem cell research?"http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-stem-cell-research.htmlAnswer: With the current debate raging about stem cell research, as Christians we would do well to education ourselves on the topic and its ramifications. To cure disease and alleviate suffering are noble pursuits, and the Bible clearly supports the battle against physical ills. A major feature of Jesus’ ministry was His healing (Matthew 4:23-24), and one of the New Testament writers, Luke, was a physician (Colossians 4:14). Stem cell research has shown great promise in the fairly new field of regenerative medicine, and many groups are actively pursuing new ways of harvesting stem cells and testing the cells’ plasticity—the ability to form a wide variety of mature cell types.The most important question concerning stem cell research is not “Is it legal?” or “Is it cost-efficient?” but “Is it right?” The true issue is what is God’s will? Before we can answer the ethical/moral question, we must distinguish between the two types of stem cells: adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells.Research on adult stem cells has been going on for decades and has proven that there are therapeutic effects in treating cancer, autoimmune diseases, leukemia, and heart disease. Adult stem cells are obtained from living bone marrow, blood, brain tissue, skin, and body fat. Other sources rich in adult stem cells are umbilical-cord blood and the placenta.Embryonic stem cells, as their name suggests, are derived from human embryos. In order to harvest embryonic stem cells, an embryo must be destroyed. Central to the debate, then, is our view of the human embryo. The biblical teaching is that human existence begins at conception (Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:4-5). The international consensus of embryologists agrees with Scripture in that life begins at fertilization. At the moment of conception, the embryo is 100 percent human, with all 46 human chromosomes and a fully functioning, unique genetic code. Size and location do not determine humanity.Because research on embryonic stem cells requires the destruction of a living human being, it is against God’s will. No amount of promised “benefit” to society or to medical knowledge can justify the killing of a human for spare parts. The end does not justify the means. It is never ethical—in fact, it is morally reprehensible—to mark people for death in order to conduct utilitarian experiments on their body parts.In contrast, research on adult stem cells does not require the loss of life. Adult stem cells have versatility and a proven track record, and they lack the moral difficulties of embryonic stem cells. Therefore, we believe that research on adult stem cells is a legitimate field of study, well within the will of God.Recommended Resource: Moral Choices by Scott Rae.Related Topics:What does the Bible say about abortion?What does the Bible say about healing?What does the Bible say about organ donation / donating blood?What is the meaning of life?What does the Bible say about a Christian having plastic / cosmetic surgery? ____RE: the Christian view on STEM CELL RESEARCHTue, 22 Sep 2009 19:17:12 -0700 Hi Andrea, As you know, I love to review data. I studied the entire article which is promoted in the videos. I think it is a promising product but I feel something is missing: it is so promising that it could have caused a revolution in Medicine overall! But it has been kept very low key. Why? Interesting statement! It has not been kept low key, I have been lecturing on it non-stop for now 3 years, we have DVDs telling the story… It is just a question of time, the message must be told so many times until it reaches some critical point. A key factor is certainly that there is still no book describing in depth the whole phenomenon, bringing together hundreds of studies in a comprehensive message. I just completed this book and it should be out in just a few weeks. This book will give this whole concept significant credibility in the scientific community and should bring greater awareness and recognition. I reviewed the literature on the Stem Cell research. One of the conclusions was “StemEnhance may have positive effects on various health conditions and, when triggered daily for several weeks or months, might contribute to cardiac tissue regeneration. Studies should be conducted to investigate the potential of such approach for therapeutic purposes.” I can not find any further research published since that article came out in 2007.I would assume that the person who brought up these questions does not have experience in scientific research. It takes a lot of time and financial commitment to perform and publish scientific studies. This being said, one has been published in Feb 2009, one has been submitted and should be published soon, others are in preparation. Another troubling statement is “Empirical observations suggest that consumption of StemEnhance for longer periods of time might indeed bring significant improvement in various health conditions, including specific neurodegenerative diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, kidney insufficiency, and other degenerative problems. However, rigorous studies are necessary to examine the effects of StemEnhance on specific degenerative diseases” because the main author and coauthor of this study (who is who actually is selling this stuff) conclude themselves the need for “rigorous studies” to examine the effects of StemEnhance.I am not sure why this is a troubling statement. This article is a peer-review article, written in a manner to be published in peer-review journals. Data must be reported objectively. Data that is empirical must be reported as such, it does not make such data invalid, but they must be confirmed by studies before any claim can be made. I really do not see why this statement is troubling; I find it rather honest and non-misleading. The main problem with having STEMTech perform studies that address specific diseases is that StemEnhance is a dietary supplement and regardless of the results, the data obtained could not be used. Basically, one of the conclusions was that this product works and is safe according to the marketing. However, is this statement based on “empirical observation” alone? This statement is based on 30 years of presence of AFA on the marketplace, and two toxicity studies that have shown no signs of toxicity at all, even at doses a high as 200 times the normally recommended dose. How much of StemEnhance is needed to keep the stem cell concentration in the circulation? The study states 1 gm increases the concentration of stem cells in the circulation but, for how long? The study clearly reports that the increase lasts for about 3-4 hours. Stem cells released from the bone marrow migrate in various tissues; those that do not migrate home back to the bone marrow. This is basic stem cell physiology. The stem cells that have migrated in tissues will proliferate and then differentiation is cells of the tissue in which they migrated. So the idea is not to maintain an elevated level of stem cells, but simply support waves of stem cells release. If the concentration is to high, what are the consequences of continuous down-regulation of the expression of CXCR4?The down-regulation is not continuous and does not reach a level that presents any problem. What happens if the individual stops using it? They simply stop receiving the benefits. Anyway, I would like to know your thoughts about what I am asking. Sorry to be such a nag. Alex