Dr. Gaurav Goswami is taking huge strides towards getting stem cell knowledge to the masses. Certified by the American Board of Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Goswami has spent the last decade developing protocols in advanced regenerative treatments, specializing in minimally invasive treatments with a focus on treating sports-related injuries through cell therapy. His latest book, The Stem Cell Cure, brings attention to the benefits of stem cell therapy while answering some of the most frequently asked questions people have when it comes to stem cells.
Dr. Goswami was gracious enough to talk to LAPALME and address the skeptics and critics of stem cell treatments. He touches on why he wrote The Stem Cell Cure, why Newport Beach is the perfect place for his stem cell practice, and what he thinks the future of stem cell research could be.
Dr. Goswami, you are known for work with stem cells. Did sports medicine naturally lead you into a fascination with regenerative capabilities or was it the other way around?
Well, it was pretty clear, every time a friend or family member asked me for advice regarding their knee or shoulder pain, I could not find them any good options, it was always cortisone injections or surgery or just suffer! There had to be a better way. That is what led me on the path to regenerative medicine.
There are many skeptics and critics of the use of stem cells including many that criticize the work of the American Stem Cell Institute. What do you have to say about those fears and also the FDA’s control of the stem cell industry?
There is good reason for that skepticism. The industry does need oversight and for that, we have to achieve standardized methods of applying cell therapy. Currently, it is like the wild west in the stem cell world, especially when bogus treatments or dead cells are sold!
Why did you decide to write your book, The Stem Cell Cure? Is it for the average reader? Stem cells are still a topic that many don’t have a grasp on. What do you want to express with the book and what is the takeaway from The Stem Cell Cure?
One of my patients, my co-author KJ, happened to be himself an author of several business books. After experiencing the benefits of cell therapy, he became the driving force behind the book The Stem Cell Cure. The book is an intro for the average reader so that they can ask relevant questions when considering any cell-based treatment.
Can you explain the methods of “farming” a person’s cells? So many don’t understand the concept of how to get your own cells.
Virtually any organ system in our body can serve as a source of our own stem cells. Most current treatments involve collecting some blood or bone marrow which are first centrifuged and then filtered to collect cells. Commercially sold cell products are usually derived from newborn babies.
Your office is based in Newport Beach California. What made you chose this community? Why do you think Southern California is the perfect place for these treatments?
I love riding bikes! Southern California provides year-round weather for riding!
In your opinion, what do you think is the future of stem cell research? Many doctors are not prescribing to the concept because they don’t feel the science is developed enough. Do you think that general practitioners, plastic surgeons, and other doctors will be adding the techniques into their practices?
Without the blessings of FDA and insurance providers, cell-based treatments are unlikely to gain a foothold in the United States. My ultimate vision for cell therapy as I like to call it would be in organ development so that we can make the need for donor organ transplantation redundant.
