Exosome Therapy vs. Stem Cell Therapy: How Do They Differ?

The human body can do amazing things, including healing itself. You may have even marveled as a cut stitched itself back together. If so, you’re not alone in that fascination. 

The body’s natural healing capacity has captured the attention of a number of researchers who’ve learned ways to harness that power and apply it as medical treatment. This growing field — regenerative medicine — is yielding new ways to heal injuries, treat chronic pain, and more. 

Dr. Halina Snowball offers regenerative medicine at Integrated Pain Solutions in Stamford, Connecticut. She tailors the treatment to you and your specific health needs, pulling from a range of options. Today, we look at two of them to help you understand what they can do for you. 

Understanding stem cells

Stem cells can turn into a number of different kinds of cells and self-replicate. This makes them a resource for your body to apply as needed to create new, healthy tissue. 

Here at Integrated Pain Solutions, Dr. Snowball can inject stem cells into specific areas of your body to address injuries, arthritis, and other issues. We utilize stem cell therapy to treat problems with your:

• Ankles
• Elbows
• Feet
• Hands
• Hips
• Knees
• Shoulders
• Spine
• Wrists

We take stem cells from your own body so there’s minimal risk of an adverse reaction. 

How exosomes are different

Exosomes aren’t full cells. Instead, they’re released by cells (including stem cells) as a means of intercellular communication.

Exosomes also can’t self-replicate. As a result, they don’t give us a way to introduce raw material your body can use for healing.

Instead, exosomes work primarily as messengers and transfer vehicles. They can still deliver some of what your body needs — like proteins and nucleic acid — but they’re particularly exciting because they play a key role in the way your cells communicate with one another. 

When used in treatment, exosomes support your body’s natural healing ability. Exosome therapy can help stimulate an immune response, for example. 

Additionally, because exosomes are just one component of the cell, not a full living cell like a stem cell, creating and purifying them can be easier. 

Ultimately, both of these treatment options use something that’s naturally occurring in your body to help stimulate and support your ability to heal yourself. The right option for you depends on what your system needs: raw materials it can use (i.e., stem cells) or new messaging to stimulate your healing response (i.e., exosomes). 

Dr. Snowball tailors treatment to you, your condition, and your symptoms. To learn more about what type of regenerative medicine might be right for you, call our team at 203-293-0549 or request an appointment online today.