Ed Johns says he feels like a new man.
The effects of his multiple sclerosis are not as pronounced, something he attributes to a stem cell treatment he underwent in Tijuana, Mexico.
He returned Oct. 13 and has noticed a renewed vitality which increases every day, he said.
Before getting the treatment, merely walking down the stairs was difficult, Johns said. Now he's back to using the personal gym machine in the basement of his North Boulevard home.
Johns, like other Americans, went to Mexico to receive the umbilical cord stem cell treatments because such therapies are not available in the United States.
Before going he was depressed, constantly exhausted and relying on a walker to get around his home. Family members and doctors described his condition as declining.
Despite that diagnosis, Johns' physician, Dr. Thaddeus Aversa, said he was cautious of endorsing stem cells as the answer to multiple sclerosis.
Stem cell research is a new area of science that hasn't been around long enough to know the long-term benefits, Aversa said, prior to Johns' trip.
However, Aversa said, Johns had gone the conventional treatment route with drugs designed to prevent the immune system from attacking nerve cells. Those therapies did not seem to help, the doctor said.
Some scientists say stem cells have the potential to repair damaged cells. However, the federal Food and Drug Administration has not signed off on allowing such treatment in America.
The issue is also clouded by political controversy with many conservatives opposing the use of fetal stem cells for the research.
Researchers are also looking at adult brain stem cells for a possible treatment, according to National Multiple Sclerosis Society spokeswoman Becca Kornfield.
"Currently there is no evidence that stem cells taken from umbilical cords can help replace damaged nervous system tissues," Kornfield wrote in an e-mail. "Clinics that claim to be having success in this arena have not published proof of their work so that the medical community can evaluate their claims."
Aversa said medical journals are often conservative and slow to endorse a new treatment. He said the top medical centers often have different opinions on treatment options for patients.
Johns has not visited his doctor since returning from Mexico, only chiropractors and a masseuse. He was able to verify his payment for the stem cell treatment.
During a recent interview, Johns moved easily with a limp while walking around his kitchen and living room. He relied very little on a small black cane.
He said his balance has returned and he rarely needs to use a support railing when he is in the shower.
"I'm getting ready much quicker," Johns said. "It used to take two to three hours to get ready. Now, it's only one."
Johns' mother said his progress has been a surprise.
"I came home from work and he said he had done a load of laundry, which floored me," Joanne Johns said. "He's just moving better with a better attitude. He takes care of himself and all three dogs during the day."
Joanne Johns flew with her son to Tijuana for the treatment.
"It was pretty good; everybody at the hospital were very professional," Joanne Johns said. "The people down there were just wonderful."
Both said the hospital was smaller than American facilities. The place treats cancer patients with alternative therapies, not chemotherapy. Ed Johns declined to identify the institution at its request.
"It was very clean; the people were amazing," Ed Johns said.
Ed Johns said the doctors started with an IV of saline. As that drained out, they hooked up the first dose of stem cells. Ed Johns described the vial as the size of a triple-A battery.
The procedure ends with three stem cell injections in the back of the neck. The procedure lasts three hours and costs range from $24,000-$28,000.
Ed Johns' son Chris Cahill walked into the basement just as his father was taking another repetition on the machine. The 17-year-old was excited about his father's progress.
"He's getting better slowly but surely," Cahill said. "He's getting better faster than anyone else. It's supposed to take two to three months."
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