Episode #66 of The Longevity & Biohacking Show brings us yet another example of Jason Hartman’s frequent refrain that it’s an amazing time to be alive. This time, he talks over the topic of platelet rich plasma treatments with guest, Debbie Kaminski, an RN and infusion manager / health coach at Revive MD Medical Group. She is also a board member at The Wellness Kitchen.

Debbie and Jason discuss the life altering services that are being offered in medicine today and whether they’re safe, effective, and affordable. Current therapies can help people do everything from regrow hair to boost their immune system deficiencies in order to absorb nutrients and fight disease better.

Platelet Rich Plasma is Functional Medicine

The term Kaminski uses to describe her specialties (platelet rich plasma and IV nutritional therapy) is functional medicine. The idea is to use your body to rejuvenate itself to achieve prime health at any age, but especially moving into later decades.

With the platelet rich plasma process, clinics like those Kaminski represents withdraw 60 to 120 cc of blood from a patient, which is then spun down in a special centrifuge until the plasma separates and can be retrieved. This takes about 20 minutes. The plasma is combined with amniotic fluid (from the womb) and injected in problem areas to address hair thinning, bad knees, and more.

Why Amniotic Fluid?

Kaminski points out that the healthiest most of us have ever been in our life was just prior to birth when we were surrounded with amniotic fluid. Her clinic buys fluid from a supplier that apparently has access to the good stuff. Keep in mind this is nothing like extracting stem cells from aborted fetuses, etc. Amniotic fluid is there for the taking after any birth and harvesting it doesn’t harm either mother or child.

Microthinning Hair

As might be expected, using this process to reverse hair loss is popular. The old method of treating this issue has been expensive and problematical. Kaminski says that a few treatments of platelet rich plasma is all you need to reverse the process. A younger person in good health might see results even faster.

Knee Pain and More…

Unfortunately, the simple act of living life (for most of us) means that joints will eventually wear out. The result is pain. This leads to inactivity, which creates poor health and shortened life span. The great thing about platelet rich plasma treatments is that it can create remarkable healing within as little as a week, even if the patient has suffered with pain and disability for decades. If you have bad knees, this should catch your attention.

An Alternative that Works

Kaminski points out that a steady stream of professional athletes have been taking off-season jaunts to European clinics that offer these types of treatments for years. Kobe Bryant, the Black Mamba himself, is just one high-profile example. As usual, the American medical industry lags far behind Europe in going public with new medicines and processes. Thankfully, plasma treatments and IV nutritional therapy have emerged from alternative healing clinics and begun to be embraced by mainstream medicine. As Kaminski points out, it has been an arduous road to convince traditionally trained doctors that a proactive approach to healing has vast advantages over reactive.

How Much Does it Cost?

So are Kaminski’s treatment reserved for the rich and famous? Not really. The homeless dude down the block might disagree but, all things considered, both platelet rich plasma and IV nutrition therapy are within budgetary reach of many Americans. Don’t hold us strictly to these estimates but below are a few examples Kaminski offered:

  • IV treatments ($50-$200)
  • Specific joint treatment ($300-$500)
  • Specific condition treatment, such as hair thinning ($1,500)
  • Bone marrow extractions ($3,000)

Conclusion? The cost exceeds that of a Starbucks latte but is affordable, especially if you’re motivated to do something besides pop a daily handful of pills the rest of your life.

Intravenous Nutrition Therapy

The other main focus of Kaminski’s expertise is intravenous nutrition therapy. This involves supplying high doses of micronutrients (a fancy word for well known vitamins like C or B) delivered by standard IV protocol. You sit or lay down. They poke a needle into your arm and open the floodgates.

One example can be seen with those suffering from super-headaches, called migraines. Traditional medicine involves prescribing a heavy duty dose of narcotics and sending the patient home to rest. The problem is that once the drugs wear off you’re left with the same debilitating pain and probably an opioid addiction to boot . That’s not a cure. It’s an alleviation, and not much  of one. Kaminski treats migraines with a high dose of magnesium – completely natural, with no side effects, and very effective.

Why Does IV Nutrition Therapy Work?

For a variety of reasons, modern Americans often have intestinal (gut) issues that prevent efficient absorption of nutrients. IV Therapy bypasses the gut and delivers much-needed nutrition, vitamins, and supplements directly to the bloodstream for quick dissemination to the rest of the body. Once you get to the point of disease, your body does NOT absorb correctly. The IV acts as a bypass to put you on the road to healing until your body resumes proper function.

The Bottom Line

You owe it to yourself to be knowledgeable about ALL your health options. Your family doctor is a generalist. They know a little bit about a lot of topics but can’t possibly be an expert on everything. A family doctor is trained to be reactive but probably knows little about functional medicine. To learn more about Ms. Kaminski’s clinic, visit www.revivemdgroup.com or just run a “platelet rich plasma” Google search. (Image: Flickr | Counselman Collection)

More from Jason Hartman:

Here’s How to Fix the Healthcare System
Lab Grown Cultured Meat: The Future of Food?

The Longevity Show Team

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