[00:01] [music] you have energy lagging, um all those are signs that something [music] is going wrong because really your body regeneration can come in because if you're stuck in inflammation, you can
[00:16] you're stuck in inflammation, you can never quite regenerate. [music]
[00:28] or regenerative medicine, it can feel advanced or a distant from everyday But at its core, the field is really about something very basic. How the body repairs and restores itself. And whether that process is working the way that it
[00:43] should. I'm Shayna Symhai. I'm a holistic nutritionist and I specializes in in inflammation and autoimmune disease. Joined today by Dr. Joy Kong, physician and founder of Chara Health and the American Academy of Integrative
[00:57] Cell Therapy. Her work focuses on how cellular therapies support healing, regulate the immune system, and help the body recover >> Hi. >> Hi.
[01:11] >> Before we even talk about therapies, what is the body naturally doing everyday in terms of repair and regeneration? >> Well, the body is a constant maintenance machine. So, it knows what to do when
[01:25] you have any micro damages. So, when it's fully intact and vibrant, it should know, right? So, it should not get stuck in inflammation, which unfortunately is what happens when we get older or when our system is not as up to par, that's
[01:40] when we get sick. So, stem cells um are actually there to replenish all the damaged tissue. So, the body is already doing that day in and day out. But unfortunately, it just does a worse and worse job as time goes on.
[01:54] >> That's a great point. So, how do we know when our bodies are not as efficient anymore in that repair? When does that start to happen? Is it by individual and how can we know when that is starting to happen?
[02:07] >> Well, anytime you have aches and pains, you have swelling, you have brain fog, you have energy lagging, all those are signs that something is going wrong. signs that something is going wrong. Something is not up operating perfectly
[02:20] because really your body should repair itself. So, you should not have day in itself. So, you should not have day in and day out chronic nagging pain because you may have temporary pain which should galvanize repair and then it should be
[02:32] fixed. But, if it's day in and day out, then you know your body's not keeping >> And what's the impetus and what exacerbates it? Is it stress? Is it inflammation? Are there other >> I think a lot of it's toxicity. Toxicity
[02:44] from bad diet, all the junk we put in our body and all the environmental toxicity, the EMFs, and then also hidden infections. So, we critters, microbes that could underlying undermine
[02:59] our health. So, I think environment is an important step, but also just if we put things that are not conducive for the cells to function optimally, then you you get stuck. So, again, it's still toxicity. That's really the the
[03:15] fundamental cause. But, sometimes just by living, by being alive, by breathing oxygen, that causes oxidative stress. So, by being alive, you are causing prevent. >> So, we should be lucky.
[03:29] language around stem cells, but there's not a lot of clarity. I would love to hear from you more about how stem cells play this role in repair. >> Yeah, so stem cells when people say stem cells as if there's one thing called
[03:44] stem cell, but really I always go back to the origin of life which is a fertilized egg and that is the first stem cell. That's your stem cell, right? That's still you, but at one point you were a single cell. So, every time the
[03:58] cell divide and start to morph and start to gain function to become something, right? It has a goal, which is to become full human. So, each [clears throat] step of the way the cells usually is still a stem cell
[04:11] until a final organ is formed. So, that's when you get your heart, a liver, and there's a final step of stem cell that becomes a tissue cell. But, cells. So, when we talk about stem cells, that's wide array of cells. But,
[04:27] what we use the most often these days is what's called mesenchymal stem cells. These are the cells that are populating your entire body. Everywhere you have And they provide this function of coordinating
[04:41] the the whole I call it the symphony of regeneration. So, they actually talk to not only talk to your immune system, but they talk to local stem cells and to make them produce more new cells. The question is
[04:55] how how the body how the stem cells are helping the body repair. So, it first of all, it decreases inflammation. Stem cells, especially something you can introduce from the outside, can actually push that process forward. So, all of a
[05:09] sudden inflammation is reduced. That's when regeneration can come in because if never quite regenerate. So, that's one thing. And then also it modulates the immune system. So, I'm talking more about all the properties of mesenchymal
[05:23] stem cells. They have the ability to reduce inflammation and to move your immune system in a way that the immune system is more geared toward regeneration rather than highly inflammatory state. And then it can
[05:36] break down scar tissue. It can help you form more blood vessels, so you can supply blood, you know, oxygen, and remove remove waste. And it can also
[05:48] protect cells that are damaged that don't have to die. Sometimes if your you know receiving certain kind of signals like in stroke the cells that are next to the stroke region that part that got oxygen cut off they may end up
[06:03] dying because of signaling but stem cells can come in and rescue those a lot of people don't necessarily understand regeneration. They think it's improving of the cell. Stem cells from my understanding is signaling more and
[06:18] signaling for the body to repair itself. Can you explain this distinction? >> Yeah, so basically we're making the body new again. We make a whole new part body part. You know that not a whole part but you know part of the
[06:31] organ. So we can make rather than improving upon what's okay or or what's damaged make a little better. We're actually making we're making new cells. So all of a sudden you're you're raising the
[06:45] damages, right? So that's the final that's the really what we're all again. >> For the everyday person before they look into advanced therapies, what are everyday things they can be doing to
[06:59] improve their health improve their own regeneration without going to the patients that they have to do if they want the results to sustain. So and I practice that everyday. So first an
[07:12] >> Love it. >> Right don't put in your body. Right as is. So first stop putting toxins and actually putting nutrients that can help your body repair. And then you want some
[07:26] kind of a gentle detox form. You know I my favorite is infrared sauna. You sweat out a lot of you know toxins that you don't want in the body. But the >> I'm probably doing it once or twice a week. I really want to do more but it's
[07:39] a the of finding the time. But I would prefer to do more than four times a week. And then, exercise, which is move movement, moving your body. That's the detoxification as well. Exactly, exactly. So, that's crucial. So, those
[07:51] are three simple things, and also sleep. And that's one thing I need to improve >> [laughter] >> So, those are simple things. But, if you don't do those things, and then you just expect that I'm getting stem cells, you
[08:04] know, this fancy therapy that's going to help me with everything. Yes, maybe good place, but it's not going to sustain if you're constantly stressing >> I love that because a lot of us forget sometimes that it's the foundation that
[08:18] go in with something more advanced. >> Yeah, and I tell people this is spent a lot of money. Let's make it last as long as possible. >> That's amazing that you teach your clients to be more than just what you
[08:32] practice to be everything else as well. >> Yeah, yeah, it's about you know, going full force in in a life, right? Is to be effective and be thriving in all areas. >> So, for regenerative medicine itself,
[08:46] who is the ideal candidate? Is it abroad for everybody, or are there specific this? >> I would say anybody that's sick. So, if >> Mhm. >> the reason I say almost all chronic
[09:00] illnesses is because all chronic illnesses have inflammation and immune dysregulation as part of the illness. So, then stem cells can really come in and intercept at all those levels, or tissue damage. Any Any time there's
[09:14] tissue damage, the cells can come in and trigger regeneration. So, you want that that kind of repair. And then, there's people who are has entered the aging trajectory, right? So, you peak at about 20, 25, and then from then there on, you
[09:29] know, you start to see the wrinkles, right? The hair graying, and aches and >> Comes on pretty quick. >> Right, that's the aging process. >> So, anyone that is a getting over that hump and start to see that kind of
[09:44] trajectory can start utilizing stem cells and kind of dial back the clock. look to start? >> At least 35. >> Yeah, even for me, I could see the change in me because I'm 54. I started
[10:00] >> Thank you. I started doing stem cells when I was 45. >> I can show you pictures that I look a lot younger than when I was 43. So, so I reason. I wasn't thinking, oh, I'm going to try to look younger. No, I just did
[10:15] not want to get sick. I just want to be vibrant, feel good, and feel good until okay, but I just want to feel good >> Feel good. Isn't that the best bio hack in the world is just to feel good? And nothing else really matters if you don't
[10:28] >> Yes. >> So, I'm 42 now. I'm going to start stem >> And I hope that next year we're going to come back and I'll be I'll feel a lot >> Yes, yes. And to be honest, there only a few people who have done stem cells as
[10:43] consistently as me. Um, that for for like 9, 10 years. But, the few people I know that did that, they all look 10 years younger than younger. >> Oh, thank you.
[10:56] >> Where do you see this field evolving in the next few years and the next decade? >> Yeah, I think it's going to get more sophisticated. Right now, we're using Um, the mesenchymal stem cells. Although, a
[11:11] subpopulation now has become more popular, the mu cells. That's a subpopulation of the stem cells. And we can enhance the the number of them, and they can promote a lot of regeneration, which means that they can
[11:24] differentiate and become cells of different organs. But, I think targeted therapies, if somebody has brain disorder, then you can give them cells that are going into the neuronal uh differentiation. If somebody has a
[11:37] cardiac issue, you can give them cells just in in that lineage. So, it's >> So, you can become more Yeah, so you can tailor your stem cells. So, I think that's um that's going to be Yeah, probably the next trend. Um
[11:52] interaction between stem cells and energy. I do think energy therapy using >> to me about that. So, what is What is that mean? >> is that even in our clinic, when we do stem cell therapy, we actually use laser
[12:08] to guide cells to particular organs. But we also program the laser um in different frequencies. The frequency that they shine uh can act the pulses can actually trigger the regeneration or the the the activation of different
[12:23] organs. So, it's almost like a whole new language. I'm talking with different >> That's fascinating. >> Yes. >> That's I love it. I love to see where
[12:35] where it is right now. I can't wait to use it in myself for my practice with I'm jumping right in and I'm not missing >> That's amazing. I love it. Thank you so much for taking
[12:49] this is that the repair is not something that suddenly turns on when there's a problem. It's happening all the time. And when the process is supported, the body adapts, recovers, and maintains itself more effectively. So, instead of
[13:02] only reacting to problem, there's real value in understanding how to support the process earlier and to do it more consistently. consistently. >> Exactly. Yeah, prevention is the key and
[13:14] >> Thank you so much. Thank you for this conversation. I really enjoyed it. conversation. I really enjoyed it. >> [music]