humans next

Arthritis a thing of the past? Stem cell treatments for pets mark new era inpain relief

Stem cell treatments on pets is a relatively new procedure.
Veterinarian Dr. Mark Gasaway predicts stem cell research will lead to the endof longstanding perspectives on arthritis relief.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
The $1,950 stem cell treatment, which takes only a day, is comparable to havingyour pet spayed or neutered.
Medivet America

For decades, older cats and dogs suffering from arthritis had few options aside from painkillers and anti-inflamatory medications. Pill therapies are costly, harmful to the liver and, at best, offer only minor relief for our beloved pets.

But a quiet revolution in animal arthritis relief is underway thanks to one of the scientific community's most controversial lines of research — stem cells. And Dr. Mark Gasaway's Yale Animal Clinic in the Heights, one of the few offices in Houston to offer cutting edge stem cell services for animals, is at the forefront of what appears to be a new era in veterinary medicine.

"I'd say about 85% of our treatments lead to our clients saying that their animal is more animated and more active," Gasaway told CultureMap in a recent interview. The veterinarian, who has performed dozens of stem cell procedures on primarily canine patients, noted that owners report improvement within several months and, in some case, as little as a week.

"I'd say about 85% of our treatments lead to our clients saying that their animal is more animated and more active," Dr. Mark Gasaway told CultureMap.

Surgically speaking, the $1,950 treatment, which takes only a day, is comparable to having your pet spayed or neutered.

Your cat or dog is anesthetized while a tablespoon of fat lipids are removed. Adult stem cells are extracted from the fat at a small on-site lab using technologies developed by Medivet America, one of the major leaders in animal stem cell research. Once the stem cells are acquired and cultured, they are injected into several key joint areas — namely, the hips for most arthritic animals.

"Arthritis in dogs starts to happen between the ages of 9 and 15," Gasaway explained. "The earlier you catch it and the earlier you do the treatment, the better the outcome in most cases."

Adult stem cells have the unique ability to divide into a variety of cell types, including those in cartilage, ligaments, tendons and even bones. According to Gasaway's explanation, the stem cells contain specific chemicals that draw them towards damaged parts of the body. From there, the stem cells begin to multiply and replace the deteriorating cells.

"I graduated from vet school in 1975 and I've watched new arthritis medicines come out all the time," he explained. "In the end, they're often just another type of anti-inflamatory with results similar to aspirin. Stem cells offer a whole new way of looking at treatment."

In the near future, Gasaway predicts that stem cell research will make the longstanding reign of anti-inflamatory arthritis meds a thing of the past not only for animals, but for humans as well. And that's just the beginning.

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Mood Changer

How does art heal? Medical Center powers aim to put real research data behindthe phenomenon

That music has the prowess to affect our mood, psyche and overall state of wellbeing is something that most people innately understand. We reach for music in times of joy, for celebration and for comfort.

But to what extent can music influence recovery from illness? That's something that the Center for Performing Arts Medicine (CPAM) at The Methodist Hospital is eager to learn.

CPAM sits at an advantageous position to answer such a question. Nestled within the largest medical center in the country and with access to educators, world-class artists, art training institutions, art therapists, scientists and neurologists, in addition to state-of-the-art equipment, CPAM is primed to nurture collaborative partnerships to advance the field of integrative arts therapies, with the end goal to research and decode innovative strategies into practical, real-life applications.

And that expands beyond treating performing and visual artists. CPAM seeks to probe further into health, wellness and rehabilitation, as well as to study human performance.

The study assesses emotional responses through eye contact, facial expressions, body language, energy, enthusiasm and attention and catalogs them alongside specific creative activities.

In partnership with the Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Centers' Arts In Medicine program, the National Center for Human Performance, Young Audiences of Houston (YAH) and a $18,000 grant from The Children's Fund, a research project is surveying the impact of an arts integrated component on the general mood of children and their relatives in the hospital domain.

"What we know is that these programs touch patients and their families, and bring joy and a sense of normalcy to an otherwise tense environment," Todd Frazier, CPAM program director, explains.

Titled Characterizing Arts in Medicine Performance at the Impact on Audience Engagement and Mood at Texas Children's Cancer Center, the study delves beyond qualitative observations. It assesses emotional responses through eye contact, facial expressions, body language, energy, enthusiasm and attention and catalogs them alongside specific creative activities.

The goal is to codify the value and effectiveness of precise artistic endeavors to better inform artists and performers on how to design an Arts In Medicine program with the best possible outcomes.

"We know in our hearts that what we do makes a different . . . But in a research-driven industry, you need these studies to grow arts integrated programs and to secure funding."

To do just that, the approaches of YAH puppeteer Jean Kuecher, dancer/choreographer Toni Valle from Becky Valls and Company and classical chamber ensemble WindSync will be monitored by a team of "coders" gathered and trained by Dr. Heather Taylor, director of spinal chord injury research at TIRR Memorial Hermann. These coders will be required to study the flow of each program so they can readily identify each segment, transition and interactive component.

Pre and post performance questionnaires with the children and their parents will attempt to evaluate their temperament, including fear, fatigue, overall mood and physical pain. A pre and post artist interview will archive the experience from the point of view of the service provider.

The empirical data, in turn, will serve as advocacy material to better inform health administrators of what's possible with an expertly-crafted, research-based program.

"We know in our hearts that what we do makes a different," Herron says. "We see it and we hear it from children and their parents. But in a research-driven industry, you need these studies to grow arts integrated programs and to secure funding."

The study should be completed by spring of next year. Herron sees this multi-faceted project as just a beginning, one that will open up more opportunities for further fieldwork in arts integrated models.