Holy shit!
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There are two camps of people who go for such treatments, stem cells etc. One are those who perform a risk/reward calculus (and do it poorly), and the desperate. The desperate may even be aware of how remote the odds are that stem cell therapy works, but they have a condition today’s medical science cannot help. For the desperate a remotely plausible claim is looked at, since the alternative is not nothing - they lose money and potentially worsen their health - only extreme cases are in play (terminal conditions etc.).
But while I wouldn’t dream of signing up for any of this (including the whole “peptide” hype), I’m not ready to look down my nose on these folks. Why? Because in a sense I’m one of them. I too feel the terrible pressure to do “something” - as death is approaching, and I don’t have the luxury of a 25 year old to wait for scientifically confirmed treatments to delay death or at least enhance health. It’s just too bad that longevity science has been so slow and I’m running out of time at 68. Imagine being in this situation in 1500 AD - there is no science to speak of. What are you going to do to make the best of your time on earth? Nothing but old wives tales, and the local blacksmith, maybe some “doctor” who believes in blood letting. Where are we today? Essentially not so very different - OK, we have hints about diet and exercise (and even that is fraught), some “maybe” drugs. Everything we do here is speculation. Everything. Rapamycin - speculation.
The only thing that’s different, is how you perform the risk analysis calculus. Matt Kaeberlein is super conservative. I’m slightly less conservative (willing to take astaxanthin for example). But I’m far more conservative in my risk/reward assessment than the stem cell patients. I just look at them and say: you’re way more of a risk taker than I am. But not: you’re insane. Because, at 67 (soon 68), I understand the pressure - and the risk/reward calculus changes. As the grave becons, as you lay in it, as the first shovels of dirt are thrown at you, you are willing to take more risks… personally for me the stem cell option is “never”, but I don’t condemn those who calculate otherwise.
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Very good question. I had to take a non paid medical leave from my University for this Spring semester (I’m a Professor). It has been rough. Recent nuclear med scan showed the skull bone infection was no longer active. Thank you GOD. The key medical malpractice question is this: The doctor who did this was an interventional radiologist (IR). Was that procedure beyond the scope of his normal care for a IR?
Prof, do go talk to an attorney.
I think injection in the spine with woo hoo stuff is definitely outside of any medically licensed professional’s subspecialty. I’ve had 5 epidurals for 5 pregnancies and they were all performed by an anesthesiologist. The procedure is no joke. The spine is enervated in such a way that not just anyone can go up there and fiddle with it. Had to sign some pretty extensive waivers even for just a run of the mill epidural. I think this radiologist might and ought to lose his license. By the way what sort of waivers did he get you to sign?
Intrathecal injections are 100% under the typical scope of practice for an interventional radiologist. The image guided modalities they use are supposed to give an extra layer of safety when performing procedures in these high-risk areas. Things like intrathecal chemotherapy delivery and chronic pain modalities like intrathecal pain pumps and/or steroids are commonly done by IR.
That said, I’m really, really sorry that this happened to you. As we are all aware, there are bad apples and low quality docs in every specialty of medicine. Also, treating cancer or debilitating chronic pain may have a better risk v benefit than accessing the intrathecal space for ‘brain fog.’
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Latest YouTube video featuring Dr. Matt Kaeberlein
Do Stem Cells Actually Work? (The Truth About the $20,000 Scam)
This is an hour-plus video.
This is a very short summary from Perplexity Pro:
The video argues that regenerative medicine is real but overhyped, with genuine science in stem cells, exosomes, and peptides, but much of the commercial ecosystem drifting into hype, weak evidence, and black-market behavior. It uses a long interview with Matt Cberline to separate legitimate research from the “medicine 4.0” marketing layer and to warn about safety, manufacturing quality, and regulatory gaps.
Main argument
The opening frames medicine as a series of flashy upgrades, but says real science advances slowly through evidence, not software-style leaps. The host says many influencers and clinics sell stem cells, peptides, exosomes, and fecal transplants as miracle cures before the science is ready.
Stem cells
Cberline says stem cell therapy has strong results in animals and promising biology, but human results have lagged badly. He attributes that to harder clinical translation, regulatory barriers, cancer risk, and the fact that stem cells work less well in older or inflamed bodies.
Muse cells
The discussion highlights Dawa Muse stem cells as a real basic-science advance: they may be more stress-resistant, more pluripotent, and possibly lower-risk for tumors than other stem cells. But the video stresses that the clinical evidence in humans is still very early, and that Japan’s “conditional approval” is about short-term safety, not proven effectiveness.
Safety concerns
The strongest warning in the interview is that once treatments move outside the formal regulatory system, product quality becomes the biggest danger. The video says black-market stem cells and peptides may be mislabeled, contaminated, or manufactured under poor conditions, which can lead to allergic reactions, sepsis, paralysis, cancer, or death.
Mark Hyman case
The host revisits the Mark Hyman story as an example of how experimental regenerative treatments can go badly wrong. Cberline says the reported sepsis after a Mexico clinic procedure fits a pattern he has heard about multiple times in the longevity field, and he sees it as likely tied to contamination or poor sterility.
Peptides and DNP
The episode then turns to peptides, which it says are not magical by nature; they are just a broad class of molecules that can help, harm, or do nothing depending on the substance and dose. It contrasts approved peptides like GLP-1 drugs with unapproved ones such as BPC-157, GHK copper, and TB-500, and warns that the field is full of off-label or outright illegal use.
Why people fall for it
A recurring theme is desperation: people with chronic pain, brain fog, autoimmune issues, or failed mainstream treatment are more willing to take risks. The video says that makes them vulnerable to Instagram, influencer recommendations, sunk-cost psychology, and clinics that look polished but may be unsafe.
David Sinclair and age reversal
The interview also pushes back on claims that aging can soon be “reversed” with pills or epigenetic tricks. Cberline says there is real progress in epigenetic reprogramming, including early work on specific eye diseases in mice and a human trial pathway, but not evidence that old humans are being made young again.
Bottom line
The summary message is that regenerative medicine has a real scientific core, but the current marketplace is flooded with hype, weak oversight, and profiteering. The video’s practical advice is cautious: be skeptical, verify product quality, watch for red flags, and understand that “promising” is not the same as “proven.”
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Wow! Intrathecal is some seriously high-risk stuff.
Honestly, I think you are absolutely crazy for agreeing to this. Please don’t take that as an attack, but I’m wondering how he convinced you, or what your rationale was for agreeing to go through with it. You’re a professor, so presumably smart, know how to research things, know how to evaluate evidence. Again, please don’t interpret this as a personal attack, because we’re all capable of making poor decisions. I am just super, super curious about your train of thought and how you agreed to go through with it.
I’m good friends with an IR, and the injection itself is definitely within his skillset. However, the key question is: what was the product they injected? There are no intrathecal deliverable stem cell products approved by the FDA (or any regulatory agency) as far as I know. So whatever he did was unapproved. If you ended up with an infection, it’s presumably due to an issue with the stem cell preparation. Either the isolation, culture, or the preparation for injection. That’s why the legit stem cell therapies are costing $200K+, because doing the entire process end-to-end sterile is challenging, requires equipment, expensive kits, and validation every step of the way.
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Desperation leads to unwise choices no matter how smart you are.
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And there is always this cautionary example of stem cell use: Cautionary Tales in Longevity Medicine (Longevity Clinic Roundtable)
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This is why I like molecules with which we have a lot of experience. I do push the limits, but cautiously, gradually and with weekly blood draws.
Absolutely. And I could totally see that for a serious cancer, or neurodegenerative disease etc.
But in this case, the injection was seemingly for brain fog. I’m not sure whether that’s something that was super serious, or has been resolved since. That’s why I’m hoping for more explanation from @lsutiger
In the past, I’ve had brain fog and fatigue, for years. I can say it can make one feel quite desperate.
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Just adding to the previous mention re Hyman…
I’m watching Gwyneth Paltrow interview Huberman (let the mocking ensue 
Huberman just mentioned the unnamed doctor (Mark Hyman ) who was paralyzed from having stem cells injected into his spine. His colleague at Stanford restored his ability to walk.
And also, Hyman is a pig not to warm his follower about the dangers of doing this. (Assuming he still has not done so)…
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There was no desperation. Just a poor choice. I went it to get a stem cel injection on my foot and I got caught up in the salesmanship of the doctor that since I was getting the foot injection, I should do the intrathecal injection as well to improve my brain fog from a concussion I had 6 months prior . I did not go to his doctor for that—I went for my plantar fascia issues. I completely get it. Anyone from the outside looking in will say “How could you be so stupid?” But at the time and in the moment, my logic left me. And I’m paying the price for that. And no, there was no mention from the doctor that the injection could lead to a skull bone infection or anything like that.
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Thanks for sharing. And yeah, I totally get it. So yeah, I would reiterate again that the injection itself is within the scope of practice, but the product he injected almost certainly isn’t approved for any indication.
I’ve had 4 stem cell IVs over the past 12 months and am on a flight to stem cell institute in Panama city rn to get my 5th. It’s the only thing thats ever turned off my MCAS symptoms. Literally to zero. For 4 to 6 weeks after. Nothing of the numerous Rx, supplement and lifestyle practice I’ve tried (like DNRS, Primal trust, etc) has been close to this powerful. But it doesn’t last.
These stories are horrifying. Definitely affects my risk / reward reckoning. I knew there were such experiences, but they all seemed to be from unreputable places in Latam, mostly mexico. Adil khan is not those clinics.
On the phone with the Dr at stem cell institute a few weeks ago, they told me their patients have never had any serious lasting injury from their procedures. In decades of operation.
The other places I’ve gone: RMI in CR (don’t recommend, as it was the least potent by far),
SCMC in Antigua - most potent. I also got stem cells injected into back discs here as did my partner. They fly in a back surgeon from NY who has a lot of experience. Would recommend.
Joy kong’s Chara health in LA. Good potency. Less than Antigua, but cheaper and still quite meaningful. And all US regulated.
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In the end we need to intervene on the niches.
Do you happen to know more details? What type of stem cell, and how many cells were injected?
I have documentation of all that, but don’t see the point in digging it up. They are all birth-tissue MSCs. Chara only does like 10m or less, as they are non-expanded lines (expanding is illegal in the US). Most do more like 100m, anywhere from 2 - 5 expansions. Antigua said they do 2-3 and RMI said 3-4, I think