7/16/2007 Health Notes

*What Are Stem Cells?*
A stem cell is like a newborn cell which has not yet decided exactly what kind of cell it will eventually become. After a male sperm cell fertilizes an ovum (a female egg cell), the rapidly-dividing cells which form the tiny human embryo are all stem cells known as embryonic stem cells.

Adult stem cells are a special kind of undifferentiated body cells which have the ability to transform themselves into other specific kinds of differentiated cells which form the tissue of an organ such as the heart or liver or brain. In general, a stem cell will be influenced by the cells in its immediate environment and form into the same type of cell, such as a heart cell, liver cell, brain cell, or pancreas cell.

Adult stem cells are most abundantly found in bone marrow, and these adult stem cells circulate through the blood stream and function to replace dysfunctional cells, thus fulfilling the natural process of maintaining optimal health.