From Regenokine treatments to edible phytoplankton drops to NFL players traveling to Europe for stem cell injections that would be illegal in the USA, it seems that stem cells are the hot new arrival on the recovery and anti-aging scene. I distinctly recall my first experience with injecting cells into the human body. I was a young, bright-eyed hip and knee surgical salesman, and the company I worked for at the time (Biomet) had just developed a post-surgical procedure called Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP). This PRP process involved collecting and then centrifuging a patient's blood to separate the platelet-poor plasma and red blood cells.The platelets are concentrated about five-fold, and then re-injected into the wound site to speed up healing. I later thought this was such a cool process for other issues, like knee and elbow pain, that I partnered with a physician to purchase a PRP machine for treating the athletes and clients who I worked with, many of whom had uncanny and "miraculous" injury and inflammation reversals. But compared to PRP, stem cells are a whole new animal, and in this podcast with my guest Shawn Stevenson, we dive into the legality, the conflicts, the long-term health the potential for doping, the alternatives, the costs and much more.

Shawn (pictured right) is a bestselling author and creator of The Model Health Show, which is often featured as the #1 Health podcast in the country on iTunes. A graduate of The University of Missouri - St. Louis, Shawn studied biology and kinesiology, and went on to be the founder of Advanced Integrative Health Alliance, a company that provides wellness services for individuals and organizations worldwide. Shawn has been featured in Men's Health magazine, Entrepreneur magazine, ESPN, FOX News, and many other media outlets.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-The crazy story of how Shawn's hip broke while he was running, and the broken medical system that nearly destroyed his entire gut while fixing his hip...

-How Shawn regenerated his spine, which doctor's told him was "the spine of an 80 year old man"...

-The four different types of stem cells, and which ones work best for killing pain, healing injuries and decreasing inflammation...

-The two surprising ways you can find and harvest stem cells without using embryos...

-How new human body parts can literally be regrown after being injured...

-How Shawn skipped any blood centrifuging, bone marrow injections or stem cell therapies and instead used specific foods to increase stem cell growth in his own joints...

-The exact ingredients of Shawn's most potent medicinal tea recipe...

-Why both Ben and Shawn stuff mushrooms into vodka bottles...

-And much more!

Resources from this episode:

-Man's Finger Grows Back After Treatment With Pig's Bladder Powder

-Platelet Rich Plasma injections

-Orthokine/Regenokine

-Phytoplankton 

-Aloe Vera Gel (and research on medical aloe)

-Colostrum

-Chlorella

-Transdermal Magnesium

-Curcumin

Do you have questions, comments or feedback about stem cells, stem cell therapy, alternatives to stem cells and how stem cells work? Leave your thoughts, comments and feedback at BenGreenfieldFitness.com.