PRP and Bone Marrow Concentrate vs Birth Products: Why I Trust My Own Cells
- cassis101
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Sales Hype vs. Safety Reality with PRP vs Birth Products
In regenerative medicine, patients are often pitched “stem cell” treatments derived from birth products like umbilical cord or amniotic tissue. These products are marketed as young and powerful, with no harvesting required. When deciding between PRP vs birth products here’s the reality: birth products come with risks of infection, contamination, and unknown DNA. The FDA has repeatedly warned that these products are unapproved and carry safety concerns. Outbreaks linked to contaminated donor products highlight how fragile the chain of sterility and oversight can be. I haven’t forgotten the New England Compounding Pharmacy tragedy, where contaminated steroid injections caused a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak. While it wasn’t about stem cells, it showed what happens when medical products are mishandled or insufficiently regulated.
Trust Your Own Biology
As both a physician and a patient, I know where I stand. I’ve undergone bone marrow concentrate (BMAC) and PRP procedures myself — marrow harvested from my hip, injected into my acetabulum, hip joint, knee, and shoulder. The results? MRI evidence of true repair, including a healed PCL, meniscus and LCL. The science supports this choice: Autologous PRP and bone marrow concentrate have very low infection risk in clean, compliant medical settings. Thousands of PRP injections in trials reported no septic arthritis; BMAC knee studies report only isolated superficial infections. Allogeneic products show significantly higher infection risks in transplant literature, with bacterial and viral complications far more frequent than autologous therapies. Donor birth products may contain DNA, RNA, and proteins from another individual. Screening lowers risk but cannot eliminate it — especially for emerging pathogens that aren’t testable yet. Even in older patients, marrow remains functional. Age may reduce potency, but marrow and PRP remain safe, effective, and — most importantly — your own. And when I harvest PRP or bone marrow in my practice, I trust my sterile techniques and compliant lab standards, not an unknown company’s processing of donor tissue.
Evidence Over Hype
Regenerative medicine holds extraordinary promise — but it must be safe, evidence-driven, and trustworthy. That’s why I choose autologous PRP and bone marrow concentrate for myself and my patients. These treatments honor the integrity of your own biology, with safety that birth-derived products simply can’t match.
Schedule a consultation today to explore how your own cells may support your joint health and performance.
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