Umbilical Cord Blood Banking Could Be an Investment in Our Future Health By Les Scammell

Most people are aware that donating blood can help save the lives of others. In fact there are certain times of the year where calls are made for people to donate blood to cover shortages. What you may not be aware of is another form of blood donation that is starting to gain popularity. What is this new form of blood donation? Umbilical cord blood found in new born babies. The blood found in the discarded umbilical cord is full of valuable cells that could be the cure for many diseases.

The umbilical cord and placenta are viewed very differently by people around the world. In some cultures it is revered whilst in others it is considered hospital waste. In today's medical world it is considered a treasure full of live saving cells. Many scientists working on diseases are fighting hard to have cord blood preserved and used for scientific research. So what is all the fuss about? After all, cord blood is just blood isn't it?

It seems not. Umbilical cord blood contains cells known as stem cells. Stems cells are the basic building blocks for every organ in the body. It's not just organs either. Stem cells are really the building blocks for every part of the body - skin, blood, nerves and of course our organs. This is what has stirred up interest in the science community. If stem cells are the building blocks for our organs - can they be used to 'grow' organs for transplanting. Imagine, organs that have been grown in a laboratory. They have not been exposed to hardship, pollution or any other damaging environment that human to human transplants have.

Doctors have already found uses for stem cells. They are being used to fight several diseases including cancers found in children. The success rate for these treatments is quite high. There are now several adult diseases that are being tackled, including cancers such as leukemia with some success. The medical community is hopeful of solving problems such as diabetes and spinal cord damage using stem cells.

A huge industry is starting to grow based on the private collection and storage of stem cells for parents. This storage is being promoted as a form of insurance policy for their children. Save their stem cells now and if any disease afflicts them, their own stem cells will be there to help treat them. Is it a viable insurance policy? Time will tell - it is certainly viable for the companies selling this service.

Public cord blood banks are also being established, often through major public hospitals. The cord blood saved in these banks is available on a needs basis to suitable patients. A small quantity is also made available to researchers who trialing various treatment programs.

As a parent, we have a choice. We can allow the hospital to throw away this cord blood, we can pay a small fortune to bank it for our child, or we can donate it to the public cord blood bank. Public donations are investments in our future health since they provide researchers with valuable stem cells to use in their research. Public donation of umbilical cord blood also means there is a supply of stem cells available to treat those who most need it. As an investment - hopefully it will pay off for all us.

Cord blood banking is becoming an important part of modern medical research. To read more on this issue and the many other issues involved with parenting and raising a family, visit just4families.com. You can read more about cord blood banking, how cord blood treats childhood diseases and how stem cells are now being used to treat diseases such as dementia and multiple sclerosis.

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