Stem cell research is one of the THE most controversial topics to have come on our modern horizon in years. Many theories hold firm that the use of stem cells might advance medical science to the point where diseases are eliminated and lives are lengthened. I believe that.

However, I also agree with those who are concerned with where the stem cells are coming from for this research. Cord blood is one thing, but the creation of embryos only for their cells seems barbaric. Now, my sister banked her son’s cord blood and when my daughter was born, we had the kit already to do the same, but the very week before my daughter’s birth the company we had picked had a major disaster at their storage facility. So, we donated the cord blood.

In light of all this, I find it more than interesting that a company right out of Florida, and in fact just a couple of miles from my home, is touting the use of women’s menstrual blood for the collection of stem cells. The process offered by the C’elle technology is essentially like banking cord blood. A woman collects the blood from her menstrual cycles and the cells are cryo-preserved. The use of such cells is still in its potentiality, but the stem cells collected via menstrual blood could have all the same uses in the future as any other stem cells being researched – therapies for diabetes, stroke and heart disease, neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, osteoporosis and spinal cord injuries.

While some might find stem cell research controversial no matter what the angle, I personally think that particular method of harvesting represents a great moral advance. You can see the C’elle press relase on the CNNMoney website, or just read where I have included it below:

Press Release:

Taking Control: Future Therapies for a Host of Serious Diseases May Be Found in Women’s Menstrual Blood

July 07, 2008: 01:28 PM EST

OLDSMAR, Fla., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — With today’s hectic lifestyle, where most women are juggling careers, family, relationships, and a host of activities, the idea of possibly facing a serious illness in the future is not something that readily comes to mind — especially when a woman is in the prime of her life. But what most women don’t know, is that the key to treating a number of possibly life-threatening diseases that she, a parent, a sibling or even her children may face in later years, such as osteoporosis, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, may be found within her own body — in vital stem cells, which can now be harvested from her own menstrual blood.

Now, thanks to the revolutionary research and technology of C’elle, a service dedicated to providing women with a safe and easy method of collecting and preserving stem cells found in her menstrual fluid each month, even the busiest woman can take control of her future, right in the privacy of her own home. With C’elle’s non-invasive collection process, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may be used in the future. These self-renewing cells one day may even be used for sports medicine or cosmeceutical treatments, such as anti-aging therapies.

“C’elle enables and empowers a woman to take control of her future health, and possibly of those genetically closest to her, in a fast, painless and stress free way,” said Michelle Kay, Marketing and Sales Manager for C’elle. “We live in exciting times, as science and technology are discovering how extremely valuable menstrual blood stem cells really are, and the enormous treatment potential they represent for future therapies. C’elle’s ongoing research is supporting these promising findings.”

For more information about C’elle, please call 1-877-892-3553 or visit www.celle.com.