A city hospital claims that it has successfully come out with a treatment for spine repair and a stem cell therapy to correct paralysis. At a press meet on Tuesday, the hospital shared the stories of paralysed patients it has successfully treated in the past few months.The Bangalore Institute of Regenerative Medicine at Live 100 Hospital announced that the treatment involves a number of steps and while some patients gain sensation in the lower half of their bodies within three months from commencing of the treatment, others take a little longer. “I am glad we finally are able to give people a better and improved life. There has always been a myth that stem cell therapy is very expensive, which is not true in this case,” said Dr HN Nagaraj, chairman and managing director, Live 100 Hospital.Balakrishan Baldev, who was paralysed neck down for 10 years on receiving a wrong diagnosis from another hospital, was the first patient to undergo this treatment. He has gained 95% movement and sensation. He started his treatment early this year and three injections have been administered to him so far. “You have one life, live it. In fact live a 100 in just one. I can now control my body and feel myself. This has been the greatest gift i have ever received,” said Baldev.Another patient Khaleed Abdullah was a soldier from Yemen. He was shot in the spinal chord during a war 4 years ago. Two levels of his spinal chord were crushed, and he visited seven countries before landing in India. After receiving treatment, he can now feel sensations up to the upper thigh. It’s been nine months since his treatment started. Superman!Dr Nagaraj said that the late actor Christopher Reeve (Superman) was the biggest reason that research in this branch of science even began. Reeve broke his neck when he was thrown off a horse, paralysing him neck down and he required a respirator to breathe. Having no control of his own body, the actor spent everything he had towards the research of embryonic cells and supporting people who had problems related to the spine.

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