Considered an alternative or complimentary medical practice, live cell therapy, also known as glandular therapy, has been used for decades in the treatment of a variety of health issues, from arthritis to antiaging. Also called cellular therapy, the practice became popular in the 1930s, utilizing the use of sheep cells to rejuvenate dormant cells in the body to activate, producing new numbers and growth of healthy cells and tissues in the body.

Live cell therapy is nothing new, and has been regularly practiced since the 1940s. Especially popular in Europe, live cell therapies in Switzerland, England, and Germany have utilized the practice of harvesting specific organ cells from young animals, from a sheep to a blue shark, for infusion or injection into humans.

Live cell therapy grew even more popular in the 1960s, with research conducted at the Universities of Heidelberg and Vienna as an alternative medical treatment to improve and restore liver function. 

What Does Live Cell Therapy Do?
The liver is responsible for absorbing and processing nutrients, especially iron in the blood. Live cell therapy is believed to help improve a variety of medical ails and conditions, including headaches, colds, chronic fatigue, arthritis, allergies, and hepatitis. As an immune booster, live cell therapy has been explored, tested, and debated for decades, and continues to be a controversial alternative treatment that nevertheless attracts tens of thousands of individuals seeking improved health and wellness to its benefits every year.

Live cells cultivated from young animals, most commonly sheep, are diffused in an IV saline solution and injected into the human body. The concept is that damaged or dying cells in a person's organs or tissues may be replaced with living, healthy cells from the animal source. In this way, live cell therapy is distantly related to the concepts of stem cell therapy; concepts that have been utilized by humans for thousands of years.

Live Cell Therapy Process
Live cell therapy process is a multi-step procedure. The patient is first tested to make sure he or she is not allergic to the live cells. Following that, the treatment may consist of one to three injections of organ cells intramuscularly, or through the muscles of the buttocks. Patients are also advised regarding diet and exercise as well as regarding lifestyle changes that may enhance and prolong the benefits of live cell therapies.

The benefits of healing processes of live cell therapy begins to show within a couple of weeks of the injection. However, healing phases may take between six and nine months, or longer, to reach optimal health, wellness, strength and stamina.

How Much Does Live Cell Therapy Cost?
Live cell therapies throughout Europe and the United States cost between $5,000 and $10,000, depending on geographic location. Visitors traveling to locations such as Mexico spend approximately $2,500 for the first initial injections, and approximately $1,500 for follow-up treatments. Follow-up treatments are recommended at one to three year intervals, depending on personal physical illness or condition.

Who Performs Live Cell Therapy Treatments?
Physicians and medical practitioners of naturopathy trained in various forms of immunology, alternative medical treatments or doctors of osteopathy may offer live cell therapy treatments. Consumers are advised to ask questions regarding health care providers experience and training in live cell therapy procedures, or certification as a naturopathic medical practitioner.  Traditional or conventional physicians interested in alternative treatments and therapies who have undergone training may also offer live cell treatments.