General Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only. It is not an advertisement for exosomes. Use of exosomes has not been FDA-approved for prevention nor treatment of any disease condition.  Anecdotes provided do not constitute scientific proof and all patients were treated in the context of a fully informed consent and patient-physician relationship.

Exosomes 22: Is there really no such thing as bad press?

Buyer beware!  

This weekend, I spent time at the A4M (American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine) conference and spoke with makers and sellers of various exosomes and placental/amnniotic products. I was not surprised but a bit disappointed to hear the incessant back-stabbing, politics, and disinformation at work in this space. One year ago, few people had heard of exosomes and everyone was a friend; 12 months later gossip and slander are as plentiful as beach balls and t-shirts from cannons at a summer music festival.

I heard (and have read) all the smear pieces, blogs dedicated to character assassination, false disinformation claiming exosomes contain only normal saline, (as I described in blog 8 below), and heard many aspersions. I would surmise that it would be hard for anyone who hasn’t spoken with nearly all the players in the space make sense of it all. I don’t think they realize they are playing a game that may be less than zero-sum. In game theory, a game where someone’s loss is my gain is “zero sum”. In this case if all the attacks succeed, everyone could suffer. Alternatively if a company makes a “bad batch” it could help others in the space or threaten the entire space’s reputation and bring on regulatory actions.

If one wonders why this is occurring, we need only look at the shifting loyalties and lawsuits of distributors, marketers, scientists, and former partners in this small space to know that there is a definite willingness to take out the long knives and fight dirty when there is potentially a lot of money involved.

One of the distributors more poetically stated that it reminded him of the Einstein-Bohr debates insofar as they were all geniuses arguing about things that were not resolvable yet not appreciating the serendipity of being at the epicenter of a revolution in science.

Let me make a few observations:

1. Exosomes are how cells communicate with each other
2. Exosomes from young MSC work in a relatively safe and powerful way to control inflammation and promote regeneration of local stem cells
3. The clinical anecdotes and my personal clinical experience suggest that these exosomes are far from inert, well-tolerated, and can have profound effects
4. Some day in the future, most of our regenerative and medical needs will be handled by bespoke exosomes, rendering aging, illness, and much of the non-trauma and obstetrical medical profession obsolete
5. The FDA is cracking down on homologous stem cell use as well as products derived from amniotic and placental tissues 
6. The FTC, not the FDA will likely go after profitable businesses that advertise exosomes (which are an ambiguous category) if they advertise efficacy in treating illness.
7. There are many companies that have already failed in the exosomes space and many others lack the expertise and infrastructure to produce consistently safe and effective products

Think of exosomes as a category of biologics that fall outside the current public health guidelines. That is because they are not cells nor are they are not tissue. I have an MD, a Masters in Public Health, and can understand legalese and yet the guidelines around use of biologics (361 vs 351) are hard to understand unless you consider they were written to protect tissue grafts (like those from cadavers to your torn knee ligament). Since they were written before the discovery of exosomes, it is unclear which sections of the law would cover them although the clock is ticking and eventually, they will likely fall under section 351, possibly making them unavailable even under the aegis of a physician-patient relationship.

A casual web search for “exosomes” will find many articles on cancer research, some testimonials, hit pieces, and some advertising. To be honest, the fighting for market dominance is destructive to the space, the whistle-blowing on each other is also a drag, and the greed and dishonesty is alarming.

For the time being, I am left with having to use intuition and trust (with verification).  I trust those that don’t lie, that demonstrate high integrity and a strong sense of personal responsibility, and those that can admit when they have fallen short.

I find it hard to believe that so many of my patients are improving based on mere placebo effect and the biological mechanism of exosome action is plausible and reproduced in clinical and laboratory experiments in the published literature. 

If you venture out onto the internet, you are likely to find some horrific stories about exosomes, their purveyors, and the relative superiority of one brand versus another. As with any internet research, you need to have both an open mind and a critical one and use multiple heuristics, not just a sourcing one (in other words, consider the source and their motivations).

Caveat emptor = buyer beware!  If you are curious about the dangers of exosome hucksters, feel free to do an internet search but remember that “Curiosity killed the cat”. What you read about cancer, alleged fraud, and FDA breeches might discourage even the boldest prospective exosome user.

This is why you are on a private email list and not a general one. I hope to share my actual experience and gathered wisdom with you in a way that doesn’t rise to the level of medical disease claims but rather anecdotes. And I hope to promulgate experience in a way that is not coercive nor construed as advertising by FTC.  You and I have a personal relationship insofar as we have spoken and I am available under a patient-physician relationship to give you advice to the best of my ability.

Interestingly, my Facebook feed taught me something that I had not heard but that seems relevant. One version of the aphorism is that “Curiosity killed the cat; but satisfaction brought it back”.

My satisfaction rate with exosome patients is around 85% which may be due to the attribution bias that I blogged about in blog 21 but may also just be a result of simple failure. That said, I will definitely take more shots and most of those that have tried exosomes would be coming back for more as well. There wouldn’t have been the Night of the Long Knives for Hitler if he didn’t think it was worth it to murder his former allies; this should tell you that all the people casting aspersions from within or adjacent to this space think it has tremendous promise.

To remind you of what the FDA is and how it would work with exosomes, watch my 7th of 9 videos in my series:

Feel free to bookmark the following link to have all my exosomes videos at your fingertips!

www.tinyurl.com/exosomesvideos

Archived exosome blogs….Please read them all. 

N.B. On 2/29/2020 I changed my philosophy about keeping these blogs private. The archives up to blog 32 were appended to blogs that had yet to be created when the earlier ones were first written.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-1-the-journey-begins/

I still have voluntary ASMR. Mom’s arthritis is greatly improved. 

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-2-not-inert/

I explain why I believe exosomes aren’t inert. An amazing case of an overnight in heart rate variability is presented.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-3-a-case-of-brain-and-neck-trauma/

A case of whiplash and traumatic brain injury improved after exosome use.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-4-back-on-the-treadmill-again/

After exosome injection, two runners were able to return to running after limitations from tendinosis that plagued them for months (in the case of the 60-yo man, and years (in the case of the 53-yo woman)

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-5-clinical-medicine-is-bittersweet/

In this blog, I discussed how complicated clinical medicine can be. Different treatment protocols, ambiguous results ethical dilemmas and strange phenomena like acquired coffee aversion are part of what make treating with exosomes so challenging.  

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-6-healing-takes-time/

Using my left foot as an example, I attempt to explain that while some exosome effects are immediate, others take time. Remodeling of damaged tissues is a complicated process. My foot is still scarred and probably will be for life.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-7-nerve-pain-gone/

A patient after dental exosome injection becomes pain free after 4 years of suffering.

http://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-8-disinformation-or-bad-science/

I explain why lab testing of freshly thawed exosomes is SUPPOSED to come back as normal saline.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-9-watch-all-my-exosome-videos/

A nine-part comprehensive explanation of exosomes.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/interviews-with-exosome-experts-posted/

I interviewed the principal scientists of Kimera Labs and other experienced clinicians using exosomes

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-11-deb-bs-knees-are-improving

66-yo Deb B went from not being able to do one squat to 100 per day after exosome injection.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/80-yo-doug-ran-121-miles-in-6-days/

80-yo Doug describes in his video how much his knees have improved since getting exosome injections. He is reaching new athletic peaks with no signs of stopping.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosome-blog-13-microneedling-my-mom-with-exosomes/

My 82-yo mom underwent microneedling with exosomes with fantastic results. Most impressive was the absence of “downtime” from redness or bruising.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosome-blog-14-the-shoulder/

54-yo weightlifter with chronic pain from a rotator cuff tear shows remarkable improvement in just four days! He re-injured it at the gym so had to undergo a repeat shoulder injection

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-15-face-blindness/

48-yo woman with severe face blindness experiences some improvement after nasal injections of exosomes. Her ability to remember new faces has improved permanently

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-16-lecture-in-hawaii/

I delivered two lectures in Hawaii. The first was about exosomes generally and the second is a password-protected video about clinical applications. 

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-17-reading-is-fundamental

Three cases of middle-aged women reporting enhanced enjoyment and renewed capacity to read after nasal exosome therapy

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-18-dental-health-improved

Two cases of improved dental health presented. We discuss the hazards of EMF and the promising future of dental regenerative therapy

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-19-chakra-balancing-with-exosomes/

We discuss the notion of energy centers known as chakras and the fact that we are electrical beings

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-20-seborrheoic-dermatitis/

A case of improvement in Seborrheoic Dermatitis after microneedling with MSC exosomes is presented.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-21-bias-is-unavoidable/

I explain how poor we are at assessing change and how attribution and recall bias play important roles

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-22-badpress/

In the past year, there has been a lot of shifting loyalties in the exosome space resulting in a lot of rumor, innuendo, and bad press. With various parties trying to get each other in trouble with federal regulators, it is a treacherous business to be in.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-23-stasis-dermatitis

I describe a case of an 86-yo woman whose chronic leg rash disappeared after improvement in her leg circulation

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-24-how-long-do-exosomes-last

I use a car wash analogy to answer the question “how long do exosomes last?” The answer is it depends on how dirty and damaged the car is, how well you clean it, and how dirty you get it after washing.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-25-knee-treatments/

I describe four cases of improvement of osteoartritic knees from my trip to Hawaii.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-26-the-placebo-effect/

I explain the three definitions of placebo and why I believe most of the effects of exosomes cannot be attributed to the so-called placebo effect.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-27-soft-signs-of-exosome-actions/

Some remarkable “soft signs” of exosome effects include itching (new nerves), twitching (new muscles), and heaviness (a healing FORCE).

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-28-varicose-veins/

Three amigos came to see me and all enjoyed benefits. The best was the 48-yo gentleman who had a dramatic improvements to his irritable bowel syndrome, varicose veins, and appearance.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-29-are-exosomes-smart/

I address the common observation from patients that exosomes seem “smart” or that they know where to go. In fact, I doubt this is true and that they are no smarter than player piano scrolls are good musicians.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-30-real-exosomes-patients/

I gave a lecture at the University of Hawaii with about 80 attendees. Around 10 of them were actual patients. Hear in their own words how exosomes helped them.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-blog-31-leg-swelling/

I describe two cases of improved leg swelling and explain what causes this common condition and how exosomes may be improving it.

https://www.rechargebiomedical.com/exosomes-32-nerve-regeneration

We present an amazing case of overnight nerve regeneration after ultrasound-targeted exosome injections.