Placenta as supplements

[ricleo]

Hmmm any CSers taking those placenta pills as health supplements? Recently had 2 different friends trying to sell some placenta products (sourced from sheeps in NZ) touting the health and beauty benefits...

did some googling and couldn't find any negative side effects which was quite surprising...I thought everything when not taken in moderation will have negative side effects...

any comments from CSers with experience in this?

I also managed to find some direct supplies from NZ which is at about 1/10 the price of the product that my friend was selling...after hearing about the supposed benefits withe seemingly no side effects, feel like giving it a try haha..from this directly supply in NZ of course

 

[allenleonhart]

erm... placenta isnt it the thingy that comes from babies?

ew...

 

[Jonathan Ang]

They've been using placenta in cosmetics for a long time now. Well it's not exactly from the baby thing but the 'piece of flesh' that's joint to the womb, very rich in oxygenated blood. No idea why they use it for the said usages, but..yah. eeewwwh. How can people think of such things right?

 

[9V-Orion Images]

erm... placenta isnt it the thingy that comes from babies?

ew...

As long as it isn't the baby itself, ignorance is bliss. :bsmilie:

Om Nom Nom Nom

 

[allenleonhart]

coughs. when did goats eat placentas. time to drop naimeh our neighbouring goat for an explanation

 

[coolthought]

coughs. when did goats eat placentas. time to drop naimeh our neighbouring goat for an explanation

it is not just the goats, most of the mammals in the wild did the same thing too.

 

[ricleo]

yup cats do it too....after giving birth to the kittens....and some midwives actually feed the woman who give birth their own placenta as a means of recovery from the birth process...

 

[Rashkae]

Placentas are a rich source of Stem cells, which can be used to treat almost anyhting - but, the thing is, they will only work if it's your *own* placenta as the dna must match.

Other than that, placenta also contain loads of hormones, so that's what you're popping.

In the animal kingdom (and this works for humans too, just that most think it's icky), the hormone dose from consuming the placenta re-sets the female's hormonal balance, allowing her body to very quickly get out of "pregnant" mode and back to "fertile female" mode.

 

[nikkie]

DNA match is not necessary.
it is even used for other medical treatments such as rejuvenation of skin and for vitality.

 

[tikiman]

wonder what does KK does with some of the placenta after performing the delivery?

 

[slipdisq]

wonder what does KK does with some of the placenta after performing the delivery?

sell it to the cosmetics companies probably? :dunno:

 

[plsoong]

Placentas are a rich source of Stem cells, which can be used to treat almost anyhting - but, the thing is, they will only work if it's your *own* placenta as the dna must match.

Other than that, placenta also contain loads of hormones, so that's what you're popping.

In the animal kingdom (and this works for humans too, just that most think it's icky), the hormone dose from consuming the placenta re-sets the female's hormonal balance, allowing her body to very quickly get out of "pregnant" mode and back to "fertile female" mode.

just to clarify some misconceptions in the statements...

1) Stem cells are and will not be used to treat almost anything. In fact, there are different classes of stem cells....i believe the totipotent stem cells that you're referring to are embryonic stem cells and these have ethical and medical restrictions. Adult stem cells are not completely free from ethical issues, but there has been several reports of mesenchymal stem cells being used with marginal or slight improvement of a diseased state.

2) placenta contains loads of hormones and proteins. However, upon exposure to heat, many of such thermolabile proteins are destroyed, essentially leaving a piece of "cooked meat sack"

3) and no, there's no need for DNA matching.....

 

[catchlights]

erm... placenta isnt it the thingy that comes from babies?

ew...

technically, is a only disposable organ.

 

[pinholecam]

Nothing concrete, but if you don't mind spending/wasting money for that 'off chance', then its fine.
I do believe there are so many alternatives that can be taken/done instead for well being. (exercise; less junk foods; less fat; more veg; etc)

 

[adorable]

just to clarify some misconceptions in the statements...

1) Stem cells are and will not be used to treat almost anything. In fact, there are different classes of stem cells....i believe the totipotent stem cells that you're referring to are embryonic stem cells and these have ethical and medical restrictions. Adult stem cells are not completely free from ethical issues, but there has been several reports of mesenchymal stem cells being used with marginal or slight improvement of a diseased state.

2) placenta contains loads of hormones and proteins. However, upon exposure to heat, many of such thermolabile proteins are destroyed, essentially leaving a piece of "cooked meat sack"

3) and no, there's no need for DNA matching.....

can explain more about the ethical restrictions? I don't understand.

 

[9V-Orion Images]

can explain more about the ethical restrictions? I don't understand.

Cultivating embryonic stem cells essentially kills whatever is inside that is suppose to develop into a living human fetus.

 

[plsoong]

ES cells as they are usually called in our discipline are the "supposed" cells that gives rise to all other cell types. so every cell that makes you, their lineage traces back to ES cells.

medical/ethical and religiously sensitive issue pertains to the harvesting of such cells in the blastocyst stage for experiments/expansion. so like mentioned, essentially its the destruction of the embryo.

its here that the lines are blurred. Religious fanatic groups will claim that life begins the moment the sperm meets the egg. (in laymen's terms)

Medical groups (some are just as religious) claim that around 4-5 days after fertilization, the blastocyst is formed. and about 10 days after fertilization, the blastocyst will attach to the endometrium where the primitive placental blood circulation begins....thus allowing life to form...

However, we all know that even if the sperm meets the egg, its not a 100% sure case of fetal development.

the potential of ES cells is almost limitless as it very likely will be the future of medicine, with body parts being replaced...but to get there, billions of ES cells would have to be harvested, billions of $$$ have to be spent without expecting quick returns. Nothing short of PERFECT can be tolerated for ES cell based treatment.

so of course the economists and business people will also not really support ESC research.
so the controversy continues.....