Twelve questions to ask before stem cell therapy
Ask any clinic about three things: the cells and the lab behind them, the physician and the setting, and outcomes, follow-up, and cost. A real answer uses names, numbers, and documents. A thin one uses adjectives.
Use them on ours. Use them on theirs. Use them twice if you have to.
Calling a clinic today? Tick the ones you want, then copy or print just those.
Four questions to ask about the stem cells
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- Real answer
- Lab name, country, accreditation. Release criteria document shared.
- Thin answer
- "A premium FDA-compliant lab."
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- Real answer
- Specific cell type, tissue source, and the passage range used for dosing, with documentation.
- Thin answer
- "Stem cells."
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- Real answer
- Specific viability percentage confirmed by release testing.
- Thin answer
- Changes the subject.
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- Real answer
- Yes, sometimes redacted for patient confidentiality.
- Thin answer
- "Those aren't shared externally."
The physician, and the room you are treated in
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- Real answer
- Name, training, credentials, hospital privileges.
- Thin answer
- "Our expert medical team."
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- Real answer
- Named facility with verifiable accreditation.
- Thin answer
- "A premium medical facility."
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- Real answer
- Specific modality (fluoroscopy, ultrasound, MRI compatibility) plus monitoring protocol.
- Thin answer
- "Advanced imaging."
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- Real answer
- Named emergency protocol, hospital affiliation, on-call physician, specific escalation path.
- Thin answer
- "That doesn't happen here."
Response, follow-up, declines, and cost
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- Real answer
- A specific definition of "response," a stated way of tracking it, and a willingness to say that some candidates don't respond.
- Thin answer
- "Virtually all our patients respond."
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- Real answer
- Scheduled re-evaluations, re-imaging criteria, physician-accessible communication.
- Thin answer
- "Call us if you need anything."
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- Real answer
- Specific decline criteria and examples.
- Thin answer
- "We evaluate every patient as a candidate."
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- Real answer
- An itemized figure, published or sent in writing, with inclusions and exclusions specific.
- Thin answer
- "Let's talk about payment options."
All twelve
Will a clinic answer all twelve?
An intake call that can't answer these in 30 minutes isn't an intake call.
Do clinics push back on this list?
Sometimes. "Our patients don't usually ask all this" is a tell. Serious clinics welcome the questions. The answers are their credentials.
Should I ask all twelve? That feels like a lot.
Yes. You're putting biological material into your body. Thirty minutes of careful questions is proportionate. You've spent longer comparing phone plans.
Does Celva answer all of these?
Yes, and one of the answers is that we don't have the number. Celva publishes no response percentage of its own, so on that question we say so and explain how response is followed. The other answers are on the website or available on request. Hold us to the framework.
What to do with the answers
- What to look for in a stem cell clinicSix things you can check yourself, and what a good answer sounds like.
- Is stem cell therapy legitimate?How to recognize marketing language that outpaces the evidence.
- The clinic checklist28 items. It starts at the clinic's website and ends with how to read your answers.