At Advanced Pain Management of Virginia, Dr. Scott Wagner and his team use a variety of methods to help their patients heal from chronic pain and injuries without surgery. Some of these methods fall under the umbrella of regenerative medicine. These methods include stem cell treatment and ozone treatments among others.

While the term “regenerative” may seem out there for some, Dr. Wagner explained that it’s all about reverse engineering the degenerative processes in your body that are causing damage to allow the body to naturally heal.

Getting the body prepared for treatment

Before a patient can undergo these treatments, Wagner says the first step is to identify any chronic issues that may also be worsening their condition. Some of these could be as mild as the foods a patient is eating that could be causing inflammation.

The clinic identifies these issues by having their patients go through a methylation test. The tests allow Dr. Wagner to identify how his patients process foods and provide them with identical supplements specifically designed for them.

“We have to get the body ready for these regenerative systems that work,” he said. “They work very well, but if you have someone coming in here with chronic issues and they have back pain, they might be related.”

Understanding stem cell treatments

Stem cell treatments are one of the many types of treatments provided by Advanced Pain Management of Virginia. But Wagner says his patients are often confused about them, so much so that he holds a class on the subject once a month.

As he explained it, there are multiple levels of intensity when it comes to stem cells. They can be extracted from blood, as well as donated placentas and umbilical cords from planned c-sections. They can even be found in adipose, which is body fat.

Wagner said the more accurate term for stem cells is “medicinal signaling cells.” The cells help stimulate or signal a reaction, similar to taking a medication, that can boost the body’s healing processes.

Using ozone to cleanse the body

The clinic also uses ozone therapy as a treatment for its patients. Ozone, or O3, is oxygen that is stabilized enough to bind to blood cells, causing it to generate more energy and therefore, healing. Wager compared the process to an oil change for your body, cleansing the body and increasing the longevity.

Wagner referred to the presence of oxygen as “the absence of disease” in any pathology tissue and said it can be crucial in the healing process. He added that although it’s not his specialty, ozone machines have proven to be so useful that they’re even equipped in ambulances in Germany.

“Anytime you can put oxygen into the body, it’s a good thing, if you can get it into the cells,” Wagner said.