An unhealthy heart can become a healthy one through stem cell repair.

Can a heart be repaired after a heart attack?

Heart attacks are always a problems.

There is evidence that once you have one, the part of your heart that was affected dies, and cannot be repaired.

A new study looked at patients with damaged hearts from heart attacks and found that stem cells reduced the amount of scarring and helped hearts regrow healthy muscle in the heart.

This discovery challenges the conventional thought~ scar is permanent and, once lost, heart muscle cannot be repaired.

Treatment with Stem Cells

The researchers found that patients who were treated with stem cells, experienced 50% reduction in heart attack scars with 12 months of treatment., while eight patients who received conventional treatments including medication, diet and exercise  saw no reduction in damage. 17 patients received stem cells from their own bodies, a raisin-sized piece of the patient’s own heart.There were 25 patients who were an average of 53 years old who had experienced heart attacks that had left them with damaged heart muscle.

Dr. Sonia Skarlatos is the deputy director of the division of cardiovascular sciences at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. She stated that the procedure needs to be tested on more patients in order for it to be available to the public. This type of treatment can be very valuable by improving the quality of life for heart attack victims.

Taken in part from: Stem Cells Health Heart Attack Scars, Regrow Healthy Muscle. Feb. 14, 2012. Ryan Jaslow. http://www.cbsnews.com