Ep8: Cord Banking, Botox, and Aging Powerfully: What the Wellness Industry Gets Wrong
Stem Cells: Autoimmune, Fertility, and Aging Powerfully Explained
Most people who hear about stem cell therapy do not know there are four distinct categories of stem cells, only one of which is currently used in regenerative practice. The marketing collapses that distinction. The science does not.
In this conversation on Stem Cell Talk, Dr. Yi Song explains how mesenchymal stem cells from the umbilical cord actually work, why they do not “replace” tissue but instead jump-start the body’s own repair systems, and why so much of what is sold in skincare bottles, cord-blood pamphlets, and anti-aging clinics quietly ignores how these cells behave at the cellular level.
The Four Categories of Stem Cells
Conversations about stem cells almost always reduce four very different categories into a single idea. Mesenchymal, hematopoietic, embryonic, and induced pluripotent stem cells behave differently, carry different risks, and are used for entirely different purposes. The mesenchymal type, sourced from umbilical cord tissue, bone marrow, or adipose tissue, is the one used for regenerative protocols. Hematopoietic stem cells are FDA approved for blood cancers. Embryonic cells are pluripotent and carcinogenic. Induced pluripotent cells are lab-engineered and patentable, which is why pharmaceutical research clusters around them.
“Mesenchymal stem cells mainly grow into cartilage, the bone, skin, some connective tissue, and sometimes they can grow into neurons, but they don’t grow into cancer.”
Why Mesenchymal Stem Cells Are Not Carcinogenic
The fear of tumor growth from stem cell therapy traces back to three published cases where patients developed joint tumors after spinal or shoulder injection. None of those cases used purified umbilical cord mesenchymal cells. They used bone marrow samples, where contamination by hematopoietic stem cells is difficult to rule out below 5 percent. That residual contamination is what carries tumorgenic risk, not the mesenchymal fraction itself. The cells used at Zenerchi Retreat are immuno-privileged and multipotent, not pluripotent, which is why they do not provoke the same risk profile.
“If you have hematopoietic stem cells contaminated in the sample, it’s very difficult to be 99.9% mesenchymal without hematopoietic if you use a bone marrow.”
What Stem Cells Actually Do Inside the Body
The popular image of stem cells “becoming new tissue” misses what is actually happening. Mesenchymal stem cells injected intravenously die within roughly three months. During that window they secrete vesicles called exosomes, which carry the growth factors and signaling molecules that wake up the patient’s own dormant repair systems. The therapy is closer to a biological jump-start than a tissue transplant. That distinction matters when patients evaluate cell-free exosome treatments, which capture some of the signaling effect without delivering the cells themselves.
“These type of stem cells, when they go into your body, they don’t grow. They actually die after three months. So during those three months when they are alive, they are secreting the vesicles. That’s the exosome.”
Cord Blood Banking: What the Pamphlets Leave Out
Banked cord blood is useful in one specific scenario, a child who later develops leukemia or lymphoma and needs a matched bone marrow transplant. Banked umbilical cord tissue, which contains mesenchymal stem cells, has broader theoretical use, but current US regulation generally prevents families from accessing their own stored sample without a defined medical emergency. For families committed to true preservation with future flexibility, delivering and storing outside the US is the only path that currently makes the financial commitment defensible.
“If you store it here right now, there’s almost no chance you can actually use it. So what’s the point? Save your money.”
Treating Autoimmune Conditions and Joints With Stem Cells
Most patients arriving for stem cell therapy come for autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s, or for joint pain. Autoimmune protocols are intravenous, because the goal is to recalibrate the immune system as a whole, not to act locally on a single organ. Joint, spinal, and intrathecal injections are reserved for structural and neurological cases. More experimental routes, intratympanic for hearing loss, retrobulbar for the optic nerve, intracerebral via cerebrospinal fluid, are used selectively and disclosed as experimental to the patient.
“We never inject the stem cell directly into the thyroid. Hashimoto is autoimmune. You want to address the whole immune system.”
Stem Cells in Fertility, Uterine Repair, and Ovarian Health
Mesenchymal stem cells are well established as a tool for reducing scar tissue, which is why an emerging set of experimental protocols use direct intra-uterine injection through laparoscopy for women with scar tissue from prior miscarriage, endometriosis, or repeated implantation failure. Ovarian injection is being explored for premature ovarian atrophy, where eggs are still present but inactive. None of these protocols guarantee outcomes, and all are presented as experimental, but the underlying biology fits how mesenchymal cells already behave in scarred tissue elsewhere in the body.
“Mesenchymal stem cells is very good for reducing scar tissues. But you have to inject that directly into the scar in the uterus.”
Aging Powerfully: Microneedling, PRP, PRF, and Exosomes
The alternatives to Botox and dermal fillers do exist, but they require honesty about what each tool actually does. Microneedling combined with stem cells and PRP stacks the body’s own platelet-derived signaling with mesenchymal growth factors. PRF, a heat-treated PRP that becomes a gel, can act as a biological filler for areas like the eye corner. Exosomes can extend the cadence between stem cell sessions. Topical creams that claim to contain “human stem cells” cannot, since live cells do not survive in a bottle. Plant-based stem cell products are a separate marketing category and should not be confused with the cellular therapies discussed here.
“If a product claims to contain human stem cells, that’s misleading, because stem cells are not going to stay alive in a bottle for that long.“
Access to Therapeutic Dosing in Colombia
Stem cell therapy at the doses used in regenerative practice is not available inside the US under current FDA frameworks. Zenerchi Retreat near Medellín operates in compliance with Colombian regulation, where therapeutic dosing is accessible and combined with red light therapy, acupuncture, and an integrative care plan tailored to each patient’s constitution. The retreat is positioned next to a major hospital and within a healthcare environment that the World Health Organization has historically rated highly.
“If you use stem cells as a booster, it’s more like a jump start. Your body needs the young growth factor signaling molecules from the young cells to wake up your own dormant stem cells.”
📄Read the Full Episode Transcript
0:00 Welcome to Stem Cell Talk
Dr. Yi Song: They want me to do the chemo drugs and radiation. I refused all of those because I did my research. She has fallen many, many times, never breakable. We don’t say anti-aging, but aging powerfully. Botox has been around, approved for 20 years, but it’s like the strongest toxin. Welcome back to Stem Cell Talk. I know you have a lot of questions, so let’s get into it.
Cat Duff: One, I would love to know what stem cell therapies are in general. How long do they last, and how did you get into using them?
0:37 Why Colombia for the Retreat
Dr. Yi Song: I got into stem cells because I already had the retreat in Colombia. Healthcare in Colombia is much better than people assume. I have a friend who runs a plumbing company in New York. Wherever he travels, he visits the local hospital to evaluate the healthcare. He told me that when he visited Colombia, he was very surprised by how well-equipped the hospital is. We are located close to the airport in Medellín, and there is a major hospital right between the airport and our retreat.
If you go to a hospital in Colombia, you can get an MRI or any test done within a few days, not three months. Even dental work like implants can be completed at higher quality and a fraction of the cost. The World Health Organization has historically rated Colombia’s health system above the United States, Canada, and Germany.
3:39 The Energy of the Retreat
Cat Duff: Was that the impetus for choosing Colombia?
Dr. Yi Song: Initially, I chose the retreat because of the energy and the weather. I go by how I feel. When I am there, I feel relaxed, and the flow of energy is much better. The weather is 70 Fahrenheit all year round, so you don’t need to worry about extreme cold or heat. While I was looking, articles started appearing on my phone listing Colombia as a top destination for retirees because the healthcare is good and the living standard is high without draining savings.
5:00 Wellness Tourism and Cosmetic Procedures
Cat Duff: Wellness tourism is everywhere right now. Why do you think it is booming? Is it because patients can’t get what they want in the US?
Dr. Yi Song: A lot of it is cosmetic. Facelifts, fillers, and Botox are much cheaper in Korea, Thailand, or Brazil. I would never do those things. It feels against nature.
6:05 The Four Types of Stem Cells
Cat Duff: So stem cell therapy. There are two types, right?
Dr. Yi Song: Actually four. The first is mesenchymal stem cells, found in bone marrow, fatty tissue, and the umbilical cord. The second is hematopoietic stem cells, found only in bone marrow and responsible for producing blood cells. Patients with leukemia or lymphoma sometimes need bone marrow transplants for that reason, and that procedure is FDA approved.
The third is embryonic stem cells, which cannot be used because harvesting them is unethical. Even if women have leftover frozen embryos from IVF, they are not a viable option, because embryonic stem cells are pluripotent, which means they can grow into anything, including tumors.
8:11 Why Mesenchymal Cells Do Not Cause Tumors
Dr. Yi Song: The cells we use are immuno-privileged and multipotent, not pluripotent. Mesenchymal stem cells mainly grow into cartilage, bone, skin, connective tissue, and sometimes neurons, but they don’t grow into cancer. There are three published cases where patients developed tumors after stem cell injection into the spine or shoulder, but none of those cases used purified umbilical cord cells. They used bone marrow, where hematopoietic contamination is hard to rule out, and that contamination is what can be tumorgenic.
9:42 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Pharmaceutical Research
Dr. Yi Song: The fourth type is induced pluripotent stem cells. Researchers take a piece of skin and grow it in the lab, using growth factors and signaling molecules to convert the cells into stem cells. Pharmaceutical companies focus on this category because it is patentable. Harvard’s Stem Cell Institute is studying induced pluripotent cells engineered into pancreatic insulin-secreting cells for type 1 diabetes. Similar research is exploring substantia nigra cells for Parkinson’s, neurons for epilepsy, and corrected cells for genetic conditions.
13:03 Stem Cells for Fertility and Uterine Repair
Cat Duff: One area that piqued my interest is fertility. Are menstrual blood derived stem cells a fifth type, or do they fall under one of those?
Dr. Yi Song: Some clinics in Turkey use them. Mesenchymal stem cells are also being injected directly into the uterus to address scar tissue from prior miscarriage or endometriosis that prevents implantation. The injection has to be done laparoscopically, and it is experimental, but mesenchymal cells are well established for reducing scar tissue.
14:11 Premature Ovarian Atrophy
Dr. Yi Song: For premature ovarian atrophy, women in their 20s with high FSH and very low ovarian reserve still have eggs, they are just inactive. Direct injection of mesenchymal stem cells into the ovary is being explored to stimulate follicle activity. It remains experimental.
15:26 What Stem Cells Actually Do
Cat Duff: So stem cells are not creating new tissue. They are repairing what is already there.
Dr. Yi Song: When you receive a stem cell infusion or injection, the cells do not grow. They die after about three months. During those three months, they secrete vesicles called exosomes. That is why some clinics now sell exosome treatments, since exosomes are acellular and easier to navigate around regulation. Exosomes can be effective for some conditions, but for joints and structural cases, stem cells outperform them.
16:35 Cord Blood Banking and What It Actually Covers
Cat Duff: When you are pregnant, your OB hands you the pamphlet for cord blood banking. Did you bank yours?
Cat Duff: I didn’t, because the research I had read since 2008 showed it does not have to be a perfect donor match to be effective.
Dr. Yi Song: Because mesenchymal cells are immuno-privileged. Banks charge around $200 per month or a $5,000 lump sum, which is expensive. Most parents also do not realize the difference between cord blood and umbilical cord tissue. Cord blood is only useful for hematopoietic uses, like leukemia or lymphoma in your child, and it has to match. Umbilical cord tissue contains mesenchymal cells and has broader potential.
18:30 The Houston Bank Story
Cat Duff: So if I had a third baby and preserved the umbilical cord, I could use it on myself, not just the baby?
Dr. Yi Song: A friend in New York looked into a facility in Houston that isolates the mesenchymal stem cells from the umbilical cord on the day of delivery and freezes the cells. When she called, they told her that current US regulation will not release the sample to the family unless there is a medical emergency for the child. She asked what counts as a medical emergency, and they were vague. So what is the point of paying for it.
22:33 Should You Bank Cord Blood Today
Dr. Yi Song: If this episode has been valuable, please leave a review or a comment. It helps more people find research-backed information in a space that is occupied by a lot of noise.
Cat Duff: Do your own research. There was a New York Times article a few years ago describing cord banking as a grifting exercise that preys on the vulnerabilities of pregnant and postpartum families.
Dr. Yi Song: If you really want to preserve and have flexibility down the road, deliver and store the cord outside the US. Otherwise, save your money.
23:52 Patients at the Retreat
Cat Duff: When patients come to the retreat, what are you treating them for?
Dr. Yi Song: Most come for autoimmune conditions or joint pain. Once they learn stem cells can help the face, they often add a facial protocol.
24:35 Hashimoto’s, Joints, and Spinal Injection
Cat Duff: Say a friend has Hashimoto’s. Do you inject the thyroid?
Dr. Yi Song: No. We never inject the thyroid directly. We do intravenous infusion, because Hashimoto’s is autoimmune and you want to address the whole immune system. For joint, intrathecal, or spinal injection, the route depends on the case.
25:32 Tympanic, Optic Nerve, and Cerebrospinal Routes
Dr. Yi Song: A patient from Ireland recently received an intratympanic injection for hearing loss. Retrobulbar injection for the optic nerve is theoretically possible, but I have not handled that case. Today I had someone call about male incontinence following spinal cord injury, and we have done female incontinence, which is common in older patients. We have also done cerebrospinal fluid injection to reach the brain. I have a spinal doctor who can perform that, but most of our spinal work is into the vertebral joints for patients with disc problems or post-laminectomy.
26:32 Quality Control and Experimental Procedures
Cat Duff: How do you ensure quality control? If a procedure is new for a particular condition, do you tell patients it is experimental?
Dr. Yi Song: Yes. The patient from Ireland researched extensively and chose Colombia because we offered the intratympanic option. The ear doctor who performed the procedure has done four cases, and she told him directly that it is experimental. After his treatment in January, he told me his hearing age dropped one notch and he no longer needed FaceTime captions to read his wife’s lips. There is some improvement, but it is not magic. Anything injected experimentally, including uterine and ovarian protocols, is disclosed clearly. The risk is low because we are not injecting a chemical or drug.
29:21 Placenta in Chinese Medicine
Dr. Yi Song: Chinese medicine has used placenta as a medicinal ingredient for thousands of years to nourish weak bodies. The concept is not new, but the technology to isolate cells from the umbilical cord is. Even cows on our farm eat the placenta and umbilical cord after birth. Animals retain that instinct. Civilization disconnected us from it.
Cat Duff: I looked into placenta encapsulation but did not do it.
Dr. Yi Song: That depends on body type. Someone with damp heat does not need postpartum placenta.
32:31 How Stem Cells Boost Immune Function and Cancer Surveillance
Cat Duff: What are the other risks?
Dr. Yi Song: Stem cells regulate the immune system, which is why they help autoimmune conditions. Even patients without autoimmune disease can benefit from regular infusions, because the cells improve immune surveillance against malfunctioning or cancer cells, and they support toxin clearance and autophagy as we age. I was diagnosed with a slow-growing condition four years ago, and I have used stem cell infusions on myself since, partly to support my body’s ability to clear whatever cells are going wrong.
Cat Duff: Could there be cross-contamination from donor cells?
Dr. Yi Song: If the cells are pure and not contaminated with hematopoietic stem cells, 99 percent of intravenous patients can get up and walk out the same day with no issues.
35:29 Combining Stem Cells With Acupuncture and Red Light
Dr. Yi Song: The patient from Ireland stayed at the retreat for a month. After his intratympanic injection and intravenous, we used red light therapy directly into the ear daily and added acupuncture. After a month, he received a second intravenous before leaving. Stem cells are not magic. They are a jump-start. Your body needs the young growth factor signaling from young stem cells to wake up your own dormant repair systems, and the rest of the protocol does the work alongside.
36:49 Aging Powerfully and Botox
Cat Duff: What I am most excited about is aging powerfully, not anti-aging. I have not used fillers, but I do Botox twice a year. Your thoughts on Botox versus stem cells?
Dr. Yi Song: Botox has been approved for 20 years, but it is the strongest toxin. There are cases of women being paralyzed after Botox.
38:46 Microneedling With Stem Cells, PRP, and PRF
Dr. Yi Song: If you stop Botox, the recommendation is microneedling with stem cells, not exosomes alone. Exosomes can be done more frequently, every three months. Stem cells once every six months or once a year. PRP, platelet-rich plasma, comes from your own blood, but blood quality declines with age. By 45, your PRP is weaker. Stimulating PRP with light and combining it with stem cells gives the strongest result.
41:00 PRF as Biological Filler
Dr. Yi Song: PRF is PRP treated with heat until it becomes a gel. It functions as a biological filler. I have used it on my own eye corner, followed by additional stem cell injection. PRF combined with stem cells works well in place of Botox for the forehead.
42:35 Cosmetic Stem Cell Products and Marketing Claims
Cat Duff: What about brands marketed to women that say they contain human or plant stem cells?
Dr. Yi Song: If a cosmetic product claims to contain human stem cells, that is misleading, because stem cells will not survive in a bottle. The same applies to many topical exosome claims. Real exosomes need refrigeration and a 30-day use window.
43:39 Nasal Spray Exosomes for Brain Health
Dr. Yi Song: We use exosome nasal spray, which travels through the cribriform plate via the olfactory nerve to the brain. It is something I am adding to the Regeneration Effect product line.
Cat Duff: When are you experimenting on yourself?
Dr. Yi Song: Next month.
44:52 Cacay Oil and Natural Skin Routines
Cat Duff: Cacay oil. You were part of our Genua launch and joined our Wealth Collective. Tell us why we should consider it.
Dr. Yi Song: I started using Cacay oil last August. The oil is 100 percent pure from Cacay nuts grown in the Amazon. The nut has higher protein than quinoa or almond and the oil itself has high natural retinol. A German study showed wrinkle depth becomes shallower with consistent use over a month. It absorbs well, is not greasy, and pairs with red light therapy.
46:48 Gentle Entry Points: Gua Sha, Acupuncture, Oils
Cat Duff: For someone shy about stem cells or exosomes, what would you recommend?
Dr. Yi Song: Cacay oil with gua sha is a good combination. Facial acupuncture, which I have practiced for 25 years, enhances the effect of stem cell, exosome, PRF, or PRP treatments when used afterward. It is more useful for maintenance than for reducing existing lines.
47:56 PRP and Stem Cells for Hair Regrowth
Cat Duff: PRP for hair, or exosomes? My hairline is thinning postpartum.
Dr. Yi Song: The protocol is microneedling with PRP and stem cells, followed by injection. We documented a balding patient at the end of November. We will compare before and after photos when I return.
48:54 The Future of Regenerative Medicine
Cat Duff: Where will regenerative medicine be in five years for women’s health?
Dr. Yi Song: Menopause. Women have so many associated health problems, and stem cell or regenerative medicine treatment can alleviate symptoms.
49:25 Severe Osteoporosis and Stem Cells
Cat Duff: What about osteoporosis prevention?
Dr. Yi Song: My mother has severe osteoporosis. She does not take medication. Drugs like Fosamax slow osteoclasts, which break down old bone, but they don’t accelerate osteoblasts that build new bone. So the structure that remains is old and weak. Patients on osteoporosis medication still fracture, because what is left is fragile. My mother is 81. She has fallen many times and never broken a bone. She receives intravenous stem cell infusion twice a year. We cannot reverse her curved spine, but we can give her quality of life and reduce fracture risk.
53:37 Lifestyle, Constitution, and the Kidney in Chinese Medicine
Cat Duff: So we need to start lifting in our 20s to build the baseline.
Dr. Yi Song: Even with weight training, if your body has a deficiency, in Chinese medicine that maps to the kidney. Without that energy supply to the bone, you cannot build new bone. Stem cells can act as the jump-start.
54:15 NAD Injections and Mitochondria
Cat Duff: A wellness trend you actually leaned into?
Dr. Yi Song: NAD injections. The science around mitochondria is solid, and combining NAD with red light works well. Intravenous NAD was difficult the first few times, but intramuscular is gentler now.
55:14 Korean Skincare and Personal Routines
Cat Duff: A favorite personal care product you bought recently?
Dr. Yi Song: A Korean line called Riman, built around tiger grass from a volcanic island in South Korea. I am cautious about MLM structure, but the herbal philosophy is in line with what I value. For 25 years I made my own creams with herbs. I prefer simple routines.
56:54 Paradise Nut Oil
Cat Duff: Last thing you Googled?
Dr. Yi Song: Paradise nut oil. It is in the Cacay moisturizer, grown in Brazil, with strong anti-aging properties.
57:25 Recommended Resource
Cat Duff: A book, podcast, or resource you recommend?
Dr. Yi Song: A UK channel called The Honest Channel. She covers NAD, NMN, and Korean beauty products with honest reviews.
58:19 Where to Find Dr. Yi Song
Dr. Yi Song: Listeners can go to gift.regenerationeffect.com to download a free book. The download is the abridged version of the book series. Each of the six principles also has its own pamphlet-sized companion.
Cat Duff: Thank you so much. We have learned so much about stem cells and Chinese medicine.
Dr. Yi Song: So nice being on your show.
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