A secret no more

In many ways, the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona last year was a turning point for former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada.

He not only wished his own impeachment trial had a conclusion (meaning to say, not aborted midstream), he also wished he had the stamina, energy and alertness of the trial’s chief presiding officer, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile, then 88. Erap wanted to emulate him — in more ways than one.

When told that Enrile had undergone stem cell treatment in Germany, Erap reportedly lost no time in having what Enrile was having. (“Nothing wrong in trying so I went,” the former President said.) According to representatives of Villa Medica, a leading private clinic in Edenkoben, Germany that advocates holistic medicine, and is the market leader in Fresh Cell Therapy (FCT), Erap went to them. And he isn’t shy or secretive about it. In fact, he and former First Lady Imelda Marcos agreed to appear in the clinic’s brochure as the poster girl and poster boy of its wonders.

In the brochure, the former “Steel Butterfly,” now 84, is quoted as saying, “Within two days after we were injected (sic), I felt younger and more lively. My grandchildren said they couldn’t keep up with me. Normally, the body ages but a positive spirit will never age. Villa Medica helped my body keep up with my spirit!”

 For his part, Erap, 76, proclaimed in the brochure: “My friends said it is very effective. Nothing wrong in trying so I went. I went there just wanting to keep healthy. Now I sleep better, six to seven hours. My knees are no longer a problem… my skin has been radiant like this ever since.”

The presentation to the media conducted by Villa Medica’s CEO Bobby Kittichaiwong and group managing director Michael Loh with local business partner Cris Aquino included before and after photos of Erap, former First Lady Loi Ejercito and other patients who went to the clinic for a variety of reasons. (According to a handout press release by Villa Medica, among those who have benefited from this therapy include entertainment writer/talent manager Lolit Solis, Boy Abunda’s Nanay Lesing and actress Lorna Tolentino.)

Some of the clinic’s patients wanted to simply look and feel better, others wanted to be healed of an ailment like diabetes; others were desperate to have their children who had autism or Down  Syndrome lead as normal a life as possible. (Michael says the latter actually become near normal and are able to attend school on a case-to-case basis.)

Bobby and Michael were joined at the press conference at the Makati Shangri-La by Villa Medica’s medical director Dr. Geoffrey Hürtgen. The night before, the trio hosted a dinner for satisfied Filipino patients of Villa Medica and Suzette Hahn-Lopez, who joined the group recently, said she was surprised to see at least 200 of them!

Bobby is upfront about the costs of the treatment: 15,000 euros (about P795,000), excluding airfare, for a four-day, three-night stay at Villa Medica. The injection of fresh stem cells takes only a couple of minutes, but you are monitored for four days. Cigarettes and alcohol are not allowed during the treatment period. The fee includes full board accommodation at the 20-bedroom newly-renovated clinic, which is said to have the same level of luxury as the St. Regis group; self-tailored nine Fresh Cell Therapy injections; consultation and follow up, and yes, complimentary airport transfers, among others. There is also a doctor and a team of nurses always present in the clinic 24/7. The clinic has a staff of 50, including a European-trained doctor of Filipino descent named Andrei Morato.

“This is not a hit-and-run business,” says Dr. Hürtgen. Their patients include children to people in their nineties. “We have had zero deaths among those who have availed themselves of the therapy.”

“This method to rebuild and revitalize aging tissues has been proven in many studies to be the best way to treat ailments. More than 2,000 scientific publications and innumerable laboratory experiments attest, it is undeniable that Fresh Cell Therapy regenerates, revitalizes and often cures, even when orthodox medicine has failed,” claims Dr. Hürtgen, a specialist in internal and general medicine, doctor of emergency medicine and naturopathy.  He proudly shares that Villa Medica has been given a license to operate by the German government, which has strict standards.

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Now where do the fresh stem cells come from? Dr. Hürtgen reveals they come from unborn lamb, and that the mother lamb and the baby lamb are “sacrificed” in a painless manner in the process of harvesting the cells.

This caused quite a stir among those present during the press lunch. “But you eat meat, don’t you?” Bobby defended the process. “Sheep is food.” (After the injection, one is advised not to eat sheep for two weeks.)

Dr. Hürtgen says stem cells from one lamb fetus can be used for the therapy of 15 to 20 patients. For Fresh Cell Therapy, the clinic has a specially selected closed flock of donor sheep that are properly quarantined and audited, and fresh cells are produced by the in-house laboratory to be immediately injected into the patient.

Developed by Dr. Paul Niehans in 1931, the therapy, according to Villa Medica, triggers a person’s natural immune system to simulate the body’s own regenerative and healing ability.

According to Villa Medica, Fresh Cell Therapy is applied for “rejuvenation, longevity and healing of diseases, which have been unsuccessfully treated by conventional medicine.” The freshly extracted cells are then selectively injected into problem points.

Bobby is more succinct. “It is the closest you can get to the Fountain of Youth!” he exclaims. His best proof is his wife, who, at 46, looks half her age.

However, a common misconception, according to the Villa Medica team, is that the therapy is merely cosmetic.

“When one is healthy within, it manifests extrinsically. Your skin tone and complexion improves, your wrinkles are reduced; and more significantly you gain more vitality, energy and physical power,” Dr. Hürtgen says.

Just like any medical procedure, the intervention has risks, however minimal. Hürtgen warns: “Fresh Cell Therapy should always only be administered by qualified and experienced physicians and is preceded by a medical examination to determine the suitability of the patient for undergoing the treatment.”

According to Villa Medica, FCT is not yet allowed in the Philippines.

Ultimately, the decision to have FCT lies in the patient. This column can’t guarantee or endorse the therapy,  it can only share information that just MIGHT lead to the elixir or cure you’ve been looking for.

(Inquiries may be coursed through Cris Aquino at 671-7489 or 0917-512-3004 or via e-mail at [email protected].)

(You may e-mail me at [email protected].)