HE spent 12 years trying to know the enemy – teaching and doing research in molecular medicine at Harvard Medical School, and in the process publishing numerous articles and books about cancer, molecular medicine, cell growth, and differentiation which are at the root of stem cell processes.
It is ironic that after studying the field of bio-regenerative medicine for years he became a recipient of the results of his own research. He was diagnosed with advance stage kidney cancer eight years ago, and he approached his treatment not just from a medical point of view.
Dr. Samuel Bernal, the chemist, the oncologist, and the molecular biologist, didn’t just create the drugs to treat his cancer, he made his own “multidimensional” life his “drug” of choice. At the time, his multidimensionality is also reflected in his being a practicing lawyer, and acquiring an MBA degree specializing in biotechnology competitiveness.
He writes and acts on theater up to this day with a particular interest in the plays of Anton Chekhov, a Russian playwright and physician who wrote about the multidimensionality of the healing process.
Now a professor at UCLA School of Medicine, Bernal’s own greatest achievement so far is that he is alive and well, and fighting for fellow cancer-stricken individuals’ multiple points of view.
The only “side effect” of a life lived “multi-dimensionally” is that he has gained a wider perspective on all issues.
“We exist in this multidimensional world. And the only way to approach diseases like cancer is by the multidimensional approach,” Bernal told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Practicing for decades
Bernal, who had been practicing bio-regenerative medicine for decades (even before the words “stem cell” became the fad – he still refuses to call the stem cells – preferring to call these “differentiating cells”) admitted that working with known radioactive substances as a chemist might have contributed to the advance of his kidney cancer.
According to him, being an oncologist and a cancer survivor added perspective when he approached every new case of cancer among his patients.
“When I see a patient, it is not as an internist-medical oncologist-lung cancer specialist. I look at it from many different perspectives,” Bernal said.
“(My experience) in theater and literature, for example, gives me an important perspective of people. It taught me some lessons about the complexity of the healing process. It is a lot more than just injecting chemicals into the patient.”
He said that even though he was a chemist and chemotherapist, this multidimensional approach was reflected in his combining immune cell therapy and biotherapies with chemotherapy when necessary.
Molecular biologist
As a molecular biologist, Bernal is able to examine a patient’s condition from a molecular level. He stressed that each patient must be analyzed at the molecular level to reduce the aspect of guesswork in the diagnosis and treatment.
Now, more than advocating the healing wonders of stem cells (or differentiating cells), Bernal urges medical professionals to incorporate into seemingly unrelated fields to get a total and holistic view of individuals in need of multidimensional treatments.
He further observed that stem cell transplantations were not for everyone, and was not really a “blanket” form of application.
“We are not a stem cell program. We are really a bio-regenerative program where stem cells are only part of the whole program,” he said.
For one, a precise diagnosis has to be achieved first in a patient since what was actually being applied already involved molecular medicine.
“We apply all of the traditional medical technologies, except that we go beyond that. That means we customize according to the molecular characteristics of the patient.”
There is no one-size-fits-all approach. “That (simply) does not work. We have to use all tools of traditional medicines but we apply molecular medicine to go beyond what categories and traditional medicines involve. And then we can design the intervention if it is possible.”
Our diseases, in a way, reveal the multidimensional aspect of life and living. Diseases are brought about by many factors: lifestyle, nutrition, genetic makeup, stress levels, certain behaviors and attitudes, and even their relationships and their spirituality.
Bernal said treating diseases also has to be approached holistically.
“We even have to know the personality of the patient. We have to connect with the person.”
Bio-regenerative medicine
In the past three years of bio-regenerative medicine in the Medical City alone, more than 80 patients have been treated. The patients’ ages range from 1 year to 90 years old.
His main base of operation is still in Los Angeles, California but has offices in Prague, Czech Republic to service patients who come from different parts of Europe.
Bernal revealed, “There are at least four major components in the areas we have pioneered: stem cells, growth and differentiation factors, the three-dimensional support of the cells involving proteins and their electrical activities.”
He added that bio-regenerative medicine was “very safe” but if the condition was “far too advanced, it may not be very effective.” He said that even though the treatments could be expensive, if the patient was a good candidate but unable to pay, they would try to find resources to assist the patient.
“We have to close the gap (between knowledge and application). We have to develop teams of people who are able to provide healing services and it may not be doable with physicians who use traditional approaches. You need well-trained scientists such as chemists, biochemists and molecular biologists working in the era of molecular medicine that can customize treatment based upon the specific characteristics of the patients,” he said.
This technology which he has introduced in various institutions in the Philippines could provide a competitive advantage to Filipino health and scientific professionals.
He hopes that the Philippines can become an international center for advance medical care and improve healthcare services to its local citizens and not just to foreign medical tourists.
By Tessa Salazar
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Multi-dimensional method to cancer treatment
