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“Our blood is our self-pharmacy.” This isn’t a metaphor, according to Alejandra Da Silva Minas, a clinical physician, researcher, and director of the Center for Regenerative Medical Therapies. She asserts that the most sophisticated medicine exists within our veins.
A member of the International Society for Regenerative Medicine (TERMIS) with over 22 years of national and international experience, Dr. Da Silva Minas has developed a method to diagnose oxidative stress in the blood – an imbalance between excess free radicals and a lack of antioxidants to neutralize them – in just 15 minutes. This imbalance is a common denominator in chronic inflammation and, at high levels, a cause of nearly all ailments, from inflammation to migraines, injuries, cardiovascular diseases, and premature aging. Understanding these factors is increasingly critical for preventative healthcare.
Studies in Europe already suggest that plasma can be dosed as a medication, Da Silva Minas states. Her philosophy shares similarities with Bruce Lipton (also known as the father of epigenetics) and David Sinclair (Harvard’s genetics prodigy), with a stronger focus on prevention and holistic well-being than emergency rescue.
In an interview with LA NACION, the expert discussed a variety of current topics in wellness, from the importance of personalized approaches to the role of the environment in physical and psychological health.
Delving into her findings and signature treatment, she debunked common myths and stated her personal and professional mission is to standardize the measurement of oxidative stress in blood as part of routine medical checkups. “I believe what we do isn’t alternative medicine, it’s the future of medicine, and that’s hopeful,” she declared.
-If you had to explain to someone who knows nothing about the subject what you discovered about blood and its healing power, what would you say?
-That our body is a perfectly designed biological machine capable of self-regeneration. In fact, recent discoveries have shown that DNA has a self-regenerating power approximately every three months. Still, to do so adequately, it needs to use the power of our blood. Because through it, it obtains growth factors capable of regenerating tissues, reducing inflammation, and relieving chronic pain. It’s crucial that our blood is healthy, so it can effectively act as our medicine.
-What went through your mind the first time you looked at blood under a microscope and understood there was more to it than red blood cells and platelets?
-I understood how sensitive our cells are to external environmental factors and deficiencies in nutrients, oxygen, and water. We now know that if that blood is oxidized, it decreases our regenerative capacity and is the proven cause of accelerated aging and the origin of all acute and chronic diseases. I discovered that we are a world within a world. I like to say that where there is blood, there is life.
-What symptoms indicate a high level of oxidation in the blood?
-There are multiple clinical and subclinical nonspecific symptoms that denote oxidative stress: fatigue, chronic stress, problems with concentration and memory, decreased athletic and work performance, frequent injuries, persistent joint and headache pain, hair loss and premature graying, accelerated skin aging, apathy, feelings of depression or anxiety without apparent justification, poor digestion, and difficulty losing weight. All are warning signs that the body sends for us to pay attention. Because conventional blood and clinical analyses often show results within normal parameters, even if the patient doesn’t perceive healthy.
-What factors influence the level of oxidation in the blood?
-The imbalance can be caused by a poor diet, exposure to environmental pollutants, lack of physical activity, chronic stress, excessive use of electronic devices, and a lack of contact with nature. Everything and everyone around us affects our well-being.
-How is oxidative stress in the blood treated once detected?
-Treatment should be personalized, according to each patient’s needs. It may include changes in diet, supplementation with natural antioxidants, improved sleep, adequate hydration, stress management, and the incorporation of adapted physical activity. In some cases, it is combined with regenerative medical therapies that use the patient’s own plasma, previously optimized. This way, we improve the quality of the plasma that we will use as treatment. First we correct, then we regenerate. The duration of the treatment plan has to do with the cycle of DNA self-regeneration: at least 90 days.
-What is the importance of an early diagnosis of oxidative stress?
-In medicine, we always say that prevention is the best strategy and that the power of the doctor lies not only in treating symptoms, but in getting ahead of them. Detecting elevated oxidative stress can help prevent or mitigate many chronic diseases related to inflammation and cellular aging.
In fact, oxidative stress is often present in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, in cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, autoimmune diseases, and metabolic disorders.
-Why do you think conventional medicine doesn’t talk about oxidative stress as a central factor in chronic diseases?
-We are in the early stages of a paradigm shift in medicine, a field where changes have historically been slow and complicated. Today, we are moving towards a more holistic vision, and many patients are beginning to demand that professionals update themselves and modernize. I am optimistic and believe that the topic is being discussed more and more, and that it is only a matter of time before the measurement of oxidative stress becomes standardized as a conventional checkup practice. We’ll see.
-Did you encounter resistance or prejudice when you started talking about the topic and declaring that aging is a treatable condition?
—At first, yes. But over the past few years, thanks to scientific publications that have demonstrated that the biological mechanisms that damage DNA accelerate aging and trigger diseases (and that it is possible to diagnose and correct them precisely and personally with biochemical, genetic, and epigenetic tests), I have armed myself with arguments to defend and certify what was previously suspected only clinically.
Advances in knowledge about cellular biology, combined with the contribution of technology, have classified and regulated our blood as a biomaterial and a medication, providing support for these regenerative therapy practices to cease being a myth and become a current and approved medical practice. Because, scientifically speaking, we can have a long and healthy life.
-You say that the medicine of the future is personalized and holistic. Can you expand on this concept?
-Medicine should always be personalized, regardless of whether tests are performed or not, and that is something I like to highlight in my approaches. Medicine must return to its origins and see the integrative and holistic aspect of the person, which includes not only nutritional and emotional factors, but also environmental factors that can damage our DNA, causing unhealthy aging and various diseases.
Today, there is a tendency to use personalized tests because you not only have to diagnose, as with a laboratory test, how oxidized you are, but what environmental factors may be oxidizing your blood. Because, perhaps, due to chronic damage to your microbiota, you are eating a food that may seem innocuous – like an apple, for example – and, due to your particular situation, it is harming you.
-What would you tell someone who wants to start correcting their oxidative stress, but doesn’t know where to begin?
-That they don’t go crazy. That they start listening to their body, progressively and calmly. That they try, as much as possible, to return to what is natural. That they change the habits that they notice don’t craft them feel great. I know it’s not easy to reach an optimal state of health, but it always starts with a change of mindset.
-What is the focus of the message you want to spread in the field of traditional medicine and, in general, among the masses?
-While life expectancy has increased and, according to our DNA, we can live up to 120 years, very few people reach this number in good condition. It’s not enough just to live longer, we have to live better. In this sense, prevention and regeneration are the future. A future that is already here. Previously, it was thought that aging was natural. Today, there are tools that help our DNA self-regenerate. The power to prevent disease and live with greater vitality is in our blood. Science has given us a key, and we must use it.
The message I want to convey is that by improving the health of our blood, we can enhance regenerative therapies and, improve our quality of life and well-being. It’s time to listen to our cells. The path is easier than we think.
