New research suggests that a number of health clinics across the nation are pushing unapproved stem cell treatments for a variety of conditions like chronic pain and spine injuries.

The online search revealed more than 570 clinics offering treatment options involving unapproved stem cell therapies. The majority of the clinics are located in a handful of states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, New York and Texas, but the problem isn’t just isolated to those six states. Oftentimes the therapy is marketed towards orthopedic conditions like ligament, tendon and arthritic conditions, which has roots in experimental success, but it not based in sound, proven science. In more concerning cases, stem cell therapy is being pitched as a treatment option for COPD, MS, Parkinson’s disease and other chronic conditions.

How Are Unapproved Clinics Offering These Treatments?

These “therapy sessions” are typically rather pricey and oftentimes they are ineffective, so how can these clinics exist without federal regulators breaking down their doors?

“I ask myself that question all the time,” said Leigh Turner, a bioethicist who worked on the study.

Turner is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Bioethics. He noted that as an industry, healthcare professionals are still learning about the benefits and uses of stem cells. These cells have the potential to mature in different types of bodily tissues, but we’re still in our infancy in terms of fully understanding how to harness the power of these cells. Unfortunately, some clinics decided to try and capitalize on the promise of the future of stem cells by marketing unfounded and potentially dangerous stem cell therapy treatments as legitimate, science-backed options.

“These businesses can be quite savvy,” he said. “I think it’s asking too much to just tell consumers to be wary. We need to be asking, why should these clinics be allowed to do this.”

Of the nearly 600 businesses offering stem cell therapies, the majority were marketing “autologous” therapies, which is a treatment that uses a person’s own stem cells from their body fat or bone marrow. About 20 percent of business claimed to use harvested stem cells from an umbilical cord or placental tissue.

The FDA passively attempted to crack down on a number of these businesses last year by sending warning letters about offering unapproved treatments to clinics in California, Florida and New York, but it’s uncertain if the letters made any real impact. The FDA has issued draft guidelines for the use of stem cells, and a public hearing on the issue is scheduled for later this year. For now, consumers need to be wary of clinics pushing stem cell options as a miracle cure.