November Newsletter               2016

Greetings from the Research Lab! We would like to share the latest news  from the field, recent findings from our clinical studies, and stories about  the  people of Napa Medical Research Foundation.
WELCOME: TIM HERMAN

We are delighted to announce long-time Napa resident Tim Herman has joined NMRF Board of Directors and Staff. Tim brings many years of experience with non-profit organizations to the Foundation, along with a deep commitment to the power of philanthropy.

Our local community recognizes Tim for his significant contributions to the Queen of the Valley Medical Center both as a dedicated Board member for many years and through the establishment of the Peggy Herman Neuroscience Center and the Herman Family Pavilion. He is the founder of the International Children's Dream Foundation, committed to providing vital resources to young people trying to manage life's challenges, such as violence and substance abuse.

Tim has served on multiple local school boards and is very engaged with promoting health and well being across the county. His wealth of knowledge and immense generosity of spirit will greatly benefit the Foundation and we are delighted to have his experience and wise counsel to strengthen our Board.

Latest Innovations for Treating Disc Degeneration

Chronic back pain is considered the number one cause of musculoskeletal disability worldwide. As the fifth most common reason for a physician visit, it affects five out of ten working adults and is responsible for causing 40% of missed days off work. Unfortunately, most people will experience acute back pain at some point in their lives.

The most common cause of back pain among younger and middle aged adults is related to tears of the collagen fibers in the disc. These tears by themselves can cause pain, or if a significant number of fibers tear, the disc can bulge and herniate. Bulges and herniation can be a source of irritation or can compress spinal nerves causing "sciatica". Over time, if the disc does not repair itself, it deteriorates and leads to spinal stenosis, or narrowing of the spaces around the spinal nerves and causing pain in the arms or legs.

Up until recently, for patients with injured discs and chronic pain, the only options were to wait and hope the disc heals itself and if not, then treat the symptoms. Recently in sports medicine it was discovered that platelets obtained from the blood and other cells in the bone marrow can be used to repair chronically torn non-healing ligaments and tendons. Dr. Bodor was among the first to utilize these in the Bay Area and, given that he is also an expert on treating the spine, was among the first to use this technique for disc pain. 

Read More about these important advances

Interview with Christopher Peacock, NMRF Donor & Advocate

Could you please tell us how you got to know Dr. Bodor and your personal experience in receiving these leading edge treatments?

To begin, it is important to recognize that Dr Bodor is an extraordinary, superior and bright individual in addition to being a highly skilled and talented physician. He has remarkable breadth of knowledge well beyond the medical arena. This enhances his ability to examine problems with fresh and unique insight and creates a very engaging experience for the patient.

My own experience with Dr. Bodor comprises two separate medical conditions on two different parts of my body: the treatment I received for both - Platelet Rich Plasma - proved highly effective.    Continue the Interview


We would like to thank Chris Peacock for sharing his story with us. His generous support for the Napa Medical Research Foundation and his advocacy for Dr. Bodor's work is greatly appreciated!
Stem Cell Treatments: Who Can be Trusted?
In June of this year, The Sacramento Bee published an article, "Growing industry or unregulated risk?," investigating the operation of stem cell centers offering low-risk alternative treatments whose procedures have not been fully tested and regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The authors found 570 clinics operating in the US providing some form of stem cell treatment.

One company, Nervana, captured the attention of Dr.  Bodor with their claim of being able to cure neuropathy with the injection of third party umbilical cord stem cells. As you will soon read in a Letter to the Editor in the Napa Valley Register authored by Dr. Bodor, there are clearly some unethical and illegal practices in effect here.


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