Stem Cell Tourism and the Political Economy of Hope [electronic resource] /
Petersen, Alan.author.
Munsie, Megan.author.
Tanner, Claire.author.
MacGregor, Casimir.author.
Brophy, Jane.author.
This book provides a unique and innovative perspective on the controversial phenomenon of ‘stem cell tourism’. A growing number of patients are embarking on stem cell treatments that are clinically unproven and yet available in clinics and hospitals around the world. The authors offer a cutting-edge multi-dimensional perspective on this complex and rapidly changing phenomenon, including an analysis of the experiences of those who have undertaken or have contemplated undertaking a stem cell treatment, as well as examination of the views of those who undertake research or advise on or provide stem cell treatments. Developing the concept of ‘the political economy of hope’, and referencing case studies of the stem cell treatment market in China, Germany, and Australia, this book argues for a reframing of ‘stem cell tourism’ to understand why patients and families pursue these treatments and whether authorities’ concerns are justified and whether their responses are appropriate and proportionate to the alleged risks.
This book provides a unique and innovative perspective on the controversial phenomenon of ‘stem cell tourism’. A growing number of patients are embarking on stem cell treatments that are clinically unproven and yet available in clinics and hospitals around the world. The authors offer a cutting-edge multi-dimensional perspective on this complex and rapidly changing phenomenon, including an analysis of the experiences of those who have undertaken or have contemplated undertaking a stem cell treatment, as well as examination of the views of those who undertake research or advise on or provide stem cell treatments. Developing the concept of ‘the political economy of hope’, and referencing case studies of the stem cell treatment market in China, Germany, and Australia, this book argues for a reframing of ‘stem cell tourism’ to understand why patients and families pursue these treatments and whether authorities’ concerns are justified and whether their responses are appropriate and proportionate to the alleged risks.
Series Editors' Preface; Acknowledgements; References; Contents; List of Tables; 1: Stem Cell Tourism in Context; Stem Cell Tourism in the Context of the Health and Medical Travel Industry; The Rise of Global Healthcare; Exploring the Sociocultural Dynamics of Stem Cell Tourism; Capturing Expectations and Experiences; Outline of Remaining Chapters; References; 2: 'Choice', Hope, and Stem Cell Treatments; 'Choice' and Its Paradoxes in Global Healthcare; Critical Junctures in Decision-Making; The Immediate Aftermath of Diagnosis; The Perception of 'No Choice'; Experiences of Doctors.
The Significance of Other Patients' Personal Stories Community Support and Fund-Raising; The Experiences of 'Non-Travellers'; Not Wanting to Know Details of Treatment; Country of Destination; Conclusion; References; 3: Managing Hope; Heightened Expectations; Fringe Science; Concerned About the High Cost of Hope; Managers of Hope; 'Accidental' Advisors; Conclusion; References; 4: Hopeful Journeys of Stem Cell Tourists; Difficult Leaps of Faith: Journeys to the Clinic; At the Clinic; Treatment; Reflections: Home Again; Conclusion; References.
5: Exploiting Stem Cell Hopes in Germany Regulating Cell Therapies in Germany; Timing, Exemptions, and Terminology Ambiguity; Enter X-Cell; Recognising and Responding to Risk; Regulators as 'Mediators of Trust'; Conclusion; References; 6: Selling Hope in China; Brand China; Creating the Chinese Market; Regulating the Market; Destination China: Making the Unfamiliar Accessible; Clinic Concierges and Past Patients as Ambassadors; Shaping the Treatment Experience; Commodifying Hope; Purveyors of Hope; 'Cleaning Up' the Market: Regulations, Detours, and New Destinations.
Attempts to Regulate Detours and New Destinations; Conclusion; References; 7: Hope 'at Home': Stem Cell Treatments in Australia; The Rise of Unproven Stem Cell Therapies in Australia; Hope at Home: Patient Perspectives; The Experience of Undertaking Stem Cell Treatment in Australia; Legitimising Therapies: Provider Perspectives; Providers' Views on Regulation; Contested Hope and Regulations; Seeking Hope or Salvation?; Exploitation of Loopholes or Medical Innovation?; Hope, 'Regulation', and the Future of Stem Cell Treatments; References; 8: Re-framing 'Stem Cell Tourism'
The Shifting Landscape of the Stem Cell Treatment Market Authorities' Responses to 'Stem Cell Tourism' Thus Far; References; Appendix; Index.
Social medicine.
Sociology—Research.
Human body—Social aspects.
Quality of life.
Medicine .
Health.
Medical Sociology.
Research Methodology.
Sociology of the Body.
Quality of Life Research.
Popular Science in Medicine and Health.