The Benefits of Balance
/This isn’t just a saying used by doctors and nutritionists. It is a basic biological principle. Our bodies survive day-to-day by maintaining a dynamic balance of opposing forces and signals. Our “normal” is actually the successful balancing of a seesaw. A stable equilibrium.
But why are our bodies not constantly in a state of inflammation?
Once the pro-inflammatory signals start, how and why do they stop? The answer goes back to the balancing act of homeostasis. At any given moment our bodies are making both pro- and anti-inflammatory signals. Every signal has its opposite. The key is that these “pro” and “anti” components are in balance. When they get unbalanced, our bodies have feedback loops that make adjustments to return the balance.

The problem arises when the balance is upset and our own feedback mechanisms fail. When the body cannot restore balance, the tissues become dysfunctional, which leads to the development of disorders.
When joints are injured or worn away over time, this balance is upset. Too many degradative enzymes, like MMPS, are produced, breaking down the synovial tissue, cartilage matrix, or the molecules that cushion the joint. When fewer cushioning molecules are available, it causes damage and inflammation. In a healthy joint, this inflammation would be quickly resolved, the tissue healed, and balance restored. But in an OA joint, once the imbalance starts, it snowballs. Eventually it causes cartilage breakdown and bony growth into the joint space, making the joint more painful and less functional. There aren’t enough signals, like bFGF, to increase lubricant production in the joint. There are too few TIMPS to counteract the MMPs and protect the joint, or not enough hyaluronic acid to counteract inflammation and support and cushion the joint. Without enough of these signals to restore biochemical balance, the only options for those suffering from the dysregulation are painkillers to mask the problem or invasive surgeries.
At StimLabs we offer next generation products intended to supplement, protect and restore balance in the tissue environments. Our products are sourced from fetal tissues that are rich in extracellular matrix proteins, cells, and cellular components, like growth factors and signaling molecules, that are needed to restore balance to tissues that are dysregulated.
We center our product development philosophy around designing future market-leading regenerative products that offer resolution of the underlying physiological pathology and positively influence the disease state.
Our initial solutions are a start to the process of creating regenerative treatment options that completely restore homeostasis and a healthy tissue environment. But it isn’t the ultimate solution. At StimLabs, our team is constantly working to understand these pathologies and the intricate imbalance that causes them. We are excited about the future direction that our discoveries and new products can offer for restoring balance.
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1. Chrousos, G. P. & Gold, P. W. The Concepts of Stress and Stress System Disorders: Overview of Physical and Behavioral Homeostasis. JAMA267,1244–1252 (1992). 2. Berenbaum, F. Osteoarthritis as an inflammatory disease (osteoarthritis is not osteoarthrosis!). Osteoarthritis Cartilage6 (2013). 3. Schultz, G. S. & Wysocki, A. Interactions between extracellular matrix and growth factors in wound healing. Wound Repair Regen. Off. Publ. Wound Heal. Soc. Eur. Tissue Repair Soc.17,153–162 (2009).