Would you be surprised to find out that most of the cutting edge technologies, developments, procedures and surgeries are not developed in the United States?  Do you remember the first successful heart transplant?  It didn’t occur in the United States, but Cape Town, South Africa in the late 1960s. Since then, cardiac transplantation is in the top five most commonly performed organ transplants in the United States. South Korea’s scientists are among the leaders in stem cell research, as is stem cell research development in Japan and other Asian countries. Laser assisted vision correction, also known as LASIK, was pioneered in Germany in the mid 1980s, but was not available in the United States until the mid 1990s.

Why does it take so long for treatments and procedures to be accepted in the United States? Most commonly, because most procedures, medications, and medical protocols need to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While the safety of such technologies and drugs are essential, individuals seeking the benefits of stem cell research must travel to Mexico, Asia, Europe or Central Europe for treatment.

The growing trend in medical tourism is caused by an increasing dissatisfaction with the healthcare system in the United States, as well as Britain and Canada.  Medical procedures in orthopedics, cardiac care or cardiology, obesity, and degenerative diseases are being studied, researched and treatments developed in locations such as EmCell, located in Kiev, Ukraine, ProgenCell, located in Tijuana, Mexico, and Integra Medical Center, located in Tamps, Mexico, just south of the Texas border.

Until such procedures are placed on the fast track within the FDA, travelers from the United States will be venturing to destinations such as Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Mexico, and Central European destinations for immediate and effective, affordable medical care.