I wrote quite a bit in blog number 18 about Perispinal Etanercept (Enbrel), and a friend of mine found this, which is much less costly and appears to be essentially the same. So I publish this, and as always, do your homework.

Their website is: https://youngfoundationalhealth.com/services/enbrel-treatment

They are located at 7241 Bryan Dairy Road, Largo, FL 33777, and can be reached by telephone at 727-545-4600 ext.109 (Courtney Finn)

The initial consultation is several hundred dollars (may be covered via insurance), and the treatment is in the low thousands (they will give you exact numbers when you schedule). Treatment can be performed on the same day as the consultation. The treatment is administered as an injection into the vertebral vascular system, which is located at the back of the neck. Following the injection, patients are asked to lie flat on the treatment table for approximately five minutes. They have been doing this for several years with excellent results.

The only real difference is what they do after the shot, Dr. John Young says 5 minutes flat, and Dr. Edward Tobinick says 10 minutes in the perispinal position, and of course, the cost, Dr. Young runs about 70% less.

I went over on April 9th, 2026, and had an Enbrel Treatment. A couple of minor differences: no baby aspirin, you lie face down instead of face up, and you are massaged for 10 minutes. I'm pleased to share that my right foot now lies flat most of the time.

One other physician trained in Tobinick's method was (Dr Young trained him):

• Dr. Joseph Cruz (Indiana neurological recovery clinic) - https://regenmedky.com/kentuckiana-md-brings-new-hope-to-stroke-brain-injured-parkinsons-and-depressed-patients/

I have not invested any time in Dr. Joseph Cruz, because he was more expensive than Dr. Tobinick.

From their website:

"Neurological program fees: $10,500 – $20,000+ (Planning Purposes Only)

Fees vary based on medical evaluation, complexity, and individualized care plan.

 Neurological Consultation Fee: $400" 

As I always state, do your homework. I'm one of the lucky ones that Enbrel works for.

There is a couple of other thing that Dr. Young offers. One is an off-label use of Natural Killer Exosomes (NKE). The procedure costs a little more than the Enbrel. It is similar to perispinal etanercept; exosomes are extremely tiny biological vesicles (30-150 nanometers), and they have the ability to fuse with another cell and transfer their contents. NK cells release exosomes that carry the same molecules, so they are essentially miniature immune attack packages. They can get through the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and could possibly help with neuroinflammation, cell death, BBB barrier damage, loss of blood supply/microvascular injury, and loss of neural network signaling. They may be able to do an immune system reset, resolve damaged cells, and deliver genetic repair signals. This could involve using exosomes that are cell-free, making them easier to use. It could help with bleeding in the brain tissue, pressure damage, toxic blood breakdown products, and inflammation. They do this via a mechanism just like Enbrel, designed to bypass the BBB. It has about 500 billion exosomes.

Because this is so new, it is promising but experimental, so proceed accordingly. I am simply putting this out there for your consideration. It is given as a single dose, and the tissue bank controls quality. My friend had it done, and it takes 3 months for the full effect so I'll try to update if she is willing to share.

The last thing that Dr. Young offers, and it costs more, is Umbilical Cord Stem Cells. He focuses on Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) because they can be given to anyone, as they have no HLA-DR factor, so they are allergy-neutral. Cellular Senescence (cellular aging) is what this approach is trying to control. Again, the treatment is administered as an injection into the vertebral vascular system, which is located at the back of the neck. Following the injection, patients are asked to lie flat on the treatment table for approximately five minutes. It's injecting 30 million stem cells, and they recycle themselves every 28 hours for 3 months.

I decided to go for it, and I'll report my results over the 3 months.

I thought I should pose the question to ChatGPT, and this is what it said:

You’re asking about combining Etanercept (Enbrel) with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) delivered via the vertebral venous system (VVS)—a route intended to reach the brain/spinal cord more directly.

This is an experimental, off-label concept with limited clinical evidence, so the “expected yield” is theoretical and based on mechanisms + small studies rather than proven outcomes.

🧠 What each therapy is trying to do

1. Enbrel (Etanercept)

• Blocks TNF-alpha, a major inflammatory cytokine

• In chronic stroke:

  • May reduce persistent neuroinflammation

  • May improve signaling in damaged neural networks

• Some clinics (e.g., inspired by Edward Tobinick) report:

  • Rapid improvements in speech, pain, or cognition (minutes to hours)

• Scientific consensus:

  • Mixed evidence, controversial, not widely accepted in neurology

2. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs)

• Derived from bone marrow, fat, or umbilical tissue

• They don’t primarily replace neurons—instead they:

  • Release growth factors (like BDNF, VEGF)

  • Reduce inflammation

  • Promote neuroplasticity and repair

• In stroke studies:

  • Gradual improvements over weeks to months

  • Effects are variable and often modest

  • 
    

🔄 Why combine them?

The idea is synergy:

Enbrel = “Reset the environment”

• Quickly reduces inflammatory signaling (TNF-alpha)

• Makes the brain less hostile to repair

MSCs = “Drive repair and regeneration”

• Promote:

  • Synaptic rewiring

  • Angiogenesis (new blood vessels)

  • Neurotrophic support

👉 In theory:

🧬 Expected biological effects (theoretical)

If the combo works as intended:

1. Reduced chronic inflammation

• Lower TNF-alpha → less microglial overactivation

• May stabilize damaged neural circuits

  
  

2. Enhanced neuroplasticity

• MSCs release BDNF and exosomes

• Could help dormant neural pathways reactivate

  
  

3. Improved vascular function

• MSCs may support:

  • Microvascular repair

  • Better perfusion in damaged regions

    
    

4. Possible functional gains

Patients might experience:

• Improved motor control

• Better speech or cognition

• Reduced central pain or spasticity

  
  

👉 Important: These are potential, not guaranteed outcomes

⏱️ Timeline of effects

• Enbrel (VVS):

  • Reported effects: minutes to days (if any)

• MSCs:

  • Slower: weeks to months

    
    

👉 Combined expectation:

• Short-term changes (from Enbrel)

• Longer-term gains (from MSC-driven repair)

  
  

⚠️ Major limitations & risks

1. Lack of strong clinical evidence

• No large randomized trials combining:

  • VVS Enbrel + MSCs

• Most data is:

  • Small studies

  • Case reports

  • Clinic-reported outcomes

2. Delivery via VVS is controversial

• The idea is it bypasses the blood-brain barrier

• But:

  • Distribution is not well quantified

  • Not standard medical practice

3. MSC variability

• Outcomes depend heavily on:

  • Cell source (umbilical vs bone marrow)

  • Dose

  • Quality/processing

4. Safety considerations

Enbrel risks:

• Immune suppression

• Infection risk

MSC risks:

• Usually well tolerated, but:

  • Theoretical tumor or abnormal growth risk (low but debated)

  • Risk of poor-quality or unregulated products

📊 Realistic expectation of “yield”

For someone 8+ years post hemorrhagic stroke:

Best-case (based on anecdotal + early data)

• Noticeable improvement in:

  • Speech clarity

  • Motor coordination

  • Pain/spasticity

• Gains may plateau over time

Typical/moderate scenario

• Subtle improvements:

  • Better endurance

  • Slight functional gains

• Requires rehab to maximize benefit

Worst-case

• No meaningful change

🧭 Bottom line

The combination of:

• Etanercept (anti-inflammatory reset)

• MSCs (regenerative signaling)

is designed to:

But:

• It is not a proven therapy

• Outcomes are highly variable

• Much of the promise is still theoretical or early-stage

I encouraged by this and time will tell.