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The arthritis in Maureen Munsie’s ankles was so intense until barely a year ago, she literally had to crawl on hands and knees to get upstairs.

The pain, she recalls now, “took my breath away,” and played havoc with the avid hiker’s favourite pastime.

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tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Canadian clinics begin offering stem-cell treatments experts call unproven, possibly unsafe Back to video

In desperation, Munsie turned to a Toronto-area clinic that provides a treatment many experts consider still experimental, unproven and of questionable safety.

The 63-year-old says the stem cells she received at Regenervate Medical Injection Therapy 18 months ago were transformational, all but eliminating the debilitating soreness and even allowing her to hike Argentina’s Patagonia mountains two months ago.

“For me it’s been a life saver,” Munsie says. “I’ve been able to do it all again … I don’t have any of that pain, at all.”

Photo by Don Thompson

Canadians drawn to the healing promise of stem cells have for years travelled outside the country to such places as Mexico, China or Arizona, taking part in a dubious form of medical tourism.