How Fibrin Helped Kevin Pauza, M.D., Uncover the Truth About Ötzi the Iceman’s Final Days

Research findings in the relatively new field of Regenerative Medicine allowed Spine Expert and inventor of the Discseel® Procedure, Kevin Pauza, M.D., to define previously unknowable details of Ötzi the Iceman’s death 5,300 years ago. 

Many people learned of Ötzi the Iceman through news articles, a feature movie, documentaries from National Geographic, the Smithsonian, or PBS NOVA. However, all these commentaries have failed to correctly define one of the most intriguing aspects of the Iceman: how his life ended. Every version of Ӧtzi’s story ended inconclusively or with an inaccurate resolution, until now. 

Thanks to Dr. Kevin Pauza’s research, we now know the truth about Ötzi the Iceman’s death.

Who was Ӧtzi the Iceman?

Ӧtzi the Iceman lived a thousand years before the construction of the Great Pyramids, before the construction of Stonehenge, and even before the invention of writing in Mesopotamia. He was given the name Ötzi because he lived in the snow-covered Ötztal Alps, which span the region between Austria and Italy.

In 1991, unsuspecting Alpen climbers uncovered the remains of Europe’s oldest known human, offering an unprecedented view into our distant past.

Because science was not yet advanced enough to answer experts’ questions, those experts were decided to “put him on ice.” Ötzi remained frozen in a Museum in Bolzano, Italy, near the location of his original frozen entombment over 5,300 years ago, until science caught up.

Ötzi the Iceman’s Death

The circumstances of Ötzi’s death have been the subject of much investigation and speculation, with details eluding scholars and expert panels. Details of his death, thought to be murder, were inconclusive.

Experts came to this conclusion after finding an arrowhead in his left shoulder, which they believed caused profuse bleeding from his Subclavian Artery, resulting in immediate and pain-free death.

How Dr. Pauza Met Ӧtzi the Iceman

Some years ago, during a dinner at the Vatican, where Dr. Pauza had just been dispatched from the USA, Ötzi the Iceman came up in conversation.

Dr. Pauza was visiting the city in order to treat the spine of one of its residents, as he has often been asked to provide his spine expertise to help diplomats and political or religious leaders.

This particular visit to the Vatican stands out in his memory because of a conversation that took place at the Vatican’s dinner table, discussing Ötzi’s discovery by hikers years earlier. Controversy erupted because the timeline associated with Ötzi’s remains didn’t mesh well with the Bible’s timeline.

Initially, Ötzi’s remains were believed to belong to a wayward mountain climber lost decades earlier. This changed after his belongings were discovered on the slope, leading experts to believe that he was centuries old.

However, shortly before Dr. Pauza’s visit to the Vatican, Carbon Dating placed Ötzi on Earth over 5,000 years ago. This changed everything because it proved that Ötzi wasn’t just a lost climber, but was someone who lived in advanced civilization thousands of years before Jesus walked the Earth.

Now the church, scientists, and the whole world shared in the discussion. The Iceman lived and died in the mountains, not too terribly far from the Vatican. Over trout, corn, and mushrooms, the conversation at the Vatican revolved around how the Iceman’s life intermingled with events of the Bible.

Little did Dr. Pauza know that decades later, his research using Fibrin, an FDA-approved substance used off-label in the Discseel® Procedure to heal the spine by making it younger would provide him the closest possible look into Ötzi’s life and death.

Dr. Pauza’s New Understanding of Ӧtzi the Iceman’s Death

Using knowledge from his research and experience using Fibrin off-label to heal torn spinal discs, Dr. Pauza has been able to determine the precise timeframe associated with healing injuries and the biologic characteristics associated with those healing times. This is what allowed him to accurately describe the events leading up to Ötzi the Iceman’s death.

Dr. Pauza has found that when we heal, a molecule called Fibrin, which is present inside all of us, causes us to heal. When this happens, Fibrin displays specific characteristics throughout healing. Because those specific characteristics were perfectly preserved in Ötzi the Iceman’s frozen body, it allowed Dr. Pauza to peer through a window to see events that occurred over 5,300 years ago. 

Dr. Pauza’s interpretation of data, collected using three-dimensional Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), revealed insight allowing us to now have more details about Ötzi the Iceman’s life than even the Iceman even knew about himself. By analyzing what was locked within his frozen blood and tissue healing, Dr. Pauza was able to find information that even the archeological experts missed during their decades of studying him. 

Archeological scientists originally concluded that Ӧtzi lived in relatively good health, followed by a quick and painless death due to bleeding from a single fatal stab to the base of his neck. However, his final hours were very different from this previous conclusion.

“Prior archeological studies detailing the Iceman’s life and death are excellent,” says Dr. Pauza, “but because they lacked the scientific tools and data available to us today, their conclusions were wrong.”

Fibrin and Healing

In order to decipher the details of Ötzi the Iceman’s death, Dr. Pauza employed new knowledge gleaned from his team’s research of Fibrin for off-label use. 

Fibrin is a natural molecule found in every human, and it has the unique ability to heal and regrow damaged tissue. Dr. Pauza’s team studies Fibrin for off-label sue because they’re successfully using it to treat spinal diseases and degeneration. It’s replacing spine surgery with great success.

“Understanding Fibrin and its ability to heal is critical to the future of humans. So many scientists are focused on medical inventions allowing humans to live longer lives, but that’s not good enough. Because what good is living longer if we’re not living with high quality, Living without pain? that’s my focus, giving humans quality years, not just quantity. And we’re improving the quality of our time alive by regenerating our tissue and organs. Using Fibrin to make our bodies younger as we grow older, because Fibrin has the critical role of healing every injury and wound in the human body.”

Dr. Kevin Pauza

Understanding Fibrin and wound healing allowed Dr. Pauza to correct erroneous conclusions about Ötzi’s death. Although every expert believed the Iceman’s death was quick and painless, caused by profuse bleeding, Dr. Pauza was able to show instead that Ötzi’s last weeks of life and his death were anything but quick and painless.

To understand how Dr. Pauza was able to describe Ötzi’s last weeks of life along with his death requires scientists to understand recent scientific advances. These advances include
three-dimensional AFM (Atomic Force Microscopy) and using AFM to calculate Young’s modulus E.

“It’s actually simple,” states Dr. Pauza, “Understanding this equation of life is as simple as understanding the New York Times’ Sudoku.” Plugging the data from Dr. Pauza’s research findings into this equation led Dr. Pauza to accurately reconstruct Ötzi the Iceman’s death.

You can read more about how Fibrin’s off-label use is revolutionizing spine healing through the Discseel® Procedure here.

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Kevin Pauza, M.D.

SPECIALTY

  • Disc Biologics
  • Interventional Spine

EDUCATION & DEGREES

  • Fellowship: Interventional Spine, University of Pennsylvania
  • Residency: PM&R, University of Pennsylvania
  • Internship: Surgery & Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
  • Medical Doctorate: Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
  • Bachelor of Arts: Biology, Lehigh University
  • Bachelor of Arts: Psychology, Lehigh University

CERTIFICATIONS & LICENSES

  • Texas State Medical and Surgical License
  • New York State Medical and Surgical License
  • Florida State Medical and Surgical License

HONORS

  • Lehigh University Four-year Academic Scholarship
  • Magna Cum Laude, Lehigh University
  • Lehigh University President’s Award
  • Lehigh University Tower Society
  • Distinguished Alumnus, Penn State University (selected from 500,000 Penn State alumni)
  • North American Spine Society, Outstanding Paper of the Year, 2003
  • President-Elect, International Spine Intervention Society
  • Founding Partner, Texas Spine and Joint Hospital
  • Commencement Speaker: Penn State University College of Medicine
  • Advisory Board, AMA
    Keynote Speaker, Harvard Pain Center Commencement
  • Founding Chairman, Standards Committee, International Spine Intervention Society
  • Chairman, Spine Committee, Amercian Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
  • Appointed Spine Advisor, Japanese Prime Minister
  • Appointed Spine Advisor, Allied Royal Families

EXPERIENCE

  • Founding Partner & Principal, Texas Spine & Joint Hospital

Travis Foxx, M.D. - Premier Anesthesiology & Pain

Kevin Pauza, M.D. - Turtle Creek Surgery Center

Prior to attending Penn State University, Dr. Pauza earned his undergraduate degree from Lehigh University, and furthered his training with a Surgical and Medical Internship at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He continued his specialty training at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by an Interventional Spine Fellowship. In addition to his research, philanthropic, and clinical endeavors, Dr. Pauza remains a motivated educator. He established a Spine Fellowship program and continues training physicians from around the world. He heads international committees responsible for establishing standards and educating surgical and non-surgical physicians.

After helping hundreds of patients who failed to experience relief after spine surgery, it became evident to Dr. Pauza that current methods needed to change. This motivated him to seek better ways to help patients, by thinking outside the box.

Dr. Pauza is the first physician in history to pursue FDA approval for using biologics to treat the spine. Millions of patients will benefit from his development of minimally invasive treatments for degenerative disc disease and other more common and serious disorders of the spine.

SPECIALTY

  • Disc Biologics
  • Interventional Spine

EDUCATION & DEGREES

  • Fellowship: Interventional Spine, University of Pennsylvania
  • Residency: PM&R, University of Pennsylvania
  • Internship: Surgery & Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
  • Medical Doctorate: Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine
  • Bachelor of Arts: Biology, Lehigh University
  • Bachelor of Arts: Psychology, Lehigh University

CERTIFICATIONS & LICENSES

  • Texas State Medical and Surgical License
  • New York State Medical and Surgical License
  • Florida State Medical and Surgical License

HONORS

  • Lehigh University Four-year Academic Scholarship
  • Magna Cum Laude, Lehigh University
  • Lehigh University President’s Award
  • Lehigh University Tower Society
  • Distinguished Alumnus, Penn State University (selected from 500,000 Penn State alumni)
  • North American Spine Society, Outstanding Paper of the Year, 2003
  • President-Elect, International Spine Intervention Society
  • Founding Partner, Texas Spine and Joint Hospital
  • Commencement Speaker: Penn State University College of Medicine
  • Advisory Board, AMA
    Keynote Speaker, Harvard Pain Center Commencement
  • Founding Chairman, Standards Committee, International Spine Intervention Society
  • Chairman, Spine Committee, Amercian Academy of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
  • Appointed Spine Advisor, Japanese Prime Minister
  • Appointed Spine Advisor, Allied Royal Families

EXPERIENCE

  • Founding Partner & Principal, Texas Spine & Joint Hospital

Brandon Tolman, D.O. - Nashville Spine Institute

Boris Terebuh, M.D. - Regenerative Spine & Joint Center

Boris Terebuh, MD specializes in providing personalized nonsurgical solutions for spine problems that interfere with the function patients desire and the independence they deserve. Dr. Terebuh completed his Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation residency training at The Ohio State University in 1997 and has been in solo practice in Ohio since 2001 because he is committed to providing accessible, individualized and attentive care to his patients. His regenerative approach to solving spine problems enhances the body’s natural ability to heal itself. His guiding principle is integrity – doing what is right for patients in a conscientious manner with the motivation of helping them become fully functional, independent and satisfied. Dr. Terebuh is a very unique Medical Doctor because he has earned seven Board Certifications in the field of musculoskeletal medicine and nonsurgical spine care. Boris Terebuh, MD is delighted to be a Discseel® provider because this revolutionary new technology aligns perfectly with his preferred regenerative treatment approach and patient care philosophy. Dr. Terebuh is also grateful to Discseel® developer, Kevin Pauza, MD, for all the years of diligent and meticulous research to create this innovative, paradigm-shifting intervention, which will certainly spare countless individuals the prospect of avoidable spine surgical procedures.

Thierry Bonnabesse, M.D. - Champlain Spine and Pain Management

Gregory Lutz, M.D. - Regenerative Sportscare Institute

Dr. Gregory Lutz is the Founder and Medical Director of the Regenerative SportsCare Institute (RSI). In addition, he currently serves as Physiatrist-In-Chief Emeritus at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and a Professor of Clinical Rehabilitation Medicine at Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Dr. Lutz is one of the world’s leading experts in the field of regenerative interventional orthopedic medicine, appearing annually on Castle Connolly’s and New York Magazine’s “Top Doctors” lists.

Janet Pearl, M.D. - The Boston Stem Cell Center

Dr. Janet Pearl has been in practice since 1999 and is the Medical Director of The Boston Stem Cell Center. She is also the Medical Director of  Complete Spine and Pain Care  an interventional integrated Pain Management practice, both located in Framingham, Massachusetts. Dr. Pearl is Triple Board Certified in Regenerative Medicine, Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology and has over 20 years experience in doing these procedures.

Previously, Dr. Pearl was the Co-Director of the Pain Management Center at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, where she was also the Director of the Pain Management Fellowship program.

After graduating from Harvard College with an A.B. in Applied Mathematics with Economics, Dr. Pearl received a M.Sc. in Health Planning and Financing at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She then received her M.D. from the Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she represented the Medical School as a senator in the Columbia University Senate.

Watch Dr Pearl give an introduction to The Boston Stem Cell Center

Dr. Pearl completed her internship in Internal Medicine at New England Deaconess Hospital, her residency in Anesthesiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and her fellowship in Pain Management at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Dr. Pearl was the first resident ever to serve on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)’s Residency Review Committee for Anesthesiology. She is a Joseph Collins Scholar and a Rotary Scholar and was awarded the AMA/Glaxo Welcome and AMA/Burroughs Welcome Resident Leadership Awards.

From 2004 to 2010, Dr. Pearl served on the University of Massachusetts Board of Trustees. While there she chaired the Committee on Science, Technology and Research, was a member of the Committee on Academic and Student Affairs and the Governance Committee and also served as Vice Chair of the Advancement Committee, and as a member of the Committee on Athletics.

Dr. Pearl is Board Certified in Regenerative Medicine, Pain Medicine and Anesthesiology with the American Board of Regenerative Medicine and the American Board of Anesthesiologists.

Memberships:

  • The American Pain Society;
  • The Massachusetts Medical Society;
  • The Massachusetts Society of Anesthesiologists;
  • The Massachusetts Society of Interventional Pain Physicians;
  • The American Society of Anesthesiologists;
  • The American Society of International Pain Physicians;
  • The American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine; and,
  • The American Board of Regenerative Medicine.

PUBLIC SERVICE:

  • Member, Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents, Health Care Services Board 
  • Member of the Association of Harvard College Class Secretaries and Treasurers
  • Past Member of the Board of Directors of the Harvard Alumni Association
  • Former Member of the Board of Trustees University of Massachusetts. (10/2010 – 10/2014) 

Mark Reecer, M.D. - Fort Wayne Physical Medicine

Dr. Mark Reecer is board certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Pain Management. He has over 20 years of work comp experience, and he routinely provides Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs) for the Indiana Workers’ Compensation Board. Dr. Reecer has lectured extensively and has authored multiple publications that promote his specialty and the use of treatment modalities to eliminate pain, improve function and avoid surgery.

Dmitry Buyanov, M.D. - IV Infusion Treatment Center

Dr. Buyanov is originally from Kiev, Ukraine. He received his training in Anesthesiology and his Interventional Pain Management Post-Doctoral at Penn State Medical Center, PA. Dr. Buyanov moved to San Antonio in 2003 at which time he was part of a multi-specialty group before he founded Premier Pain Consultants in 2004. His practice has over 5000 active patients in his practice. Dr. Buyanov treats his patients in a cost-effective manner although giving them the best care with interventional pain treatments/procedure to help each patient improve their quality of life. Dr. Buyanov strongly believes in an individualized and multidisciplinary approach to pain management, he believes in the Buddhist saying: “pain is inevitable but suffering is optional”. He works closely with the area internists, physical therapists, chiropractors, psychiatrists, neurologists, and spine surgeons to insure that each patient has the most optimal individualized treatment plan. Dr. Buyanov enjoys spending his spare time with his children.

Desmond Hussey, M.D. - NASA Neuroscience and Spine Associates. P.L

Dr. Hussey earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, and proceeded to earn his Medical Degree from The University of Miami School of Medicine. He then attended Northwestern University Internal Medicine Program, followed by a Neurology Residency Program at Emory University. Dr. Hussey continued his specialty training at John Hopkins University pain clinic. A member of The Spinal Injection Society and The American Academy of Neurology and Psychiatry.

Haley Burke, M.D. - Colorado Rehabilitation and Occupational Medicine

Dr. Burke is board-certified in both Interventional Pain Management and Neurology and has completed an accredited Pain Fellowship with the Department of Anesthesiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, one of the nation’s most prestigious hospitals. Dr. Burke completed her residency in Neurology at the University of Colorado, where she received the department’s ‘Excellence in Teaching’ award during her year as Chief Resident. Her Doctor of Medicine degree was completed at the University of Texas Health Science Center, where she was elected to the ‘Gold Humanism Honor Society.’

Maxim Moradian, M.D. - Interventional Spine Care & Orthopedic Regenerative Experts

Dr. Moradian is triple-board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R), Sports Medicine and Pain Management. Dr. Moradian’s clinical practice is devoted to the comprehensive care of spine, joint, muscle, tendon, ligament, and peripheral nerve disorders. He is proficient in performing advanced, minimally-invasive procedures under fluoroscopic and/or ultrasound guidance in the entire spine. Dr. Moradian performs electrodiagnostic testing (EMG/NCS) for the accurate diagnosis of muscle and/or nerve disorders. He has a special interest in regenerative medicine, sports concussions, neuromuscular ultrasound, medical education, and clinical research. His true passion is to treat his patients like his family and friends.

Wendi Lundquist, D.O. - Active Life Physical Medicine & Pain Center

Dr. Lundquist is the Medical Director and founder of Active Life Physical Medicine & Pain Center, Innovative Surgery Center, and Regena Spa. She is dual board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation along with Pain Management and a diplomat with the American Board of Pain Medicine. She completed her training at Loyola University in Chicago, Illinois in July of 2005. During her time there, she served as Chief Resident and was involved in several research projects. Prior to, she completed medical school at Midwestern University at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine campus in Glendale, Arizona and internship at Doctors Hospital in Massillon, Ohio. She also has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and minor in Chemistry from the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. She has a special interest in sports medicine, pain and spine. With 17 years experience, she has great enthusiasm towards regenerative medicine.

Yasuyuki Nonaka, M.D. - Nonaka Lumbago Clinic

Haley Burke, M.D. - Colorado Rehabilitation & Occupational Medicine

Dr. Burke is board-certified in both Interventional Pain Management and Neurology and has completed an accredited Pain Fellowship with the Department of Anesthesiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, one of the nation’s most prestigious hospitals. Dr. Burke completed her residency in Neurology at the University of Colorado, where she received the department’s ‘Excellence in Teaching’ award during her year as Chief Resident. Her Doctor of Medicine degree was completed at the University of Texas Health Science Center, where she was elected to the ‘Gold Humanism Honor Society.’

Haley Burke, M.D. - Colorado Rehabilitation & Occupational Medicine

Dr. Burke is board-certified in both Interventional Pain Management and Neurology and has completed an accredited Pain Fellowship with the Department of Anesthesiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, one of the nation’s most prestigious hospitals. Dr. Burke completed her residency in Neurology at the University of Colorado, where she received the department’s ‘Excellence in Teaching’ award during her year as Chief Resident. Her Doctor of Medicine degree was completed at the University of Texas Health Science Center, where she was elected to the ‘Gold Humanism Honor Society.’

Matthias H. Wiederholz, M.D. - Performance Pain and Sports Medicine

Founding Partner, Triple Board Certified – Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation; Sports Medicine; Anti-Aging, Regenerative & Functional Medicine

Dr. Matthias H. Wiederholz is cofounder of Performance Spine & Sports Medicine, LLC. He is a fellowship-trained interventional pain physician whose clinical interests include: Interventional Pain Management, Sports Medicine, Musculoskeletal Medicine, Minimally-Invasive Spine Surgery, Non-Surgical Orthopedics, and Anti-Aging / Functional Medicine.

He received his specialty training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas where he served as chief resident. He completed fellowship training in Interventional Pain Management in Marietta, Georgia. He is board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. He also received advanced fellowship training through the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and is board-certified in Anti-Aging, Regenerative & Functional Medicine.

Dr. Wiederholz performs a myriad of interventional pain procedures including, but not limited to the following: epidural steroid injections, facet joint injections, radiofrequency ablation, sacroiliac joint injections, discography, percutaneous disc decompression, epidural lysis of adhesions spinal cord stimulator implants, and minimally-invasive discectomies. Endoscopic spine surgery is a very unique and valuable tool in his armamentarium and makes Dr. Wiederholz one of the most specialized physicians in the field of Pain Medicine.

Dr. Wiederholz uses musculoskeletal ultrasound in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal injuries. He incorporates ultrasound for precise injection therapy including cortisone injections, prolotherapy, and PRP (platelet rich plasma). This technology is also utilized to perform the Tenex procedure, a percutaneous procedure for treating chronic tendon pain (tennis elbow, rotator cuff, plantar fasciitis, etc).

Dr. Wiederholz is the fellowship director for the sports and spine fellowship at Performance Spine & Sports Medicine. Dr. Wiederholz holds an affiliation with Capital Health System and JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute.

Being advanced fellowship trained in Anti-Aging, Regenerative & Functional Medicine means that Dr. Wiederholz has the most advanced training in Anti-Aging Medicine available. He is a leading expert in Bio-Identical Hormone Restoration and helps patients achieve wellness through nutrition, lifestyle, and hormone therapies.

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Michael Wolff, M.D. - Southwest Spine & Sports