May
18
from the Montreal Gazette:
MONTREAL – Miracle cures are not a common occurrence but in the world of multiple sclerosis, the hopes of patients and their loved ones have never been as high as they are right now. The excitement stems from what is being touted as a circulation-improving surgical procedure that seems to promise remarkable results. With dramatic testimonials pitted against a skeptical scientific and regulatory community, the question is whether or not poor vein drainage from the head to the heart is a cause of MS and whether dilating the veins, known as “the liberation treatment,” is helpful. We take a hard look at the evidence.
A good, skeptical look at the “liberation” treatment for ms, concluding:
As a result, it is likely – given what we know about the placebo effect in MS patients who enter studies of novel treatments – that all of the benefits were the result of the powerful belief in the treatment, rather than anything related to improved blood flow.
The supposed connection between CCSVI, if that condition actually exists, and MS, breaks down on a number of other fronts, including the fact that patients who have impaired blood flow in their veins as a result of surgeries, for example, don’t develop MS. Similarly, vessels tend to narrow as we age and yet MS is not a disease of older individuals. The blocked vein theory of MS is so out of keeping with our understanding of the disease that it might be compared to fixing a burned out car radiator by changing the tires of a car.
read the rest via HealthWatch: Liberation or placebo effect? MS surgery.
I strongly suspect that critics of this “treatment” are correct. Don’t get your hopes up.
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