A new pilot study out of the University of Buffalo suggests that the
controversial “liberation therapy” for multiple sclerosis may not be effective
at all.
The study involved 30 patients and showed that they received no benefit
one year afterwards, and in some cases symptoms even got worse. But researchers
stressed that the study size was small, and that more work needs to be done.
“This needs to be investigated further. This is not the end-all, this is
not the last word, this is the first word,” said Dr. Adnan Siddiqui from the
University of Buffalo.
Verna Mang is one of thousands of people who have successfully undergone
the procedure. Hers was performed in Bulgaria. It cost her several thousand
dollars, and while she still experiences symptoms, she now has more energy;
she’s able to walk farther and use her wheelchair less. She says the study’s
results should not deter patients from considering the procedure.
“It’s like any treatment. Everybody reacts different. But I have never
regretted having this done,” Mang said.
The Saskatchewan government is funding a similar study in Albany right
now, but those results won’t be available for another two years.
Still, those who have benefited from the treatment say there is already
lots of evidence. The problem is, the majority of successful cases are not
tracked by researchers.
“We as patients have been pushing for a clinical registry not only in Saskatchewan
but in Canada as a whole to say, if you want the proof, then follow us. And
that has been ignored pretty much,” said Michelle Walsh, Saskatchewan’s MS
patient advocate.
Comments