This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Hippocrates would have called the police.

Q: On the subject of MS, that is the big story in alternative care. Why isn't the province doing clinical testing to see if the procedure can be done safely and in Ontario?

It's premature to do that. There is research underway now looking at the co-relation between MS and veins that are blocked. When and if that research points to clinical trials as the next step, then we will proceed with that. It is very important we let the scientists and researchers do their work. We don't want to subject people to procedures that do carry some risk.

Then why deny compassionate exemptions. At that point a person is past the point where risk matters.

Many people with MS can't afford to wait until these theories are proven or disproven, there is nothing else working for them. How can the MS Society not support treatment for CCSVI, at the very least on a compassionate basis?

We recognize and empathize with the challenges of living with MS, and the desire to try any procedure that might work, however, the MS Society of Canada cannot advocate for a procedure that is not yet backed by scientific evidence. We believe this would be fundamentally irresponsible of us as an organization with people affected by MS as our first priority.

Living with the uncertainties that come with a disease like MS is very difficult. This is particularly the case for those with progressive forms of MS. While there are ways of managing progressive MS in terms of symptom management, coping strategies, and day to day living, there are currently no effective treatments for this type of MS. This can be very disheartening.

In some diseases or conditions, physicians can access experimental treatments on compassionate grounds through Canada's Special Access Program. This access is limited to patients with serious or life-threatening conditions on a compassionate or emergency basis when conventional therapies have failed, are unsuitable, or are unavailable. Because the life-span of persons with MS is very close to that of the general population, MS is not generally considered a life-threatening illness.