Father of ‘Liberation Therapy’ Calls on Ottawa to Fund MS Trials

Dr. Paolo Zamboni says Canada is moving too slowly to develop treatments to help victims of multiple sclerosis.

Zamboni pioneered the controversial treatment known as ‘liberation therapy,’ which is based on the theory that MS is not a complex autoimmune disease but caused by blockages in neck veins. In a rare interview yesterday, he said the Canadian government should fund a 500-patient trial of the unproven treatment. So far Ottawa has only committed to researching the theory, while Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall continues to push for large-scale trials. Zamboni’s comments came days after an Ontario man named Mahir Mostic died as a result of a liberation treatment he received in Costa Rica. The treatment is not performed in Canada and Canadian doctors were unwilling to give him follow-up treatment once it was clear the operation had gone wrong.