ST. THOMAS - Personal research has shown Trevor Waite that getting the CCSVI liberation treatment will provide him some
relief from the symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis no matter what, but just

how much depends on many factors.

Waite, a Tillsonburg resident with primary progressive MS, shared his knowledge with about 70 people
who showed up to discuss the surgical procedure known to alleviate the

debilitating effects of MS on Wednesday at the local Royal Canadian

Legion.

Waite spoke of a woman in her 60s, who reported no longer needing to take naps during the day and
regaining her ability to walk from the liberation treatment, which opens

up closed veins where blood flow was all but cut.

Waite has booked himself for the treatment in just over week at a clinic in Albany, NY.

Several people in attendance reported appointments to get the liberation treatment in U.S. states such Arizona and Rhode Island.

One man suggested the woman Waite spoke of and others may only be
experiencing such drastic results because they believed the treatment

would help, and therefore are only experiencing a placebo effect.

Paula Brown, who went to Mexico a year ago for the chronic cerebro-spinal
venous insufficiency (CCSVI) liberation treatment, said her positive

result had more to do with the simple fact that the procedure opens up

blocked veins with a balloon, much like an angioplasty.

Quite often the doctor will also put in stents made of either plastic or metal to keep the blood flowing.

"I have two babies at home to take care of and I'm a very positive
person," responded Brown, who can walk without the help of even a cane

since 'being liberated.'

"I personally don't think it's a placebo effect."

There were very few naysayers at the meetings, but lots of warnings about what to do and what not do before and after
undergoing the liberation treatment.

CCSVI, a syndrome where the flow of blood through major veins from the central nervous system to the
heart is cut down by weak vein walls, is a common symptom in those with

MS, but the medical community hasn't committed to whether or not it's a

result of having MS. The CCSVI liberation treatment was discovered by

Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni, who used it to help his ailing wife, and

has been growing in popularity in Canada despite the federal government

not yet approving the procedure.

Vicky Butler, who went to Mexico a year ago for the treatment with Brown, organized the meeting to start a
dialogue among MS sufferers who are interested and concerned about the

treatment.

"We need to get this out there," Butler told the crowd.

Butler, who could barely walk like many people in the room before the surgery,
told everyone not to go cold turkey off of their medications following

the surgery.

"I went off my medication after the surgery I felt so good," she said. "But I got a terrible cold."

It took her months to get over the cold. She told the crowd it would have been wise for her to wean herself off of the meds.

Waite, having done extensive research into MS and CCVSI, stopped taking
virtually all of the medications prescribed to treat his MS. Since then,

he says he experiences little back pain or the spasms he once did.

" They're crap," he said. "But that's just my personal opinion." POST SURGERY CARE IMPORTANT

Butler said the post-surgery care she received in Mexico, despite being very expensive, was "phenomenal."

"The follow-up care was great," she said. "It was awesome there. There were
no drugs or guns. My surgery took place in a gated community."

Butler learned from her experience that it's important to take vitamins to
boost immunity and exercise for strength before the surgery.

Making sure there is follow-up care available to patients who get the
treatment outside of Canada was a major point many of the experienced

and knowledgeable brought up throughout the meeting.

Waite told anyone looking into getting the liberation treatment outside of Canada
should make sure their family doctor is OK with it and willing to help

provide follow-up treatment in Canada.

"The best thing you can do is talk to people who have been through this treatment, and research the
doctors recommended," Waite said.

A few people reported getting good follow-up treatment at a Barrie clinic, although one woman who went
to Poland for the treatment wasn't impressed with their help.

An older man said he discussed plans for his wife, who is 61, to get the
treatment with their family doctor, and the doctor was enthusiastic and

supportive.

"He said go for it. I can't wait to see the results."

It was also strongly recommended that patients get medical complication insurance for surgery in another country.

Some reported trying to get reimbursements from the Ontario Hospital
Insurance Plan (OHIP) for diagnosis fees, but said they had little luck.

One member of the crowd suggested factoring the cost into an income tax claim as a potentially more successful approach.

"Even if it doesn't work, being well is better than getting money back," one attendee said.

Although a date hasn't been set, there was talk of more meetings about CCVSI
liberation treatment. are used for residential purposes and should

appropriately be placed in the residential class," Anstett said. "Any

new ones that will be built will be classified accordingly to our

understanding of the regulation. While we are not changing the status of

existing bunkhouses, new ones will go into the residential

classification."

The Ontario Tender Fruit Producers Marketing Board and the Ontario Agricultural Commodity Council are seeking
clarification of the situation once and for all.

Tender fruit chair Len Troup said a reclassification of bunkhouses as residential
would cost farmers as much as $50 a year per offshore worker. For

operations that hire 100 such workers, this would translate into a

$5,000 increase in costs.

" These actions fly in the face of the Ontario Government's ' Open for Business' initiative and creates a
further hardship on our producers, especially horticultural crop

producers who rely heavily on temporary farm workers," Troup said in a

letter to Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan. " These same producers

have also been seriously affected by the increased minimum wage – 27%

in three years – and now the pending sharp increases in hydro costs."

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