March 19, 2011
Hon. Gene Zwodesky
Legislature Office
#208 Legislature Building
10800 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5K 2B6
Phone: (780) 427-3665
Fax: (780) 415-0961
Dear Mr. Zwozdesky;
I request your immediate resignation as Health Minister of Alberta. You have intentionally ignored all Canadian people who suffer from MS and have misrepresented the truth. You have an obligation to inform yourself with the whole truth, and not base very important decisions based on a small group of MS Neurologists unsubstantiated opinions on CCSVI testing and treatment in Canada.
These Neurologists have their own self serving agenda to stall and roadblock CCSVI testing and treatment for their own personal benefit. I would like to know how informed you really are on the current truth. The Neurologists do not own the MS disease or the MS patients and they do not have the right to stall or stop treatment for a vascular disease that is now proven to be associated with MS.
CCSVI is a recognized stand alone condition which is a vascular abnormality that maybe responsible for the autoimmune component of MS and contributes too many symptoms that MS patients suffer from.
These same MS Neurologists have controlled the MS Society of Canada decisions on research and advocacy on behalf of people with MS. They have spread fear mongering and lies about this very simple, low risk procedure that has now helped over 10, 000 people with so many of their symptoms. It is apparent that the Canadian health care system, the Canadian Health Ministers and the MS Society of Canada do not have enough respect for MS patients to question the motives of these Neurologists who have negatively spoken out about CCSVI before they even did their own research and threatened all other doctors with fear tactics if they treated MS patients for CCSVI.
The MS Society of Canada has decided to align themselves with the Neurologists that form their internal medical advisory committees. Therefore The MS Society of Canada no longer represents the MS patients best welfare and all efforts from the CCSVI community will be to deter any further donations to the MS Society of Canada.
These MS Neurologist all have conflict of interest and ties to the Pharmaceutical companies who supplement their income and provide many direct advantages to their research and funding. They have suppressed the vascular connection to MS since 1935 or possible earlier and it will not be suppressed again. The truth is being exposed and a new definition of the MS disease will be written.
The International Society of Neurovascular Disease (ISNVD) has recently published their abstracts and has confirmed the association of CCSVI to MS. They have also established an international CCSVI consensus document to establish proper testing. I have attached a link to all the papers and studies from this very important conference and expect you to read, recognize and act on these findings. These are the true experts. http://ccsvism.xoom.it/Convegno_ISNVD.html
CCSVI treatment (Venoplasty) is proven to be safe and effective and Canada should now be offering this treatment under controlled studies in addition to a Pan Canadian Clinical trial. Patients who have been diagnosed with CCSVI, whether they have MS or not are entitled to proper medical treatment in Canada. That treatment should be decided between the patient and the doctor until further clinical trials are complete and further discoveries will be presented. The current Diagnostic studies funded by the MS Society of Canada are already redundant and they have not even started. The international community has already provided these results and Canada should not ignore them or wait another year for the Neurologists to finish these sham studies that are only intended to further delay CCSVI treatment.
The backroom politics that have held the testing and treatment for vein abnormalities hostage needs to stop and personal agendas at the expense of people suffering from MS needs to stop. Canada needs to help MS patients now, this is a progressive, painful and debilitating disease and they deserve proper care and compassion and they deserve the truth. Patients that have been treated outside of Canada are still being denied proper follow up care. Most Vascular doctors in Canada are afraid of even seeing an MS patient because of the fear tactics initiated by the MS Neurologists. I would suggest you contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Alberta and see how many complaints there are about denial on follow up care.
Venopasty is considered to be a safe low risk procedure and there is no medical treatment in our country that you can guarantee to be effective in every single person so not sure why CCSVI treatment is being held to a standard of perfection.
Sincerely
Carol Prest
Sister of a MS patient in Canada
563 Woodside Pl SW
Calgary, Alberta, T2W 3J9
Prestconsulting @shaw.ca
http://www.facebook.com/notes/carol-prest/letter-to-gene-zwozdesky-alberta-health-minister/10150453422700226