Multiple Sclerosis: a Bias Debate

See the full Globe and Mail Article here.
Read about Italy, location of Zamboni's practice, here.
See a map of Italy here.

Article Summary

-Conflict of interest is keeping Zamboni’s new MS treatment (see info here) out of Canadian hospitals:
            -Canada’s health sector wants to maintain the use of the current MS medications
            -Zamboni wants to find a proper treatment for the welfare of his patients

-Zamboni declared that MS could be cured with his revolutionary treatment rather than with medication, he also announced that he had no ties that could compel his research at all

-One such ‘tie’, however, is the up-to $250,000 in medical imagery equipment his lab received from Esaote, an equipment manufacturing company with whom Zamboni has a “historical co-operation”

-Esaote’s equipment is mostly for the development of neurovascular disease research: their ties with Zamboni also include their participation in the International Society for Neurovascular Disease, an organization Dr Zamboni leads

-A McGill University expert says that companies financially involved in getting the product (the new MS treatment) into commercial use, will often not be as stringent in publicizing or recording poor test results or information

-Zamboni says there is no real conflict: Esaote’s contributions have only been to help his lab, not him personally.

-Zamboni’s results with MS treatment have been criticized publicly, Zamboni says the lack of repeated success from other doctors is the result of improper technique

Analysis

Complex

Interrelated

Social	Economic	Political
-Treatment not being used in Canada’s healthcare system -Conflicts stand in way of healthcare development	-Economic (and likely contract-related) ties influence in Canada not taking the treatment into their system -Drug companies that currently provide MS treatment are likely opposed to the development of this new treatment a) it possibly reduces the need for medication. b) is patented as intellectual property of Dr Zamboni	-Practice of treatment unable to take place in Canada -Development undergone instead in Europe

Controversial

How did this issue start?

How should it be resolved?

When Dr Zamboni began making his ‘liberation therapy’ publicly known, as with any emerging science there were people who opposed and those who questioned his practices. Most of the controversy comes from different people in the medical field attempting to disprove his techniques.  As well, the debate over Zamboni’s biases and Western healthcare’s biases in the matter stem from people studying the motivations of each group.

Like any medical practice, Zamboni’s Liberation Therapy can’t be proven or disproven by people on one side of the argument or another. I believe full co-operation between parties on both sides could effectively solve whether or not the treatment works. His treatment has raised enough attention in the medical world to be worth, in my eyes, investigating. Co-operation could effectively overrule the current conflicts of interest and the biases present within the different parties involved!

My Thoughts

            Really, all I can say is that more research must be done on this topic. It’s a scientific matter, and that’s one of the most common conclusions to any study in a scientific field: more research.

            The whole matter of differing opinions and study results as to the cure for MS requires more clarification in the future. There are years of research in each side of the debate, but science is one field that is constantly changing and must constantly be researched. Few to no matters in science are absolutely solid and factual. For example, just as Dr Zamboni’s treatment has seen definite success in some cases, there is a chance these cases were not Multiple Sclerosis at all, but another neurovascular illness with similar symptoms, misdiagnosed as MS! Until variables like this can be compensated for with vast quantities of scientific studies and experiments, there is no way a definite answer can be reached and the controversy can subside.



Mary Tress

PLUS don't forget to check out Stuff to Check Out for this week!

Cholera in Haiti

See full article here
Get background information on Haiti here
See a map of Haiti here

Article Summary

-A recent dramatic increase in cholera patients in Haiti’s urban hospitals was reported by health workers of aid organization Partners in Health

-Disease leaves 250,000 sick and 5,000 dead from this wave

-First outbreak was in October 2010

- After decrease in eventual disease decrease in January, there was a predicted spring surge in the disease due to spreading of contaminated water through rainfall

-Doctors without Borders is leading the emergency medical response- say that rural cases are increasing only slightly and are not expected to increase in the long run

-Causes of the outbreak are being investigated by the UN –reports exist of unsanitary work conditions in UN site in Haiti

-Strain of cholera from Haiti is the same as the strain found in South Asia

Article Analysis

Complex

Interrelated

Controversial

 My Own Opinion

     It is sometimes hard to put into words how a health issue actually affects and is affected by all aspects of a country; social, economic and political. In my research for my ISU on foreign aid, I’ve learned that almost all issues are interconnected. Any social issue affecting a nation quickly translates into and economic and political issue as it progresses. In developing countries, often an issue like a health outbreak will worsen or add to pre-existing issues like worker’s rights, public sanitation and poverty. A disease outbreak like this within a developing country can be just as catastrophic to the people and the market as a natural disaster, and can easily escalate to overwhelming proportions. And it’s all, in this case, preventable with sanitation.

     I think the resolution to this outbreak is firstly, government responsibility for basic things that will prevent water-borne diseases! Water treatment and sanitation are critical in preventing all kinds of health issues and should be a basic priority of the government. As well, another solution may lie with the general public. Right now there are two things circulating newspapers: Osama Bin Laden’s assassination and the royal wedding. In all honesty, with the money spent on the wedding, health issues like the outbreak in Haiti could be resolved, and people could be educated so future outbreaks are prevented. I absolutely don’t want to say that no one should enjoy themselves when they could be helping others, but huge levels of extravagance hardly seem worth it when with financial support, we could reach viable solutions to world issues.



Mary Tress