Many New Brunswickers with multiple sclerosis are turning their thoughts to the controversial 'liberation treatment' pioneered by an Italian doctor, even if it means having to raise thousands of dollars and travelling outside the country for the procedure.

The treatment, called chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), involves unblocking veins in the neck that drain the blood from the brain and was first proposed two years ago by Dr. Paolo Zamboni.

The treatment hasn't been approved in Canada, although Saskatchewan and Manitoba are planning to conduct clinical trials within a year.

For MS patients who see a glimmer of hope, they can't understand why Canada hasn't launched its own study of the treatment, says Jacinthe Savoie of Dieppe, a member of the Moncton Chapter of Multiple Sclerosis Society and an MS patient.

The province has promised $500,000 towards the cost of the interventions for New Brunswick MS sufferers outside the country.

Canada has an estimated 75,000 MS sufferers, the most per capita of any country, Savoie said.

An information session for those interested in the CCSVI liberation therapy is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 27, at the Moncton Wesleyan Church on St. George Boulevard beginning at 7 p.m. Among the speakers will be Tim Donovan of Fredericton, who underwent the therapy and says it changed his life.