Ginger MacQueen says her MS symptoms have improved since she had her neck veins opened in Poland in the spring. (CBC)

A Calgary woman who travelled to Poland for a controversial procedure for people with multiple sclerosis says her experience is all the proof she needs.

MS blogger Ginger MacQueen, 46, said she was steadily losing strength from MS. Doctors in Poland unblocked two veins in her neck five months ago.

"I went with the expectation that if it just stops the attacks in the progression I would be happy," MacQueen said. "But luckily I was one of those people that had a lot of improvements."

The treatment, first initiated by Italian doctor Paolo Zamboni, is based on the unproven theory that blocked neck veins are linked to MS and that using angioplasty to open the veins can restore function to people with the disease.

Since having the procedure, MacQueen said she has had no numbness, tingling or spasticity in her muscles. The heat intolerance and bladder spasms are also gone. MacQueen no longer takes pills and injections for MS.

MacQueen said her balance has improved enough that she is able to ride a bicycle again — including to physiotherapy, where she's working at strengthening her muscles.

While MacQueen's personal story is compelling, it isn't proof the procedure works, scientists say.

Two weeks ago, an expert panel convened by Ottawa said it's too soon to offer the treatment in Canada, and too soon for a clinical trial because there is no convincing evidence that vein restrictions in the neck are even linked to symptoms of MS.

"What we don't have is hard evidence of measurements of improvements, in other words something that [is objective]," Dr. Alain Beaudet, head of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, said in late August.

Natural remission?

There is still no scientific explanation for why the procedure would improve symptoms, which could be a placebo effect resulting from the high hopes invested in the treatment, MS specialists say.

Experts question whether the improvements MacQueen and others talk about are real and long-lasting, noting patients may be experiencing a spontaneous remission, given that the waxing and waning nature of the disease means patients can naturally have times when they feel better.

MacQueen said she still has some weakness on her right side, but she hopes to be able to run again.

But not all MS patients who have travelled overseas for angioplasty have had such dramatic results.

Lee Chuckery, 42, of Calgary, had the procedure in Egypt in June.

"I can't get around any better than I did before, but I do feel stronger," said Chuckery.

Even though he didn't see major improvements after the procedure, Chuckery said the controversial treatment should be available in Canada.