Origins of Alternative Medicine
An Interview about the Emergence of Alternative Med. with a Practitioner of:
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This alternative therapy employs vitamins, minerals, and amino acids to create optimum nutritional content for the body, as well as the right environment and equilibrium. Like most alternative medicine techniques, orthomolecular medicine targets a wide range of conditions. |
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| Description:
Orthomolecular medicine was developed by Linus Pauling, Ph.D., winner of two Nobel prizes, in 1968. It is designed to enable individuals to reach the apex of health and the peak of their performance by utilizing only naturally occurring substances (e.g. vitamins, minerals, enzymes, trace elements, co-enzymes). The proper balance of these substances in the body is the key to reaching physical, mental, and emotional health and stability. Orthomolecular medicine can be used therapeutically to treat diseases such as cancer and AIDS, or preventatively to impede the progress of degenerative disease and aging. When all is said and done, however, the main objective of orthomolecular medicine is to help the patient reach an optimal level of health; his or her self-esteem will probably improve in the process. Although orthomolecular medicine did not fully develop into a therapy until the late 1960's when Pauling coined the term "orthomolecular," the premise behind this practice originated in the 1920's, when vitamins and minerals were first used to treat illnesses unrelated to nutrient deficiency. It was discovered that vitamin A could prevent childhood deaths from infectious illness, and that heart arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) could be stopped by dosages of magnesium. Hard scientific evidence supporting nutritional therapy did not emerge, however, until the 1950's, when Abram Hoffer, M.D., and Humphrey Osmond, M.D., began treating schizophrenics with high doses of vitamin B3 (niacin). As a consequence of their studies, it was revealed that niacin, in combination with other medical treatments, could double the number of recoveries in a one-year period. Eventually, it was determined that malnutrition and consumption of refined, empty-calorie foods such as white bread and pastries and overconsumption of sugar could yield disease and psychiatric disorders. It became apparent that a person's diet was an overwhelmingly integral part of his or her health and well-being. Further studies showed that decreased intake of dietary fiber, bran, minerals, and complex carbohydrates was prevalent in patients with certain forms of mental illness, accompanied by a loss of vitamins and an increase in dietary fat. Biochemical
individual is a main principle of orthomolecular medicine. This
principle was elucidated by Roger J. Williams, Ph.D. This principle
is quite simple: every living organism is unique! Furthermore, each
individual requires different relative amounts of nutrients for
his or her satisfaction and optimal level of health. The government
sets a minimum recommended daily allowance (RDA) which is supposed
to be adequate for all individuals. However, many may need to exceed
the RDA as well as the recommended 2,000 calorie diet in order to
prevent severe deficiency disease. Thus, RDA values are not perfect
guidelines for everyone. Several studies have proven the existence
of biochemical individuality. For example, studies of guinea pigs
showed a twentyfold variation in their requirement for vitamin C.
A study conducted with human subjects revealed that children have
varying needs for vitamin B6. Some of the remaining principles of orthomolecular medicine include the following: 1. Nutrition is the key aspect of diagnosis and treatment. Nutrient-related disorders can be cured once nutritional balance is achieved. 2. Drug treatment is to be used sparingly. 3. Environmental pollution and food poisoning are definite hindrances to optimum health that must be accounted for when determining the causes of illness. They must be eliminated immediately to avoid the arrival of pathogen diseases and symptoms. 4. Blood tests are sometimes unreliable and do not necessarily reflect accurate levels of nutrients found in the various tissues of the body. 5. Optimism, hope, and faith are valuable allies to both the physician and the patient in times of need and crisis. This is a principle that is unequivocally supported by all alternative medicine therapies. |
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The goal of a doctor of nutrition in treating disease is to bring all of the natural substances of the body into balance. The only way that a doctor of nutrition can help a patient stave off illness and reach optimum health is for him or her to take all of the patient's nutritional factors into account. The nutritionist will often advise the patient to go on a healthier diet. In creating a healthier diet, the patient must eliminate all junk foods, refined sugar, and food additives. The patient must make a concerted effort to eat primarily whole foods, high in fiber and low in fat. The patient will probably be given various vitamins and minerals to supplement the ones he or she already received in his or her diet. The types and amounts of the nutrients are determined by blood tests, urine analysis, and other tests for nutrient levels. Generally, patients get their vitamin needs by taking several dosages of vitamin pills a day, although they are sometimes given injections of vitamins to speed up the process. It is suggested that all patients continue taking vitamin and mineral supplements for the duration of their lives because, if a person stops taking the vitamins all of a sudden and does not receive the proper amount in his or her food, his nutritional balance will be thrown out of whack. These supplements are needed to ensure that a patient is getting the proper amounts of natural, organic substances at all times. Orthomolecular medicine is sometimes referred to as megavitamin therapy because so many vitamins are prescribed by orthomolecular nutritionists to their patients. Many medical doctors see a danger inherent to megavitamin therapy because of its stance on prescribing an inordinate number of vitamin supplements. They argue that extremely high doses of vitamins can be toxic and can cause certain unfavorable chemical reactions. A major study, however, indicates that the total number of fatalities from overdoses of major pharmaceutical drugs for the eight-year reporting period from 1983 to 1990 equals 2,556, whereas the total number of fatalities resulting from high doses of vitamin supplements during the same period is zero. |
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Orthomolecular medicine benefits children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly who have the following problems, diseases, and/or conditions:
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Othomolecular medicine borrows several treatments and concepts from both nutritional therapy and diet therapy in its quest to help patients achieve optimum health. There is some overlap in these three therapies as far as vitamin, enzyme, and mineral treatments go. Orthomolecular medicine, more so than the other two therapies, stresses the importance of a nutritional balance among the natural substances and the existence of biochemical individuality. Each of us eats different foods, exercises at different rates and at different times, and consumes different amounts of organic substances. We all require the same basic substances; yet, it is determining the right amount of each substance for each individual that helps him or her fend off disease. Disease results when the balance among all of the organic substances is disrupted. |
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Modern medicine's perspective: Despite its apparent growth as a fixture in alternative medicine, orthomolecular medicine still does not receive the respect it demands from some conventional medicine practitioners. Medical schools across the nation still downplay the importance of nutrition, as do many medical doctors. Most graduating doctors have little knowledge of the power of nutrition against disease, and they frown on using nutrition intervention in their practices. Fortunately, however, the public is beginning to look more seriously at nutrition and its ability to provide overall health to individuals to prevent specific diseases from occurring. |
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| Case Studies: | ||
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#1: A thirty-six year old woman had a six-year history of muscle pain and spasm, which began after an auto accident. This woman sought treatment from Alan R. Gaby, M.D. of Baltimore, Maryland. Her condition had caused severe and incapacitating symptoms, which had resulted in eleven hospitalizations for persistent pain. She had spent an estimated one hundred thousand dollars on various treatments over the six years. She had tried numerous prescription medications, but none of them offered her adequate relief. Dr. Gaby began her treatment with a therapeutic trial of intravenous nutrients consisting of magnesium chloride hexahydrate, calcium glycerophosphate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin B6, vitamin B5, vitamin B1, vitamin B12, and B complex. There was no change after the first two injections. After the third injection, however, she reported a 90 percent improvement in fatigue and muscle complaints. Over the next two months, she received one injection approximately every two weeks. She has reported continued improvement, but the effects of the vitamins begin to wear off after two weeks if she does not maintain her injection schedule. |
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| #2:
One of Dr. Jonathan Wright's patients was a four-year old boy who
was "allergic since birth," according to his parents. The boy suffered
from chronic nasal congestion. He was admitted to emergency rooms
several times for acute wheezing. Dr. Wright's examination revealed
that the boy had "allergic shiners" under his eyes and showed a maldigestion/malabsorption
pattern. Dr. Wright told the boy's parents to inject the four-year
old with vitamin B12 shots. His parents reported that their son stopped
wheezing within the first week off treatment ans has slowly been able
to come of antihistamine medication without
ill effects. The boy was also given additional supplementation of
glutamic acid hydrochloride capsules as a digestive aid, a low-dose
multimineral complex, and 50 milligrams twice daily of magnesium,
combined with B12 shots given once every two weeks. With this supplementation,
the boy has experienced no further wheezing episodes. When Dr. Wright
saw him two years later, the boy was still healthy and his digestive
and absorption
abilities had also improved significantly.
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| Links & Resources: | ||
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Alternative Health: The Directory of Natural Medicine Home Pages http://members.aol.com/altamed/inter.htm |
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Orthomolecular Therapy Amsterdam Kliniek e-mail: email@amsterdam-clinic.com Reigersbos 100 1107 ES Amsterdam Z.O. Tel: 31 (0) 20 697 53 61; Fax: 31 (0) 20 697 53 67 |
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Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide; Compiled by the Burton Goldberg Group; Future Medicine Publishing, Inc.; Puyallup, Washington; copyright 1994. |
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Orthomolecular Nutrition International Nutrition Consultants, Inc. Go to this sight to read an overview of the field of orthomolecular medicine, learn about nutrition education, and to see Dr. Johnson's profile and consultation schedule. http://www.inc-inc.com/ortho.html e-mail: feedback@inc-inc.com Go to this sight to read an overview of the field of orthomolecular medicine, learn about nutrition education, and to see Dr. Johnson's profile and consultation schedule. |
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| The Huxley Institute for Biosocial Research American Academy of Orthomolecular Medicine 900 North Federal Highway Boca Raton, Florida 33432 (800) 847-3802 | ||
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