Orthomolecular Therapy Review of the Literature

The Vitamin D-Problem An Important Lesson in Orthomolecular Medicine

Orthomolecular Medicine Defined The prefix "ortho," from the Greek "orthos," meaning straight or correct, in the term "Orthomolecular therapy" indicates that the therapy is of substances which are the same as those that are naturally present in the human body. The original definition of this term, in which inference to the correction of deficiency is made, is contained in the following statemen...

Megavitamin and orthomolecular therapy in psychiatry.

Orthomolecular Therapy

Orthomolecular therapy dates back to the early 1950s when a few psychiatrists began adding massive doses of nutrients to their treatment of severe mental problems. The original substance was vitamin B3 (nicotinic acid or nicotinamide), and the therapy was termed "megavitamin therapy." Later the treatment regimen was expanded to include other vitamins, minerals, hormones, and diets, any of which...

Treatment of Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Associated Vascular Complications: A Literature Review

Interferon (IFN)-based therapy, the cornerstone for treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, is generally considered to be the single most effective treatment strategy for this infection. Although most adverse effects of IFN therapy respond very well to the cessation of this drug, there are reports of serious irreversible adverse effects. This review article evaluates the adverse effects...

Orthomolecular Medicine and Megavitamin Therapy: Future and Philosophy

"Megavitamin therapy" was first coined in 1952 by psychiatrists Humphry Osmond and Abram Hoffer to describe the large dosages of niacin used in the treatment of schizophrenia and mescaline psychosis. Megavitamin therapy has become a sub-category of Orthomolecular medicine. The term "Orthomolecular" was first utilized by two-time Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling in 1968 to characterize the treatment...