Vitamin B-3 and Schizophrenia: Discovery, Recovery, Controversy

"This book tells the story of the research which led to a novel treatment of for Schizophrenia, which was highly successful. It started a movement in medicine known as Orthomolecular medicine where naturally occurring substances that the body actually needs are used as opposed to drugs that the body does not need and often do long term harm.

The research led to Dr Linus Pauling (winner of the Nobel prizes for Chemistry and also Peace) becoming interested in nutrition and became Orthomolecular medicine's biggest advocate (he coined the phrase in fact.) Patrick Holford is now the UK's most famous advocate of nutritional medicine.

Unfortunately Hoffer's brilliant work was not accepted by the psychiatric establishment at that time hooked on psychoanalysis. An enquiry was held with a board, according to Hoffer, stacked against his nutritional therapy.

According to the book, the American Psychiatric Association was guilty of some very basic scientific errors. One group of Psychiatrists even confused Vitamin B3 with NADH - a very different substance. This does not suprise me. One, newly qualified psychiatrist told me that B vitamins are fat soluble (another tragically basic error.)

With a decision from an enquiry of the American Psychiatric Association against them the Orthomolecular psychiatrists struggled on, often with intimidation from their colleagues. Those who continue to practice do so because they see remarkable results from the therapy.

Non-psychiatric medicine is coming round to the idea that nutrients pay a role in health in the Western world, though there is still some way to go.

This book has a message of hope for all those affected by Schizophrenia (and other illnesses) but also fires a warning shot about the conservativeness and vested interest of the medical and scientific establishment.

Also available is: Vitamin C and Cancer: Discovery, Recovery, Controversy -written by Hoffer and Linus Pauling.

Books by Patrick Holford include "The Optimum Nutrition Bible" and "100% Health"."
~ Written on 2001-05-20