[Info] Orthomolecular

[RobinN]

"Orthomolecular treatment does not lend itself to rapid drug-like control of symptoms, but patients get well to a degree not seen by tranquilizer therapists who believe orthomolecular therapists are prone to exaggeration. Those who've seen the results are astonished."
---Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D.

http://www.orthomolecular.org/

 

[RobinN]

Myth: Vitamins are dangerous.

Truth: In over the past 10 years, no one has died from taking vitamin supplements.
According to the "2001 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System," the number of deaths resulted from taking vitamins is ZERO.

Myth: No one is deficient of essential nutrients.

Truth: According to the "USDA's Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals", a major amount of people do not consume enough essential vitamins and minerals in their diets compared to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). Below are some statistics from the survey which list the percentage of people (age 20 and over) who do not meet the RDAs for:

Vitamin A:
Males: 60.9%
Females: 59.6%

Vitamin E:
Males: 64.4%
Females: 73.0%

Vitamin B6:
Males: 52.6%
Females: 64.2%

Calcium:
Males: 55.4%
Females: 78.0%

Magnesium:
Males: 65.7%
Females: 75.7%

Zinc:
Males: 67.6%
Females: 82.6%

 

[Nakamova]

I'm a big fan of vitamins, but I would just add a note of caution. No one has died from taking vitamin supplements, but they can sometimes cause problems or aggravate existing ones. Often they work best when take in certain combinations (such as copper + zinc, or C +D + magnesium), or it in certain forms, so it can't hurt to do a little extra research before you add them to your diet.

One cause of the numbers you cite Robin may be the decline in nutritional content of our foods over the last 30-40 years (due to prevailing agricultural practices). The link below is to an article that discusses this phenomenon.

Here's one quote from the article:

...another study concluded that one would have to eat eight oranges today to derive the same amount of Vitamin A as our grandparents would have gotten from one.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=soil-depletion-and-nutrition-loss

 

[epileric]

"Orthomolecular treatment does not lend itself to rapid drug-like control of symptoms, but patients get well to a degree not seen by tranquilizer therapists who believe orthomolecular therapists are prone to exaggeration. Those who've seen the results are astonished."
---Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D.

http://www.orthomolecular.org/

I saw a more sophisticated version of the sorts of attacks on SBM/EBM made by apologists for quackery just before the holidays in the form of two articles. One appeared on Gaia Health and was entitled Evidence-based medicine is a fraud. Here's why. It was based on an article voicing similar sentiments that appeared on Orthomolecular.org, which is a form of megavitamin supplementation quackery embraced by Linus Pauling in his later years when he became enamored of the concept that he could cure cancer and the common cold with enormous doses of vitamin C, and advertises its love of "individualization" and "personalization" in its slogan, "Therapeutic nutrition based upon biochemical individuality." This slogan amuses me to no end, given that the motto of orthomolecular medicine seems to be, "If some vitamins are good, more must be better. A lot more." In any case, the other article is by Steve Hickey, PhD and Hilary Roberts, PhD and entitled Evidence-Based Medicine: Neither Good Evidence nor Good Medicine. Combined, these articles invoke a collection of straw man arguments, obvious and simple criticisms of EBM that do not come close to invalidating the usefulness of EBM, and a hilariously inapt analogy, all in a lecturing tone, complete with "lessons" in statistics. In particular, these articles implicitly and explicitly argue for the inclusion of "all data," including lousy data, the purpose of which, obviously, is to lower the bar for evidence for the pseudoscience and pseudomedicine they want to promote.

http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/01/revisiting_question_of_individualization.php

Also, Abram Hoffer is associated with dubious practices.

Like Donsbach, Rowland has developed training programs, credentials, and political support for "nutritional consultants" who advocate dubious practices. In 1983, he founded the Nutritional Consultants Organization of Canada (NCOC), a nonprofit association claimed to "help inform the public about nutritional consulting and to provide standards of practice for Nutritional Consultants." Rowland has stated that he served as "elected president" from 1983 to 1988 and as one of ten directors after that. In 1991, NCOC's seven-person "advisory board" included: Linus Pauling, Ph.D.; Abram Hoffer, M.D., Ph.D. (a proponent of megavitamin therapy for schizophrenia); Morton Walker, D.P.M. (a nonpracticing podiatrist who writes about questionable health methods); Lendon Smith, M.D. (who surrendered his medical license rather than face charges of insurance fraud); Maureen Salaman (president of the National Health Federation); and Jeffrey Bland, Ph.D. (who subsequently was charged with false advertising by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission). All six had the letters "R.N.C." after their name on NCOC's letterhead, even though I have never seen these initials displayed by any of them.

http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/rowland.html

 

[epileric]

Myth: Vitamins are dangerous.

Truth: In over the past 10 years, no one has died from taking vitamin supplements.
According to the "2001 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers Toxic Exposure Surveillance System," the number of deaths resulted from taking vitamins is ZERO.

If that is true (which I question without citation) then what about all the other years? I’d expect them to tell me that NO report had any deaths from vitamins.

Myth: No one is deficient of essential nutrients.

Truth: According to the "USDA's Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals", a major amount of people do not consume enough essential vitamins and minerals in their diets compared to the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs). Below are some statistics from the survey which list the percentage of people (age 20 and over) who do not meet the RDAs for:

I notice you haven’t cited your information. I think any smart person would be suspicious of being given information that has no cited source.
I can even tell that your source didn’t site their information because the USDA has posted that they have found dangers in excessive use of vitamins A, D, C, Niacin, Iron, Fluoride and Selenium as well as various herbal supplements. Check out the USDA site Right Here

Even Selenium has been shown to be harmful in sheep. This too was shown at the USDA site. Sheep are not humans but I do think it does mean we should be careful & not tell people to take massive amounts of it.

This is not to say that vitamin supplements don’t have a use but the assumption that “if a little is good a lot is better” does not apply here.

Another page from the USDA website makes claims about poisoning from vitamin A, Bone problems from excessive vitamin D, Kidney stones from excessive Vitamin C. Again-all these claims from the USDA.

Abstract: The hazards of taking excessive doses of vitamins are described. Vitamin D in excess damages bones and tissues. Vitamin A poisoning has been reported in children, and the vitamin can be toxic in acne treatment. Vitamin C megadoses for the common cold have not been validated, and, contrariwise, can cause kidney stones. Little is definitely known about vitamin E, hence, there is no rationale for taking large doses. Laetrile (Vitamin B-17) is not a vitamin and Vitamin B-15 is potentially harmful. A well-balanced diet supplies the body's normal vitamin requirements.

http://openagricola.nal.usda.gov/Record/FNI80000302

 

[epileric]

Also....

Be aware that vitamins A, D, E and K are fat soluble vitamins that the body does not excrete as quickly.

Fat soluble

With few exceptions, like some vitamins from B complex, hypervitaminosis usually occurs more with fat-soluble vitamins, which are stored in the liver and fatty tissues of the body. These vitamins build up and remain for a longer time in the body than water soluble vitamins.[1]

Conditions include:

Hypervitaminosis A
Hypervitaminosis D
Hypervitaminosis E
Hypervitaminosis K

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_poisoning

Overdoses of B6 have been known to cause neurological problems too.

Adverse effects have only been documented from vitamin B6 supplements and never from food sources. This article only discusses the safety of the common supplemental form of vitamin B6 pyridoxine (for a full discussion please see pyridoxine). Toxicologic animal studies identify specific destruction of the dorsal root ganglia[17] which is documented in human cases of overdosage of pyridoxine.[18] Although vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin and is excreted in the urine, doses of pyridoxine in excess of the RDI over long periods of time thus result in painful and ultimately irreversible neurological problems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B6#Toxicity

 

[epileric]

As for Zinc overdose:

Prolonged consumption of large doses of over-the-counter mineral and vitamin supplements--such as the increasingly popular mineral zinc--can cause major health complications, California researchers warn.

The researchers highlight the case of a high school basketball player who suffered from extreme fatigue after taking large amounts of zinc on a daily basis to treat a chronic skin condition for more than a year and a half.

"In general, these supplements are safe if the doses that are written on the bottles are followed," noted Dr. Mark B. Salzman of Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center, the study's lead author. "(But) this was a 17-year-old teenager who felt that since the usual dose was not working, more is better."

http://preventdisease.com/news/articles/zinc_supplement_overdose_toxic.shtml

Magnesium overdose:

What are the symptoms of magnesium overdose?

A mild magnesium overdose is usually accompanied by temporary diarrhea and nausea. Moderate or severe magnesium overdose can be serious and possibly life threatening.
Symptoms of magnesium overdose

Magnesium overdose most commonly produces diarrhea. Other symptoms are related to a drop in blood pressure that may occur with severe overdose. Examples of symptoms of magnesium overdose include:

Abdominal pain or cramping
Abdominal swelling, distension or bloating
Diarrhea
Muscle weakness
Nausea, which may be described as feelings of wooziness, queasiness, retching, sea sickness, car sickness, or an upset stomach
Skin flushing

Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition

In some cases, a magnesium overdose can be life threatening. Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if you, or someone you are with, have any of these life-threatening symptoms including:

Abdominal, pelvic, or lower back pain that can be severe
Balance problems, difficulty walking, and falls
Chest pain or pressure
Confusion or loss of consciousness for even a brief moment
Difficulty breathing or rapid breathing
Gradual difficulty walking and speaking, memory loss, tingling or weakness of extremities
Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmias)

http://www.localhealth.com/article/magnesium-overdose/symptoms

And Calcium overdose:

Symptoms

Airways and lungs
Breathing - slow and labored
Eyes, ears, nose, throat, and mouth
Blurred vision
Ringing in the ears
Bladder and kidneys
Little to no urine output
Eyes and ears
Ringing in the ears
Gastrointestinal system
Diarrhea
Nausea
Stomach pain
Vomiting
Heart and blood
Increased heart rate
Nervous system
Agitation
Confusion
Coma
Convulsions
Dizziness
Drowsiness
Incoherence (not understandable)
Movement problems
Numbness and tingline
Unsteadiness
Seizures
Severe headache
Skin
Rash

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002649.htm

 

[Bobbi]

I have been seeing an orthomolecular doctor since december 2013. I had seen him years ago and had great results. I take what he tells me to (he doesn't sell the vitamins), eat only what he advises which is very limited now, take allergy drops that he creates, will go back to him in April. He includes my medications in his evaluation. I will not add any other vitamins without his approval though I am tempted but when you see how he works you understand the chemistry. Most of his patients are cancer patients and he has a waiting list of over 700 people. I am losing weight which is a good side effect, my dream state is coming back - before I never remembered any dreams, but I know I have a ways to go! The ringing in my ears started since I had my first seizure (status epilepticus) back in 12/2011. Without him, I would not diagnose myself to determine what vitamins to take. Taking some but not megadoses on your own should be safe but always if possible work with someone you can trust and afford to advise you.