- Brief history of orthomolecular medicine
- Old age
- Modern age
- 20th century onwards
- Practical applications
- Methodology and controversy
- References
The orthomolecular medicine is a branch of medical science alternative type. It holds the theory that it is possible to achieve maintenance and optimal health through nutrition. Its scientific bases are often disputed, that is why it is considered a "pseudo-therapy".
Orthomolecular medicine is based on the idea of the human body as a “biochemical unit” that naturally functions and is in harmony. The nutrients, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, work as a perfect system. When diseases or pathologies occur, it means that this balance has been broken.
Source: Pixabay.
Through nutrition, orthomolecular medicine seeks to correct these imbalances and thus end up with ailments in the health of patients. These adjustments are always made naturally and without invasive treatments.
The origin of the word orthomolecular can be understood in the following way: the prefix "ortho" (of Greek origin) refers to everything done in an exact, correct way. Whereas "molecular" refers precisely to molecules. Hence, the philosophy of this therapy is to work on health from the smallest physical units.
Orthomolecular medicine has been strongly questioned for years. Its detractors argue that there is not enough empirical evidence about its effectiveness and that in some cases, there are practices that can even be bad for health.
Orthomolecular medicine experienced a true boom in popularity during the 1980s. This treatment was used to mitigate problems such as alcoholism, allergies, hypertension, migraines, epilepsy, metabolic disorders and even mental retardation.
Despite the wide variety of pathologies it treated, the use of diagnostic elements such as clinical tests (blood, urine) were rarely taken into account or even requested. In fact, in the vast majority of conditions that it promised to heal, there is no scientific evidence to establish a relationship between the disease and nutrition or vitamin balance.
Brief history of orthomolecular medicine
Dr. Linus Pauling, by US-Gov., Library of Congress, biographical file - www.loc.gov… 235_pop.htmlReproduction Number: LC-USZ62-76925PAULING, LINUS, photograph (no date found on item, ca. 1954) Location: Biographical filewww.loc.gov download address, Public Domain, (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=540732)
Old age
The first notions about the link between health and diet date back to Ancient Egypt. According to archaeological archives, from the year 500 a. C there is evidence that this people practiced certain forms of "diet" to take care of their health.
Some years later, the Greek philosopher Hippocrates himself would be a faithful defender of these ideas. In fact, he considered food to be the "first form of health."
Modern age
However, a full understanding of the role of food in health would only be fully understood and developed in the 18th century. At that time, the science in charge of its study was "digestive chemistry."
Digestive chemistry was almost entirely invented by the French scientist René de Réaumur. Together with another doctor named Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, they succeeded in laying the foundation for understanding and analyzing the metabolism of food in the body.
But, without a doubt, the first great discovery was made by the British physician James Lind. Accustomed to traveling on sea expeditions that lasted several weeks, he began to notice a pattern in the appearance of the disease of scurvy among sailors.
Lind noted that on ships where there were no fruits to eat, crew members were more likely to develop this disease. Scurvy caused (among other things) poor blood, ulcers, bleeding gums, and eventually death.
Thus, by 1747, he decided to carry out his theory and experiment with sailors by giving them various diets. There he discovered that those who consumed oranges, remained healthy and immune to scurvy. Today it is known that this condition is caused by a lack of vitamin C.
20th century onwards
The great discoveries and theories about nutrition would take place during the 20th century. This was due to new technologies and the boom in communications and transportation, which also facilitated the "mobility" of new ideas.
In 1920, the German physician Max Gerson created the so-called "Gerson Therapy." According to their studies, there was a direct relationship between the imbalance of minerals and vitamins and the prevalence of cancer. Although this treatment enjoyed high popularity, its effectiveness was denied by multiple sources, including the National Cancer Institute of the United States.
It was not until 1968 that the concept of "orthomolecular" came to light, by the hand of the American doctor Linus Pauling. Initially Pauling, after years of studying the effects of vitamin C, focused on orthomolecular psychiatry, arguing that the mind needed an optimal biochemical environment to function properly.
Later, Pauling would focus almost exclusively on orthomolecular medicine as a whole, being not only the precursor but also its main exponent. So much so that in 1973 he managed to found the Institute of Orthomolecular Medicine, today known as the Linus Pauling Institute of Science and Medicine.
Practical applications
Source: Pixabay.
Orthomolecular medicine focuses, as we have already seen, on the introduction of dietary changes and the use of supplementation to achieve optimal health. Its advocates and those who practice it argue that some of its benefits are:
- Disease prevention.
- It serves to complement and increase the effectiveness of pharmacological treatments.
- Stimulates brain / neuronal activity.
- Strengthens the immune system.
- Helps clean the arteries.
- Contributes to the purification and detoxification of the body.
- It favors the increase of the sensation of vitality.
It is precisely because of these factors that orthomolecular medicine is widely accepted and practiced as a treatment within aesthetic medicine. Anti-aging, rejuvenation therapies, to combat wrinkles and regain tone are some of its applications.
Methodology and controversy
Vitamins, by Rolf Dietrich Brecher from Germany - Vitamins, CC BY-SA 2.0, (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65461019).
The biggest risks and discussions about the effectiveness of orthomolecular medicine focus on its use of supplementation. The increase in the intake of vitamins and minerals in a way that is often uncontrolled under the so-called "megadoses" is the main "weak side" of this therapy.
Its detractors argue with empirical evidence that for each megadoses of certain compounds, there are obvious damages to health such as:
- High consumption of vitamin A: leads to the appearance of teratological effects and hepatotoxicity.
- High consumption of vitamin C: favors the appearance of gastrointestinal symptoms, kidney stones and excess absorption of minerals such as iron.
- High consumption of vitamin E: in extreme cases it can trigger bleeding.
- High consumption of vitamin B6: in extreme cases it can become neurotoxic.
- High boron consumption: it can cause negative effects on the capacity of reproduction and development.
- High calcium intake: affects the excretory system generating kidney stones and kidney failure. It also leads to hypercalcemia that triggers other associated pathologies.
- High consumption of fluoride: leads to the development of fluorosis, which affects the dental condition and aesthetics with the appearance of stains.
In countries like Spain, the Ministry of Health itself considers orthomolecular medicine as another alternative therapy, not comparable with traditional medicine. Orthomolecular medicine is grouped together with other unconventional "treatments" such as:
- Energy surgery.
- Hug therapy.
- Urine therapy.
- Angels of Atlantis Therapy.
Other organizations such as the Committee on Nutrition of the American Academy of Pediatrics, in the United States, qualify orthomolecular medicine as fraudulent and misleading, despite being popular among patients suffering from diseases such as glaucoma and different types of cancer.
Regarding the consumption of vitamins and minerals in the form of megadoses, the general consensus is even broader about the inadvisability of this practice. Organizations such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Institute of Medicine (IOM), or the Food and Nutrition Board (FNB) are some of the voices that most vehemently oppose orthomolecular medicine.
About orthomolecular psychiatry (the most controversial and dangerous branch of this therapy), the National Institute of Mental Health of the United States was categorical already during the 70s.
After observing the orthomolecular work methodology on patients with mental disorders, they managed to conclude that the treatments with vitamins, minerals and diet are completely inefficient. They have no effect.
Other studies on this treatment applied to patients with cognitive and attention disorders, reached similar conclusions. In both the United States and the Netherlands, the positive effects of orthomolecular medicine were nil or unfavorable.
Only in some specific cases of children with Attention Deficit were some improvements observed. In any case, a direct relationship between progress and treatment could not be verified.
Decades of testing and study and analysis managed to reach a conclusion that is almost unanimously replicated in the world of medicine. This maintains that the human body has a limited capacity to use vitamins during different metabolic processes.
When the consumption of vitamins and mineral compounds exceeds the body's natural physiological processing capacity, they begin to function in a similar way to that of conventional drugs.
Consequently, the overuse, intake and consumption of vitamins has a high potential for toxicity. This generates more complications than benefits for the body. The greatest damage occurs in psychiatric patients who resort to this therapy, since in some cases the lack of supervision and pharmacological treatment of certain pathologies leads to committing acts harmful to their own physical integrity and / or third parties.
References
- González, MJ, & Miranda-Massari, JR (2013). Orthomolecular medicine: The best cost effective, rational and scientific choice for disease treatment.
- Chover, AM (nd). Orthomolecular Medicine.
- Review, Study and Positioning Group of the Spanish Association of Dietitians-Nutritionists. (2012). "Orthomolecular Nutrition". GREP ‐ AEDN position.
- (sf). Recovered from orthomolecular.org
- Barrett, S. (2000). Orthomolecular Therapy. Recovered from quackwatch.org