Healing Schizophrenia: Complementary Vitamin & Drug Treatments [Paperback]

Abram Hoffer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2004

Dr Hoffer presents his highly successful nutritional treatment of schizophrenia involving an allergy-free diet enhanced with vitamin supplements (vitamin B-3, primarily), assisted temporarily by drugs when symptoms are severe. This book not only answers the questions healthcare professionals may have about the symptoms and causes of this disease, but also gives patients and their families new hope for recovery from schizophrenia. Features case studies of many patients who have been healed by Dr Hoffer's treatment and includes the HOD test for diagnosing schizophrenia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 213 pages
• Publisher: Ccnm Press; 1 edition (July 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1897025084
• ISBN-13: 978-1897025086
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #897,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Response to criticism of niacin therapy, May 4, 2007

By 

Angry Inorganic student (IU Bloomington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing Schizophrenia: Complementary Vitamin & Drug Treatments (Paperback)

I feel I should offer a rebuttal to B. Chiko. The report referenced by Chiko is the 1973 APA psychological report, a report full of errors, misleading statements and poor arguments. Hoffer has claimed that Niacin & vitamin C works best on acute schizophrenics, the 1973 report used niacin alone on chronic schizophrenics. Hoffer wrote a well thought out retort to the 1973 report entitled `Megavitamin Therapy in reply to The American Psychiatric Association Task Force Report on Megavitamin and Orthomolecular Therapy in Psychiatry.' In it he details all of the misleading statements of the APA report, and I urge everyone here to actually read the 1973 report and its rebuttal. In fact, after reading this retort JR Wittenborn, one of the six authors of the APA report conducted a test of niacin using Hoffer's parameters (acute schizophrenics) and found positive results (A Search for Responders to Niacin Supplementation). Naturally none of the skeptics reference that study. Hoffer claims his theories have helped over 100,000 patients with niacin. Should we encourage all of them to throw their niacin in the trash? I urge everyone here swayed by either my or Chikos arguments to actually read the 1973 report, then read the rebuttal.

There was a drug for schizophrenia first discovered over 50 years ago, but because it was a medication unrelated to mental illness nobody wanted to use it. Doctors laughed at other doctors who prescribed it and many in the medical community wrote off how effective it was. However for the doctors willing to shrug off the criticism of the skeptics and who tried it noticed massive improvements. This drug was just an antihistamine, how could it treat schizophrenia? That drug was called thorazine (thorazine was originally an antihistamine), and it started the revolution that led to antipsychotic medications which has helped millions of people. Where would we be if we had just written off thorazine because it was `just an antihistamine'? Why is this better than writing off niacin for being `just a vitamin'? Would we be better off today as a community of medical patients if we had let the skeptics win on that battle? Would we have geodon, abilify or risperdal today if we hadn't fought back against the medical dogmatists fifty years ago?

All I know is my feelings of unreality, my magical thinking and my paranoia are not present now that I am on niacin therapy. No error laden, misleading study written 33 years ago is going to make me feel like I'm not better or take away the fact that I can function better.

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Advisedly optimistic, May 19, 2007

By 

St. Joseph (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing Schizophrenia: Complementary Vitamin & Drug Treatments (Paperback)

When I stumbled across this book I was looking for some help for a sibling. My family and I had seen the detrimental tranquilizing affects of anti-psychotic meds first hand. Moreover, their side effects (even with the new generation of meds) can include tardive dyskinesia. This book provided some much needed hope that there might be something proposing an alternate. This is a well written book intended for comprehension by the general public. And while I am aware of the APA's 1973 criticisms of niacin therapy, I was disposed to try it anyway. Dr. Hoffer provided convincing anecdotal evidence that there was at least some efficacy in the use of his regimen. He does not claim that all schizophrenics will be entirely off anti-psyche meds with the use of his regimen. A nice side effect of niacin therapy (we use inositol hexanicotinate) at high dosages is a reduction of LDL cholesterol. At any rate, Hoffer's book ultimately convinced us to try the treatment. My sibling has now been off anti-depressants and anti-psyche meds for some time now. The tardive dyskinesia sx that had emerged are also gone. It is too early to state that my sibling is entirely free of previous sx and to be convinced that they may not return. However, even in the event they do return, my sibling will have had a reasonably lengthy "drug holiday". It has meant much to my sibling and to us to have allowed the personality, love of life, awareness, to have returned for a time. I highly recommend Abram Hoffer's book for those interested in learning about schizophrenia, its symptoms, causes, and potential alternative treatments. I might add that prayer and requests for divine intervention have been a big part of our treatment plan as well.

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hidden reason why niacin is so effective, September 23, 2004

By 

Mercury Messenger (Vancouver, B.C.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Healing Schizophrenia: Complementary Vitamin & Drug Treatments (Paperback)

I believe the reason that Dr. Hoffer has been so effective in his treatment of mental illness with niacin goes allot further than what is obvious in this book. There is significant evidence that mercury is causing many mental disorders, along with about 50 other health problems. There is allot of coverup and ignorance on this issue, but it will be revealed over the next 10 years in legal cases that will be bigger than that of the tabbaco industry.

Mercury causes severe glutathione depletion by robing glutathione molecules of an electron, and resulting in the depletion. With low glutathione levels, our body cannot naturally detoxify and a whole series of health problems result. Niacin is a very powerful tool to rebuild glutathione levels in a body, and our body depends on glutathione to detox mercury and other toxins. I believe this is one of the hidden reasons niacin is so effective in dealing with mental disorders, since mercury is the underlying cause of the disorders, and niacin helps cleanup.

Regards,

Glenn