Customer Reviews

Orthomolecular Treatment for Schizophrenia

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This was the first and only encouraging book of the many books I read when my son was diagnosed with schizophrenia. It was a simple little booklet, but it immediately gave me hope. All the "mainstream" psychiatrists we consulted said that my son would just have to learn to live with his condition, psychiatric drugs to the point of stupor and hospitalizations. WRONG! This is a great introduction to Dr. Abram Hoffer's work. He has been successfully treating mental illnesses and even ADD, OCD, etc. with a nutritional and vitamin approach since the mid-1960's. Because of this booklet we were actually inspired to fly all the way to Victoria, Canada to see Dr. Hoffer. We're so glad we did. Dr. Hoffer brought my son back to the point where he is now working every day, perfectly lucid and intelligent and will be resuming his interrupted education this fall. Read ALL of Dr. Hoffer's books. Each one has exceedingly valuable information for everyone, not just those with mental illness. He is a great humanitarian who gives hope where others offer none.

The fundamental bias in both medicine and dietetics rises darkly from the swamp when you even hint of a therapeutic validity for megavitamin doses. Why such resistance to such a useful nutritional tool? Perhaps because niacin therapy is really, really cheap?

Fortunately there are physicians like Dr. Hoffer who still look to the patient, and not the test tube, for their answers. A patient's therapeutic response is the highest of all guiding principles in medicine. If it works, do it.

"Pellagra" is the classic niacin deficiency disease. It was once common in the rural South where the poor had little else to eat except tryptophan-poor foods like milled corn. The symptoms are the "Three D's": diarrhea, dermatitis, and dementia. More specific pellagra symptoms include weakness, anorexia, lassitude, indigestion, skin eruptions, skin scaling, neuritis, nervous system destruction, confusion, apathy, disorientation, and insanity.

Does this sound a bit like schizophrenia?

A few physicians thought so, too. In studying mental illness, tryptophan and niacin deficits, and pellagra, some doctors noticed that psychotics and other mentally ill persons frequently have assorted pellagra-like symptoms in addition to their nervous problems. From about 1900 to the mid 1930's, perhaps up to half of persons in psychiatric hospitals had pellagra. It makes one wonder: could many forms of mental illness actually be caused by a deficiency of niacin?

In the 1950's, an insightful young psychiatrist named Abram Hoffer began clinical trials to find out. He used very high doses of niacin, with very good results. But the success, convenience and relentless advertising of later (c. 1960) "wonder drugs" diminished niacin's popularity. Then, the American Psychiatric Association unscientifically trashed megavitamin therapy in the early 1970's. So now we have growing legions of nutritionally challenged, mentally-malnourished Americans who don't know, or care, that they are... because they are happily (and legally, and profitably) drugged into mood-altered la-la land! It is disquieting to see the Rolling Stones as prophets, yet an arsenal of "Mother's Little Helper" psychotropic pharmaceuticals are used by millions daily, even while doctors and dieticians condemn megavitamin therapeutics.

The many negative side effects and dangers of these drugs are now restoring interest in niacin. Even the new somas du jour, Paxil and Prozac, have serious failings. A quick read in the Physicians' Desk Reference (or PDR, available at any library) will illustrate this.

Niacin toxicity does exist, but is rare. Dr. Hoffer found that even 40,000 mg daily is not toxic but estimated that over 200,000 mg/day is fatal. The most psychotic person you are ever likely to meet could probably not hold more than 10,000 mg/day, and most of us would never exceed 1,000 mg daily. Medical physicians frequently give patients 2,000 to 5,000 milligrams of niacin to lower serum cholesterol. The safety margin is very large. There is not even one death from niacin per year. You cannot say that about any drug, not even aspirin. Check CDC or Poison Control Center statistics, the Merck Manual, and the PDR and see for yourself.

It is a lack of niacin that is the real public health problem. The US Daily Reference Intake is only 14-16 mg, and about half of all Americans will not get even that much from their awful diets. Niacin's special importance is indicated in that the US DRI for niacin is much higher than those for other B-vitamins, and that's just for everyday, healthy people.

Dr. Hoffer gave schizophrenics far, far higher doses, and it worked. I would go so far as to advise reading everything Dr. Hoffer has ever written. (...)

Dr. Hoffer is a brilliant and extensively published author in both journals and books. His writing is very clear and he doesn't hide complexities. This book is no exception. My only complaint is that his writing does not divide topics very well for easy digestion. His mind is full of facts, and he types what he thinks.

The primary orthomolecular approach to schizophrenia is niacin or niacinamide (vitamin B3) in > 2 g/d doeses. In double-blind trials, 3 grams of niacin daily resulted in a doubling in recovery rate and a 50% reduction in hospitalization. Later double-blind trials did not reproduce the positive results, but Hoffer contends these trials were poorly designed. Subsequent research has been too meager to quote.

There are several complexities to niacin therapy. It must be at least 3,000 mg per day in divided doses. It must not be "time release" forms made by pharmaceutical companies that are dangerous and the root cause of the irrational fears of niacin. There are several forms of niacin. Make sure you follow Dr. Hoffer's guidelines. It's most effective if the patient's schizophrenia is a fairly recent development. Ignoring these issues is probably why some studies are negative.

Please keep in mind there are websites dedicated to trashing megavitamin therapy. They modify other's writings from 1998, change the wording a little, and pretend it's their own recent writing. They then copy and paste the same negative plagerism under several of Hoffer's books. On their web site they reference journal articles "disproving" megavitamin therapy but when you take a closer look at the journal articles, they are often not related to the issue at hand.

Doesn't it seem strange they have to go back all the way to 1973 to find a legitimate and relevant negative reference? That's over 30 years ago. Dr. Hoffer has done a lot of research since then. At 88 he's still mentally active, publishing, and treating patients. His research in the 1950's that showed niacin improves schizoprenia was the first double-blind study in psychiatry. Dr. Hoffer has been trying to make psychiatry a science for a long time, but the influence of money has been a much tougher opponent than ignorance and Frued.

Here's a 2003 interview of Dr. Hoffer:
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2003/jan2003_report_hoffer_01.html

I am a Doctor with a wife, daughter, and wifes sister that all developed Schizophrenia. We have followed the typical Medical road for 20 years that included all types of Psychotropic Drugs, anti depressants, psychotherapy, that never really cured her disease, but just made her into a drugged out person.
And always caused severe side effects from the medications.
20 years ago we came across the orthomolecular approach, and now 20 years later, as long as I keep my family on megadoses of nutrition, they remain relatively symptom free! There is a definate corralation that people with mental illnesses have a brain chemistry that is out of balance, and many of them become niacin deficient and dependent. If anyone would like to hear more, feel free to email me @ wetrock@bellsouth.net.
Dr. Bob & Carol Waterstone

The study Chiko references is the 1973 APA report, one which was highly misleading, poorly designed and flawed. It used the wrong vitamins on the wrong patients, for all intents and purposes. To see a better explanation of why the 1973 report is misleading read Abram Hoffers retort to it 'megavitamin therapy'. it used niacin alone on chronic schizophrneics, bipolar patients & schizoaffective patients to prove that niacin & vitamin C (vitamin C reduces adrenochrome and is integral to treatment) doesn't work to treat acute schizohprenics. Using the wrong medications on the wrong patients usually doesn't work. Abram Hoffer claims in his 128 page retort to the 1973 report that nobody has recreated his studies (as of the mid 70s), all studies have been small and/or poorly designed, if not intentionally misleading like the 1973 studies. In fact, after one of the 1973 authors realized his study was poorly designed he created a well designed study and found benefits to niacin therapy. At the moment the US government is conducting a legitimate, unbiased, fair study of vitamin therapy for schizophrenia and the results should be ready by 2009. Anyone who wants to read Abram Hoffer's retort to the 1973 report should click on citation #13 under 'abram hoffer' in wikipedia. Understanding all sides of a story is necessary to making a good decision. I urge everyone here to read HOffers books, the 1973 report and HOffers 128 page retort to the 1973 retort. And always think critically while you are doing it, don't just accept one or the other at face value, always ask questions and ask for evidence.

Several recent research projects have also shown that the gene coding for the enzyme glutathione transferase, an enzyme that metabolizes adrenochrome, is defective in many acute schizophrneics. If this research continues to grow this adds weight to Dr. Hoffer's adrenochrome hypothesis. This could lead to a renewal of the adrenochrome hypothesis for the 21st century with gene therapy replacing niacin & vitamin C (for those who don't know, niacin & vitamin C remove toxic adrenochrome, which Hoffer feels is a major cause of schizophrenia).

As a society we must never mistake medical dogma for medical science. Just because an idea is weird or new doesn't make it bad or stupid. Germ theory was once weird and new too, and because of that it took a long time to catch on due to heavy resistance. With over 100,000 improved patients on niacin & vitamin C, a valid hypothesis and at least nine studies showing benefits of niacin/vitamin C deserves a place in the treatment of schizophrenia. But I'm sure some people will assume that all 100,000 patients who experienced improvements are just placebos.

I would just like to refute B.Chico's comment on how niacin therapy does not work. I have actually been diagnosed with Schizophrenia and have been prescribed over the counter vitamins by the Pifer Institute, one of which includes Niacin. Just for your own information B. Chico...when I got out of the hospital before I started vitamin therapy I was on an average to high dosage of Abilify, an anti-pyschotic. Now I am on half the lowest dosage, and have had no problems in 2 years. Infact, I am excelling. I am a manager for a major corporation. My only explanation for your negative review is probably that you are a pyschiatrist who likes getting money by prescribing drugs to clients. Too bad people with Schizophrenia and other mental illnessess are getting better every day with vitamin therapy. I think I will take a copy of your review and burn it in my fireplace this winter.

What makes this information so believable is the fact that Dr. Abram Hoffer is not selling a product, just the information. And his clinical studies span decades ~ at least 5 decades of success. That is a real foundation for hope! He encourages people to incorporate mega nutrients into their wellness plan which includes medications and counselors. Also, advice for families, to help us all cope better and continue to be able to function as part of a support system for each other. Thank you for making it affordable.

I have schizo affective disorder and I never knew that Orthomolecular Treatment existed for mental illness. This book was a good introduction. I am 56 years old and have experienced mental illness off and on since I was 19. I have done extensive reading, searching for something better than the medicines I have had to take to keep me out of the hospital. These medicines have caused me to gain 100 pounds and left me feeling drowsy a good deal of the time. Also I have feelings of inertia and I also have tardive dyskinesia. Dr. Hoffer recommends decreasing the medicines gradually while treating with Megavitamin supplements and nutritional strategies for healing and recovery. My Psychiatrist is willing to try this approach. I hope we have good luck. I would recommend you buy this book and show it to your doctor.

Hoffer has done us all a service. Following his suggestions, even using lower doses of the recommended vitamins, has resulted in marked improvement in a family member's symptoms. The symptoms occurred after multiple jaw and teeth fractures left her anorexic. Five months after the accident that caused her mouth to be wired shut, she snapped. No one suggested pellagra could be involved, but she had the classic symptoms. Everyone is eager, chomping at the bit actually, to prescribe tranquilizers and anti-psychotics, some causing irreversible side effects, but I can find no one in N.C. so far who will consider orthomolecular treatment. Shame.
The only down side to having Hoffer's info is the frustration one faces trying to get health care providers in the U.S. to look at it. Living in the South, where pellagra was once epidemic (after the Civil War), you'd think they'd be the first to get it, but they seem, rather, the most resistant.
I'd like to see this as required reading at all university hospitals, especially in the South. In epidemiology courses at these schools they tell about the guy, Dr. Snow, who removed the pump handle from the water source he was sure was poisoning a community, causing Cholera. He was right. Sometimes the simpler and most resisted solution is the best one.

I found this book to be very helpful. I was able to better advise my paitent. The nutrients discussed are common and easy to aquire.