Although the term 'orthomolecular' was not introduced until 1968 by Linus Pauling in his report into "Orthomolecular Psychiatry" ( 3, 39 ), megavitamin therapy began many years earlier. Wilfred Shute was one of the first doctors to use megavitamin therapy when he used large doses of vitamin E to treat heart disease in 1933 ( 3 ) while large doses of vitamin B3 were also used in the 1930's and 1940's to treat vitamin resistant pellagra cases ( 3,11, 40 ). This was followed by the use of megadoses of vitamin B3 to treat athritis ( 3, 41 ) and further reports of the use of large doses of vitamin E to treat heart disease ( 3, 42, 55 - 58 ).

Megadoses of vitamin B3 were first used to treat schizophrenia by Cleckley Sydenstricker and Geeslin ( 3, 43 ) in 1939, and by Sydenstricker and Geeslin in 1941 ( 3, 44 ) although it was not until a decade later that Osmond and Hoffer ( 3 ) reported the first double blind study of the use of B3 to treat this disorder. Four double blind studies ( 3, 45, 46, 47, 49 ) and additional studies ( 3, 48, 59, 80 ) confirmed the effectiveness of megadoses of vitamin B3 for the treatment of schizophrenia. Additionally, a further double blind study by Ananth and co-workers ( 50 ) found that when large doses of vitamin B6 ( 75rng ) were combined with the B3 the results were superior to B3 treatment alone. Schizophrenics were also found to have an increased need for vitamin C ( 80, 91 - 94 ). Subsequently, in 1969, many psychiatric patients were found to have an increased need for vitamin B6 ( 60 ).

Evidence also began to accumulate that children suffering from learning disorders, autism and hyperactivity also had an increased need for various B vitamins, particularly B3, B5 and B6 ( 3, 81, 82, 83, 121,122; see also B vitamins ). Additionally, adolescents with low levels of vitamin B1 who suffered from excessive anger, irritability and aggressiveness ( 84, 99 ) were found to respond positively to megadoses of this vitamin ( 84, 99 ). Patients suffering from agoraphobia, panic attacks and anxiety also responded positively to megavitamin B treatment with B1 and B6 ( 84, 100 ).

And I thought B3 to treat Schizophrenia was a relatively new discovery. Imagine, they were treating with it in 1939! I heard that it doesn't help everyone with schizophrenia but I'm wondering if it was sidetracked when the drugs came along.

A lot ofthe older methods worked, it was just results were not the next day. Vitamin treatment takes some time.

Fascinating. So many people are vitamin B deficient taking a B supplement can work wonders.
That being said, I have never been in favour of just giving one single B vitamin. In my book, they should always be given as part of a complete B complex. (11 B vitamins in the B complex)

Always annoys me how the great majority of manufacturers fail to give the full 11 in their multivitamin supplements. Usually they only give 8!

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Just think how far we'd be in the field of health if true progress had been allowed to take it's proper course? Not the kind they brainwashed us with--drugs, chemicals, etc. If all the great minds weren't stifled, but instead, promoted? If profits weren't more important? It's really sad.

I watched a Shirley Temple movie, Curly Top, made in 1935, and in it they sing a song entitled, Curly Top, which has these lyrics:

"You're just so full of sunshine
Folks agree
You could supply the world
With Vitamin D"


I see there was a book written in 1930 by Ruth Cowan and Katharine Blunt entitled, Ultraviolet Light and Vitamin D in Nutrition.

And here's a quote from the Canadian Medical Association Journal from February 1931 in an article entitled, "The Incorporation of Vitamins in Bread": (It sounds like it was written today!)

prevention of dental caries,3 and Robertson
and Ross,4 working with animals, have shown that the administration of this vitamin increases resistance against disease. From these and other observations it is evident that vitamin D is essential for normal metabolism, not only during childhood but probably throughout the whole of life. No other vitamin is so sparsely distributed in food as is vitamin D.5 Cod-liver oil and egg yolk are the only commonly used food substances which can be relied upon to furnish appreciable amounts of this vitamin. Milk may contain a measurable quantity of D, depending on the diet of the cow.6 However, paediatricians are in general agreement that the vitamin D content of milk is negligible. Cod-liver oil is usually not regarded as a food. This leaves egg yolk as the only commonly used food substance which contains vitamin D in appreciable amounts.

The chief source of vitamin D for the human race is sunshine and skyshine. The shorter ultra-violet rays in sunshine and in the reflected rays from the sky act on minute traces of ergosterol in the human skin and activate or transform it into vitamin D. Unfortunately these short ultra-violet rays are markedly

diminished by any smoke, dust and moisture in the atmosphere. They are also greatly re duced when the sun is low in the sky. Tisdall and Brown7 found winter sunshine to be only one-eighth as potent as summer sun shine.

They also found in the northern half of the United States and in Canada that this

period of lowered potency extends from the middle of October to the middle of February.

This, combined with our indoor winter life and the

necessity of bundling up with winter clothes when we are outside, means that

a large percentage of the people in the temperate zones
obtain very little vitamin D throughsunshine and skyshine for from three to six

months of the year. In fact, even in the

summer months, many people in the larger

urban centres who are in offices or factories all day probably do not receive sufficient sunshine. From a survey of the foregoing facts

it is evident that an additional general source of vitamin

D should be of value to the population at large."

(I wonder if they thought that, well, we're putting D and other vitamins in bread so we don't need to think any more about it.)

I'll agree that Vit B is so necessary. What else could be missing?

It was known then how important, how vital Vit D is to our health. Now, with the ever increasing "matter" contained in our skies - cloud cover heavier than lead - maybe supplementing would be beneficial.

But from what source? Not everyone has the ability to fly South for a few weeks in the winter months.

What should they do?

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It was only a few years ago that the AMA was lobbying to make OTC vitamins illegal! What would doctors do if people stopped getting sick? Sadly, most people take a massive daily dose of HFCS through commercial soft drinks and "juices" and no supplemental vitamins at all. And the nation's health steadily declines.

You are right Ajax. I recently saw a commercial for a hugely marketed crap yogurt. Claims "you asked for no high fructose corn syrup" so we removed it - and some junk like that. (Although they know the container harms wildlife. It is more important to keep the dangerous container since it is a marketing tool, than being concerned for a few animals)
Yes! MODIFIED CORN STARCH - much healthier than hfcs. Low fat milk? Really? What is that? Natural flavor. Hmmm, isn't HEK293 referred to as natural? 26 grams of sugar? wake up. for crying out loud. Pink ribbons, save the lids MARKETING AT IT'S FINEST.

Wonder if theres any GMO's in those "vitamins"
People. Easily led astray. Not knowing...

IT'S ALL MARKETING!!

They don't give a fark if there is anything healthy - or "safe" about the product and will say ANYTHING to keep selling the product. sheeesh. The stuff is sugar junk. That's all. Forget the goofy marketing package that is killing animals. Forget all the SUGAR and unknowns. Eat the real stuff.

And cultured pasteurized is like big small or tall short. Cultured means to add beneficial bacteria and pasteurized means all bacteria was destroyed. So which is it?

It's a big ole oxy-moron. How about the other "nonfat milk" addition? Is that Grade A? Nonfat milk from what, I wonder?

Years ago, I was once under the spell. I looked at the calories first, then the "nutritional" list at the bottom. Didn't much care for anything else. I did cut the container in half lengthwise so no birds could get caught in it and die.

It was the 26 grams of sugar I was after, too.

The natural flavoring sickens me. I don't even want to think what that might be.