Orthomolecular medicine or megavitamin therapy, as it is sometimes called, focuses on the role of proper nutrition in health. Treatment involves supplementing a patient with appropriate vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and amino acids.
The term “orthomolecular” was first used by Nobel Prize winner, Linus Pauling, in a paper he published in 1968 in the peer-reviewed journal Science. The key idea in orthomolecular medicine is that different people have variant inherited biochemical pathways in their bodies. Some of these pathways have certain abnormalities, which make people susceptible to various diseases, including cancer.
In the orthomolecular view, these abnormal biochemical pathways can be corrected with the proper diet. The proper diet includes eliminating junk foods, refined sugars, and food additives and using appropriate amounts of vitamins, amino acids, trace elements, and fatty acids. By “fixing” the biochemical pathway, the orthomolecular therapy helps prevent and treat disease.
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