Medical Breakthroughs in Micronutrient Research

Dr. Abram Hoffer, Dr. Humphrey Osmond, and Dr. Linus Pauling were great pioneers inthis controversial area. Unfortunately they are now all deceased. Fortunately Dr. Rath of the Linus Pauling Institute, Dr. Saul, and other brave souls are still carrying the torch. I attended lectures by Hoffer and by Janson. Hoffer died in 2009. Janson may still be alive.

Osmond

Dr. Humphrey Osmond, a brilliant psychiatrist, started out in the UK. Osmond and Smythies published a brilliant paper in 1952 in the Journal of Mental Science, which was a prominent British psychiatry publication. Since that time it has changed its name. This paper was largely ignored. Osmond was so mad that he moved to Canada. In Canada he met Hoffer. Smythies remained in Scotland.

Saul

"The importance of diet in relationship to optimal health has been understood throughout recorded history. Hippocrates regarded food as a primary form of medicine more than 2,500 years ago. Records from ancient Egypt as far back as 5000 BC show the use of specific foods to treat various conditions." Dr. Andrew Saul

"Over 50 years ago, it was Toronto physician William J. McCormick, M.D., who pioneered the idea that poor collagen formation, due to vitamin C deficiency, was a principal cause of diverse conditions ranging from stretch marks to cardiovascular disease and cancer. This theory would become the foundation for Linus Pauling and Ewan Cameron's decision to employ large doses of vitamin C to fight cancer." Saul

Pauling

Pauling lived to a ripe old age as did Hoffer. Both were still working in their nineties. Both were like George Burns. The Linus Pauling Institute was created in Oregon while Pauling was still alive.

There are political issues here. When pigs fly, the drug companies will be honest. They gross over 200 billion a year. This money can buy a lot of friends. Pauling was an activist for peace as well as an activist for nutritional healing.

Pauling wrote many books. One of them was How to Live Longer and Feel Better. Cancer and Vitamin C was by Ewan Cameron and Linus Pauling More on Pauling is given in the paragraph on psychiatry. Pauling is one of the few American scientists to be honored with a stamp, which depicts his work on sickle cell anemia.

Hypertension

There is a massive amount of information proving that diet affects hypertension (high blood pressure). Information on this is presented at the World's Healthiest Foods website (whfoods.org) and in Ref. 1. Ref. 2 recommends vitamin E.

Psychiatry

Hoffer and Osmond were both psychiatrists. Pauling, although not a psychiatrist, wrote brilliant papers on psychiatry including Ref. 3.

"Varying the concentrations of substances normally present in the human body may control mental disease." - Linus Pauling

Pauling was one of the editors of a brilliant book on psychiatry which was published in 1973 (4). Previously pauling had described diseases as being "molecular" (5). In 1968 he was describing them as being "orthomolecular", meaning that they needed the right amounts of the right molecules. This term caught on and was used by Hoffer, Osmond, Saul, and others.

Pauling did not get his ideas out of the clear blue sky. He was influenced by previous scientists including Roger Williams (6). But why was pauling so interested in vitamin C? The answer may be Stone, who also influenced Pauling. Ref. 7 is Stone's book on vitamin C.

Pauling's work on psychiatry was rejected by the APA (American Psychiatric Association) in a task force report (8). The APA is heavily funded by the drug companies.

Conclusions

Hypertension is often associated with excessive sodium accumulation in the body. A low salt diet is used. Potassium is considered beneficial. World's Healthiest Foods recommends the vegetarian diet. This is a good idea because fruits are very low in fat (except for the avocado), low in sodium, and high in potassium. Bananas and oranges are very good.

There are a number of very good sites on nutrition. Gather, Associated Content, and the Linus Pauling Institute website all have massive amounts of information on nutrition. My own website is www.CraigOlson.bizhosting.com.

References

1.Bellamy MF, McDowell IF, Ramsey MW, et al. Hyperhomocysteinemia after an oral methionine load acutely impairs endothelial function in healthy adults. Circulation. 1998;98:1848-1852. 1998.

2. Brockes C, Buchli C, Locher R et al. Vitamin E prevents extensive lipid peroxidation in patients with hypertension. Br J Biomed Sci 2003; 60(1):5-8 2003.

3. Pauling, L.: Orthomolecular psychiatry. Science 160: 265-271, 1968.

4. Pauling, L., Robinson, A.B_ Oxley S.S., et a]: Results of a loading test of ascorbic acid, niacinamide, and pyridoxine in schizophrenic subjects and controls, in Orthomolecular Psychiatry: Treatment of Schizophrenia. Edited by Hawkins, D., Pauling, L San Francisco, W.H. Freeman and Co., 1973, pp 18-34.

5. Pauling, L., Itano, ILA., Singer, S.J., et al: Sickle cell anemia a molecular disease. Science I 10: 543-548, 1949.

6. Williams, R.J.: Biochemical Individuality. New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1957.

7. Stone, L: The Healing Factor: Vitamin C Against Disease. New York. Grosset and Dunlap, 1972.

8. Task Force Report 7: Megavitamin and Orthomolecular Therapy in Psychiatry. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Association, 1973.