How the father of orthomolecular psychiatry transformed the lives of thousands
The late Dr. Abram Hoffer MD, PhD, was a Canadian orthomolecular psychiatrist and researcher. Dr. Hoffer and his co-workers were instrumental in the discovery that megadoses of vitamin B3 (nicotinic acid/niacin) were therapeutic for schizophrenia and can be used to lower cholesterol levels. The discovery, which was published in 1955, is credited with the initiation of a new paradigm in nutritional medicine—the use of vitamins for treatment and not just for prevention of disease.
Dr. Hoffer’s wish was that the principles of this approach would be accepted into the mainstream of medicine during his lifetime, but this was not to be. Over his lifetime, he helped and healed thousands of people and established the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine.
We speak with Frances Fuller, of the Orthomolecular Vitamin Information Centre in Victoria, B.C. We also share a personal account of the impact of Dr. Abram Hoffer’s work.