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Rating: 
Summary: Orthomolecular Hogwash
Review: I'm disappointed to see this book still sold. This book covers an approach which Dr. Abram Hoffer and others developed in the 1950s, but which by the 1970s was proven to be fruitless. The work of Dr. Hoffer and others is discussed in detail in the American Psychiatric Association Task Force Report, July 1973, which points out methodological flaws in the early work and reviews later studies which failed to show any benefit for such treatments. In recent years, new medicines, with improved side-effect profiles and techniques to overcome problems with social and occupational functioning, have been well proven advances for the treatment of schizophrenia. Early intervention programs should prevent some of the serious dysfunction of the disease. Serious illnesses like schizophrenia require proven treatments. Vitamin treatments as "alternative" therapy for schizophrenia should not be recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Hoffer's Successful Therapy for Schizophrenia using Niacin
Review: 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. (...)
Rating:
Summary: recovery for schizophrenics
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: recovery for schizophrenics
Review: 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.
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