The objective of orthomolecular care is to identify the root cause of health problems and use non-toxic methods to restore and maintain normal function without adverse effects.

Consider colitis. Interviews with people who suffer chronic GI upsets and reviews of reference books taught me that colitis can be a difficult condition. It has a range of symptoms and various names, suggesting that not one but several causes can upset the GI systems of vulnerable people. Orthomolecular healthcare professionals claim to know how to help patients cope and recover from colitis. They use restorative biochemical (or ‘nutritional’) methods. They advise patients to (1) have medical and biological tests to identify root causes of GI problems, such as food intolerances (allergy-like conditions which can develop after susceptible people eat ‘trigger’ foods for years) or environmental toxins; (2) change their diets to avoid foods which cause debilitating GI upsets, eg. reduce sugar and caffeine (if they upset patients’ biochemistry); (3) replenish depleted nutrients (which cannot be properly absorbed while the GI system is inflamed); (4) use non-toxic herbs and supplements to restore and maintain the biochemistry of the GI tract; AND only as necessary, orthomolecular doctors also (5) prescribe a small amount of conventional medications to stabilize the patient. Lower doses of pills mean fewer adverse effects.

Maybe conventional medicine can treat acute GI upsets effectively, but a chronic GI problem can benefit from orthomolecular care to correct the root cause of the problem and restore and maintain normal function without adverse effects.

Consider mood disorders and other mental health problems. Maybe there are similar differences in chronic vs. acute mental healthcare. Conventional doctors usually prescribe antidepressants for short-term depression. This approach may be less successful with chronic depression because adverse effects of medications (used for months or years in high enough doses) can make sick people worse while their underlying depression symptoms continue unresolved.

No doubt many readers will be skeptical about orthomolecular medicine. Most people have never heard the name or learned that orthomolecular healthcare focuses on biochemical restoration. Personally, I prefer healthcare which is designed to help sick people restore normal brain and body function (biochemistry) and maintain wellness without many adverse effects. As a patient myself, it was hard for me to accept that conventional medicine could not heal my mood disorder. It was hard for me to try orthomolecular healthcare. I had never heard of it and I did not trust it. My ignorance worked against me. Ironically, in spite of my skepticism, orthomolecular care was the best choice for me.

Maybe readers can consider orthomolecular medicine in addition to their conventional medical information. Patients may prefer conventional care if their problem is acute or short term. If conventional care is effective, the patient will be pleased to continue. However, if symptoms of illness and adverse effects of medications seem to linger or worsen, patients can ask for restorative orthomolecular healthcare.

I don’t like to think that some people are suffering when non-toxic restorative orthomolecular medical alternatives can help them normalize their biochemistry and be well. Orthomolecular healthcare is easy to tolerate. It was developed and tested by scientific and medical professionals. Whether their health problem is physical or mental, acute or chronic, I wish readers well with their search for effective medical care.