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ORTHOMOLECULAR MEDICINE HALL OF FAME: 2006 |
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Hall of Fame 2006 |
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ORTHOMOLECULAR
MEDICINE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES FOR 2006 by Andrew W. Saul, Master of Ceremonies and Assistant Editor, Journal
of Orthomolecular Medicine (from the WELCOME to the Third Annual
Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame inductions, what some like to call the
“Orthomolecular Oscars.” Tonight, once again, we shall see who will take home
the “Orthie.” Orthomolecular nutritional
therapy has sometimes been called “complementary” medicine. Might that
therefore make conventional pharmaceutical-based therapy “insulting” or
“rude” medicine? Orthomolecular medicine is the only segment of the healing
arts to be given its name by a double Nobel prize winner. Linus Pauling
stated that orthomolecular means the “right molecules.” In time, I think
allopathic medicine will be more widely known as toximolecular. Since a
drug-based approach introduces molecules that are foreign or “wrong,” perhaps
even “naughty-molecular.” The old paradigm of
medicine is represented in a story Mark Twain tells of a doctor at the
bedside of a very sick, elderly lady. The doctor told her that she must stop
drinking, cussing and smoking. The lady said that she'd never done any
of those things in her entire life. The doctor responded, "Well, that's
your problem, then. You've neglected your habits." Twain added:
"She was like a sinking ship with no freight to throw overboard." Perhaps
some of that “freight” would be an old-fashioned ignorance of nutritional
medicine. Now let’s consider another
and quite different elderly woman: a woman taking niacin for 42 years, and
still cross country skiing at the age of 110. This is a real person, an
actual long-time patient of Dr. Abram Hoffer. Clearly, here is a new
paradigm. How very different from the Henny Youngman story: “So this guy’s
doctor told him he had six months to live.
The guy said he couldn’t pay his bill.
The doctor gave him another six months.” One of the purposes of the
Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame is to educate the professions and the
public about the pioneers of high-dose nutritional therapy. (All previous
inductees are profiled at http://orthomolecular.org/hof/index.shtml
) To take this even further, the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service was
started in March 2005. OMNS issues press releases spotlighting the safety and
effectiveness of vitamins and other nutrients. Now, after just over one year,
nearly 6,000 subscribers, including 3,000 broadcast and print news media,
regularly receive OMNS press releases. You can read them all at http://orthomolecular.org/resources/omns/index.shtml
and subscribe for free at http://orthomolecular.org/subscribe.html
Here’s more good news: the Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine is
now archived online at http://orthomolecular.org/library/jom/ Everyone may now access back issues of JOM free of charge. Eubie Blake, centenarian
composer of the famous Charleston Rag, said, “It’s not what we don’t know
that harms us; it’s what we do know that ain’t so.” All of tonight’s
inductees know that no cell in the human body is made from a drug. Not one. William
Griffith Wilson (“Bill W.”) Bill Wilson’s birthplace, East Dorset, Vermont, is not far
from where I used to live. I was in An alcoholic since age 22, Bill made, and lost, a fortune
in stocks. His descent from riches to rags eventually drove him in 1935 to
found, with Dr. Bob Smith, what is now known as Alcoholics Anonymous. 2005 marked the 70th anniversary of AA, and the 25
millionth copy of Alcoholics Anonymous’ now-famous “Big Book.” Aldous Huxley
had once called Bill W. "the greatest social architect of our
century." In 1999, Bill W. was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most
Important People of the Century. In their feature article about him, there is
not a single mention of the word niacin, or vitamin, or even of nutrition.
Interestingly, decades earlier, Bill W. had been offered the opportunity to
have his picture on the cover of Time magazine.
He declined. To this day, selective history records AA’s 12-Step Program, but
has forgotten, or deliberately purged, what Bill wanted to be AA’s 13th step:
orthomolecular therapy with vitamin B-3. Tonight, we correct the omission. Welcome, Bill W., to the
Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame. Arthur
M. Sackler, M.D. (1913-1987) There is, I can confidently assure you, only one inductee
tonight that has his own wing at the London Royal Academy of Arts, a museum
at Harvard, a gallery at the Smithsonian Institution, a museum in Before there was a Tribune, Dr Sackler was editor of the
Journal of Clinical and Experimental Psychobiology from 1950 to 1962. It was
there that Dr. Sackler published the Hoffer-Osmond schizophrenia studies in
1957. We are forever indebted to Dr. Sackler for that alone, and he did far
more. Truly a farsighted man, Dr Sackler said: "Bridges
must be built to unite peoples in mutual respect and reciprocal esteem. . . I
believe that the arts, sciences and humanities can best create those bridges
of understanding essential for a world in which all people can link their
aspirations to achieve their potentials.” Arthur Sackler decided to become a doctor when he was a
young fellow: four years old, in fact. And throughout his life he enjoyed his
work. "Art is a passion pursued with discipline and science is a
discipline pursued with passion. Passion is the engine that drives
creativity. At pursuing both, I have had a lot of fun." Dr. Sackler’s philanthropy attracted the attention of the
popular press. His histamine research attracted the attention of the
professional press. Such was not the case with his advocacy of vitamin
therapy, of orthomolecular medicine. Tonight, we get to set that aright, as
we proudly induct Dr Arthur M. Sackler into the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall
of Fame. Max
Joseph Vogel, MD (1915 – 2002) Dr Max Vogel was a Dr. Max Vogel made house calls until he retired in 1997 at
age 82. Abram Hoffer has distinguished Dr. Vogel in a way that is hard to
beat: “Max became so skillful in treating schizophrenic patients that I would
refer to him all the Ruth
Flinn Harrell (1900 – 1991) Dr. Ruth F. Harrell spent her life demonstrating that
"megavitamin" doses are safe and remarkably effective, even
offering improvement in Down Syndrome children. Her trials were successful
because her team gave LD kids much larger doses of vitamins than other
researchers: over 100 times the ADULT (not child's) RDA for riboflavin; 37
times the RDA for niacin (given as niacinamide); 40 times the RDA for vitamin
E; and 150 times the RDA for thiamin. Dr. Harrell anticipated that her
use of megadoses would result in "controversy and brickbats." She was right. A number of well-publicized
studies conducted to "replicate" Dr. Harrell's work seemingly could
not do so. Yet Harrell's "replicators" failed to adhere to her
protocol, and consequently but not surprisingly, failed to get her results.
F. Jack Warner, MD, writes: "Even today many medical professionals scoff
at the validity of Dr. Ruth Harrell's study with nutritional supplements and
the important addition of thyroid medication. Dr. Harrell pleaded with her
replicators to use exactly the same chemical values of supplements and medications.
To date, this still has not been accomplished." What a loss for children. May I share with you the story
of one Down syndrome child: This seven year old child was still wearing diapers,
didn't recognize his parents, and had no speech. In forty days, after some of
the supplements were increased, his mother telephoned. . . saying, "He's
turned on, just like an electric light. He's asking the name of everything. I
think he saw us for the first time." This little boy went on to do very
well in his learning, and eventually tested with an IQ of ninety, which an
average IQ." I have seen a beautiful photo in Medical Tribune of Dr.
Harrell being hugged by one of the study group children. The kids noticed
their own improvement. Dr. Harrell noted that “when there was a ten point rise in
IQ, the family noticed it. When there was a fifteen point rise in IQ, the
teachers noticed it. When there was a twenty point rise in IQ, the
neighborhood noticed it.” Perhaps Harrell's dramatic IQ gains were merely due to the
placebo effect. If so, I want every school district on earth to lay in a
stock of sugar pills. Harrell colleague Dr. Donald Davis writes, "No
amount of matching or variable control with Harrell's subjects could change
their large IQ gains which are the crucial and so far unexplained difference
between the Harrell group and others." Ruth Flinn Harrell's approach yielded smarter, happier
children. Ruth Harrell found IQ to be proportional to nutrient dosage. This
may simultaneously be the most elementary and also the most controversial
mathematical equation in medicine. Tonight, we honor Dr Harrell, a truly
great woman of courage, brilliance, and compassion. Abram
Hoffer, MD, PhD (b.
1917)
When I had the great honor of inaugurating the
Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame three years ago, I and many others would
have liked Abram Hoffer to be our first inductee. He would not consider it.
Therefore, I will honor Dr. Hoffer here tonight, and as our guest and the
program pre-printed, there is absolutely nothing he can do about it. Abram Hoffer writes: “I was born on a farm in Another famous frontiersman from the lower 48, Davy
Crockett, said “Be sure you’re right, then go ahead.” Honors are not new to Abram Hoffer. He has received many.
Still, there is one honor that you may not already be aware of, one that
Abram only recently told me about: Abram Hoffer is an honorary Maori
Chief. “It was a complete surprise to me, too,” he said. “Many
years ago Rose and I were on a speaking tour. In He must have had ample practice with this. Then he came
forward and did something with it and lo and behold, I was a
Chief. I have always taken this honor seriously especially since, as
you now know, I am free of all evil spirits and I would hate to
have them come back. Someone should tell the American Psychiatric
Association.” It was fifty-five years ago that Dr Abram Hoffer and his
colleagues began curing schizophrenia with niacin. While some physicians are
still waiting, those who have used niacin with patients and families know the
immense practical value of what Dr. Hoffer discovered. Dr. Hoffer was right,
and his work has benefited millions of people worldwide. Abram Hoffer's life has not merely changed the face of
psychiatry. He has changed the course of medicine for all time. His twenty
books and over 500 scientific papers have yet to convince everybody, but they
have well taught all of us here. We who have seen the benefits will tell
everybody. Such momentum is unstoppable. Tonight, I speak for everyone here
when I say that we will not rest until nutritional medicine is the healing
system available for all. Dr. Hoffer has said that it takes about two generations
before a truly new medical idea is accepted. Perhaps in the case of
megavitamin therapy, maybe its three generations. Great ideas in medicine, or
anywhere else, are never self-evident. At least not unless a brilliant mind
sees more than others have seen, and has the courage to speak out in the
teeth of some often surprisingly bitter professional adversity. As a college
lecturer, I learned some years ago that if you want to clear the department's
lunch room in a hurry, just say something positive about megavitamin therapy. If I were to pay one especially high compliment to Dr
Hoffer, it would be this: By experience, I have found everything he has
written to be true. If I had one wish for the Nobel Prize committee, it would
be for them to do something they should have done a long time ago: select Dr.
Hoffer for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Tonight, it is the honor of honors for me to induct our
very own Chief, Dr Abram Hoffer, into the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of
Fame. Lendon
H. Smith (1921 – 2001) Lendon Smith was perhaps among the most courageous of
physicians, as he was one of the first to unambiguously support high-dose
vitamin regimens for children. Such a position did not endear Smith to every
one of his fellow members of the And yet it was not until over 20 years of medical practice
that Dr. Smith first began to use megavitamin therapy. A patient “wanted me
to give her a vitamin shot,” he writes of an alcoholic woman from 1973. “I
had never done such a useless thing in my professional life, and I was a
little embarrassed to think that she considered me to be the kind of doctor
who would do that sort of thing.” (Feed Yourself Right, 1983, xiii-xiv) “That sort of thing” consisted of an intramuscular
injection of 0.5 cc of B-complex, which, Smith reported, proved successful
enough such that “she walked past three bars and didn’t have to go in.”
This was the beginning of his evolution from conventional pediatrician to
orthomolecular spokesperson. Dr. Smith couldn’t have cared less about his critics. By
1979, he was a New York Times bestselling author, and by 1983 an advocate of
four-day water fasts, 1,000 microgram injections of B-12, and megavitamins
for kids. Specifically, he urged “an intake of vitamin C of about 1,000
milligrams per day for each year of life up to 5,000 mgs at age five. A baby
should get 100 mg per day per month of age.” He was an outspoken critic
of junk food. Among his trademark phrases were, “People tend to eat the food
to which they are sensitive.” And: “If you love something, it is probably bad
for you.” And: “If we continue to eat store-bought food, we will have
store-bought teeth.” Here are two more of my favorite Lendon Smith zingers: “Soap and peroxide seems to be safer than tetanus
shots.” And, of course: “There is no evidence schizophrenia is caused by a
deficiency of any modern drug.“ Dr. Smith’s exceptional visibility has done a great deal
to educate and encourage fathers and mothers to use vitamins to prevent and
cure illness. For this, Lendon Smith ranks as one of the most influential
pediatricians of our time, and one of the true pioneers of orthomolecular
medicine. Tonight, he joins the Hall of Fame. Sister
Theresa Feist (b.
1942) As a young man in In her book, “Schizophrenia Cured,” Ursuline Sister
Theresa Feist has presented all who wish to know with the way out of
schizophrenia. Until I read her book, I had never seen an appreciation of
orthomolecular medicine illustrated with prayerful line drawings and Biblical
quotes. May I say that I like the presentation very much. Here is the
testimony of a woman who has chosen a life of selfless service. In the early
1970’s, she experiences the depths of mental distress. Then, after a no-sugar
diet and niacin supplementation three times a day, she experiences cure in 19
days flat. She publishes her story,
and then proceeds to write a second book, “Spirituality and Holistic Living.”
Then she goes on to found and operate a residential facility which, in the
good Quaker tradition that Dr Abram Hoffer has often mentioned, offers
compassionate care and good food to those most in need. It is called the
Flaman-Morris Home, Inc, and is located in Abram Hoffer has written, “The “Sister Teresa Feists” of
the world are the people who move mankind.”
Sister writes directly to the heart, saying: “There is no reason why
information should be withheld from the public. There is no reason why
government support should not be swift in coming. There is no reason why I
should not tell my story. Read it, please, and pass it on.” The history of Christianity is has long celebrated the
contribution of mother foundresses, religious women who have created a
physical place for spiritual restoration. Sister has not only done that; she,
at the Flaman-Morris Home, has created a spiritual place for physical
restoration. Sr. Teresa exemplifies, even personifies, what is probably
the highest of all religious virtues: selfless service. It is my great pleasure to now introduce you to the
youngest-ever inductee into the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame: Sister
Teresa Feist. David R.
Hawkins, M.D. (b.
1927) Dr. David Hawkins authored articles with Bill W. of
Alcoholic’s Anonymous, and co-edited with Linus Pauling. He received the
Huxley Award, 1979, for “Inestimable Contribution to the Alleviation of Human
Suffering.” This year, he was honored as an American Psychiatric
Association’s 50-Year Distinguished Life Fellow. Given all this serious and
well-deserved accolade, I cannot help but delight in one more aspect of Dr.
Hawkins: he has a singular dislike of scorpions. He confessed this to all the world in 1996, when he wrote
“Goodbye, Scorpion; Farewell, Black Widow Spider.” In this book, he returned
to his boyhood hobby as an amateur entomologist, producing what one reviewer
called “a colloquial and often humorous relation of his battles with and
eventual triumph over these dangerous arachnid pests.” In recent years, and on other topics, of course, Dr.
Hawkins has been praised by Wal-Mart Founder Sam Walton, former Chrysler
Chairman Lee Iacocca, and motivational speaker Dr. Wayne W. Dyer. Even
Blessed Mother Teresa has written of Hawkins, stating that he has “[A]
beautiful gift of writing... [You] spread joy, love and compassion through
what you write. The fruit of these three is peace.” Dr. Hawkins says, “We
change the world not by what we say or do but as a consequence of what we
have become." Tonight, we honor Dr. Hawkins’ many contributions to
psychiatry and to the world as we rightfully add his name to the
Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame. (These profiles were
written by Andrew W. Saul, except for “Sister Theresa Feist” and “Max Joseph
Vogel,” which were written by Steven Carter. Reprinted with permission from J
Orthomolecular Med, 2006. Vol 21, No 2.) For more Hall of Fame
inductees’ biographies, please go to http://www.orthomolecular.org/hof/index.shtml
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