Folic acid (a B vitamin) has been used by many physicians to prevent neural tube defects, a condition that causes improper brain and spinal cord development in newborns. It is now a recommended preventive measure for pregnant women. Folic acid is also used in the treatment of cervical dysplasia, a precancerous condition of the uterus, and, for this reason, is also given to women who take birth control pills or who are pregnant.

  In some hospitals intravenous magnesium sulphate (a mineral compound) is given to heart attack victims to speed recovery time. Injections of vitamin C, magnesium sulphate, vitamin B₆, and zinc sulphate are also used by some orthomolecular physicians to help prevent high blood pressure during surgery and help prevent postsurgical complications.

  Chromium (a trace mineral) is now given to help regulate the body's response to sugar and insulin. It may help those with diabetes and hypoglycemia. It can also aid in lowering cholesterol.

  Essential fatty acids (unsaturated fats that the body cannot make for itself and must obtain from food sources), including omega-3 and omega-6, are now linked to a decrease in risk factors for heart disease and a lessening of symptoms of other afflictions, including psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.

  In many of these examples, the doses of nutrients are far greater than those suggested by the RDA, but there is general agreement among orthomolecular physicians concerning dosage and usage.

   Alan R. Gaby, M.D., of Baltimore, Maryland describes a dramatic case of one of his patient. A thirty-six-year-old woman, had a six-year history of progressively diffuse muscle pain and spasm, which began after an auto accident. The condition had caused severe and incapacitating symptoms, which had resulted in eleven hospitalizations for persistent pain. Over the six years she had spent one hundred thousand dollars on various treatments. Numerous prescription medications had been tried with only mild to moderate relief. At the time of her initial visit, she was taking five medications for muscle pain, spasm, and fatigue. Physical examination revealed severe tenderness to light touch at numerous areas of her body.

  Dr. Gaby began her treatment with a therapeutic trial of intravenous nutrients consisting of magnesium chloride hexahydrate, calcium glycerophosphate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin B₆, vitamin B₅, vitamin B₁, vitamin B₁₂, and B complex. After the first two injections there was no visible change. After the third injection, however, she reported a 90 percent improvement in fatigue and muscle complaints. After three days, she discontinued all five medications. During the next two months, she received one injection approximately every two weeks. She has reported continued improvement, but the effects of the vitamins begin to wear off after two weeks if she does not maintain her injection schedule.

  Dr. Wright used orthomolecular medicine treating a childhood asthma. One of his patients was a four-year-old boy described by his parents as "being allergic since birth." The boy suffered from chronic nasal congestion. He was admitted to emergency rooms numerous times for acute wheezing. When the boy was first brought to Dr. Wright he was on long-term antihistamine medication.

  Dr. Wright's examination revealed that the boy had "allergic shiners" under his eyes and showed a maldigestion/malabsorption pattern. Dr. Wright taught the boy's parents how to inject the boy intramuscularly with vitamin B₁₂ shots. His parents reported, that within the first week of treatment  their son stopped wheezing and has slowly been able to come off medication without ill effects. With additional supplementation of glutamic acid hydrochloride capsules as a digestive aid, a low-dose multimineral complex, and 50 milligrams twice daily of magnesium, combined with B₁₂ shots given once every two weeks, he has experienced no further wheezing episodes. Two years later Dr. Wrights visited him and saw that the boy was still healthy and his digestive and absorption abilities had significantly improved. 

  Dr. Wright also used orthomolecular medicine treating such conditions as acne, chronic anemia, angina, high blood pressure, cholesterol imbalance, cystic mastitis, headache, herpes simplex, infertility, and prostate enlargement.

  Mood and behavior are other factors that can be improved by orthomolecular medicine. According to Phyllis J. Bronson, a nutritional-biochemical consultant in Aspen, Colorado, amino acid levels in the brain play an important role. Bronson states, that chemical impulses in the brain are relayed by means of nerve transmitters, some of which affect emotions, others which affect muscle function. Almost all of these neurotransmitters are composed of amino acids. By using supplements of the amino acids which make up specific neurotransmitters, you can actually change the nature and intensity of the brain messages they carry.

  Bronson focuses the large part of her practice on treating people for depression and anxiety disorders. She says that the traditional treatment for most types of anxiety disorders is the use of Xanex and Valium, which seem to work by stimulating the production of GABA (gammaaminobutyric acid) in the brain. Bronson points out that such drugs have a lot of side effects, and they can also have toxic effects on kidney and liver function. Bronson prefers to use GABA itself. She states, GABA is the brain's natural opiate, and is related to the endorphins which are the brain's natural painkillers. It can quiet anxiety, reduce muscle tensions, and induce sleep. Bronson notes that for many people suffering from depression or anxiety disorders there is a long history of deficient GABA reserves. Once they begin taking GABA supplements, their improvement can be quite dramatic. But she warns against using GABA without the supervision of a competent physician or nutritionist. An individually prescribed supplementation program takes into account the Krebs cycle, which is the final step in the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. That's why, it is not advisable to attempt supplementation on one's own. 

  In his twenty-three years of clinical experience, Robert Cathcart III, M.D., has found that taking vitamin C to bowel tolerance (bowel tolerance refers to the amount of vitamin C that can be tolerated by the body before diarrhea occurs) can effectively treat diseases which may involve free radical damage. These include: the common cold, infections, allergies, autoimmune diseases, burns, and viral pneumonia. Free radicals are atoms within the body that contain an unpaired electron. As free radicals seek to replace their missing electrons they wreck havoc on body tissue, thus depleting the body. Free radicals are neutralized by electrons called reducing equivalents that are carried by high doses of vitamin C.

  Powdered ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is mixed with water and taken several times in a twenty-four-hour period. The amount taken is increased until diarrhea develops and is slightly adjusted until the diarrhetic condition stops. The more severe the problem, the more vitamin C that can be taken before diarrhea occurs. Dr Cathcart suggests the following amounts of vitamin C be taken for certain problems

  In many conditions, symptoms are greatly reduced but will return rapidly if the dose levels are not maintained. In serious problems, doses may have to be taken every half hour, and delays may prolong the illness.

	Number of Doses	Grams per 24 hours
	Per 24 hours
Hay fever, asthma	4-8	5-20
Mild cold	6-10	30-60
Influenza	8-15	100-150
Viral pneumonia	12-18	50-200+