With the advent and popularization of so-called social networks (Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and so on), information has become even more accessible and abundant. However, the availability of reliable content has increased as well as, unfortunately and even more so, not-so-reliable content. This is what I was able to see once again recently.
Some time ago I was looking at my X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook and was surprised by the statements of a fellow doctor “attacking” “Orthomolecular Medicine”. His comments showed no scientific basis and were made in a sensationalist manner. In addition, since the colleague is renowned in his specialty, he should (or ought to) study a lot before expressing an opinion. Because:
1 - Orthomolecular, Biomolecular and Oxidology are synonymous terms.
2 - The Orthomolecular strategy works to prevent and treat diseases by detoxifying, supplying deficiencies and fighting free radicals. For those who want more details on the subject, I suggest you visit:
🔗 https://icaro.med.br/um-pouco-mais-sobre-ortomolecular-e-por-que-funciona-tao-bem/
🔗 https://icaro.med.br/ortomolecular-tire-todas-as-suas-duvidas-sobre/
3 - The Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), the highest body that regulates medicine in Brazil, recognizes the usefulness and efficacy of Orthomolecular Medicine, through its Resolution number 2004 of 2012, available for consultation at the following link https://portal.cfm.org.br/images/stories/pdf/res2004.pdf, This proves that this approach has an established value in the Brazilian medical community.
4 - Among the main countries in the world, only in Brazil does Orthomolecular medicine face so much resistance to having its value fully recognized in medicine. It's enough to notice that most of the thousands of studies supporting it come from other countries. It's also worth noting that many of these studies are in the areas of Cardiology, Endocrinology and Gynecology, for example, i.e. they were done for specific areas but support orthomolecular strategies. Personally, I believe that it won't be long before orthomolecular medicine is recognized as a medical field and/or specialty, given the weight of the thousands of pieces of scientific evidence that are constantly subjected to careful analysis by the CFM; all in good time!
5 - The “creator” of the foundations of the orthomolecular strategy, Linus Pauling, won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1954 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962, and has lived 93 years in good health (and victory over diseases that were even considered lethal), applying what he left as a scientific legacy to his life. In Brazil, the main exponents and pioneers of the orthomolecular approach have extensive CVs, as well as specialties in various areas of medicine, including members of the National Academy of Medicine, professors at renowned universities, PhDs in their primary fields and nationally and internationally renowned researchers. Surely, professionals of this caliber would not dedicate their time, images and commitment to something that was not scientific, useful, beneficial to society and, at the same time, reliable.
6 - Any doctor who is concerned with more aspects of their patient's life than just their illnesses, signs and symptoms, even if unconsciously, is putting Orthomolecular precepts into practice. This includes promoting healthy lifestyle habits, improving diet, reducing exposure to toxins, managing stress and sleep quality, for example.
7 - Several drugs launched by the pharmaceutical industry in recent years have already been prescribed by orthomolecular doctors for decades, usually with good results. Examples include thioctic acid, very suitable for diabetes, niacin, for cholesterol control, and arginine, for chronic fatigue, among many others.
8 - The value of orthomolecular medicine for the health of the population is so evident that more and more doctors (and even nutritionists) are looking for postgraduate courses in Brazil. The classes include professionals from the most varied specialties: cardiologists, endocrinologists, ophthalmologists, anesthesiologists, dermatologists, gynecologists, intensivists and even homeopaths. What do they all have in common? The desire to learn more and specialize better for the benefit of the community, since the knowledge acquired will be entirely useful for the most effective approach and treatment of their patients. After all, you can never know too much, especially when it comes to something as precious as health.
9 - No medical colleague who incorporates orthomolecular practices into his daily professional activity loses his primary specialty; he remains a specialist in his original field, but with the added advantage of knowing a little more about health. Isn't that in itself good and beneficial for your patients?
10 - Many medical colleagues feel uncomfortable, as if an orthomolecular practitioner is going to “steal” from their patients or trick them in some way with something ineffective or even harmful. To these colleagues, I reply that if they were to study Orthomolecular medicine a little, they would see that the intention is not to harm anyone, but rather to use knowledge of biochemistry to improve results in the clinic. What's more, everything that is done in Orthomolecular medicine is backed up by countless internationally accepted scientific studies.
11 - Do you accept the opinion of people who don't understand the minimum necessary about a subject? Most people don't. The reason is simple: how can you criticize something you don't know? The criticism will most likely be inadequate, unreliable or even frivolous and defamatory. In medicine, it's no different: how can someone criticize a form of diagnosis or treatment without studying the subject at all? And in a panorama of medicine in which knowledge of more specific areas is increasingly sought after, the vision of the whole is often lost, and even if the knowledge already acquired is not lost, the lack of updating in other areas gradually compromises the proper understanding of the areas no longer studied. Perhaps this is why popular wisdom has it that a doctor is an eternal student.
12 - Of course, there are good and bad professionals in any medical field or specialty, but those who practice orthomolecular medicine correctly usually get good results because the procedures they use are based on high-quality scientific studies. Therefore, to avoid falling into the hands of charlatans (who, I repeat, exist in any area of medicine), I recommend making sure that the doctor who claims to be “orthomolecular” keeps up to date, has many years of successful biomolecular practice in the office (find out about their results with other patients) and has a postgraduate degree in the field.
13 - Is an excess of vitamins and minerals bad for you? Of course it is! Just like an excess of anything in nature. That's why the balance lies neither in lack (deficiency) nor in intoxication (excess). From water to medicines, from a sedentary lifestyle to excessive physical activity, from apathy to stress, we all know that health lies in finding the right balance in the various spheres of life and in our relationship with the environment.
To conclude, I am so sure of the value of Orthomolecular (or Biomolecular or Oxidology) in Medicine, for the benefit of health, disease prevention, improving treatments and promoting Quality of Life, that I challenge those who “don't believe” in it to simply get to know it better before criticizing or defaming it. But beware: the former skeptic may, surprisingly, become a fan of orthomolecular medicine and adopt it in his or her practice. And if you practice it seriously, keeping constantly up to date, I believe you will achieve good results with your patients.
Dr. Ícaro Alves Alcântara - doctor, active in homeopathy and orthomolecular medicine.
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