briskgull27
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Vitamin B-3 and Schizophrenia: Discovery, Recovery, Controversy
by Abram Hoffer, MD
Quarry Press, Kingston, Ontario, Canada (1998) ISBN 1-55082-079-6
Softcover, 150 pages plus bibliography and two appendices.
Review by Andrew Saul, PhD
The United States Patent Office delayed issuing a patent on the Wright brothers’ airplane for five years because it clashed with established scientific principles. That part is actually true. But here is the parallel: Vitamin B-3, or niacin, has been scientifically shown to be effective against psychosis, yet the medical establishment has dragged its feet on endorsing it. Not for five years, though—but for fifty.
Back in 1952, Abram Hoffer, PhD, MD, had just finished his psychiatry residency. Even more impressive, he had demonstrated—using the very first double-blind, placebo-controlled studies ever conducted in the field of psychiatry—that vitamin B-3 could treat schizophrenia. You would think that psychiatrists everywhere would have beaten down a path to Saskatchewan to replicati The findings of this Young Director of Psychiatric research and his colleague, Humphrey Osmond, MD.
Wouldn't you?
In today's psychiatric landscape, niacin and schizophrenia are two topics that have been largely pushed into the shadows. Meanwhile, patients are often sedated into compliance or medicated into a haze with drugs like Prozac, left to wander the streets or sit at home where it's unlikely they'll receive adequate daily vitamin intake. Those living in state institutions don't usually fare much better nutritionally, either. After all, the prevailing "wisdom" is that vitamins aren't meant to cure "real" diseases.
But for half a century Dr Hoffer Has dissented. His core argument remains steady: while illness isn't caused by a lack of drugs, many conditions—especially mental health struggles—can clearly be traced back to vitamin deficiencies. It’s a logical concept that has held up under repeated clinical scrutiny. If you find yourself skeptical, Vitamin B-3 and Schizophrenia offers plenty of references to convince you. And remember that IT was dr. Hoffer Who started OFF those clinical Studies in The First Place. All the way back in 1952.
Personally, I didn't really grasp the link between nutrition and brain function until my days at Australian National University, during those marathon, late-night sessions fueled entirely by cookies and mah-jongg. While I wasn't exactly experiencing psychosis, my brain was definitely feeling the effects of being overloaded with sugar, junk food, and adrenaline by 3 am. My mood would tank, my mind would race, and I’d find myself unable to sleep, sit still, or even crack a smile. Naturally, I never once considered that my diet might be the culprit. We are all conditioned to believe that medicine cures us, not our meals.
And certainly not through vitamin supplements!
However, the truth eventually comes to light. Three years later, i First saw niacin work on somebody Elsa. He was a legitimate, properly diagnosed, and supposedly "incurable" patient staying in a state hospital. I didn't witness the effects within the hospital walls, of course; the only vitamins provided there are whatever bits you can scavenge from Jell-O or Tang. Instead, I saw it happen with a man whose parents were desperate enough to try anything, including nutritional intervention. Perhaps they turned to this because their son had become so volatile that he was released from the asylum to live with them. On a good day, his parents managed to get him to take 3,000 mg of niacin along with 10,000 mg of vitamin C. Formerly a hyperactive insomniac, he responded by sleeping for 18 hours straight the very first night and appearing remarkably normal within just a few days. I knew him before this change, and I knew him after. Having spoken with his parents throughout the ordeal, I can say the improvement was nothing short of astounding.
Later on, I decided to test niacin myself to see if it could help with my own bouts of insomnia. It worked quite well, and I only needed a small amount—maybe 100 mg—to feel the effect. Anything more would cause a warm "flush." Interestingly, I noticed that when I consumed large amounts of sugar or junk food, I could take 500 mg or more without any flushing at all. Furthermore, rather than feeling jittery after taking the niacin, I felt perfectly calm. In Vitamin B-3 and Schizophrenia, Dr. Hoffer explains exactly why that happens:
1) Generally speaking, the more severe your illness, the higher a dose of niacin your system can tolerate before you start experiencing a flush. Essentially, if your body truly needs it, you'll find that you physiologically absorb large amounts of niacin. But where is it all being utilized? A significant portion is directed toward producing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, or NAD. As the name suggests, NAD is synthesized from niacin, and it happens to be one of the most vital coenzymes in the entire human body.
2) Niacin also functions as an antihistamine within the body. It turns out that many individuals exhibiting psychotic symptoms are actually struggling with cerebral allergies. These patients require higher doses of niacin to manage the physiological impact of consuming certain trigger foods. Of course, they also need to eliminate those specific foods entirely—especially the ones they likely crave most, like processed junk food and refined sugar.
3) There is a specific chemical found in significant quantities within the bodies of those suffering from schizophrenia. It is an indole known as adrenochrome. Since adrenochrome is essentially oxidized adrenaline, it can produce effects on the body that are remarkably similar to LSD. Could that be what explains much of their behavior? Fortunately, niacin helps to curb the body's production of this toxic substance.
The fact that Dr. Abram Hoffer can condense a whole lifetime of research into a single, accessible, and surprisingly concise book is a testament to his ability to teach the fundamentals of niacin therapy to both everyday readers and medical professionals alike. I've spent years teaching nutritional biochemistry to high schoolers, college students, and chiropractic students. For most, it isn't exactly a page-turner. However, once you realize that even a fundamental understanding of niacin chemistry can profoundly transform the lives of psychotic patients, the subject becomes incredibly compelling, doesn't it?
For nearly fifty years, Dr. Abram Hoffer has treated thousands upon thousands of these patients. Even at 83, he remains an active practitioner in the field of orthomolecular (megavitamin) psychiatry. He has watched countless medical fads rise and fall over the decades. Yet, what he observes today is exactly what he has always seen: that severely ill individuals can achieve wellness through Vitamin B-3.
Review copyright c 2000 by Review by Andrew Saul, 23 Greenridge Crescent, Hamlin, NY 14464 USA.
