What is orthomolecular medicine?
More and more people are convinced that a balanced and conscious diet is crucial for good health. The question is increasingly being asked as to whether today’s foods are still sufficiently suitable for a healthy diet. In this context, the term “orthomolecular medicine” is often used. This – also called micronutrient medicine – represents the scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of nutritional and environmental diseases through the targeted use of vital substances  .
Supply of vital substances
Vitamins, minerals , trace elements, amino acids  and fatty acids must be supplied to the human organism regularly in sufficient quantities with food because it does not produce them itself. Even the lack of a single vital substance can limit performance: unspecific symptoms such as exhaustion, susceptibility to infections, lack of concentration and irritability occur and often cannot be explained.
Consequences of a lack of vital substances
In the long term, a lack of vital substances even gradually and unnoticed prepares the ground for serious diseases such as arteriosclerosis , adult-onset diabetes, cancer , osteoporosis  or rheumatism . Of the large number of vital substances required, the body only needs very small amounts of some – the so-called trace elements. They are also called micronutrients and take on vital tasks in every cell of the human organism.
The immune system , the nerve cells, the work of the muscle fibers and many other functions depend on the optimal supply of all nutrients. As building blocks of enzymes, they are involved in over 100,000 complex metabolic processes. All vital substances must be present at the right time, in the right place and in the right concentration so that the finely tuned interaction of cells, tissue and organs functions smoothly.
Definition: Orthomolecular Medicine
The term “orthomolecular” – literally translated – “the right molecules” – or in other words: “the right vital substances” was coined by the American biochemist Professor Linus Pauling (1901 – 1994). The two-time Nobel Prize winner formulated the basic principle as early as 1968 : “Orthomolecular medicine serves to maintain good health and treat disease by altering the levels in the human body of substances that should normally be present in the body and are required for health”.
Every person is therefore dependent on a regular and balanced supply of the micronutrients in the respective amounts that should normally be in the cells of his body. This is the only way to ensure the conditions for a trouble-free metabolic process and optimal performance of the human organism. The central area of ​​activity of orthomolecular medicine is not only the prevention of diseases but also the therapy-accompanying administration of micronutrients in case of illness.
Criticism of orthomolecular medicine:
When considering the concept of orthomolecular medicine, it should be noted that this is an alternative medical method whose effectiveness has not yet been scientifically proven. The intake of vitamins and minerals that is recommended in orthomolecular medicine is significantly higher than is justified by scientific knowledge.
In addition, it is controversial whether many illnesses are actually due to an unhealthy diet and a resulting lack of vital substances and whether, conversely, illnesses can be cured by an adequate supply of vitamins and minerals. This is certainly the case for some diseases, the cause of which is clearly a lack of certain vitamins or minerals. For other diseases, however, healing by taking vitamins and minerals is highly controversial. It should be noted in particular that long-term intake of high-dose vitamin preparations – as is quite common in orthomolecular medicine – can also lead to damage to health.