One Patient's Tribute to Dr. Abram Hoffer
   
by Robert Sealey, BSc, CA

By Robert Sealey, BSc, CA
author of Finding Care for Depression

On April 19, 2007, at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Canada, more than 200 people attended a Gala Evening to honour Abram Hoffer, in his 90th year, for his lifetime achievements in biochemistry, research, psychiatry and medical education. On behalf of thousands of recovered patients, I was pleased to say “Thank you Dr. Hoffer!”

My name is Robert Sealey from North York. I have a BSc degree in biological and medical sciences from the University of Toronto. I also have a bipolar mood disorder with episodes of depression etc. Think of me as a well-read patient.

I experienced decades of problems, years of symptoms endured, undiagnosed and untreated. Then I trusted the wrong doctors and got misdiagnosed and mistreated. Several medications made me worse. After 28 years of all that, in 1996, orthomolecular medicine saved my life! I recovered by taking the right doses of the right vital amines, trace minerals, amino acids, and other essential nutrients that my sick brain needed to restore and maintain normal function.

Too many patients suffer and deteriorate, year after year, like I did. This is not surprising if their psychiatrists rely on shortcuts like labels, pills and talks. Desperate for help, I read many books while searching for restorative care. Eventually, I was astonished to read that over 50 years ago, Abram Hoffer applied his PhD in biochemistry to the art of medicine.

Working as a research psychiatrist, he reasoned out what happens, biochemically, when a sick brain hallucinates or goes psychotic. Then he pioneered restorative care for schizophrenia. In the 1950s, in Saskatchewan Canada, Dr. Hoffer and his team did the first double-blind placebo-controlled experiments in psychiatry. They proved the effectiveness of the restorative treatments.

75% of their patients recovered, a success rate unheard of then, and still remarkable today! They published their findings in 1957 - that’s right - 50 years ago! Continuing for over 50 years, Dr. Hoffer and his colleagues researched and developed restorative treatments for schizophrenia, psychosis and many other problems. Not content with helping his patients get well, Dr. Hoffer translated biochemistry and psychiatry into the English language by writing more than 30 books and over 500 articles. 

Even after 50 years of research, progress and success, conventional psychiatrists say Dr. Hoffer’s regimens don’t work. Who should a sick person believe? Recovered patients say the restorative regimens work just fine. A worldwide network of orthomolecular doctors agrees. When I trusted my life to restorative care, it worked fine for me.

For your information, the 2007 second edition of the 1262 page medical textbook Manic-
Depressive Illness, just published, finally acknowledges research and benefits for bipolar
patients who use nutritional and orthomolecular psychiatry. The audience applauded when I held up the evidence, a copy of page 792.            

Right now, in the greater Toronto area, hundreds of thousands of people know the heartache of mental illness [millions more worldwide]. They need restorative care and they need it NOW!  You can tell them about orthomolecular medicine, but don’t expect their psychiatrists to listen. With their waiting rooms full, too many doctors only offer labels, pills & talks, apparently too busy to learn about restorative care.                                    

Thanks to Abram Hoffer’s research, vision, integrity and leadership, patients no longer need to suffer for decades with symptoms of schizophrenia, psychosis, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, attention deficit or autism.

On Thursday, April 19, 2007, more than 200 friends of restorative orthomolecular medicine applauded Dr. Hoffer’s lifetime achievements in four areas:
              ∙ over 50 years of research and many wonderful discoveries
              ∙ co-founding orthomolecular medicine as a restorative dimension of care
              ∙ networking, writing and educating the public and, most of all,
              ∙ helping thousands of patients to recover and live well.

Thank you Abram Hoffer.         

Announcing the O.P.E.N. MINDS CAMPAIGN

In order for orthomolecular medicine to become a standard of care, many more people need to hear about it. For over 50 years, Abram Hoffer shared his research, progress and positive findings by orthomolecular public education and networking. Still active at age 89, Dr. Hoffer welcomes volunteer support. Recovered patients, families, caregivers and health professionals can help Dr. Hoffer and Steven Carter with their important work.

ISOM launched the Open Minds campaign on Sunday April 22, 2007, at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, at Nutritional Medicine Today, the 36th annual conference of the International Society of Orthomolecular Medicine. The Open Minds Campaign launched with a simple flyer which outlined 15-steps: an action plan for volunteers.

Friends of restorative orthomolecular medicine can help with orthomolecular public education and networking. Let’s honour Dr. Hoffer’s lifetime achievements in
co-founding and developing the concept of restorative orthomolecular medicine. Let’s expand our worldwide community of friends by networking and cooperating to tell the world about orthomolecular medicine! Beautiful treatments for beautiful minds!    www.orthomed.org

 


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