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Definition of "orthomolecular" [orthomolecular]

  • Of, relating to, or being a theory holding that mental diseases or abnormalities result from various chemical imbalances or deficiencies and can be cured by restoring proper levels of chemical substances, such as vitamins and minerals, in the body. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "orthomolecular" in a sentence
  • "The professors on my doctoral committee had never heard of the word orthomolecular, and all of them were certain it wasn't an accepted, traditional area of research."
  • "And then was able to come down, after I faked sanity in the loony bin in L.A., and flew up to Canada and was able to come down with acupuncture, and then was put in touch with an extraordinary man, Dr. Abram Hoffer, who has been curing schizophrenics with nutritional -- rather complicated but nutritional means, something called orthomolecular medicine, where you remove the toxins from the system and you replenish nutrients."
  • "A case in point involved the emergence of what became known as orthomolecular psychiatry, which was based on the belief that brain function was dependent upon the internal molecular environment."
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