Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame
Inducted 2007“We Are What We Eat.”
Dr. Glen Green, a nutrition pioneer, received his M.D. from McGill University in 1947 after completing his B.A. and Certificate of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in 1945. He began life as a general practice physician in 1949 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, where he still lives with his wife, Peggy.
Dr. Green served as the medical staff president of two hospitals and was a board member of the Saskatchewan College of Physicians and Surgeons. In 1968 his own poor health became the impetus for examining how doctors diagnose and treat patients. He was a voracious reader and regularly connected with luminaries such as Linus Pauling and Abram Hoffer, eager to exchange innovative ideas and new treatments.
His 1970 study of 1,200 school children lead to his discovery of subclinical pellagra, an indication that the body is lacking in vitamin B3 which, if untreated, may lead to schizophrenia. He also developed the Perceptual Dysfunction Test to diagnose more accurately subclinical pellagra. Children who fell into this category (some 17%) had difficulty reading and often had behavior problems. The cause was a cerebral allergy, overtaxing the digestive system. Sensory illusions stopped when orthomolecular therapy and diet were used.
Dr. Green¹s pursuit of help for patients who did not respond to traditional medicine lead him further into alternative medicine. In his book, Doctors, Martin O’Malley wrote that Green was the most “radical holistic doctor in Canada”, a mantel he wore with pride. Green lost his license to practice medicine in 1982 for the belief that people must alter their lifestyles and learn how to nourish their bodies to rediscover the joy of good health.
Dr. Green was one of the 24 founding members of the Academy of Orthomolecular Psychiatry established in 1976. He contributed five articles on subclinical pellagra to the Journal of Orthomolecular Psychiatry.
– Susan Green
