a form of complementary and alternative medicine that uses megavitamin therapy and other nutritional approaches to prevent or treat physical and mental disorders. Proponents of this approach believe that biochemical imbalances in the body are a contributing factor to disease and that using vitamins, minerals, and other substances natural to the body corrects these imbalances. Also called orthomolecular therapy. [conceived in 1968 by U.S. biochemist Linus Pauling (1901–1994)]