Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

orthomolecular medicine 1
A type of medicine
that, according to biochemist Linus Pauling, is con-
cerned with “the preservation of good health and the
treatment of disease by varying the concentration in
the human body of substances that are normally pres-
ent in the body.” The treatment of diabetes with the
injection of insulin and the prevention of goiter with
iodine are examples of orthomolecular medicine.
2
A form of alternative medicine in which practition-
ers try to prevent and cure disease by using specific
doses of vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, trace min-
erals, electrolytes, and other natural substances.
orthopaedics
See 
orthopedics.
orthopaedist
See 
orthopedist.
orthopedics
The branch of surgery that is
broadly concerned with the skeletal system.
Sometimes spelled orthopaedics.
orthopedist
An orthopedic surgeon, a physician
who corrects congenital or functional abnormalities
of the bones with surgery, casting, and bracing.
Orthopedists also treat injuries to the bones.
Sometimes spelled orthopaedist.
orthopnea
The inability to breathe easily except
when sitting up straight or standing erect.
orthopod
Slang term for an orthopedist.
orthoscopic
Having correct vision, producing
correct vision, free from optical distortion, or
designed to correct distorted vision.
orthostatic hypotension
See 
hypotension,
orthostatic.
orthotic
A support, brace, or splint used to sup-
port, align, prevent, or correct the function of mov-
able parts of the body. Shoe inserts are orthotics that
are intended to correct an abnormal or irregular
walking pattern, by altering slightly the angles at
which the foot strikes a walking or running surface.
Other orthotics include neck braces, lumbosacral
supports, knee braces, and wrist supports.