Dr Joseph Chandy has spent years battling for recognition of his work with the vitamin B12 and says there is now proof his treatment works in the 750-plus people he has helped at his surgery.
The GP, who leads the Shinwell Medical Practice in Fourth Street, Horden, believes many people are wrongly diagnosed with a whole range of medical conditions which can be put down to a vitamin deficiency.
Now health chiefs have approved his "pathway of care" which will help medics spot those suffering from a lack of the vitamin.
The 65-year-old believes a simple blood test, costing less than £4, can identify the problem, with doses of B12 – also known as cobalamin – helping those suffering from a host of health problems and costing the NHS just a small amount to treat.
He says the deficiency manifests itself in symptoms which can cause irreversible damage, even fatality, if not treated including cardiac failure, exacerbation of angina and asthma, depression and diabetes.
It can be caused by a number of factors, including a vegetarian or vegan diet as it is naturally found in meat, fish, eggs and milk, while many are unable to absorb it from their food which means the only way the balance can be redressed is by injection or pills.
Many have found that if they stop the treatment they begin to fall ill again.
Dr Chandy, a married father-of-three who lives in Peterlee, said: "I think the impact of this will be over time. We will see a lot of the most unbelievable problems treated.
"I have worked on this night and day. My patients felt very strongly about this work and even formed a group to help."
Catherine Iceton, 30, from Peterlee, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis seven years ago and was virtually wheelchair bound until she was tested for the deficiency.
It showed low levels of the vitamin and she started a course of treatment, claiming that her symptoms started to improve within 48 hours.
She said: "Before I started the B12 I needed help walking and I spent a lot of time in a wheelchair.
"Now I can walk unaided and I would say I had improved by 60 per cent in just two days.
"It's incredible, I would never have believed it."
The Vitamin B12 Deficiency Patient Support Group Members include Easington MP John Cummings, who is its honorary president, and local councillors and residents.
Easington Primary Care Trust, which recently merged with others to become County Durham Primary Care Trust, gave permission for Dr Chandy's diagnostic scheme to be used following a period of activity overseen by a consultant haematologist at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital.
Mr Chandy, an NHS doctor of more than four decades, has written to members of the Government, including secretary of state for health and Prime Minister Tony Blair, to tell them of his work.
* Dr Chandy's work will be featured in tonight's Inside Out programme on BBC1 at 7.30pm.