Supplements for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia - Ribose

Treating Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue syndrome is still a mystery to many doctors, but new treatments and studies are being conducted into the effectiveness of supplements and alternative treatments. Lately I have been hearing a considerable amount of discussion in the Chronic Pain Community about the use of Ribose as a way to easy pain and increase energy. Ribose, " is a naturally occurring sugar made in the body from glucose and is an essential component of ATP (adenosine triphosphate), the compound that stores and delivers energy in all cells." It also occurs in RNA (ribonucleic acid), "one of the main information-carriers of living organisms"  

So basically, ribose can be thought of as a sugar and is even being used in some energy or health drinks *(so keep an eye on the labels of drinks when you are considering how much ribose to add into your diet, you may already be consuming it!) As for Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue patients, a study in 2006 done by The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, noted that, "patients who took five grams of ribose three times a day for an average of 28 days reported less muscle soreness and stiffness, better ability to overcome fatigue, and simply [felt] better." (source/ source)

It is important to note that ribose supplements have not been extensively studied and that the study done by The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine did not utilize a placebo group, nor did they do a long term follow up.

I have, personally, not supplemented ribose into my diet, but plan on implementing it into my routine.
As always, supplements are to be approached with caution and a significant amount of research. Even though they are 'natural', these products may have negative side effects depending on your own personal health and if you are currently taking any other medication. Please consult and doctor/herbalists/or dietitian.

Recommended Dosage:
5 grams 3x a day

Possible Side Effects:

• Digestive problems, such as nausea, stomach ache and diarrhea
• Headache
• Low blood sugar (not recommended for diabetics because it can lower blood sugar too much when combined with medications)

Until next time,

Feast From Within

Sources:
Dr. Andrew Weil 
chronicfatigue.about.com