Corvalen M: Ribose Formula Can Help Combat Fibromyalgia & Fatigue

Fatigue or a lack of energy may actually reflect reduced energy in our cells, rather than the just getting older syndrome. The key to boosting cellular energy, is to provide your cells with the fuel they need to function at peak performance, the enzyme adenosine triphosphate (ATP) the major source of energy for all your cells. How? With a simple five-carbon sugar found in every cell of the body called D-ribose, or simply ribose, the cellular battery recharger.

Riboses main function is to regulate the production of ATP. Its even good for supplying extra energy for workouts, and restoring energy after sustained exertion. Ribose can be made naturally in the body, but its a slow process limited by several enzymes that are lacking in heart and muscle cells. To add to the problem, as we get older, ATP levels can decrease, making it harder for our cells to keep up. And when our bodies, heart or our muscles are challenged from any number of reasons like stress or lack of oxygen, they can benefit from an extra ribose boost to restore ATP levels.

The problem, until recently, was that the manufacturing processes for making ribose were so expensive that supplements just werent a practical or even feasible solution for many people. Now, though, there is new technology for ribose production, and the resulting formula, called Corvalen M, offers simple solutions for many people who just didnt have options before.

Two weeks of treatment erases debilitating pain and fatigue

Take fibromyalgia for example. Although scientists arent sure exactly what causes fibromyalgia, many people experience symptoms of pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, depression and anxiety. It is estimated that fatigue occurs in about 90 per cent of people who have fibromyalgia.

Until now, there have been few tools to help these patients as its often difficult both to diagnose and to treat. However, researchers found that ribose can provide significant improvement, as seen in the following case study published last year in the journal Pharmacotherapy.1

At 37, Kris, a veterinary surgeon and researcher at a major university, became so debilitated from fibromyalgia she had to give up her practice.

But then she joined a clinical study on fibromyalgia and began taking 5 grams of ribose two times per day (10 grams per day). Within a week, she felt better. Within two weeks, she was back at work in the operating room.

Over the course of the following month, she continued to improve. After a month, however, Kris stopped her treatment. Ten days later, she was totally debilitated again and could no longer perform surgery. So she began ribose treatment for a second time, again with dramatically positive results, and has remained symptom-free as long as she takes the supplement regularly.

Although this is only one example of how ribose benefited a fibromyalgia sufferer, it does suggest that this is a good area for researchers to pursue. While theres no official explanation as to why ribose is so effective for this condition, it could go back to its roots in ATP production. People with fibromyalgia have lower levels of ATP and a reduced capacity to make ATP in their muscles.2 The effect of ribose on the production of ATP may be the link to reducing the strain in affected muscles and allowing patients to return to their previously active lifestyles.

There are other nutrients that, like ribose, are necessary for ATP production. One is malic acid, which also helps to combat fibromyalgias chronic muscle soreness. Another is magnesium. But adding ribose has sparked even better results. Corvalen M, mentioned earlier, combines all three nutrients into one powdered formula, lending a much-needed touch of simplicity to this complicated disease.

This one case study suggests that boosting ATP production with ribose supplementation may in fact aid and assist in improving energy levels and help support conditions like fibromyalgia and fatigue.

Side-effect-free at 12 times the standard dose

One of the best parts of the ribose story is that, despite its being so powerful, it has almost no side-effects, with thousands of patients having taken ribose in doses up to 60 grams per day.

How can we be so sure that ribose is safe? Well, first, ribose is made naturally by the body and works with the bodys own chemistry. Glucose, the main sugar of the body, is converted to ribose in the cells. Corvalen M contains Bioenergy RIBOSE, which is chemically identical to the ribose made by the body from glucose. Second, the amount of ribose recommended for supplementation is very small: only about 5 grams one to three times per day. And finally, theres virtually no chance of over-supplementation: Your body safely eliminates what it doesnt need. The only warning is that it may cause overstimulation if taken too close to bedtime. In that case, it can be taken earlier in the day, i.e. not past 4 p.m.

What to take for best results

No matter what end of the health spectrum you're on, ribose may help restore energy levels. To keep cellular ATP levels at their highest, ribose should be taken daily.

Maintenance doses of 1 to 5 grams per day should be enough to maintain normal ATP levels. Corvalen M comes in a powder form that can be mixed with water: 5 grams is about one teaspoonful of the powder.

For fibromyalgia sufferers, try 5 grams two or three times daily.

Although ribose is a sugar, for those of you watching their carbohydrate intake, including diabetics, ribose does not act like glucose in raising blood sugar. In fact, it causes a brief dip in glucose, which then normalizes.

So whether you have fibromyalgia, low energy, or simply want to enhance your workouts, you can recharge your cellular batteries with Corvalen Ms special combination ribose formula.

1. Pharmacotherapy 2004;24(11): 1,646-48
2. Arthritis Rheum 1986;29: 817-21