1876-3863/12 2012 Bentham Open Open Access Treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia with

Abstract: Objectives: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia (CFS/FMS) are debilitating syndromes affecting ~2-4 % of the population. Although they are heterogeneous conditions associated with many triggers, they appear to have the common pathology of being associated with impaired energy metabolism. As D-ribose has been shown to increase cellular energy synthesis, and was shown to significantly improve clinical outcomes in CFS/FMS in an earlier study, we hypothesized that giving D-ribose would improve function in CFS/FMS patients. Design, Location, and Subjects: An open-label, unblinded study in which 53 US clinics enrolled 257 patients who had been given a diagnosis of CFS/FMS by a health practitioner. Interventions: All subjects were given D-ribose (Corvalen), a naturally occurring pentose carbohydrate, 5-g TID for 3 weeks. Outcome measures: All patients were assessed at baseline (1 week before treatment), and after 1,2, & 3 weeks using a Visual Analog Scale(1-7 points) rating energy, sleep, cognitive function, pain and overall well being. Results: 203 patients completed the 3 week treatment trial. D-ribose treatment led to both statistically(p<.0001) and clinically highly important average improvements in all categories: 61.3 % increase in energ