Best-selling author Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., a board certified internist and nationally known expert in the fields of chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, sleep and pain, has developed his solution for the human energy crisis. In his new book The Fatigue & Fibromyalgia Solution, he continues to support ribose, which he calls a special energy nutrient.

Teitelbaum blames the human energy crisis on several factors, including:

• Approximately half the calories we eat are “empty calories” which have largely been stripped of their vitamins and minerals.

• The average amount of sleep time per night has decreased by 30 percent in the last 130 years

• Thousands of chemicals are being released into the environment, with many disrupting hormone function, including thyroid, estrogen, and testosterone.

• Many people are exercising less while also getting less sunshine.

• Especially important? As we get older, our body’s energy furnaces, called mitochondria, decrease in number and become less effective.

Below is a synopsis of his five simple tips for people who want more energy:

Tip #1 -Feed Your Body: Eat whole foods when it is convenient to do so. Also, take a good multivitamin high in energy producing magnesium and B vitamins, especially B12.

Tip #2 – Use Your Body: Our bodies have a very simple “use it or lose it” approach to efficiency. Wear a simple pedometer and aim to get at least 10,000 steps a day of walking.

Tip #3 – Rest Your Body: The average night’s sleep was nine hours a night 130 years ago before light bulbs. We are now down to a paltry 6 1/2 hours sleep on average. This is like a 1/3 pay cut to your body. Sleep replenishes the body’s energy and heals its muscles.

Tip #4 – Follow Your Bliss: If you are living a life you hate, don’t expect your body to give you abundant energy. Shift your focus to “things that feel good” activities. You’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel and how your energy will increase.

Tip #5 – Power Up With a Special Energy Nutrient! A remarkable step forward is a new energy nutrient, called D-ribose, that can powerfully increase energy production. This results not only in your feeling more vital but in other surprising benefits as well!

Dr. Teitelbaum goes on to explain …

“In looking at energy production, it helps to look at the “energy molecules” such as ATP, NADH, and FADH, which represent the “Energy Currency’ of the body.

In looking at the biochemistry of these energy molecules, they are made of B vitamins, easily obtained in a good multivitamin, and ribose. Ribose is made in the body in the pentose phosphate shunt, and its production is often a rate limiting step in energy production. Because of that, our research team and many others have been studying its benefits.

We have now completed two research studies in over 300 people with very severe forms of fatigue, called CFS and fibromyalgia. These were done at 54 health clinics. The remarkable finding? People showed an average 61% increase in energy after 3 weeks on ribose 5 g 3 times a day. But energy wasn’t the only thing that improved. People also showed a marked improvement in sleep, pain, mental clarity and overall well being.

D-Ribose Accelerates Energy Recovery

D-Ribose (which is what I am referring to when I say ribose) is a simple, five-carbon sugar (known as a pentose by biochemists) that is found naturally in our bodies. But ribose is not like any other sugar. Sugars we are all familiar with are used by the body as fuel. These sugars are consumed and, with the help of the oxygen we breathe, are “burned” by the body to produce energy. Because sugar intake is excessive, it becomes unhealthy. Ribose, on the other hand, is unique, and the body preserves it for the vital work of energy production, as well as in making our genetic material, DNA and RNA.

Two very interesting studies in animals showed how dramatic the effect of ribose could be on energy recovery in fatigued muscle. These studies were conducted by Dr. Ron Terjung, a top muscle physiologists. In their research, Dr. Terjung and his co-investigators found that ribose administration in fatigued muscle increased the rate of energy recovery by 340% to 430%, depending on which type of muscle was tested. He also found that even very small amounts of ribose had the effect of helping the muscle cell preserve energy, a process known as energy salvage, and the higher the ribose dose, the more dramatic the effect on energy preservation.

Especially dramatic is the effect of ribose in Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) and other heart conditions, a major cause of death and debility. I’ve seen people who have been given a “death sentence” by their cardiologist, being told that only have weeks to a few months to live, recover healthy function by using ribose, coenzyme Q 10, magnesium and B vitamins.

Another very appreciated benefit is a marked decrease in muscle pain, one of the most common causes of discomfort. Like a spring, muscles take more energy to relax than to contract. That’s why after overuse your muscles feel tight – not loose. By restoring energy production, our research showed that pain markedly decreased!

We have found the use of ribose to be a major step forward in optimizing health. It is part of my daily regimen and helps me to have abundant energy.”