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FIBROMYALGIA

Below are two comments documented at this site related to fibromyalgia. Take at least 1,000 IU per day, in July, 2008 I have read 2,000 IU daily is worthwhile and safe. Also, the note 2 below indicates that ribose and theanine may be of use.

1. Vitamin D: More than bone health, based on remarks by Dr. Michael F. Hollick, Prof of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics at Boston Univ. School of Medicine, Director of Osteoporosis Center at BU. " The Importance of Vitamin D in prevention of osteoporosis and other chronic diseases," presented at the Linus Pauling Institute "Diet and Optimal Health" conference, Portland, OR, May 20, 2005 - But he stated 40-60% of fibromyalgia is actually lack of vitamin D and misdiagnosed by medical experts. People would benefit most from a dosage of 50,000 IU taken every other week; a dose of 1,000 iu per day also works [http://www.beloit.edu/~nutritio/vitD.htm]

2. L-theanine and ribose: Dear Doc Roc,
Newest issue of “Alternative” has an article on fibromyalgia in which one researcher gave subjects “5 grams of ribose three times a day, for an average of 28 days” leading to “significant improvement in energy, sleep, mental clarity, and pain intensity with a 44 percent average increase in energy and an overall 30 percent increase in well-being.” Same researcher also advises 200 mg of “L-theanine (it must be the ‘L’ form)” to promote sleep, one of any fibromyalgia patient’s biggest issues.. Any problem with either? Are they obtainable for non-research purposes? Thanks. Have a great week. Mary
Dear Mary Carol, Research/Nutrition literature is exploding with things showing promise, though I do not have time to explore them thoroughly. As neither topic was in my favorite nutrition journals, I do not trust either yet. But both ribose and theanine are safe. The L- just means the particular form stereochemically, so I don’t bother to type it. Note in both cases the articles are very recent. Officially I cannot say anything, but personally, they look quite promising. Meanwhile, MDR has a product called Fibromy Support.
1. Pharmacotherapy. 2004 Nov;24(11):1646-8. Benefit of ribose in a patient with fibromyalgia. Gebhart B, Jorgenson JA. Ribose was added to the existing treatment regimen of a woman with fibromyalgia, resulting in a decrease in symptoms. It has been postulated that patients with fibromyalgia may have an alteration in muscle adenine nucleotide metabolism, leading to depleted energy reserves… As a key component in adenine nucleotide synthesis, ribose supplementation may be useful in such patients.
2. Biol Psychol. 2006 Aug 21; l-Theanine reduces psychological and physiological stress responses. Kimura K, Ozeki M, Juneja LR, Ohira H. l -Theanine is an amino acid contained in green tea leaves which is known to block the binding of l-glutamic acid to glutamate receptors in the brain. Because the characteristics of l-Theanine suggest that it may influence psychological and physiological states under stress, the present study examined these possible effects in a laboratory setting using a mental arithmetic task as an acute stressor. Twelve participants underwent four separate trials: one in which they took l-Theanine at the start of an experimental procedure, one in which they took l-Theanine midway, and two control trials in which they either took a placebo or nothing. The experimental sessions were performed by double-blind, and the order of them was counterbalanced. The results showed that l-Theanine intake resulted in a reduction in the heart rate (HR) and salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) responses to an acute stress task relative to the placebo control condition…Thus, it was suggested that the oral intake of l-Theanine could cause anti-stress effects via the inhibition of cortical neuron excitation.