The following supplement guide will provide some insight into the benefits of various herbs, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, etc., for general health needs and specific illnesses. Please note that recommended brands are simply from my own experience and for some significant reasons. While I recommend a brand, I don’t necessarily recommend purchasing directly from the manufacturer if you’re on a tight budget.

In order of the importance level I’ve perceived and experienced thus far, not alphabetical:

Magnesium: “In addition to the more than 350 enzymes for which magnesium is directly necessary, it is indirectly required for thousands of others. One especially important reaction that needs magnesium is the one that controls the molecule adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. ATP is present in all the living world. You can think of it as life’s batteries–a substance that can store and release energy back and forth, like a switch. But to do so, it needs magnesium. Literally every energy-consuming reaction in life involves ATP and thus needs magnesium to proceed. This is what puts the number of enzymes that need magnesium into the thousands.” from The Magnesium Factor, by Mildred S. Seelig, M.D. and Andrea Rosanoff, Ph.D

I have taken ridiculously high levels of Magnesium upwards of 7 to 10 grams and higher a day in an effort to rescue my mitochondria and ATP. The preferred form is injection but most allopathic physicians are stuck in the dark ages and will not do this. In spite of the obvious side effects (which I was able to alleviate) for taking such high oral doses, the benefits were obvious and tremendous. It is a supplement I cannot live without and am working up to higher levels of assimilation. If you have any health concerns such as hypertension, CFS, diabetes, arteriosclerosis or are just feeling run down, I recommend the book quoted above. It gives detailed description and references of studies backing the truth of the vital need for magnesium beyond any typical understanding of it.

Topical magnesium is considered superior to oral if you can’t get a doctor to help with injections. I’m also going to be using a nebuliser for administration.

This recommendation is for everyone from the healthy to the CFS sufferer. But CFS/ME folks should never be without it.

Number 1 Recommended Brand (Oral): Jigsaw

D-Ribose: “The pathological defect in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome is slow recycling of ATP. Normally there is enough ATP in a heart cell to last about ten beats – this means that roughly speaking ATP needs to be re-cycled every ten seconds. Top athletes like Steve Redgrave probably recycle ATP every five seconds, but patients with fatigues may only be able to recycle ATP every minute. Therefore I can do in ten seconds what Steve Redgrave can do in five seconds, but it might take one of my fatigue syndrome patients a minute to achieve the same!

ATP in releasing energy is converted to ADP (2-phosphates) which is recycled back through mitochondria to ATP (3-phosphates). However, if the system is really pushed then the body can extract energy from ADP by converting it into AMP (1-phosphate). The problem is that AMP is very slowly recycled, if at all, and most is lost from the cell. This means that the body has to make brand new ATP. This it does from D-Ribose and this it can do very quickly. The trouble is the body making D-Ribose. Normally this is made from glucose. However if the cell is lacking in energy then any glucose lying around can be converted to lactic acid to generate energy. The problem here is twofold – first of all the lactic acid causes pain. Secondly any glucose that is swilling around is not available to make D-ribose.

Even when glucose supply is plentiful, production of D-ribose in the cell by the glucose pentose shunt is very slow.

D-ribose as a nutritional supplement is therefore useful because it is immediately available for the generation of new ATP

Because D-ribose is a simple sugar, it is extremely well absorbed. The clinical experience of cardiologists using D-ribose to treat heart failure due to mitochondrial failure is that it is very effective and free from side effects. The dose depends on the severity of the illness, but the clinical experience is that sufferers should be started on high doses and then it can be adjusted to a maintenance dose. Therefore I recommend that my CFS patients use 5 grams (1 scoop) three times a day. Effects should be seen within a few days. Whilst levels of energy improve and continue to improve then I recommend staying on 15 grams daily. At the point at which it levels off, experiment with lower maintenance doses. However, should the sufferer overdo things on a particular day then it is as well to take extra D-ribose in order to rescue the situation.

Two problems I sometimes see:

1. The fermenting gut. If there are bacteria or yeast in the upper gut then D-ribose may be fermented to produce alcohol and gas. In this event I suggest reducing the daily dose to 5 grams, holding it in the mouth as long as possible – some will be absorbed here. Space doses throughout the day.
2. Corn sensitivity. D-ribose is derived from corn and some CFSs who are corn sensitive will react allergically to it. I do not know of a corn free preparation of D-ribose.

D-ribose is going to work best when the other aspects of mitochondrial metabolism are addressed, namely Co-enzyme Q10, L-carnitine, magnesium, niacinamide, detoxificiation and antioxidant regimes where appropriate.

Anything which can be done to prevent damage to mitochondria will also be extremely helpful. There are many ways in which mitochondria can be damaged such as viral infection, pesticides, heavy metals, hormone imbalances, allergies, low blood sugar or high blood sugar, micronutrient deficiencies, lack of sleep, etc. D-ribose is, therefore, an adjunct to my standard work up for treating chronic fatigue syndrome. Clinically I expect D-ribose to improve the symptom of delayed fatigue in sufferers as well as improve stamina.”

 Dr. Sarah Myhill from her website.

This recommendation is for CFS/ME sufferers exclusively. I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt someone with normal health realities but this is specifically a recommend for CFS/ME and is another one that should never be discontinued unless corn derivatives are not tolerated.

Number 1 Recommended Brand: Life Extension D-Ribose Power (This is a derivative of NON-GMO corn. I wouldn’t take any corn derivative not clearly stated as non-gmo.)

Olive Leaf Extract: Regarded as an anti-parasitic, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-microbial immune-boosting wonder. “In the nineteenth century, biochemists analyzed powdered olive leaves and named the compound thought to contain all the disease-resistant properties oleuropein. Oleuropein is present throughout the olive tree, in its bark, roots, leaves, and fruit, and it is credited for lending the olive tree its pest-resistance.” from http://www.altcancer.com/jdownloads/herbhealers/olive_leaf.pdf

I personally have Dr. Morton Walker’s book Olive Leaf Extract and have found it to be a helpful resource on the many benefits and effects of olive leaf extract. In my personal experience, it provides a tremendous energy boost and is one of the top 10 supplements I cannot do without as a CFS veteran. It is reputed to help with Epstein-Barre virus which is considered to be part of the CFS sufferer’s struggle. I don’t honestly know why it works except that it can be effective against parasites and yeast which wreak havoc on the immune system. It can cause a die-off effect when initially used, depending on the dosage. Flu-like symptoms caused by parasites and other pesky bad guys dying off can occur but it’s nothing to be concerned about and will fade quickly. It can last up to a week, depending on the situation.

My personal experience includes massive doses beyond the suggested amount since I do have CFS and encounter unique challenges with energy. I have never encountered a point of “too much” olive leaf extract and my research reveals no known point of overdose or toxic effect.

Number 1 Recommended Brand: Seagate