Patient Conversations: What Is Nitric Oxide?

Do you treat patients suffering from neuropathy related to diabetes? If so, you know they have a lot on their plates when it comes to daily care needs. While many patients focus narrowly on blood sugar levels, they may neglect other vital areas. For example, do your patients understand the importance of nitric oxide? This essential molecule contributes to improved vasodilation and sensory perception, which, in turn, supports neuropathy therapies, such as infrared treatment. 

Yet, in our clinical experience, few patients ask the vital question: What is nitric oxide? We believe it’s time for you to begin this vital conversation with your patients. You may also support patients by offering products for checking nitric oxide levels as well as high-quality nitric oxide supplements. With this in mind, here’s what patients must understand about the vital role nitric oxide plays in well-being. ​

What Is Nitric Oxide?

When it comes to teaching patients about nitric oxide, start with the fundamentals. For example, what is nitric oxide? This vital molecule, made more abundantly in our youth, diminishes dramatically as we age, impacting our health in various ways. Nitric oxide is essential for normal circulation delivering oxygen and nutrients to our tissues. Whether we’re talking arterial, venous, or lymph flows. What’s more, nitric oxide plays a clear role in preventing many diabetes-related health complications. 

Unfortunately, nitric oxide metabolism proves impaired in diabetic patients. We’ll delve more deeply into this area in future articles. But for now, let’s focus on sources of nitric oxide and how nitric oxide synthesis works.

How to Boost Nitric Oxide Levels

How should you encourage patients to boost their nitric oxide levels? You've likely heard of popular supplements, such as the amino acid L-Arginine or L-Citrulline, as well as food sources. Unfortunately, it’s the rare individual that can sustain optimal levels of nitric oxide with food or a single isolated amino acid alone. 

Indeed, research shows that L-Arginine and L-Citrulline do NOT effectively raise nitric oxide production levels in the body. In fact, they can even prove dangerous for diabetics and those with neuropathy! As for food sources, here are a few places to start when it comes to overhauling a diet for increased health:

• Arugula
• Butter lettuce
• Celery
• Spinach
• Bok choy
• Beets

This list is by no means a be-all, end-all. But it represents a good beginning for a healthier diet. Of course, relying solely on food for nitric oxide is only as good as an individual’s nutritional discipline. And our body’s ability to absorb and convert L-Arginine into nitric oxide falls off after the age of 40. That’s why we recommend high-quality nitrate supplements for promoting stable nitric oxide levels as we age. 

Nitric Oxide Synthesis and the Body

What happens when patients consume the foods listed above along with nitrate supplementation? Their body will use these nutrients to support nitric oxide creation. Where does nitric oxide metabolism take place? In the endothelial cells lining every blood vessel and lymph duct in the body. 

What happens when these endothelial cells don't receive enough nitrates to support nitric oxide production? Nitric oxide synthesis gets impaired, as does oxygen delivery to individual cells. In turn, this leads to hypoxia and further decreases in nitric oxide synthesis. 

Nitric Oxide: The Takeaway

The result? A “vicious cycle” of progressive degeneration we see in so many diabetes patients. Decreases in nitric oxide levels lead to diseases of the heart, kidneys, eyes, and neurological systems. Why? Because less nitric oxide means poor vasodilation and inadequate oxygen delivery. 

Starting a conversation about nitric oxide will provide your patients with the education they need for improved health. But you can’t stop there. You should also test your patients’ nitric oxide levels during each visit. That way, you can complement their existing Neurolight Treatment protocol to ensure the best possible outcomes. Learn more about options for checking nitric oxide levels and high-quality supplementation.